A Beautiful Day In The Hood

Enjoying The Weather

Yesterday was a beautiful day in our neighborhood.  We lucked out Sunday night and did not get the baseball-sized hail that other areas near us had.  Actually, the place we stayed before here was hit with the hail.  Storms are expected here tonight and tomorrow morning. The rest of the week is supposed to be windy, so yesterday and maybe this coming Friday are the only days that Mom will be able to get out on Buddy.

Buddy took Mom to In-N-Out.

I stayed at home and slept.

Mom and I spent some time outside yesterday.   Mom didn't get a picture, but a squirrel was two feet away from me on the picnic table.  Even the squirrels are crazy here!

Drama

Mom is trying to stay away from all the drama here, but Friday she got involved again.  We were out on our morning walk when one of the female workers here stopped us. She asked if we wanted her dog.  Mom thought she was joking, but she wasn't.  She said she had been fired and she had to be out of the campground within the hour.  She said she was going to have to take him to the shelter.  Mom wanted to help, but she knew it would be a disaster for me.  The lady said she was now homeless since her motor home that she just bought from someone else here doesn't run.  She had to leave it behind.  Her family was headed to a motel and they couldn't take the dog.  She said she had spoken up in a meeting and was fired.  They seem to fire people very easily here.  Mom felt really bad for her because she has always been very nice to us.  She really was trying to make a nice place here for her family.  As the weekend went on, we saw more and more things being taken from her yard and it was not by her or her family.

We thought another worker that we like might also be fired.  Mom asked about him and she was told that it couldn't be discussed.  He was gone for ten days, but he is back at work today.

Instant Pot Failure

The dinner Mom made last night was a failure.  She decided to make spaghetti and meatballs.  She forgot that spaghetti is not really recommended, but shaped noodles are fine.  She had trouble getting it to come to pressure, so since the pasta sat there longer boiling than it should and that may have also played a factor in it not turning out.  It wasn't bad when she ate it, but she wasn't happy with it.  Dad was late getting home, so the spaghetti was kept warm in the Instant Pot for two more hours.  It was really bad by then.  No pictures were taken.

Another Day, Another Meal

Tonight, the air fryer will be making a meatloaf and the Instant Pot will make mashed potatoes.  We don't anticipate any problems.  

Joey,

The Greyhound Who Is Known As Boots Around Here

More Carla and Campground Happenings

Mom got her new glasses today. She asked if I wanted to take a selfie with her.  We had never done that before.  Obviously, we need more practice.

Mom and Me

Carla

Another process server called Mom's number thinking it was Carla.  Carla has been giving out Mom's cell phone number since the 90's.  We don't know Carla.  Mom called the process server and told him that he has the wrong number and we don't know her.  She explained that Carla has been giving out Mom's number since the 90's.  She also told him to check with AT&T if he doesn't believe that it is not Carla's number.  He kept saying "Oh, no, oh, no!"  I think he was saying that because now he knows that Carla has tricked him and he isn't giving her the proper notification that he thought.  We don't expect the calls for Carla to end.

Repo Man

We noticed a police car drive by our place yesterday, so we decided to see what was going on.  It turns out there was a repo man trying to take some one's car and their trailer.  A woman staying in the trailer blocked the repo man in, so the police were called.  There was a crowd gathered round.  It turns out that a guy who used to work here, but who was fired but still lives here sold another worker a trailer and car.  It appears the paperwork wasn't correct and the repo man came.  The best we can figure is the second guy made payments to the first guy, but those payments were not passed on.  The guy ended up loosing his trailer and car.  It was sad.  Luckily, his brother works here too and he was able to move back in with him.  We haven't heard any fights, but the second guy can't be pleased with the guy who sold him the trailer and car.

Utility Trailer Man

There was a guy who lived behind us in basically a utility trailer.  He has been here a long time.  He had a toy chihuahua that he doesn't have on a leash. The dog doesn't even wear a collar.  He allows her to roam on her own.  Last Sunday, I was laying outside and she hoped in my bed.  It's a good thing I am a nice guy and didn't eat her.  One time, we were at the dog park and she was there in the small dog park.  Someone told him that he needed to clean up after her and he kept saying "what?" and then he left.  We are glad he is gone.

Joey,

The Greyhound Who Hopes His Dad Gets Home Before 10 p.m.

Still Pretty Boring

There is not a whole lot going on here.  It has been too windy for Mom to ride Buddy.  She will be able to go out tomorrow and maybe order her glasses.  It has been hot.  We were near 90 yesterday and today is a little cooler.  The air ran all day yesterday.  It is at least shutting off today.  Mom found a fan for me because I was panting a lot Saturday night.  I don't like the heat much anymore.  We may have severe storms here on Friday.  Yikes!

I am not allowed to pee on the roses because Mom says I might get a thorn.  :::sigh:::

April The Giraffe

Oh, my goodness!  When is she going to have that calf?  Mom checks on her several times a day.  We thought she was getting ready to give birth a few times, but nope!

Instant Pot

The Instant Pot is still cranking out good food.  The Salted Caramel Cheesecake that Mom made last week was good. She also recently made corned beef and potatoes, spicy sausage pasta in a cream sauce and Marsala chicken pasta.  

Marsala Chicken

Eating Out

The folks ate at Gloria's this weekend.  It is a Latin restaurant.  They are known for a bean dip that they serve along with salsa and chips.

Mom's meal.  It is a skirt steak smothered in salsa, cheese, peppers and mushrooms.

Dad's meal.  Surf and Turf.  

They both agreed that they would like to go back again.

Sunday, they ate at their favorite Mexican place, Pappasito's Cantina.

Dad's meal.  That is a lot of food!

Kitchen Faucet

The kitchen faucet broke on the day that our warranty expired on our rig.  Mom tracked down the part that we need yesterday.  It took a few emails and phone calls, but she found a very nice lady who helped her.  The folks couldn't determine the brand of the faucet, but we now know. The brand is actually located on the backside of the faucet.  Mom used a mirror to see it.  The faucet has a lifetime warranty.  Mom didn't know if they would honor it since we didn't have the paperwork to register it.  She called the company this morning and it doesn't sound like it will be a problem.  Mom had to send them photos of it just to prove it is one of theirs.  The part is $60 and will be really easy to replace.  The faucet sprays Mom every time she uses it now, so she wants it fixed.

Free Pizza

Mom ordered pizza last Sunday when Dad was at work.  It arrived late, but Mom didn't say anything.  She was really surprised when she received an email from Pizza Hut offering us a free pizza!   We have already redeemed it.

Jokari Fizz Keeper

You may have noticed on our side bar this product.  Mom bought one of these because she loves soda.  She didn't like to buy bottles because she felt that she had to drink them quickly because they went flat. She wanted to try this to see if it worked because bottles are cheaper and easy to carry on Buddy.  She has used this on two bottles and both bottles kept their fizz until she was finished with them which was about five days.  There are reviews that say they keep the fizz for 2.5 weeks.  This replaces the cap and the little plastic ring should also be removed so that it fits correctly.  You then just pump several times.  

Joey,

The Greyhound Who Is Staying Cool On The Couch

More March Happenings

There isn't a lot going on around here.  The folks haven't been doing much sightseeing because they have seen everything they want to see.  Dad had a three day weekend, so they went to Camping World.  They have a $25 gift certificate, but didn't use it.  Mom did buy a measuring cup that also has measurements for teaspoons and tablespoons.  She seems to like it.

Campground News

We noticed last week that one of the workers drove down our street in his golf cart.  That is not usual, but then the manager drove past.  He doesn't seem to venture into our section, so that was odd. Then, the worker drove past again really fast.  The next day, we noticed that a guy who had his truck on blocks cleaned up his yard.

 He placed all his junk in the back of the truck.  Yesterday, we saw his truck on a flatbed truck being taken away.

The junk was left behind.  People like mattresses in their yards for some reason.

It kind of looks like they are no longer living there, so we may see their home towed out one day.  It seems like the only thing that gets you kicked out here is not paying rent.

I mentioned in my last post that they were working on the streets here.  It was quite loud.

It takes a lot of men to work on the street.  Five to supervise and one to do the job.  BOL!

We were outside when this was being loaded up. The truck ran for at least an hour. Very loud!

Trying to enjoy nature.

Our neighbor decided to move her swing.

This is our view now.  The swing has a canopy on it.

The first customer for the deluxe sites arrived today.  The sites are complete except the grass still needs to grow.

This is the tent camping area.

Spring is here!

Eye Exam

Mom had her eyes checked on Monday.  She has very healthy eyes!  She has been wearing her old glasses because the glasses she got last year hurt her eyes.  It turns out that she was given the wrong prescription in those glasses.  She is going to order new glasses but it was too busy on Monday and she didn't want to wait. She was going to go today, but it is too chilly to ride Buddy. She is probably going to go next week after spring break is over here.

Instant Pot

Mom made another cheesecake yesterday, but she hasn't tasted it yet.  Dad didn't get home from work until 2 a.m. and she is waiting for him. This one is a Salted Caramel Cheesecake.  She tried a few other new recipes such as a Marsala Chicken Stew and homemade Sloppy Joe's.  I don't think she was in love with either of those.  I really enjoy the chicken or hamburger and rice that she has been making me.

Wi-Fi

We are very happy with our new Wi-Fi service.  We have only used 16 GBs and we are halfway through the month.  We have 250 GBs.  The folks have been watching YouTube and Netflix.  It doesn't do anything for me, but they are happy with it.

April the Giraffe

Is anyone else waiting for her to give birth?  Mom thought it was going to happen this morning, but no, she is still pregnant.  It has to happen soon.  If you don't know what we are talking about, you can check out this link  April

Joey,

The Greyhound Who Wasn't Happy That His Dad Sleep Late This Morning

March Happenings

It is a very busy day here at the old campground.  They are still working on the new deluxe sites and with that, they are widening the street.  It looks like they will make some much needed repairs to the other streets.  Equipment is all over the place this morning.
 

Watching for squirrels last week.

Magna Shade

We had quite the surprise when we opened our windshield shade this morning.  Our Magna Shade that attaches to the outside of our windshield was gone!  Yep, the wind took it away.  That is pretty amazing because it was attached with several heavy duty magnets.  It was in the neighbors yard.  Mom brought it in and tried to rinse it off.  It is really large and since it has magnets on it, the magnets kept attracting to each other and it just ended up in a big clump in the shower.

It is windy here most of the time, but today, we can feel it in the RV. That is unusual for us. I bet small trailers are really rocking today. Mom hopes that Buddy stays on his wheels.

Thrift Shops

Mom had fun shopping at the thrift shops last Friday. She found a candle warmer at Goodwill that she really likes.  She has a thing for purple, so it was love at first sight.

Instant Pot

We have had several more meals in the Instant Pot.  Pork Fried Rice, BBQ Baby Back Ribs, Chili Macaroni and Cinnamon Apples.

Baby Back Ribs

 Dad really liked the Baby Back Ribs.  It starts out with a dry rub in the the Instant Pot and then transferred to the air fryer for the BBQ sauce portion.  Dad said the ribs were full of flavor.

The cinnamon apples recipe was written badly and Mom needs to adjust it.

Carla Returns

Years ago, Mom received phone calls looking for a Carla Williams.  Bill collectors would call all the time.  They didn't believe Mom when she said she didn't know Carla.  Well, it appears that Carla has started giving out Mom's cell phone number again.  Mom had a message from a process server that she is coming by today with papers to serve her, I mean Carla.  She said she will try her at home and work and to consider herself notified.  We wonder what Carla did this time.

Nice App

Mom is constantly trying new recipes.  She made a really silly mistake.  She forgot to write down the recipes that she is trying this week.  She is now trying to backtrack and match recipes with the groceries that she bought.  She bookmarked a lot of recipes for the Instant Pot last week on the Internet.  After that mistake, she started looking for an app that would help her. She came across PepperPlate Recipes.  It is a free app. It will automatically copy some recipes, while some you have to copy and paste.  You can set up a menu for the week. You can also create a grocery list from the recipes that you are using.  That is what Mom really likes.  It syncs to your other devices.  She will have the grocery list on her phone for shopping.  She has been using a shopping list on her phone, but she had to input it all and with this app, it fills it in for you.  She sometimes uses her tablet while cooking.   There is another app called Paprika, but it is not free.  It costs $30 to put it on all her devices, so she is using PepperPlate.  

Rough Dogs

Mom doesn't allow me to play with other dogs in the dog park. She is scared I will get hurt.  Yesterday, we saw an incident that allowed her to say "See, that is why I don't want you playing with other dogs."   This dog came running at a smaller dog and smashed him into the fence.  Ouch!  The dog seemed to be okay and his Mom didn't seem concerned but the smasher dog's Mom put him back on a leash. He is a mean dog and he and his brother are always pulling their Mom around to the point that she has fallen.

Joey,

The Greyhound Who Doesn't Like Wind To Blow Up His Butt

Adventures With Our Instant Pot

I mentioned in the last post that Mom bought an Instant Pot for her birthday.  I am really enjoying it. BOL!  It makes really good chicken and rice.

This is it.  It is very quiet when it is on.

She has bought a few things to go with it.

This thing seems to be made for people who live in small spaces.  What is it?

It is a vegetable steamer.  It actually curls up a little to fit inside the pot.

Mom also bought a 6" pan to make cheesecakes and other items.  It has a cheesecake in it now.

Speaking of cheesecakes, Mom made one yesterday.  She has always wanted to make one, but thought it was too hard.  It is really easy in the Instant Pot.

This morning, she put eggs and potatoes in the Instant Pot using the vegetable steamer.  She then made potato salad for dinner.

Potato Salad

I told you that hard boiled eggs peel easily.  Here is proof:

Tada!

The only thing that Mom has made that she was not thrilled with were pork chops.  She fixed them in a mushroom gravy.  They completely fell apart. She probably cooked them too long.  However, the thing that she really didn't like was that the bones splintered, so there were little bones all over.  She said she would debone them the next time.

Tonight, she will use the Instant Pot and the air fryer to make baby back ribs.  She will cook the ribs in the Instant Pot and then put them in the air fryer to brown them more.  Most recipes say to use the oven broiler, but we don't have one.

She wants to try chicken wings. They only take ten minutes and then she will brown them in the air fryer.

If you are interested in learning more about cooking with an Instant Pot/pressure cooking, just check out YouTube. There are tons of videos.  Mom watched a lot before she bought one.  She didn't know in the beginning if she really wanted one, but then she saw how easy it was  Cooking is kind of a hobby for her.  She loves trying new recipes.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Loves His Mom's Cooking