Springtime Comes to Pahrump

Hello again.  Our last chapter concluded on Monday, March 31^st, while we were in residence at our wonderful retirement community in Pahrump.  Tuesday, April 1^st – April Fool’s Day!  I hate April Fools jokes.  Anyway, today we had a planned event starting at 1:00 that was intended to substitute for the usual Spring camping trip for the Lucky Rollers camping club here at our Co-op.  The club always has a Spring and a Fall campout somewhere within a couple of hundred miles of Pahrump.  They had planned for an event at the Avi Casino, which is an Indian casino a few miles South of Laughlin, Nevada.  About two weeks before the campout the plans sort of collapsed when the RV park at Avi wouldn’t honor the rates and conditions that the people from the club thought had been set up.  The club just decided to cancel the outing and hold a one-day party in our park instead of a four-day campout.  It didn’t bother us too much since we don’t have a movable RV anymore.  We go to most of the campouts, but we stay in a nearby hotel instead of the RV park.  A couple dozen people showed up at 1:00 in the open air “Quail Run” picnic area at the back of our park for the event.  However, it was cold and windy, so about 3:00 they decided to move the event into the clubhouse and restart at 4:00 with the potluck dinner.  The potluck went well, lots of good food.  After dinner we had some drawings for a couple of door prize gift baskets, one of which Jackie won.  They also had a brown bag drawing where you bring a gift in a bag and people buy tickets for a chance to win one.  We both got one of those as well.  We didn’t get the 50/50.  After all the drawings I played guitar and sang for the group for about an hour.  The whole thing wrapped up about 6:00.  Not quite the usual campout, but fun, nonetheless.  After the party we went home and spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Wednesday, April 2^nd, I had my guitar practice session with my music friends, and Jackie had her Pokeno in the clubhouse.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home for dinner and a night watching TV.  Thursday was a busy day.  I had a 10:00 meeting of the By Laws Committee.  Jackie had an 11:00 mani appointment.  I also had a 12:00 meeting with the Board of Directors where we met with the employees of the Co-op.  The current Board tries to do this at least once a quarter.  I then had another Board meeting at 2:30 for some financial approvals.  That meeting was pretty short.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  We watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, April 4^th, we went to the China Wok restaurant about 10:30 for another one of our MASA lunches.  MASA is a sort of medical transport insurance and we have a lifetime membership.  They periodically put on lunches to try and get new business and they always welcome current members to attend.  Free Chinese food, why not?  After lunch we went home and spent the rest of the day relaxing and doing things around the house.  Saturday, Jackie went to play cards at 10:00 while I did some work on Board issues.  At 5:30 we picked up our friends Dale and Sue Vice and drove to the Pour House restaurant for dinners.  We had a pretty good visit with Dale and Sue but were a little disappointed with the quality of the food.  The place is in the process of converting to a brew pub and they seem to have lost their edge with the food.  After we dropped Dale and Sue off, we watched TV for the rest of the night.

Sunday, April 6^th, we did another “Sunday-Funday”.  We left the house about 1:00 and drove to the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge for a visit.  Although the Refuge is only about 28 miles from Pahrump, we have never been out here.  At last night’s dinner Dale and Sue talked a lot about the place, so we decided to go out there.  One reason we hadn’t gone out there since we stopped traveling in the motorhome and settled down is that our car, our old Ford Cmax hybrid, had a very low ground clearance and all the roads going to, and within, the Refuge are gravel.  Now we have our Buick SUV with normal clearance, so we were not hesitant to go ahead and drive out there. Back in the 50’s and 60’s this area was largely developed farming and ranching land.  The Armargosa River runs through (and beneath) this part of the Armargosa Valley.  By the 70’s the water was getting more and more difficult to get, so the area was pretty much abandoned and left as desert.  In 1983 http://The Nature Conservancy purchased 12,613 acres that had been slated for development to protect Ash Meadows. The Nature Conservancy transferred the land to the Fish and Wildlife Service  and the refuge was created on June 18, 1984, to protect this extremely rare desert oasis in the Mojave Desert.

Ash Meadows is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Ash Meadows provides a valuable and unprecedented example of desert oases habitats, that have become extremely uncommon in the southwestern deserts. The refuge is a major discharge point for a vast underground aquifer water system, reaching more than 100 mi to the northeast. Water-bearing strata come to the surface in more than thirty seeps and springs, providing a rich, complex variety of mesic habitats.  The Point of Rocks Springs in the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is home to the Amargosa River Pupfish.  Virtually all of the water at Ash Meadows is fossil water, believed to have entered the ground water system tens of thousands of years ago.  Numerous stream channels and wetlands are scattered throughout the refuge. To the north and west are the remnants of Carson Slough, which was drained and mined for its peat in the 1960s. Sand dunes occur in the western and southern parts of the refuge.

Endemic plants and animals.  Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge was established to provide and protect habitat for at least twenty-six endemic plants and animals, meaning they are found nowhere else in the world.  The concentration of locally exclusive flora and fauna that distinguishes Ash Meadows is the greatest concentration of endemic biota in any local area within the United States. It has the second greatest local endemism concentration in all of North America.

We went to the visitor’s center first, where we learned all about the history of the Refuge.  It was a very nice center with lots of exhibits and information.  We then drove to some of the various highlight areas.  We went first to Devils Hole, which is a natural fissure in the earth at the base of a small mountain range.  The fissure is an opening to a huge underground reservoir that is estimated to be more than 500 feet deep.  You can look down into the hole and see the water about 40 feet or so down.  The first five feet or so of this underground lake is home to the Devils Hole Pupfish, which is a tiny minnow that only exists in this place.  At one time the population of the fish declined to 35 individuals.  However, the Refuge has nurtured the population by creating a hatchery where they take the fish eggs every year and raise them until they can be returned to the hole.  There are now more than 200 of this species.  We also drove to a natural spring at a place called “Point of Rocks” where there is another species of Pupfish, the Armargosa River Pupfish.  In this spring fed pool, you can see a variety of species of pupfish and minnows. We took several pictures of the bright blue Pupfish.  We had a really nice visit and were glad we went.  After we drove home, we had dinner, which we had cooking in the crock pot while we were gone, then watched TV until bedtime.

Monday, April 7^th, we had nothing on our schedule today.  I spent most of the afternoon in the shed office doing some work related to my position on the Board of Directors.  I had to get a number of proposals written for the open Board meeting next week.  We skipped happy hour and just relaxed with the TV for the rest of the night.  Tuesday the cleaning lady came.  We had a stay-at-home day.  Wednesday, we had a lunch at the clubhouse at 11:00 put on by MASA.  After the presentation they had lunch catered by Panda Express.  After lunch I had my guitar practice group and Jackie had Pokeno.  We went to happy hour, then home for dinner and night with the TV.

Thursday, April 10^th, we left the park about 9:30 and headed to Las Vegas so Jackie could see Dr. Nishiyama about her knees.  After the exam and the x-rays, she was told that she really didn’t need any sort of surgery.  They gave her cortisone shots in both knees, and we were done.  We had lunch at the Omelet House in Summerlin, then went to Costco to shop.  After Costco we headed back home, getting back in time for happy hour.  After happy hour we went home and watched TV for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  Friday, we went out for a late lunch at El Jefe’s, then came home and did some chores.  We went to Bingo at 5:30.  Both of us won one small pot, but we had fun.  We went home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.  On Saturday, Jackie had her ladies’ lunch out at Living Free Café, and I went with the men’s group to Tower Pizza.  After lunch we ran some errands and then came home and relaxed with the TV for the rest of the night.

Sunday, April 13^th, we had a stay-at-home day and did some chores.  We had our friends Mike and Rhea, and Max and Nancy, over for cocktails at 4:00.  After that we had dinner, then spent the rest of the night watching TV.  Monday, I had a Board workshop at 9:00.  About 11:00 we went to the Lakeside Casino for lunch with the Lucky Rollers camping group from here at the park.  After lunch we went home and spent the rest of the day there.  Tuesday was a stay-at-home day.

Wednesday, April 16^th, I skipped guitar practice and did some chores.  Jackie went to Pokeno.  After Pokeno we went to the physical therapy place because Dr. Nishiyama had suggested that Jackie might need some PT.  This is the same place I went to after my hip replacement.  She had her consultation with the PT specialist, and he told her he didn’t think she needed any PT, so we left and went home.  We had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.  Thursday was a busy day.  I had to go to the regular Board Meeting since I am now a Director on the Board.  After the Board Meeting, I had to set up the jam session in the clubhouse.  At 1:00 we had the jam session and had a really great group.  Some of the people I play with weekly came, as well as a couple of people from the park.  Jackie had an 11:30 mani appointment but made it back for the last half of the jam.  After the jam we went to happy hour, then came home for dinner and night with the TV.  I also had my first shift of Security Duty at 8:00.  Friday,  we ran some errands and spent most of the day home doing chores and the usual stuff.

Saturday, April 19^th, we ran some more errands.  I also spent an hour or so helping the Lucky Rollers group clean out their storage shed.  We are now working on getting things together for our cruise through the Panama Canal.  We leave here on Wednesday, the 30^th at 3:00 in the morning.  Our flight to Florida is at 7:00 am in Las Vegas.  We went to happy hour, then relaxed for the rest of the night.  Sunday,  Happy Easter.  This was a stay-at-home day.  I went over to the clubhouse to help with the cooking and serving of Easter Dinner.  Jackie stayed home and made sweet potatoes.  We had a really nice dinner with both turkey and ham.  After dinner we went home and watched TV until bedtime.  Monday was mostly a stay-at-home day.  Our house cleaner came, and we did a bunch of chores.

Tuesday, April 22nd, I had a calendar meeting with the Silver Seekers group.  Although I am not on the Silver Seekers board anymore, I still do their calendars and take care of the Electronic Bulletin Board.  After the meeting I spent several hours doing office work for the calendar.  Since we are leaving in a week, I had to get it done early.  Wednesday, I skipped guitar practice and did a bunch of chores, getting ready to leave for our cruise.  Jackie still went to Pokeno.  We went to happy hour, then came home for dinner and TV.    Thursday, I had a 10:00 meeting with the Policy and Procedures working group, of which I am the facilitator.  Afte the meeting we ran some errands.  Spent the rest of the day at home.

Friday, April 25^th, I had a 10:00 meeting of the By Laws Committee and then at 1:00 I went with a bunch of people to help clean up around the park’s Quonset hut.  There was a lot of hording going on, so a lot of junk to throw away.  After clean up time we went out to eat a late lunch at Rubalcabas Mexican restaurant.  We went home and then to Bingo at 5:30.  Neither of us won anything tonight.  After Bingo we went home and relaxed with the TV.  Saturday, we went out for haircuts at 11:00, then we both got our toes clipped.  Jackie got a full pedi.  After we got home Jackie made some pea soup in the InstaPot for the potluck.  At 3:00 we went over to the potluck and had a nice dinner with friends.  After dinner we came home and watched TV.  Sunday, we got the suitcases out and started packing for our trip.

Monday, April 28^th, I went over to the clubhouse at 10:00 and helped my friend Don install a new TV on the wall.  We had to take the old TV down, put up and new bracket for the bigger TV and get it mounted.  We were done in about two hours.  We spent the rest of the day at home, getting ready to cruise.  Tuesday Jackie had a manicure appointment at 2:30.  We spent most of the day doing our final packing for our cruise.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  Because we were being picked by our ride service at 3:30 am, we didn’t go to bed.  We just stayed up and watched TV.  Our ride service is a private ride sharing service, the driver, Debbie, has been used by a number of our friends and fellow members at the Co-op park.  It’s $80 each way, which makes it cheaper than driving and parking a car somewhere in Las Vegas.

That is the end of this month’s chapter of our personal history blog.  Until next time, be safe and have fun.  Bye.

A Wet and Chilly March in Pahrump

Hi there, welcome back.  Our last chapter concluded on Friday, February 28^th, while we were enjoying retirement in Pahrump.  Saturday was a stay at home day.  I started the morning by beginning a crock pot full of my special Chili Colorado.  Jackie went to the clubhouse at 10:30 to help decorate for March.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had the Chili Colorado for dinner.  We watched TV for the rest of the night.

Sunday, March 2^nd, we also stayed home for most of the day.  We went to the 2:00 ice cream social, then came home and relaxed around the house for the rest of the day.  Monday we left Pahrump about 10:00 or so and drove to Las Vegas to visit with my brother Russ and his wife Zen.  They live in North Las Vegas.  We had a nice visit and went out for lunch with them to a funky little Mexican restaurant near downtown Vegas.  Russ works at the Golden Nugget downtown and said he liked this place.  It was very authentic and the food was pretty good.  After dinner we visited for a while, then headed back to Pahrump just in time to beat darkness.  We watched TV the rest of the evening.  Tuesday was another stay at home day.  I had a Board meeting at 9:00.  Jackie had a 1:00 meeting with some other members regarding the Park’s Facebook page.  Jackie is one of the administrators on the page.  We went to happy hour, then came home and had dinner.  We spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Wednesday, March 5^th, was a regular Wednesday, although it did start raining mid-morning.  Jackie went to play Pokeno and I went to practice guitar.  We skipped happy hour because it was still raining and cold outside.  We had dinner and watched TV for the rest of the night.  Thursday I had a By Laws Committee meeting at 10:00.  We just barely managed to get a quorum, so we had a meeting.  Basically, we finished all the proposals we have been working on and will now get them ready to go out to the membership for an approval vote.  Jackie had a manicure appointment at 11:30.  She got back just in time for me to take the car and go to the dermatologist  They had done a biopsy on a mole a few weeks back and it came back pre-cancerous, so I have to have a larger excision done.  It only took about a half hour and I was bandaged up and out the door.  I went home and we spent the rest of the afternoon doing chores around the house.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home.  I made a pot of chili for dinner.  After dinner we watched TV until bedtime. 

Friday, March 7^th, we were up and out early to get to our 9:00 pedi appointment.  I just had my toenails clipped.  While Jackie was getting her pedi I went out and ran a couple of errands in downtown Pahrump.  After the Pedi we went home and did some chores.  At 1:00 I had a dentist appointment to check on a toothache I have had for a couple of weeks.  They took some X-rays and did some exam before determining that the tooth under one end of my front bridge had an issue.  I knew the problem was there, I was just afraid I had broken the tooth off, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, it is just decayed.  However, it still means my current four tooth bridge has to come off, the tooth fixed and a new bridge put in.  Big bucks, even with insurance.  They sent me home while they waited for the dental insurance company to approve the work.  I went home and we did some chores around the house.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Saturday Jackie went to the ladies lunch at 11:00, and I went to the men’s lunch at noon.  They went to a Mexican place, the guys went to Jackpot Joanies, a small local casino that used to be Irene’s, but is being enlarged and remodeled.  The food was very good.  We had six men this month, our group gets a little bigger each month.  After lunch I went home and did chores until happy hour.  We went to happy hour, came home for dinner, and spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Sunday, March 9^th, first day of Daylight Savings.  We did our usual morning routine, then after lunch we actually went out and did some local geocaching.  Now that we have  vehicle that can handle mild to medium off-road stuff, we decided to revive our somewhat lagging geocaching “career.”  We were able to find five local caches within a couple of hours.  We stopped caching and went to Walmart for some supplies.  We then went home and relaxed for the rest of the day.  After dinner we watched TV and went to bed.  Monday, was another stay at home day.  Our housecleaner came in the morning and Jackie and I just did some chores.  We had a relaxing afternoon getting a few things done and watching TV.  We skipped happy hour and just had a cocktail in the house.  After dinner we watched TV and then went to bed. 

Tuesday, March 11^th, was a busy day.  We went to the local hospital at 1:00 so Jackie could get her annual mammogram.  After that was done we headed for Las Vegas because Jackie had a 5:00 appointment with the pain management specialist our attorney has sent her to.  Since we got into town early, we stopped at Sam’s Club to return some pants that didn’t fit and do some shopping.  After we were done with shopping we went to the pain management folks.  We got there about 45 minutes early, but they took her in fairly quickly.  She got two cortisone shots in the back of the head.  This is to try and address the nearly constant headaches she has had.  After the shots we just headed back over the hump because it was too early to eat.  When we got back to Pahrump a little after 6:00, we stopped at the Pour House, a great restaurant that is changing their name to Steelbound Brewery.  We both had steaks and a cocktail and the food was very good.  After eating we went home, put away our stuff from Sam’s and then relaxed with the TV for the rest of the night.  Wednesday was the same as always, I played guitar with my friends in the afternoon and Jackie played Pokeno with her friends.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then watched TV until bedtime.

Thursday, March 13^th, Happy Birthday to my son Roy Jr.  We had the Town Hall meeting at 9:00 and then a Silver Seekers Board meeting at 1:00.  I had to be there to run the Zoom access, so I was up and out early.  After the Silver Seekers meeting we went out and did some shopping, then came home.  Happy our at 4:00, dinner and then a night with the TV.  Friday was “Pi” day, 3.14.  We did some chores around the house and went out to eat a late lunch at our favorite Thai place, Chatthai Bistro.  We went to happy hour about 4:00 for the Pi day celebration with a whole slew of great pies.  We, then stayed for Bingo.  Sadly, I only won half a pot on a regular game and Jackie struck out.  We went home and watched TV until it was time for bed.

Saturday, March 15^th, Jackie went to the clubhouse to play cards at 10:00.  We spent the afternoon doing chores and running errands.  We went to happy hour and had dinner, then spent the remainder of the evening with the TV.  Sunday, we decided to try and make Sundays “Sunday Funday” so we went out after lunch and scouted out some sites for geocaches.  We have decided to try and jump start our geocaching hobby after several years of little participation.  We did find two good spots and hid the caches.  We have to now do the “paperwork” online to get the caches approved and published.  That usually takes a day or two.  After caching we went to Walmart for some supplies, then headed home.  We had dinner and then watched TV until bedtime.

Monday, March 17^th, Happy St. Patrick’s Day.  This was a stay at home day.  Our caches were published today and already found (FTF – First To Find) by a local geocacher we know.  After lunch we went to the fire station and gave blood to the Red Cross.  We are trying to make this a regular thing.  We went home and played and relaxed for most of the afternoon.  We went to happy hour at 4:00 and then stayed for the 5:00 St. Patrick’s Day dinner.  It was a great meal, corn beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes and lots of deserts.  By 7:00 we were home and relaxed by the TV.  Tuesday I had a 9:00 meeting with the Silver Seekers to create the April calendar for the park.  I am not on the Silver Seekers Board anymore, but I still do the calendars.  I then had a 12:30 appointment with the dermatologist to take out the stitches from my last excision.  He also sprayed the nitrogen on a small area on my right ear that had been giving me problems.  After I got home we just did the usual stuff around the house until happy hour.  After happy hour we had dinner and then watched TV until it was time for bed.

Wednesday, March 19^th, the usual afternoon activities, guitar for me, Pokeno for Jackie.  We went to happy hour then came home and relaxed with the TV the rest of the night.  Thursday, Jackie went for a 12:30 manicure and I had the park Jam Session at 1:00.  Most of our practice group was there and we had a great time.  Even had a small audience to watch and listen.  We had happy hour at 4:00, then TV for the rest of the night.

Friday, March 21^st, Jackie had a 11:45 appointment at the optometrist.  While she was doing that I ran a couple of errands.  We then went to the nail salon so she could get one of her fingernails fixed because she knocked off some of the polish the same day she had them done.  After that we went home and then went to happy hour at 4:00.  The rest of the night was dinner and the TV.  Saturday, was a stay at home day.  Some chores, some recreation.  We had a pot luck in the clubhouse at 5:00.  Jackie made pea soup in the InstaPot and it was great.  After the pot luck we went home and just watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday, March 23^rd, we left the park about 10:30 or so and drove to the South Point Casino in Las Vegas to see a movie.  We went to see “The Monkey” which is a movie based on a Stephen King short story.  It was a typical horror movie with lots of innovative ways for people to die accidently.  It seems if you wind the monkey up and he plays his drum, someone you know dies.  There was a lot of dark comedy too, so I enjoyed the movie.  After the movie we gamed for a little while in the casino.  Jackie won $50, I lost.  We drove back to Pahrump and got back in time for happy hour.  We then watched TV for the rest of the night.  Monday, I had a 9:00 Board meeting, which took about an hour.  The house cleaner also came.  We spent the rest of the day at home relaxing except for the hour of Security Duty for me at 8:00 pm.

Tuesday, March 25^th, we left the park about 12:00 and drove to Las Vegas so Jackie could go to the Pain Specialist for a follow up from her cortisone shots last week.  She has now been released from care, so our attorney should be filing a demand with the insurance company for the lady that hit us in December.  After her appointment we had lunch, did a little shopping, then headed back to Pahrump. We skipped happy hour and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.  Wednesday, another regular Wednesday afternoon.  At 4:00 we went to happy hour, then stayed for the evening event.  We had Sonoran hot dogs, hamburgers, and lots of sides for dinner.   Then we played some games, one of which was the Pig Toss, which is like the old “Making Bacon” game from years ago except that now the pigs are big.  We had a really good time and there were a lot of people there.  After the event we went home and spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Thursday, March 27^th, was a busy day.  I had a 9:00 Board Meeting, which was our regular monthly meeting and went for about two hours  We left the park to run some errands after the meeting.  Jackie went to our regular GP doctor for a variety of things and her checkup.  After that we had a quick lunch, then stopped so Jackie could get a haircut.  We skipped happy hour and just relaxed at home for the rest of the evening.  Friday, I had another meeting of the Board, a short Executive session that was not open to the members.  We had some confidential matters to discuss.  After that meeting, we relaxed for a while, then went out for a late lunch at El jefe, our favorite Mexican place.  We went back to the park and then went to happy hour about 4:30, then styed for Bingo.  Tonight Jackie won the cover-all for $30 and I won one of the regular games for $15.  We both made a few bucks.  Yea!  We then went home spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Saturday, March 29^th, we had a “pop up” brunch at 11:00 in the clubhouse.  Ginny, the Kitchen Coordinator, made some breakfast casseroles, as well as some other goodies, for an unscheduled brunch event.  She also used a lot of the leftovers in the kitchen, like the leftover corn beef from St. Patrick’s Day used for corn beef hash.  Very yummy.  After lunch we ran some errands, then came home and just putzed around the house for the rest of the day.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and relaxed for the rest of the evening.  Sunday was a relaxation day.  At 4:00 we had a private happy hour at our gazebo for our friends Max and Nancy, and Rhea and Mike.  We had a really nice time and chatted until about 6:00.  We had dinner and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Monday, March 31^st, Jackie had a ladies get-together at the Artesian Cellars restaurant.  I stayed home and just worked on projects around the house.  After her lunch we ran some errands, then came home for dinner and another night with the TV.  We are now at the end of the month, so time to close out this chapter of our story.  Until next time, be nice.

February in Pahrump - A Month of Celebrations

Hello again.  Our last chapter ended on Friday, January 31^st while we were at our home in Pahrump.  Saturday, February 1^st, was a stay at home day for me.  Jackie went to help decorate the clubhouse for Valentines Day at 10:00 and then at 1:00 went with her friends Rhea and Linda to Secret Sisters resale store for some shopping.  I stayed home and did chores all day.  Among the most important things completed was I got our 2024 taxes finished and emailed to the IRS.  Last year we got our refund back in just over a week when we filed the first week of February.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  After dinner we watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday, February 2^nd, we went out about 10:30 and went to Walgreens so we could both get our Covid shots for the year.  After our shots we went to the Nugget and gamed for an hour or so, then went to one of the new restaurants in town, Dad’s American Diner.  It took the spot of a Mexican Restaurant which relocated to the building that used to be the Red Sky BBQ place.  Musical chairs for food.  Dad’s was opened by the same couple that owns an upscale Italian restaurant which is located in the same strip mall.  It is not a big place and has a very limited menu, breakfast and burgers mostly.  Jackie had breakfast and I had a burger and fries.  The food was OK, but nothing spectacular and nothing that you can’t get as good or better elsewhere in town.  The service was attentive, but slow.  And, attention to detail was greatly lacking.  Jackie didn’t get the avocado that the menu said came with her omelet, and she asked for burned toast (as always) and it came barely warmed.  My bacon BBQ burger didn’t have the bacon or the onion it was supposed to have.  They did bring avocado and bacon after we pointed out the deficiency, but I am not sure we will be back for seconds.  After lunch we headed home and spent the rest of the day relaxing and doing some chores.  We didn’t go to ice cream.  After dinner I had my second night of security, then we spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Monday, February 3^rd, we had nothing planned for today because Jackie historically gets sick after a covid shot.  She was feeling a little out of sorts today, but not too bad.  I spent the day doing some chores around the house, Jackie just relaxed with her computer and the TV.  I went to happy hour at 4:00, then we had dinner and I did my last tour of security for the month.  We watched TV until it was time for bed.  Tuesday, I had a 10:00 dental appointment to get my new permanent crown fitted.  I also got my upper dental plate back, so now I can eat more normally.  At 1:00 I had a budget committee meeting in the clubhouse and at 1:30 we left to go to the chiropractor.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home for dinner.  We watched TV the rest of the night.

Wednesday, February 5^th, Happy Birthday to me!  Yea, made it to 78.  We had a pretty normal Wednesday, I went to play guitar with my jam group at 12:30 and Jackie went to play Pokeno at 1:00.  We went to happy hour at 4:00.  Jackie made a nice Key Lime pie for my birthday, which we shared at happy hour.  After happy hour we had dinner, then watched TV until bedtime.  Thursday was a busy day.  First of all, when I checked the bank account first thing in the morning, like I always do, our income tax refund had hit the bank.  We only filed our return last Saturday.  Wow.  At 10:00 I had a committee meeting for a new Policy and Procedure group.  At 11:30 Jackie had a mani appointment.  We had lunch and then went to a 2:00 chiropractor appointment.  About 2:30 we went out to do some car shopping to try and find something to replace our C-Max, which is going to be totaled by the insurance company.  We only have two major brand dealerships in town, the Chevrolet-GMC dealer and the Chrysler-Dodge-Ram-Jeep dealer.  I have been watching the used car inventories off and on for both dealers and the selection of vehicles the Chevy dealer had that I thought met our desires had fallen to zero.  We have agreed that our last two vehicles have been top tier models for their brands with most of the “bells and whistles” that we like.  We want to get the same luxury items in the new vehicle.  The Jeep dealership, Saitta-Truedeu, had at least five cars that met our requirements, no more than five years old, no more than 50K miles, and top tier models.  We went there and looked at the cars, and settled on two Buick compact SUVs.  Both were Buick Envision Essence models, one a 2020, and one a 2023.  We drove both around and did some comparisons.  The older one had almost the exact same milage as our C-max, 56K, the newer one only just under 30K.  The older one was $22,000, the newer one was $28,000.  However, the newer one was still under the factory warranty for at least another year or so.  We had the dealership write up offers for both, using $12,000 as the down payment.  The payment for the newer one was, of course, higher for than for the older one, but it was still affordable, so we decided on the newer one and made the deal.  Since we haven’t yet gotten the insurance payment for our C-max, we thought we would just be able to give the dealer some “earnest” money to hold the car until we got our settlement.  However, the dealer just told us to write a check for the down payment, which they would hold for a week.  We did all the paperwork and drove the car home.  What a deal!  We didn’t get home until about 7:30 in the evening, but we had a new car.  We call it a combo birthday anniversary gift, since tomorrow is our wedding anniversary.  We spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Friday, February 7^th, Happy 21^st wedding anniversary to us!  We were on the road, in our new (to us) Buick and headed to Las Vegas about 10:00.  Jackie is having an MRI of her head at the direction of the doctors hired by out attorney.  The MRI was at 12:30, by 2:00 we were having a late lunch and then making a quick stop at Costco to pick up some vodka.  We were back home just before 4:00 and went to happy hour to tell everyone about our new car and exciting day.  The car was just wonderful going over the hill, although I am going to have to get used to going for gas more often again, since it is not a hybrid, just an all gas 4 cylinder.  After happy hour we stayed for Bingo and made out there too.  I won one game, Jackie one two games.  And because it was a Valentine’s Day themed night, with a big participation, the prizes were bigger.  Yea!  After bingo we went home and watched TV until bedtime.  Saturday, Jackie went to her monthly Ladies Lunch at 11:30 and I went to the Men’s Lunch at 12:00.  We only had four guys, so I drove so everyone could see the new car.  Both the men and women went to Mexican restaurants located only a block from each other.  We all had a good time.  After lunch we went back home and went to happy hour at 4:00.  We then relaxed with the TV the rest of the evening.

Sunday, February 9^th, Super Bowl Sunday.  As always, there was a big party in the clubhouse, which started at 2:00.  We went over about 1:30.  There were some fun games and the crew doing the party made both pulled pork sandwiches and Philly cheese steaks.  Of course, for Kansas City BBQ and Philly, the two teams playing.  There were lots of snacks and probably half of the park in attendance.  I was running a $1 per square pool and another member was running a $5 per square pool.  I won’t go into great detail but we were sitting at a mostly KC supporters table and it was a grim afternoon.  After the game was over, about 7:30, we went home and watched TV until bedtime.  Monday our housekeeper came about 10:00 and spent a couple of hours cleaning.  I did some office work out in the shed and finished cleaning out the C-Max so it could be towed away for salvage.  After lunch we went out to run some errands.  While we were out we got a call from the Co-op office telling us that a tow truck was coming in the park to pick up our car.  We gave our OK, so when we got home the car was gone.  No long goodbyes, just no more C-max.  Now we just have to finalize all the paperwork for the total loss payout, give most of it to the Jeep dealer for our new car, and we are finished with the property loss part of our claim against State Farm.  After we got home we went to happy hour, then came home and had some chicken enchiladas for dinner.  We spent the remainder of the evening watching TV.

Tuesday, February 11^th, we had a 10:00 chiropractors appointment.  After that we went home and had lunch.  I did some office work and also went over to the clubhouse to do some work on the computer systems for the various Zoom meetings we hold.  I am a member of the Communications and Technology Committee and we are making some improvements to our Zoom abilities.  I also did some office work, including finalizing the settlement with State Farm Insurance regarding our C-Max.  Now  that they have the car and title they sent the settlement funds, which is just over $14K.  I transferred it to the bank and it should show in our account tomorrow.  We can then let the Jeep dealer know they can cash the down payment check we left with them last Thursday.  The Buick will really be ours then.  Yea!  We went to 4:00 happy hour, then came home and had pork chops for dinner.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Wednesday was the usual Pokeno for Jackie and guitar practice for me.  We went to happy hour and then went home for dinner and a night with the TV.

Thursday, February 13, I had a 9:30 appointment
with the dermatologist.  They did a biopsy on a mole that looked “suspicious” and had to pu
t in a couple of stiches.  I have to come back in two weeks to get the stiches out and see what the lab says about the mole.  Jackie went with me to the doctor so as soon as I got out of there we went down the street to the chiropractor for an appointment.  After the chiropractor we stopped and had lunch at our favorite Mexican place, El Jefe, which is right in the same area as both the doctors.  We went home and I went over to the clubhouse to make the spaghetti sauce for tomorrow night’s dinner.  I have never made that large a batch of sauce, but I made 12 quarts and it turned out pretty good.  After I was done it was happy hour time.  We then went home, had dinner and watched TV the rest of the night.  Friday, Valentines Day.  Also one of my granddaughter’s birthday.  Her middle name is Valentine, so it’s easy to remember.  I went over in the early afternoon to set up my equipment for the dance after dinner.  About 4:00 we went over to start getting ready for the spaghetti dinner.  I heated up my sauce and helped in the kitchen.  At 5:00 we fed about 45 people and everyone seemed to enjoy the food.  Yea! After dinner I started the dance music and we had a group of about 20 people who actually stayed all night (up to 8:30) and danced and partied and had a good time.  After the dance we went home and crashed for the night.

Saturday, February 15^th, I had to go over to the clubhouse and clean up my equipment and get it put away.  We then had the rest of the day to ourselves.  We generally relaxed, did a few chores, and just had a pleasant day.  Sunday Jackie went with her friend Linda to the Secret Sisters sidewalk sale.  She came home with a couple of really nice things.  We spent the rest of the day relaxing.  We went to the ice cream social because it was the Sunday when they celebrate birthdays and anniversaries for the month, and we had both in February.  Double cake!!  We then went home, had dinner and watched TV until bedtime. 

Monday, February 17^th, we had a chiropractor appointment at 10:00, then came back home for a lunch in the clubhouse.  They had sloppy joes and leftover pulled pork from Super Bowl.  We had a nice lunch, then went out and ran some errands.  We got back in time for happy hour, then dinner and the TV for the rest of the evening.  Tuesday we were on the road again to Las Vegas so Jackie could do her follow up appointment with the pain specialist.  She got the results of her MRI, which were all good for her head.  They did find some weird things in her spine, but she has never complained about back pain, so I don’t what that’s all about.  I think she has been released from having to see the pain specialist again.  After the appointment we went to Sam’s Club for some stuff, stopped for lunch, and then headed back home.  We got back for happy hour then went home and relaxed with the TV for the rest of the night. 

Wednesday, February 19^th, was the usual stuff, Jackie Pokeno and me going for guitar practice with my friends.  Happy hour at 4:00, then dinner and a night with the TV.  Thursday I was over in the clubhouse about 8:30 to help setup the Zoom for the monthly Board of Directors meeting.  The meeting started at 9:00 and the first thing they did was appoint me to the Board to fill a vacancy that occurred last month when one of the Board members resigned.  I had put my name in for consideration, just like I did a few months back, but this time I was selected.  I went up and participated in my first Board meeting in two years.  After the meeting I went into the back room and got it set up for the jam session.  The jam started at 1:00 and we had myself and my regular practice partners, Len, Todd, and Debbie. We were also joined by three members of the Co-op, Scott, Bob, and Barbara.  We had a really good two hour jam with a wide variety of songs, from blue grass to modern rock and everything in between.  I was really happy to finally see a good size group.  We also had a half dozen or more in the audience.  After the jam I cleaned up the room and then went to happy hour.  After happy hour we went home and watched TV until it was time to go to bed.

Friday, February 21^st, I had a 10:00 meeting of the By Laws committee, but we didn’t have enough for a quorum, so the meeting was over by 10:30.  We had a 2:00 chiropractor appointment, which was over about 2:30.  I think we are getting close to the end of our treatments from after the accident.  Our contact at the attorney’s office is indicating that they are about ready to release us from treatment and make a demand on the other party’s insurance.  We’ll see, it will be nice to have this over.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and watched TV until it was time for bed.  Saturday, I went over to the clubhouse about 2:00 or so and set up my equipment for the entertainment tonight.  At 4:30 we went over for the end of happy hour and then stayed for the 5:00 “Potato Bake” put on by the Silver Seekers.  They had baked potatoes with all the toppings.  After dinner, about 6:00, I started with my “Name That Tune – Sixties Edition” game show.  We had about 20 people that stayed and everyone seemed to have a good time.  We were finished by a little after 7:00.  I packed up my stuff and we went home to watch TV for the rest of the night.  Sunday was a complete day off for us.  We did some chores around the house and just relaxed.  We went to the ice cream social at 2:00 and had dinner at 6:30, then spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Monday, February 24^th, the housecleaner came in the morning.  Jackie played cards in the clubhouse from 10 to noon.  I did some office work in the shed.  At 1:00 both of us went to the clubhouse to meet with the Silver Seekers Board to do the March calendar planning.  Although I am not on the Silver Seekers Board anymore, I still do the calendars and flyers for them.  After that meeting we went home and did some chores.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  We watched TV for the rest of the night.  Tuesday, the days have been getting warmer, but today was just wonderful, high 70’s for most of the day.  We had a 1:15 chiropractor appointment after which we went home.  About 4:00 we went to the Elks Lodge for the lodge meeting.  Another of our Pair-a-dice friends, Ed, is getting initiated tonight.  We had about 8 people from the park there.  He brought in two big pizzas so everyone could get some dinner before the meeting.  The meeting was over about 7:45, after which we drove home and then watched TV until it was time for bed.

Wednesday, February 26^th, we had the usual day.  Jackie played Pokeno in the afternoon and I went to a friends house for guitar practice.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  The rest of the evening was spent watching TV.  Thursday we had a chiropractor appointment at 11:00.  We were officially “released” by the chiropractor and don’t have to come back for any treatment related to the auto accident.  This should trigger our attorney to make a demand on the other drivers insurance.  We’ll see what develops from this point forward.  After the chiropractor we went to Teriyaki Madness for lunch, then we both got haircuts.  After we were done there we went to Walmart for some supplies.  After we went home and put everything away we went to happy hour.  After happy hour we had fish tacos for dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, February 28^th, happy birthday to my brother Russ.  I went to the dermatologist at 10:00 to have the stitches taken out from my biopsy two weeks ago.  I also learned that the biopsy came back as “pre-cancerous”, so I have an appointment next Thursday to have further “excision” of the site.  This means taking a bigger chunk out of my back.  At about 1:00 we drove to Saitta Dodge/Jeep, where we bought our new car, to have a couple of minor issues taken care of.  The salesman made the appointment to have an after-market alarm system removed and to reset the oil change reminder.  The alarm had a large, annoying red light that flashed all the time, whether driving or parked.  The dealership changes the oil on all their resale cars before they go on the lot, they forgot to reset the reminder.  They don’t sell GM cars like our Buick, so they probably didn’t realize it even had one.  After we were done there we drove to the other car dealership in town, Pahrump Valley Motors, which sells Chevrolet and GM trucks.  We needed to get a new key fob for the Buick since it only came with one.  I had called last week to order one, but we had to bring the car in so they could program the new key.  This took about an hour and half.  We made it back to the park just in time to go to happy hour.  After that we had dinner then watched TV until bedtime.

This marks the end of February, time to get this published.  Until next time, be nice.

A New Year Begins - January 2025 in Pahrump

Hi there, welcome back.  Our last chapter concluded on Tuesday, December 31^st, 2024.  On Wednesday, the first day of 2025, we had a fairly quiet day.  Jackie played Pokeno with her group in the clubhouse at 1:00, I did a few chores and relaxed.  We went to the first happy hour of 2025 at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  We spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Thursday, January 2^nd, I had a 10:00 meeting of the By Laws/Standing Rules Committee and Jackie played cards in the clubhouse, also at 10:00.  At 1:00 we went into town so Jackie could get her teeth cleaned while I ran a couple of errands.  After we got home, we relaxed for a bit, then went to social hour.  After that we had dinner and spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Friday, I had an appointment with the ophthalmologist to get the final clearance from my cataract surgeries.  I got the clearance, but was a little surprised that they didn’t give me a complete eye test and prescription.  My vision is much better, but I will still need glasses, at least to read with.  Since they didn’t do that, we stopped at Walmart and made an appointment for an eye exam next week.  We went home for lunch, then at 2:15 went to the chiropractor for an appointment.  Jackie was finally approved to move to the pain management portion of the treatment to do something for her constant headaches.  After the appointment we went home for happy hour.  After happy hour we had dinner, then watched TV until bedtime.

Saturday, January 4^th, we had pretty much a stay-at-home day.  Wd did some chores, played some games.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home for dinner.  We watched TV until bedtime, interrupted only by my one-hour tour of security duty at 8:00.  Sunday was more of the same, not much.  We didn’t even go to the ice cream social.  Jackie made some bean soup in the insta-pot with one of the ham bones from Christmas dinner.  It was really good.  We watched TV until bedtime.  I did do my second shift of security as well. 

Monday, January 6^th, we actually did something.  We left the park about 9:30 and headed to Las Vegas to go to the body shop that State Farm, the insurance company for the woman who hit us last month, uses locally.  We need to get the car evaluated and allow them to do a repair estimate.  We arrived at Caliber Auto Body at 11:00 and one of their reps came out and did his evaluation of the car.  He checked everything and took a lot of pictures.  After about a half hour he provided us with a copy of the estimate which he will be sending to State Farm.  The repair estimate was just under $8,500, but when I reviewed it, I guessed that, if they did decide to repair the car, it was going to end up being at least half again as much.  The ball is now in State Farm’s court and they will have to decide if they are going to pay for repairs or offer us a settlement to total the car.  After the body shop, we stopped at a nearby Broken Yoke café for breakfast, then we did a Costco run.  The Costco was only a mile or so from the body shop.  After Costco we headed back over the hill, getting home around 2:30.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had leftover bean soup for dinner.  I did my last tour of security for the month.  Finally, actually had something to do as just as I was finishing up my patrol, I saw one of our friends’ dog, Morgan, running loose.  Morgan is a medium-sized sheep dog and was just wandering around in the dark.  I called her over and she came, she is very friendly and non-aggressive, but when I tried to get her in the car to take her home, she wouldn’t go.  I guess her parents taught her not to go into a strange car.  She took off, but it looked like she was going to head for home, so I just followed her.  I called Jackie and had her call the Nelson’s and tell her I had the dog in sight, however they didn’t answer their phone.  They were already out looking for her.  She did finally go home, and I was standing on the porch holding her collar when they came back from looking.  Everyone was OK.  Yea.  I finished my patrol and handed off the security stuff to the next volunteer.  We watched a little more TV and went to bed.

Tuesday, January 7^th, we had a planning meeting for the Silver Seekers at 1;00.  We then had a chiropractor appointment at 2:30.  After we got home, we went to happy hour, then came home for dinner and relaxed with the TV the rest of the night.  Wednesday, I had my guitar practice at 1:00.  My friend Len couldn’t make it, but I went.  This week it was at one of the other member’s house in North Pahrump.  Jackie had her Pokeno in the clubhouse.  At 4:00 we had happy hour then came home for dinner and another night with the TV.  Thursday, Jackie had a 10:00 nail appointment and at 1:00 we both had our last Silver Seekers meeting as part of the Board.  The meeting went well, we turned over everything to the new Board members and just relaxed.  We will still be involved with activities; we just won’t be the one’s in charge of organizing them.  We had happy hour at 4:00 then home for dinner.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Friday, January 10^th, we had a 10:00 chiropractor appointment and then I had a 12:00 optometrist appointment for my new glasses now that I have been released from the ophthalmologist’s care.  My distance vision just needed a slight correction, and a slight correction for astigmatism.  I got my usual bi-focals for reading.  Now I don’t have to carry around a set of “cheater” reading glasses.  Yea!  About 4:00 we left and went down to the Elks Lodge for a fundraiser dinner.  There were ten of us from the park that went for a ribs dinner.  The food was pretty good, and Jackie won one of the raffle items, a “pasta” basket with a whole bunch of Italian cooking stuff.  We were back home by 7:00 or so and spent the rest of the night watching TV.  Saturday, Jackie had a ladies luncheon at 11:30 and I went to the newly started monthly Men’s luncheon.  Jackie and the ladies went to El Jefe, we went to the Stagecoach Bar.  After our lunch we stopped at the Golden Nugget Casino to check out the gun show.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Sunday, January 12^th, we went to the clubhouse at noon for a hot dog lunch.  This was supposedly a celebration for the park getting new insurance and being able to use the power tools in the Quonset hut shop again.  Our previous insurance carrier found out that we had power tools for members to use, and threatened to cancel us immediately if the park didn’t remove them.  The Board locked up the tools and went searching for new insurance.  A lot of members use the shop, and it was important to most of us to be able to continue to do so.  After the lunch we went out and ran a bunch of errands.  We had dinner later and then watched TV until bedtime.  Monday, our house cleaner came in the morning and then at 1:30 we went to the Mountain Falls Country Club for the monthly luncheon with the Lucky Rollers camping club.  After lunch we had a 2:00 chiropractor appointment.  We went to happy hour then home and another night with the TV.  Our heater has finally quit working altogether and we can’t get the repair guy out until the end of the week.  We are getting by with our electric fireplace and an electric space heater in the living room and an electric mattress pad in the bedroom. 

Tuesday, January 14^th, I had a 9:00 dermatologist appointment.  They sprayed a bunch of areas and found one spot on my back they want to check again in a month.  Jackie had another ladies’ lunch, this time at Artesian Cellars.  About 3:00 we went with our friends Rhea and Mike Cicale, who live here at the park, to drive to Las Vegas.  Rhea is getting her hip replace tomorrow by the same doctor that did mine.  Mike is legally blind, so can’t drive.  We are going along so we can drive her back to Pahrump tomorrow after the surgery.  We took their big Dodge 4x4 truck since it easily holds four people and lots of stuff.  We went to Arizona Charlies where we each got rooms for the night.  We did a little gaming and had dinner in the coffee shop.  We then went up to the room and went to bed about 9:00 because we have to be up at 5:30 tomorrow.  Wednesday we were up at 5:30 and had Rhea in the Valley Hospital surgery center by 7:00.  We spent the rest of the day just waiting in the waiting room.  The surgery went well but she wasn’t released until about 5:30.  We then had to stop and get her prescriptions filled before we headed back.  We got back home about 7:00.  We were whipped, so we ended up going to bed about 9:00 again.

Thursday, January 16^th, I went to the Board of Directors meeting at 9:00, Jackie watched from home on Zoom.  We went to another chiropractor appointment at 11:00.  When I got back to the park, I set up for the 2:00 jam session in the clubhouse.  We only had the core people from our weekly jam group, but we still had a great jam with a few spectators.  We had happy hour, then went home for dinner and another night watching TV.  Rhea is doing great and even came to happy hour.  Friday, the RV repair guy came about 10:00 or so and took out the heater for repair.  It’s likely the fan motor.  We then went and got haircuts.  After haircuts we did some shopping.  Tomorrow I am doing the “house” chili for the chili cookoff contest.  About 3:00 we took our friend Sharon Guthrie, who is currently the President of the Board, to the Elks for her indoctrination.  She will be initiated into the Elks later this month.  We got back in time for happy hour.  We had dinner and spent the rest of the evening watching TV.

Saturday, January 18^th, was a stay-at-home day.  After lunch I made my house chili for the event tonight.  I made a double batch to ensure we had enough.  After the chili was made and simmering, I did some office work.  We went over to the clubhouse about 3:30 and helped set things up.  Jackie was one of the four judges.  At 4:00 the judges met in the back room and tasted the four contestant chilis.  When they finished, they had a tie, two for one chili and two for another.  Since there is also a “people’s choice” judging as well, we decided to let the results of that break the tie.  The voting was close, but one of the chilis, one made by a new member of the co-op, won by four votes.  We then opened it up to eating.  By the time we were done all, but one bowl of my chili was gone.  We helped clean up and then went home about 7:00 and spent the rest of the evening with the TV.  Sunday was a stay-at-home day.

Monday, January 20^th, we had a 10:00 appointment with the chiropractor, then came home and had lunch.  We had a meeting with the Silver Seekers to set the February calendar for events.  Even though neither of us is on the Silver Seekers Board anymore, I agreed to continue to do the calendar and the notices for the various events.  After the meeting we went out and ran a couple of errands.  We were back for happy hour, then spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Tuesday we were up and on the road to Las Vegas about 9:00 so Jackie could go to an appointment with a pain management specialist.  The attorney handling our injury case made a referral to Relivium Pain Management in Vegas.  Jackie went into her appointment, which didn’t last too long to consult.  The reason for the referral is the constant headaches that she is getting, which got worse after the accident.  They just did a preliminary interview and then referred her to a place to get an MRI of her head.  This is something she has been hoping for.  After the appointment we stopped for brunch at a Greek restaurant called Stephano’s.  We had never been there, but the food was quite good.  We then did shopping trip to Sam’s Club before heading back over the hill.  We got home in time for happy hour, then came home for dinner and a night with the TV.

Wednesday, January 22^nd, Jackie went to Pokeno, but guitar practice was cancelled because most of the people were sick or otherwise couldn’t come.  I stayed home and did bunch of office work.  We went to happy hour, then came home and had dinner.  We spent the rest of the evening watching TV.  Thursday was a busy day.  I had a bylaws committee meeting at 10:00 and Jackie had an 11:00 manicure.  In the afternoon she was busy baking a pie for the PieFest tonight at the clubhouse.  After happy hour, about 6:00, people brough a whole bunch of pies.  I think we had at least 15 pies to sample.  We ate so much we skipped dinner and just watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, January 24^th, we had a 10:45 appointment with the chiropractor after which we went to the Roadhouse for liver and onions.  After lunch we gamed a little, then came home.  We went to happy hour and stayed for Bingo.  Jackie won a couple games and broke even; I just went broke.  After Bingo we came home and watched TV for the rest of the night.  Saturday was a stay-at-home day.  I did some office work and Jackie made a pot of ham and split pea soup.  This was the second Insta-pot soup she made and it was very good.  At 5:00 we took the soup to the clubhouse for the soup potluck.  We had 16 different soups and had a wonderful dinner of soups.  Jackie’s was the only soup that was nearly gone when it was time to pack up.  After the soup night we went home and watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday, January 26^th, was a stay-at-home day.  We didn’t even go to the ice cream social, just stayed home and did chores and played.  Monday our housecleaner came at 10:00 and Jackie went to play cards.  I did some office work and played while the housecleaner worked.  We had a 2:00 chiropractor appointment after which we came home and went to happy hour.  We then went home and had dinner and watched TV for the rest of the night.

Tuesday, January 28^th, was mostly a chores and errands day.  At 5:00 we took our friend Sharon to the Elks Lodge for her initiation.  We had a dozen people from the park who came to the meeting to welcome her to the Elks.  The meeting was really long with the initiation and a bunch of other Elks business to take care of.  We got home about 8:30, watched some TV and went to bed.  Wednesday was pretty much normal one.  I went to guitar practice at 1:00, and Jackie went to Pokeno.  After she got home, we went to Rubalcaba’s Mexican restaurant for the monthly dine-out from the park.  There were only about 11 people there, but we had a nice dinner and some conversation with friends and neighbors.  After dinner we went home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Thursday, January 30^th was a stay-at-home day.  We got a lot of chores done around the house.  We went to happy hour at 4:00 and ended up working with our friend Linda to book a New Years Eve cruise out of Los Angeles.  It is a 10-day cruise to four different ports in Mexico which leaves on December 30^th and comes back January 9^th.  Jackie was really excited because it is on the Emerald Princess, the ship we did the coastal California cruise on back in June of 2023.  We really enjoyed that ship.  So now we have two pending Princess cruises this year.  We then went home and had meatloaf for dinner and watched TV until it was time for bed.  Friday, I went to the Nye County Administration building for a Peace Officers Advisory Review Board (POARB) meeting.  I am one of a dozen POARB Board Members and for each review three are randomly selected.  Our job is to review citizen complaints after the Sheriff’s Office has done their Internal Investigation and determined if, and what, discipline may be imposed.  Today’s case was a pretty easy complaint alleging excessive force when making an arrest.  We reviewed all the documents and watched the body cam and jail booking videos and agreed with the findings that found no fault on the part of the officers.  After I got home, we just spent the rest of the day relaxing.  After happy hours we had dinner and spent the rest of the evening watching TV.

We have now come to the end of January and it’s time to get this published.  Until next time, be happy, be careful, and be kind.  Bye

 

 

 

December Holidays in Pahrump

Hello again.  Our last episode ended on Saturday, November 30^th.  Sunday, December 1^st, was a relaxation day.  We did a few things around the house but mostly just relaxed.  We went to the ice cream social at 2:00, and then went to Walmart for some supplies and picked up some KFC for dinner on the way home. After dinner we spent the night with the TV.

Monday, December 2^nd, was mostly another stay at home day.  Jackie went over to the clubhouse in the morning to help undecorate from Fall/Thanksgiving so that they could decorate for Christmas tomorrow.  I did some work in the shed office for Silver Seekers.  We went to happy hour, then came home for dinner, some corn beef and cabbage.  We then had another night with the TV.  Tuesday Jackie went over to the clubhouse at 10:00 to help decorate for Christmas, I did some office work.  At 12:00 we left and went to the Nugget Casino for lunch and then to donate blood.  We went to Jimmy John’s sub shop in the Casino because we had a gift card we had won at the Lucky Rollers campout in Laughlin a couple months ago.  It was an OK sub, not the best, not the worst.  We then went back to the ballroom where the blood drive was being held.  Jackie went through the screening and they told her she couldn’t donate today because her blood iron level was below the minimum required.  She was just under, but it is still considered anemic, so she was out.  I actually ended up giving red blood cells today rather than whole blood.  I have O- blood, which is considered “universal blood” in that it can be given to anyone regardless of blood type.  They hooked me up to a machine that would pull out some blood, run it through a centrifuge which separated the red cells from the serum and white cells and then pumped that back into me.  It did this process three times.  This produces twice the number of red blood cells than they would get with a pint of whole blood.  In blood drive terms this is called a “double”.  After we were done there we ran a couple of errands and went back home.  We went to happy hour and then came home and had leftovers for dinner.

Wednesday, December 4^th, Jackie went to the clubhouse at 1:00 to play Pokeno.  I didn’t have guitar practice with my jam group, so I just did some solo practice in the shed and some office work.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had stuffed peppers that I made.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Thursday, I had a 10:00 meeting with the By Laws and Standing Rules Committee, which lasted about two hours.  Jackie had a 3:00 manicure appointment with a new person, since she was not happy with the last woman.  I went to happy hour about 4:00 and Jackie joined about 4:30 after her nail appointment.  We went home and had leftover stuffed peppers for dinner and then watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, December 6^th, we were up and out of the house by 7:30 going to the medical center to get our blood tests for next week’s physical with our primary care doctor.  You can’t have anything to eat or drink before the  blood draw, which is why we go early.  After the blood tests we went home and relaxed.  I went to the Ophthalmologist at 10:30 to get another checkup on my cataract surgery.  He said everything was looking good, but that I was still healing and needed to come back on January 3^rd, when they would do my eye exam for new glasses.  Right now I am getting by with just dime store cheaters for reading small print.  About 3:30 we left again and went to the Elks Lodge for dinner.  We went early so we could have a drink and play the slots at the bar.  Neither of us won anything.  Four other people from our park also came and we had a table for our group.  The dinner was lasagna, soup, salad, and garlic bread with dessert as well.  The lasagna was OK, a little over done and dry.  We still had a good meal and a good time with our friends supporting a worthy cause.  We were done and home by 6:30 and spent the rest of the evening watching TV.

Saturday, December 7^th, Pearl Harbor Day.  Jackie went over to the clubhouse about 9:30 for the pancake breakfast.  She then stayed and played cards until about 12:30.  I did some chores around the house, including getting out the Christmas decorations and starting on decorating the lot.  After Jackie got back we went out for a late lunch.  We went to a new Mexican place called Riva’s Mexican Grill.  It is located behind the main shopping center in town, where Walmart and Albertson’s are.  It is a large, bright space, although a little plain.  It is a taquaria, where you order at the counter and then they bring the food out.  The menu looks very authentic.  I had a steak chimichanga and it was wonderful.  Jackie had

chicken taquitos, and she liked them as well.  We will probably being going back for more.  After lunch we went to Walmart for some supplies, then headed home.  We went to happy hour and then came home and spent the night with the TV.  The relatively new movie, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, the sequel to the 1998 film, was just released on the streaming service Max, so we watched it.  It was good, with lots of homages to the original throughout.  The three main leading characters were all played by the same actors I the original and it worked since this film takes place 25 years later.  The story line was a little convoluted, so in my estimation it wasn’t quite as good as the original, but it was still very enjoyable for me.  After the movie we watched some regular TV and went to bed.  Sunday we spent the morning relaxing.  About 2:00 we left to go to the Saddle West Casino to see the annual Silver Tappers Christmas Show.  The Silver Tappers are a local dance group for women over the age of 50.  There is no top limit and BJ Hetrick, the lady who started the group 30 some years ago is now 99 and still doing a little dancing with the troupe.  They do a lot of small appearances all around Pahrump, and several big productions every year, including the Christmas Show.  It is a charity event and they raise a lot of money for local charities.  The show was wonderful, as always and we had a great time.  We were back home by about 6:30 or so and spent the rest of the night relaxing with the TV. 

Monday, December 9^th, we left the house about 10:15 and drove to Las Vegas, to the Olive Garden restaurant in Summerlin.  We went to the monthly dine out for the Lucky Rollers RV club, which is part of our Co-op.  It is also Chapter 14 of the National Escapees RV Club.  Since it is the only Escapees Chapter in Nevada, a number of our members live in Las Vegas and other parts of Nevada.  We try to go to Las Vegas for dine-outs a couple of times a year so the Vegas people don’t always have to drive to Pahrump.  We rarely see anyone from other parts of Nevada.  We had a very nice lunch with 22 people.  After the lunch we went to the Costco, which was almost next door to the restaurant for some supplies.  We then headed back towards home.  We were almost home, less than a mile, when, at 3:45 pm, we came to the intersection of Manse Road and Homestead Road.  This is a four way stop intersection.  This time of day Homestead, which is a North/South road, is pretty busy.  We were driving West on Manse.  As I was pulling up to the stop sign I saw a couple of cars on Homestead go through the intersection north and south.  As I was stopped I looked to the right and saw a truck in the left turn lane to go from Southbound Homestead to Eastbound Manse.  There was another vehicle on the other side of the truck in the lane that goes straight through the intersection.  I looked to the left and there was a vehicle in the through lane of Northbound Homestead, but no one in the turn lane.  The truck on my right, waiting to turn, wasn’t moving.  The truck to my left wasn’t moving and the driver gave me a little wave to go

ahead.  I started across the intersection, which is a little offset, so I have to angle a little to the left to get to the other side.  I was about two-thirds of the way across and just passed in front of the truck that was waiting on my right to make a left turn, when I saw out of the corner of my eye that the red truck that was in the through lane was moving and heading right towards us.  I only had time to turn and look and say “oh shit” when the truck hit the passenger side of our car and spun us 45 degrees to the left.  I got the vehicle stopped and asked Jackie if she was OK and she said “I think so, but I hit my head.”  I was OK except for a pain in my knee where it hit the console and a little wobbly from the adrenalin rush.  I got out and saw that the truck had pulled over on the other side of intersection.  The lady came over and we exchanged “are you ok” but that was the extent of our conversation.  Our car got hit starting from the rear part of the front passenger door and completely destroying the rear passenger door.  There was a huge amount of damage to our car.  I didn’t walk over and look at the truck.  There just happened to be a Nye County Sheriff that was driving by and he stopped not more than a minute after the accident. He took all our paperwork, and the other drivers stuff, then went and sat in his car for half an hour doing paperwork.  At one point while his was still talking to me he mention that “medical” was coming to check on us, but they never did show up.  After about a half hour he gave me a piece of paper with the information exchange stuff and said the accident report would be available in about 10 days.  He did tell me that “you are not listed on the report as being at fault.”  He didn’t mention whether the other driver got a citation or anything.  Fortunately, our car was still drivable, none of the damage was around the wheels or the front of the car.  We headed home, unpacked the car and had a drink to relax.  I contacted our insurance company to report the accident.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Tuesday, December 10^th, we both had a previously scheduled appointment with our primary care doctor at 11:00 this morning.  Jackie was saying all last night that she had a headache and a pain in her neck.  We told the doctor about the accident and he didn’t do anything special other than tell Jackie that this was not unusual and it would probably go away in a few days. I think most regular practice doctors don’t like to get involved with accident cases if they can avoid it.  We both got our physicals and were pretty much as healthy as we were before.  We went back home and had lunch, then went to a Silver Seekers planning meeting.  This will be the last planning meeting I have to go to because after the first of the year a new Silver Seekers Board will take over and Jackie and I will not be responsible for the activities anymore.  It was fun for a year, but I am ready to just going back to attending and not planning.  After the meeting we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing.  We did get a call from the insurance company telling us that their investigation, whatever that was, led them to state that we were not at fault and that the other insurance company would be responsible for the damage to our car.  We had dinner and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Wednesday, December 11^th, we were talking in the morning that we needed to talk to an attorney, so we called one of the local personal injury firms here in Pahrump, JK Nelson.  I talked to a case rep and he took all the information and said they would be emailing me some forms to fill out.  They also made arrangements for both of us to go to one of their preferred chiropractors here in Pahrump to get checked out.  In the afternoon Jackie went over to the clubhouse for Pokeno and I went to my guitar practice group.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and made a meatloaf for dinner.  After dinner we watched TV and went to bed.  Thursday we zoomed the Town Hall in the morning.  I had scheduled a dentist appointment for this afternoon, but called and rescheduled.  With all the stuff going on, I didn’t want to endure a root canal today.  We had our last Silver Seekers Board meeting at 1:00.  Our Board goes out of office next month.  After the meeting we went home and did some chores.  We went to happy hour, then came home and  had dinner.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Friday, December 13^th, we had a 10:00 appointment for both of us at a local Chiropractors office.  This was set up by the attorney we have engaged.  We both got an exam, some x-rays and some adjustments and massage.  After the Chiropractor we ran some errands and had a late lunch at the Pour House.  After our errands we went home and relaxed.  We originally intended to go to Bingo tonight, but we were tired and Jackie had a headache, so we stayed home and spent the night with the TV.  Saturday Jackie had a ladies luncheon at 11:30 and I was supposed to go out to lunch with some of the guys.  Jackie went but I changed my mind and stayed home.  I had some work I had to get finished and didn’t want to go out drinking.  After Jackie got home we went to the local Chevrolet dealer to look at some cars.  We wanted to get an idea of what was out there in case our car really is totaled by the insurance company.  After we got home we went to happy hour and then came home and had dinner.  We spent the rest of the evening watching TV.

Sunday, December 15^th, was a stay at home day.  I spent most of the day finishing up our Christmas decorations.  I decorated the yard and the golf cart.  We had dinner and then spent the evening with the TV.  Monday, our housecleaner, Margarite, came at 10:00.  I did some office work out in the shed.  At 1:30 we had an appointment at the local office of our attorney, JK Nelson, to sign the notarized power of attorney papers that they need to actually start representing us in the personal injury part of the accident.  Then at 2:45 we both had appointments with the Chiropractor the attorney is sending us to.  We both got massages and adjustments.  After we were done with the doctor we went home for 4:00 happy hour.  We then went home, had dinner and spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Tuesday, December 17^th, was a really LONG day for us.  As I mentioned previously, I had applied with Nye County to be considered for a Justice of the Peace Pro Tem, which is a part time fill-in position.  The County Board of Commissioners appoints a panel of JP Pro Tems to fill in when one of the regular Justices can’t be on the bench.  I had received a notice from the County that the Commissioners would be selecting the panel at today’s regular meeting of the Commissioners.  We went there at 10:00 when the meeting started.  Long story short, we sat through the entire meeting until 6:00 when they finally got to that item on the agenda.  Turns out there were 34 people who had applied and half of them were attorneys, or at least law school graduates.  They ended up picking three, two attorneys and one retired Nye Country Sheriff’s Lieutenant.  I got to speak to my qualifications, but didn’t get the nod.  Oh well.  After the meeting we went home and crashed for the rest of the night with the TV.  Wednesday was a normal mid week leisure day.  Jackie went to play Pokeno at 1:00 and I went to play with my jam session group.  My friend Len is still having trouble with his eye, and some other health issues, so he wasn’t there.  After we were done we went to happy hour and then came home for dinner, a nice pork loin, and then the rest of the night with the TV.

Thursday, December 19^th, I went over to the clubhouse at 8:30 for the regular monthly Board of Directors meeting.  That meeting went until noon.  Jackie went out for a mani at 11:00.  After the Board meeting I had a quick lunch, then went to the clubhouse again to set up for my monthly jam session here at our park.  At 2:00 most of the group that I play with every Wednesday came and we had a great two hour session.  We even had a small audience of Co-op members.  After we were done I cleaned up and joined happy hour.  We then went home and had leftover pork green chili burritos for dinner and spent the remainder of the night watching TV.  Friday we had another chiropractor appointment at 11:00.  After we were done with that we ran some errands and had lunch out.  We got back to the park in time for happy hour.  We then went home and watched TV until bedtime.

Saturday, December 21^st, we actually had a free day.  We did some chores around the house and went out in the afternoon and ran a couple of errands.  We went to social hour at 4:00, then came home and spent the night with the TV.  Sunday I went out about 10:30 to go the pistol range in one of the local gravel pits to do my annual qualification shoot for my Federal concealed carry permit.  My permit actually expired in late November, but because of my cataract surgery I wasn’t able to go do the required shooting until now.  I shot really well without glasses and qualified with no problems.  We went to the ice cream social at 2:00, then came home and did some chores and relaxed for the rest of the day and evening.

Monday, December 23^rd, we had another appointment with the chiropractor at 11:00.  We went to lunch then came home.  At 2:00 we had our annual golf cart parade.  I first did this last year and it was a big hit.  We again had about 8 carts in the parade, including one smart car.  We didn’t have any bikes this year.  We went around the whole park and had a few observers.  After the parade we went into the clubhouse and had hot apple cider.  We went back about 4:00 for happy hour, then came home for dinner and a night with the TV.  Tuesday, Christmas Eve.  We relaxed for most of the day.  About 4:00 we went over to the clubhouse where we had an appetizer pot luck and then at 5:00 our annual gift exchange.  Jackie and I did the gift exchange game this year as the woman who normally does it wasn’t able to come this year.  We had a really good time and played some charades after the gift exchange.  We were done about 7:00 and went home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Wednesday, December 25^th, Merry Christmas.  We were over in the clubhouse kitchen about 11:00 getting five hams ready to cook and getting them in the roasting ovens.  We are hosting Christmas dinner at 3:00 today.  We had over 40 people at dinner.  The Silver Seekers provided the ham, all of which was donated by members, and everyone else brought side dishes.  We had a really nice dinner.  After we cleaned up we went home and were all done by 5:00.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Thursday Jackie and I were over at the clubhouse around 11:30 getting setup for the leftovers lunch.  We had leftover ham from yesterday, as well as some deserts, new salads and some ham and bean soup a member made from one of yesterday's ham bones.  We only had about 18 people show up, but we got rid of all the leftovers.  After we cleaned up we went back home and relaxed with the TV for the rest of the day and evening.

Friday, December 27^th, we went out for a late lunch because we have Bingo tonight.  We went to what used to Irene’s Casino, but is now undergoing renovations and has become Jackpot Joanies.  Apparently, that is a big chain of small casino/restaurant/bars in Las Vegas.  They only had the new half open, which had a bar and some dining tables.  The regular restaurant won’t be open until March or April.  The food was still the Irene’s menu and it was OK.  The service was bad, but I think they just haven’t hired all the help they need yet.  After lunch we stayed and gamed a little, but didn’t win anything.  We came home and relaxed, then went to happy hour and stayed for Bingo.  Jackie won one regular game, but had to split the pot with someone.  I didn’t get anything.  We got done about 8:00, just in time for me to go out for my first shift of Security Duty for the month.  After I got done we watched an hour of TV and went to bed.  Saturday we went out after lunch to Walmart for some supplies.  We also went to Goodwill to get Bob, our yard skeleton, some new clothes.  Right now he is Santa Claus on our golf cart, but once I undecorate the yard and cart he will need new duds.  We went home to happy hour, then had dinner.  I went out for Security Duty at 8:00 and after we watched TV and went to bed.

Sunday, December 29^th, we had a stay at home day.  We just hung around the house all day.  I did all the undecorating from Christmas and got everything stored away in the shed.  Jackie spent the day inside, doing chores and watching TV.  We had some country ribs that had been cooking all day for dinner, then spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Monday our house cleaner came in the morning.  Jackie went over to the clubhouse about 11:00 to help decorate for New Years Eve.  At 1:00 I had a dentist appointment to get a root canal and crown on one of my teeth.  The work went will, I have to come back in ten days or so to get the permanent crown put in. No pain, which is good.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, I had to drink my cocktail with a straw because half my upper lip was still numb.  We then went home and had leftovers for dinner and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Tuesday, December 31^st, New Year’s Eve.  We had a chiropractor’s appointment at 11:00.  After we got home I had lunch, then went over to get my equipment set up for the New Years Eve party.  At 4:15 we went over to help setup for the pot luck dinner we are hosting.  The dinner went well, we had a couple dozen people come with some really great food.  At 6:00 we started the party.  It was a small group, but we had a really great time, dancing, singing, lip sync acts, all kinds of participation.  At 9:00 we watched the ball drop in New York City, wished everyone a great New Year, and the party was over.  I left everything to be put away tomorrow.  We went home, watched a couple hours of TV then went to bed, listening to the fireworks going off all over town.

That is the end of this chapter, and 2024.  Until next time, be nice.  Bye