Here We Are in Hemet

I hope your new year has started off well for each of you.  We see on the news that many areas of the country are experiencing record low temperatures and record high amounts of snow.  We hope all of you are able to keep warm and safe at this time, and we are so very glad we are not in any of these places!  We moved to southern California for a reason, and we still prefer to be here in the winter time.  I hope better weather will head your way very soon.

 Here are two pictures I took of the super moon we had on December 31st.  It was amazing and so very  bright!

January 2nd we saw the doctor at Loma Linda, and Jim had an ultrasound done to see if there are any more stones we need to be aware of.  We have not heard back yet on that, but otherwise, the doctor said he is good for another year.  On Monday I go to see a doctor about my busted toe.  I was going to cancel it since my toe had not hurt in a couple weeks, so then the toe started hurting again..............go figure.  Tuesday Jim sees his primary doctor before we head out on the road to Arizona and beyond.  

Since we could only stay at Wilderness Lakes (or any Thousand Trails park) for 3 weeks, which was up on January 3rd, we had to relocate.  Because of our appointments in Menifee and Murrieta, we didn't want to go all the way to Palm Springs for this week.  Greg had told us about this park called Royal Holiday Mobile Home Estates.  As you might guess by the name, it is not your typical RV park, but they have some sites that they keep available for members of Thousand Trails to use for their "week out."   It is right in downtown Hemet (not a big place but close to Menifee) and the price is a very reasonable $99 per week, at least that's what they charge for Thousand Trails members.  We tried to get a mobile oil change guy to come out to change the oil on the RV when we were at Palm Springs last month.  He was too busy at that time but said he could come while we were at Wilderness Lakes.  With all that was going on while we were there, it just didn't happen, so I called him the day before we left, and we set it up for him to do it here yesterday.  He also serviced our generator...........so we are good to go.  We were also overdue for an oil change on the car, so I drove around on Thursday to try to get it done here in Hemet.  We tried Jiffy Lube and Econolube, and even Pep Boys, but all said we would have to wait two or three hours!  While exiting a plaza parking lot we spotted a Goodyear Tire store with a sign that they do oil changes, so we went there.  We took it there and, luckily for us, they routinely check several other things.  They informed us that the front shocks and struts were very badly in need of replacement (he showed Jim how badly) and a front axle was leaking terribly.  It was an expensive repair, but it had to be done.  He gave us a ride home, and then picked us up when the work was completed.  The good news is the parts have a lifetime warranty, and since we went to a national dealership, we can get service, if we should need it, at any Goodyear shop in the country.  

 This painting of a lighthouse was painted by our dear friend Marla.  I framed it and it has been hung up front, but I moved it to the dining room to be next to our lighthouse calendar.  I like it there.

This lighthouse was also painted by Marla.  She matted it and framed it for me, and we thought the only place we had to hang it was in our bedroom.  Nice but not everyone got to see it.  A few months ago the frame just up and broke.  I don't know how or why, it just did, so last week I found a nice frame to replace it, and we decided we wanted to hang it where others could see it too.  The spot is not perfect, but RVs don't have a lot of open space for wall hangings.  The picture is now between the dining room and the living room, in the spot where we had previously hung our owl clock.

Now the clock has been relocated onto the short wall behind the driver's seat.  I think that is a good spot for it.  We just have to get used to looking there to see what time it is!
We keep looking at Marla's beautiful lighthouse, but it doesn't tell time.  LOL

I had planned to give Millie a trim before Christmas, but just never got around to it until today.  Even when the weather is cooler (it's only in mid 70s to low 80s around here) I do try to keep her groomed.  It is especially important to keep her feet groomed so she doesn't pick up burrs and fox tails.  She doesn't appreciate it, but with Jim's help, I got her all trimmed and brushed, and I think she looks grand.

 

 And of course, if I take her picture, I need to take one of Willie too.  Jim did brush him to get rid of some of the loose hair.  I sweep the floors at LEAST once a day because of the dog hair.  I hate to think of how much dog hair was always on the carpet before we had it taken out.  Millie had to take a nap after her haircut.
 Before I close for today, I would like to share an RV tip about an ugly, but important subject.  Non-RVers can skip ahead if you wish.  Many of us struggle with our gray and black water holding tanks.  There are many products on the market that claim they will clean, and de-oderize your tanks.  Many of these products fail to do as they claim, despite some being very expensive.  We did not find Tank Tech to be worth the cost of it.  Last month we had to replace our toilet, which Greg installed for us since Jim had just had surgery and could not do it.  In a conversation on the subject of holding tank care, Greg told us that he uses about a cupful of PineSol in each tank when he empties and drives to a new location.  It is CHEAP, and it works well.  We bought some and tried it when we moved here last week.  He said it also cleans the sensors, for a more accurate reading.  It may take more than our short drive to Hemet to fully clean the sensors, but I can tell you that there was no bad odor after we put PineSol in the tanks.  I will let you know if we continue to find it to be a good choice for tank care after we have tried it for a while.

Now we are all ready to head out to Quartzsite, AZ on Wednesday.  
 God lead us to get the oil change at a place that checks the car out, and for that, we are very thankful.  Had we gone someplace else, we would not have known we were traveling with a car that might have been unsafe to drive.  We know that God watches out for us and keeps us safe.  We know God shows us what we need to see.  Pastor Ric wrote a column recently in which he said God doesn't let us see everything ahead because we might be overwhelmed by it.  I am sure that is true, but I also believe that God never gives us more than we can handle, especially if we ask Him for help.   Somebody sent me an email that said something like this:
"When Satan sees a Bible in our house, he notices,
When he sees it is open, he is worries,
When he sees us reading it, he knows he will never have us."
I hope each of you will place your trust for the year ahead in God.  We happen to know that our God is an Awesome God, and in Him all things are possible.  Have a wonderful year ahead, and know that you are blessed by our all powerful, and loving God.