mid week update

Good morning.
I've just returned from my morning walk with a neighbor. She's been walking with me nearly every day now. Makes the time go faster.   :-)
We cooked our 2nd turkey last Sunday, and Tuesday used both of the carcasses and liquid from the roaster and veggie scraps Craig has saved over time and made a huge batch of broth. Froze 12 pints of the rich tasty liquid. Craig likes using it for making mashed potatoes, boiling rice, steaming veggies and in casseroles.  We're not really soup people, but it would be really good for that too!
Monday we cut each other's hair. Craig's color has completely grown out now and he's about 40 % grey. I'll try to get a pic to post sometime.
Today looks to be our last day with above normal temps. We've had a very nice Dec and Jan so far, but looks like the next couple of weeks will be near 'normal', which is upper 50's.  Still, not as cold as back in Michigan, and our 'spring' is only about a month away.  :-)
Looking back on my previous posts, I forgot to say my doctor's appointment went very well. My Cholesterol was 190 and my liver functions were normal. So my new meds are working as they should. I was especially happy since I had my blood drawn on Jan 2nd and Jan 1st went to a wine and cheese party, and New Years Eve, ate pizza and wings!  I was sure my Cholesterol would have been up after all that!
Well, that's it for now....

our project finished.

Good morning.
I've just returned from our morning walk.
The weather has been great! With highs in the upper 60's for most of the month so far. Our normal high should be around 58. Not complaining!   :-)
And here's the finished little project we've been working on.....

Got the sanding and painting done, cleaned and reinstalled the mirror, and added Craig's little bling near the bottom.

Craig thought the mirror looked like something out of the Lord of the Rings, so he thought they would look good.

We put it on a narrow wall between the living room and kitchen.

Not much else going on. Been to a couple of patio parties, but that's about it.
Retirement is good.    :-)

drying out. :-)

 Good morning.
Here's some pics from my walk this morning.....

 Our Spring Mountains as seen from the western edge of our community.

 I walked down Aliante Boulevard which runs along our communities western border. The trees planted along the street are deciduous and have finally dropped their leaves from all the rain yesterday. We had nearly 1 1/2 inches of rain.

Across the street from our community is a gated community called Club Aliante. It's the only other community on the golf course besides ours.

You have to look real close, but we finally got snow on the Spring Mountains and Mount Charleston.

Another pic, but I zoomed in a lot.
Then, I tried a new salad.
Zucchini salad!

 Cut the zucchini with a sprializer to make 'noodles'.

You can find the recipe over on Cooking with Craig. The link is in my sidebar.
It was quite tasty! And a nice change from lettuce salads.    :-)
And today, the sun is back!

record rain and a happy liver

Good afternoon.

Yesterday, we ended a record run of 116 days without rain! The old record was, I think, around 105.

And we're getting more rain today. It has rained pretty much nonstop all day. But that's okay. It's a nice change from all that sunshine.    :-)
Which will return tomorrow.
Also, I have a doctors appointment on Friday with my 'new' doctor I got after I switched health insurance. I called the office to see if I could get a blood test for my cholesterol and liver. My last doctor put me on generic Lipitor and I was suppose to get checked after a couple of months to see if it was working and not messing up my liver. Well, before I could get my blood test done, he switched to a membership practice. I couldn't see paying a monthly fee just to see some test results so I decided to wait until the first of the year and do it with a new doctor and new insurance. Well, that was over 5 months ago and I was anxious to see how my liver was doing with the new medication. This new doctor ordered a complete set of tests. So in order to get the results back in time for my appointment, I had my blood drawn the day after New Years Day. Probably not the best time as I ate bad and drank a lot during the holidays. But, I saw the results online today, and everything is good! My cholesterol is 190, and my liver functions are normal. I was a little shocked because of my diet in the weeks just before. But I'm happy knowing all is good. Maybe all my 2 a day walking also helped.
With this nice cold rainy day, Craig is making a Cabbage Roll Casserole for dinner, and I've been booking some rooms for our late summer trip back to Michigan.
Yesterday, a neighbor brought over some Lemon Cream Bars. Oh so good! No wonder we can't lose weight!    :-)

another project.

Good morning.
Well, it's been nearly a week since I posted so better write something.    :-)
I've been working on a little project.......

We got this from our neighbor. She got it from a friend she was helping clean out her house to move to Texas. It had a shelf/box on the uncarved section near the bottom. We thought it looked unique and might be able to do something cool with it. There's a mirror that goes in the large opening.
So, we took the box off, took the mirror out and proceeded to sand and clean it up. Then we got some spray paint, and so far, here it is.....

Craig got some little bling to add to the large solid section. We'll put it all together after I think one more coat of paint. I'll post a finished pic. I have a nice narrow wall I think It'll look good on.
In other news.....
I had blood tests done the day after New Years. I know, not the best time to test my blood after the holidays, but I got the results online this morning, and everything is good! I was really surprised knowing what I ate and drank over the holidays.     :-)
And yesterday, a group of neighbors went over to Big Dog's Tavern for lunch. A nice group and very good food!
We're also starting to preplan for our summer trip back to Michigan.
But now, it's time for my morning walk with my neighbor.

Craig's birthday

Good afternoon.
During my morning walk, I saw we had a full moon.....

And here's a pic of our Spring Mountains in the morning sunrise....again......    :-)

Our house is on the right just past the light pole.
And on New Years Day, a neighbor invited a bunch of us over for wine and cheese.

A very nice group of neighbors! We are very happy we 'landed' in this particular block.
And today is Craig's birthday. We went to a local casino, had a cheeseburger for lunch and did a little gambling. We didn't last long as we weren't having much luck. Which is why we don't gamble much. I actually ended up ahead $4, but Craig was down $12. Not bad for an hour of gaming.
And to add to his birthday, He bought a Freschetta pizza for dinner. Yum!

Happy New Year

Good afternoon.
Hope you all had a fun and safe holiday.
We went to an evening patio party, but was home by 7pm. In bed by 10.
 Spent today taking down Christmas lights and putting away Christmas decoration. Home is now back to 'normal'.    :-)
Now we have a wine party to go to.
Have a safe and prosperous 2018!