December 6 - 9, 2022 - Laundry/Sunshade /Night Lights/Reef Shoes/Woodcarving/Christmas Party/Woodcarving/Medication

FIRST LAUNDRY DAY: 

At 7:00 a.m. Tuesday I used my pull cart to take clothes to the laundry house a block away. Early risers are few and far between, so I had the place to myself until 9:00 a.m. I found one dryer that gave a lot more time than the one next to it so I will make it one of my default dryers. In the laundry room there is this sign:

The small print was helpful and if this was the setup at Roberts RV Park we might still be there. Not only is there a sign about repairs, but there are also actually repair forms and a pen available under the sign. Cool.

While I was doing laundry, at 8:00 a.m. an employee came through, asked me if I had any issues, and then checked out the other machines before leaving. Again, unlike Roberts RV Park. Also it is nice that all the employees great you and talk to you, again unlike Roberts RV Park where they were forbidden to talk to the residents or barely acknowledge your existence.

While waiting for the clothes to dry, neighbor, Don, came through. Monday morning at the resort meeting I had heard him say he played golf, so I asked him - when, where, and how much. He said on Mondays at 9:00 a.m. I told him I was a terrible golfer. He said is also so I should not worry about embarrassing myself. (I'm sure I will anyway.) He said I need to pay George on Wednesday at the Woodcarving session. The cost is $18:00 for nine holes including a cart. You can’t beat that.

SUNSHADE INSTALLED:

Lots of sun on our lot. Tuesday afternoon the sunshade I ordered from Amazon arrived. I am not one to wait around so I opened the box and proceeded to install it in the heat of the day (much to Kelly's dismay).  The top section slides into a slot in the awning tube. I thought this would be a simple install, but I soon learned that the motor head on each of the awning arms is too close to the awning tube to get the cord started. I studied it for a minute to find a solution. I got on the ladder and had Kelly run the electric awning forward and backward a little until the awning slot was above the motor housing. Doing this allowed the cord to slip right in and I could feed it in a few inches at a time. As I fed it in the slot Kelly slowly pulled the shade across from below. As we were working the neighbor behind us, Ralph (from Ontario), walked over and introduced himself and asked if we needed any help. We accepted his offer.

The sunshade comes in two pieces. The top piece hangs down from the awning about three feet and the bottom part is zippered to it. It is made this way so you can take the bottom off and roll up the awning if the shade needs to be taken down in a hurry due to wind issues. The three of us had the top section installed and the bottom section zipped on in no time.

We took a beer break and got acquainted with Ralph. Ralph’s wife died seven years ago, and he comes down six months of the year because his only son lives in Lakeland, about forty miles from here. He bought a fifth wheel from a friend and leaves it down here, putting it in storage when he isn’t here. A really nice fellow. After the beer break, I staked the sunshade to the ground. Here is a picture:

We are quite happy with the results and the quality of the awning we ordered. It blocks about 85% of the sun, which helps a lot.

WOODCARVING DAY ONE:

Wednesday morning was my first session of wood carving. Alexa bought me a woodcarving set a couple of years ago and I had never used it. The club at the park carves in the clubhouse every Wednesday and Friday starting at 10:00 a.m. The clubhouse is all carpeted except for the dance floor. Due to all the wood chips, tables are set up on the dance floor for an easy cleanup. By noon each day all wood shavings are cleaned up and tables put away. On Wednesday I was one of several total woodcarving newbies, so Earl took me under his wing. I was surprised that there were at least twenty folks there, all men and one woman. They suggest I start off making a boot. The basic shape is cut out on a band saw and a hole drilled for carving out the inside. The wood used is basswood because it has good grain and no knots. They charge for the wood blanks but as a newbie I got mine free. I quickly learned I was only semi-equipped. Everyone had a board they carved over and tool bags or toolboxes full of tools and supplies, etc. Earl was very helpful in getting me started with the proper tool from the club's collection. Most folks wore gloves. I didn’t have any. I previously made some glove fingers covered in duct tape to go over my index finger and thumb. I had read about this idea some time back and made them at home. These finger coverings help avoid splinters and cutting yourself. I quickly learned carving is a slow process. Trying to take too much wood off at a time is a big mistake, which I made several times. 

Wednesday afternoon there was a meeting to sign up volunteers for the car show in January. It is open to the public so my assignment is to ride my bike leading outside guests to areas in the park where they can park their cars. A golf cart then picks them up and takes them to the show area.

NIGHT LIGHT IMPROVMENT:

The blue courtesy lights I installed a couple of years ago in the hallway, bathroom, and bedroom, ended up being too bright. They were made for lighting boat decks at night. I ordered some material which is made to put over LED lights to dim them down. The material arrived so I cut pieces to cover each of the four lights and installed them. The hall light looked like this before and after.

The two bedroom lights looked like this before and after.

A major improvement! We now still have plenty of light to see our way around in the dark without the entire room being lit up.

REEF WASHABLE SHOES:

Daughter Annie bought me some Reef, machine washable, slip-on shoes. They arrived just in time to bring to Florida. I love the color and the feel. When I walked by the lake in them yesterday, I found that they are a magnet for cockleburs though. Here they are after I picked the cockleburs off.

CHRISTMAS PARTY:

Thursday evening was the park Christmas Party. We bought tickets earlier and it's a good thing we did because it was a sell-out. It’s really not a party, just a dance with live music. You bring your own snacks and drinks. Here are some pictures:

A fellow was going around taking pictures. The first is a group picture of our table. The second is a picture of Kelly and me at the table.

These people take these events seriously. Some were up at the Clubhouse at 3:30 p.m. to reserve their spots and they bring lots of snacks to eat. Most of the spots were taken when we got there just before 6:00 p.m. We ended up at the end of a table with some really nice people. Ron and Denise from Michigan went out of their way to welcome us. The music was seventies and eighties, and it was a dancing crowd.

WOODCARVING DAY 2:

Friday morning was woodcarving - day two. I got there a little early to help set up the tables. Here is a picture of my boot after working on it for two days. It is about three inches tall. There is a lot left to do as you can plainly see. I should have taken a picture of the block I began with. Woodcarving is all about patience.

I quickly learned that everyone has a "spot" where they sit at every session. Earl made a spot for me next to him. He is carving a foot-long chain with interlocked links. It will be long time before I get that proficient, if ever. There are different people with different abilities, and everyone offers help whenever asked. 

MEDICATION:

Since coming down last year I began a medication that I receive monthly from the Siteman Center in St. Louis. It is so expensive that if I don't pick it up in person, they send it by FedEx and someone has to be home to sign for it. On my last visit I learned that the Siteman Center cannot mail a prescription out of state. They told me to call Washington University downtown to get the prescription sent from down here. I called downtown the other day and learned that they cannot ship interstate either. I called the doctor back and they sent the prescription to Express Scripts and said I would hear from them in a day or two. I did not so I called back yesterday. They checked into it and today I got a call from Express Scripts telling me the medication will be delivered on the 13th - just in time. It will be a load off my mind when it shows up. 

POST SCRIPT:

Nothing is going on the rest of the day. Tomorrow we may go to a boat regatta on Lake Jackson in Sebring.