Holy Cow! SO MUCH SNOW!

J. gently kept reminding me the weather forecast was looking not great in terms of getting to Reno.  My freeplay days at Atlantis are one-time Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.  

Snow has been falling since night time - it hasn't stopped.  Not once.  The flakes were small at the start but still enough to cover the ground and pretty much everything.  After an all day snow fall, it's unbelievable how much snow we have on the ground.  It's wet - so even though there's a bit of wind, the snow is sticking where it falls. Flakes are much bigger now and are falling at a brisk pace.  The storm is exactly as forecasted - BIG.  We are following recommended guidance and just staying home.  May be the first time in years I've missed out on Atlantis weekly free play but oh well. 

Our neighbor T. used his snow blower to clear our driveway this morning - bless his heart it was for nothing because so much has fallen, there's no evidence of the driveway ever being clear today.  But it was.  He's a really kind human and we are blessed with such wonderful neighbors.  

Super glad we did a good stock up shopping trip because we are well stocked.  Have plenty of food and while I'm craving tacos (when am I not craving tacos lately - and I have what we need to make tacos if wanted to) - we're going to do bake potatoes with cheese and bacon on them - and likely some leftovers to round out the meal.  

I turned on the heatilator because the cats looked so miserable I just had to do something to get some warmth their way.  I have a small space heater in the study - central heat works great but the office 'zone' heats J.'s master suite, the guest bedroom and bathroom and the office - and that's a lot of space to heat when no one is in those rooms.  Can't wait until I'm feeling toasty - my feet feel like ice blocks at the end of my legs - but it will warm eventually. 

Still Winter

Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an early Spring!  Excitement is in the air!  Will we be able to start working in the garden again soon? 

It's blustery cold today with some light snow flurries now and then.  We've been busy today - J. trekked to Costco to pick up prescriptions and a few grocery items and then went to Walmart to pick up a super large grocery stock-up order.  The local Carson casino I play out gave me my twice a year 'player perks' so we had $200 in a gift card to use - paid for a big stock up which we needed.  I'll need to commit some time to a pantry tidy this coming week and that's perfectly fine.  I'm starting to enjoy piddling around the house.  Then we trekked to the local casino for a wee bit of play and stopped at Smith's to get the few things we either forgot in our pickup order or items they were out of.  We (of course) added 4 items to our cart that weren't even remotely on our list - but that's what happens when you shop.  You see things that are a good deal and think 'well, let's get them'.  Diet Cherry Cream Dr. Pepper and three bottles of salad dressing.  We'll use the dressings no problem - and the Diet DP's were a splurge (because neither of us should really drink them) but it will be a nice treat once in a while.

A friend in Modesto, CA posted her daughter was selling Girl Scout cookies so I purchased 8 boxes - 4 Thin Mints, 2 Lemon and 2 Caramel Delights.  We checked the delivery status online and they were confirmed delivered on 1/29.  We did not have them, however.  Waited another day.  Still no cookies.  The record said they were delivered to a 'locker' on the 29th - but no key was in our locker to unlock any package locker on our mailbox tower down the street.  Wednesday, J. trekked to the post office and filed a report of a missing package.  The postal worker said they would check with the carrier.  Viola!  Key in our box yesterday so WE HAVE COOKIES!!   Woot woot!  Appreciated being able to order and have them delivered - even with the glitch.  We missed Thin Mints last year - we pretty much missed the GS Cookie event entirely last year and I didn't want to miss out this year, too.  I love how Facebook provides and reaffirms connection with people near and far.  

Tomorrow and Sunday will be Reno days - Tamarack Casino on Saturday and Atlantis on Sunday.  It's our weekly fun and we both look forward to it.  Next weekend we are attending the annual Big Bowl Bash event - we don't plan to play that day - no freeplay that day - so we'll enjoy the amazing 'tailgate party' food and then head home to watch the rest of the game.  Then back Monday or Tuesday for our weekly freeplay - yes, it's sort of cheap for Atlantis to not allow weekly free play on Game Day but oh well.  

J.'s been able to play some golf this Winter which is nice for him and his friends.  Weather has been fairly mild.  California is having a huge 'atmospheric river' this weekend and we are having a fair amount of rain and wind this weekend as well.

OH - I'm not sure I mentioned - we had a HUGE winds mid-January - our neighbors across the street lost shingles on their roof.  We thought we were fine - but later that week, our neighbor T. texted J. to say 'hey, meet me outside' - and sure enough, there was a section of the roof above my room with missing shingles.  We phoned our builder and he recommended a roofing company - they were pretty booked up during the M-F week but he offered to work on Saturday.  We weren't home - but the repair was done while we were gone - and thankfully, you can't tell at all where the replacement shingles were.  Beautiful job.  $300 which included a 2 hour labor minimum.  We were grateful to have it taken care of.  The shingles have a guarantee to not come loose up even with winds up to 100MPH - so we could file a warranty claim for the cost of the replacement shingles.  It seems like a waste of time given the repair bill was mostly labor.  

I'm off to get a flat bread pizza in the oven for dinner - J. doesn't like to eat this early so he'll cook his later.  It's nice to have plenty of food that sounds good to me - it's so hard for me to eat lately - I only want what I'm craving and my cravings change constantly. 

 

 

Refrigerator Jenga

So far this month, we're doing a good job of consuming the food we bring home from our casino treks.  One place is giving me $75 (one time a week) and J. gets $5-15 (also one time a week).  We often 'eat-in' for lunch on Saturday and then bring takeout home for dinner and breakfast the next day - but sometimes, we just want to get home so we order even more takeout.  Our refrigerator(s) are a complex maze of styrofoam, water-proofed cardboard and assorted other boxes.  This week we even ended up having a ceramic ramekin to hold some creme brulee we ordered on Sunday.  We have it in the dishwasher and will return it to the restaurant on Sunday.  

I just did a quick clean out of the fridge - mostly leftovers of things we cooked and then forgot about.  My appetite is a bit off at times - I want what I'm craving and very often, what one of us cooks for dinner is not what I'm hungry for.  I'm working on it.  Food is such a huge expense in anyone's budget - it's worth working hard on eating what we have and not wasting food.  

It's been snowing pretty much the entire day - flakes falling with wind making them have all sorts of weird angles - sideways snow is a real thing.  The temps today are higher - low 40's - so the ground isn't cold enough for the flakes to stick.  The school district has cancelled all after school programs today and has a two hour delayed start tomorrow - smart because it will be in the 10 degree range in the night and the wet roads are going to be icy.  We haven't left the house today so it's possible the city streets are brined in preparation - but we won't know that until tomorrow.  We will venture out briefly for a free play trip to the casino we visit here in Carson along with a grocery stop for a few things.  

I dug around my closet and found a couple pairs of boots - and wearing them is helping to keep my feet a wee bit warmer.  Once I get cold feet, I'm pretty much freezing so attempting to keep them warm has become a priority.  

My drifting off to sleep mode lately is to think of all the things I plan to accomplish the next day - but the actual day is full of procrastination.  Big time.  I rationalize it's OK - no pressure of timelines in a retired life.  But...I hope to do better.   

H. and I had a frank conversation this morning - I've felt troubled about things lately and the more we don't talk about it, the harder it gets.  There are all sorts of 'issues' at any given moment but his situation is what it is.  He's doing fine.  The talk helped us both so yay for that.  

I'm going to start a project in the study which will consume my time for a good long while.  I doubt I'll get it 'done' but often for me, starting is the hardest part.  Once I take the step to get going on something, I will usually find more momentum than I know what to do with - and that's not a bad thing. 

Finally Weather!

Our regular Saturday trek to Reno for time at a casino we started visiting a few months ago turned into a whirlwind drive home.  When we left, there were big winds and snow - but the snow was lightly falling and so dry it just blew across the streets.  We figured we'd head to Reno and head home reasonably early and we'd be fine.

The play was fun and we ordered our free food to take home - at least 5-7 meals worth of food.  Love comps.  I sat down next to a lady playing and her boyfriend kept coming over to say 'we need to go.  Weather isn't looking great'.  I cashed out and found J. and said 'sounds like we should head home'.  

Not a minute too soon.  It was a white knuckle drive the entire way - J. was driving (I drive to Reno and he drives home).  We decided to avoid the freeway which had us on a back road with a fair amount of other traffic.  Took it slow (very) and steady in what was fast becoming a major storm.  There were a couple brief white-out moments but it would quickly return to just heavy snow.  

We got home at just the right time because about 10 minutes later, we were getting updates from a Carson City website reporting multiple car accidents on the stretch of freeway nearest to our exit for home into Carson. Lots of ice.

Today would be our regular day of brunch and a little play at Atlantis but there are chains required on the freeway between us and Carson - the low valley by Washoe lake which is notorious for being incredibly icy incredibly fast - so we're staying put.  

I just had to pull on a down jacket as I sit in the office 'cuz it's cold.  Almost noon and 35 degrees.  

The snow is very beautiful - about 4 inches and with these super low temps (it was 10 degrees when I got up) it will take a long time for it to melt.  It's super glittery with the sun being out today and it's really beautiful, as it always is.  

We love living here.

Winter?

I have no excuses or reasons for not writing in November.  I actually do have a draft saved from mid-November and might put the finishing touches on it to get it published - but odds are it won't happen.  

(Post is now up - couldn't leave November blank).  LOL.  

Here we are past mid-December.  Christmas is just one short week away - and the house looks festive thanks to J. who does a great job.  The change we made last year of storing all the Christmas decorations in a corner of the garage (on the floor) vs. on the overhead shelving made it easy to get things inside.  J. does a great job.  I'm always thinking 'it will be so fun' but it's not.  It just isn't. So I'm blessed to have a guy who will make it happen.  

B. decided he wanted to come for Christmas - he will arrive this Friday for one week.  We are looking forward to having him here.  We will attend the Grand Ballroom Christmas buffet dinner which we all look forward to.  There will be baking, eating out, and just being together.  I always think 'when your adult children just enjoy being home with you doing whatever, you've done something right'.  It will be fun.

So far, there is no snow on the ground.  Some frost every morning and we definitely are running the heat a lot - but so far, there hasn't been precipitation when it's been super cold so the ground is clear.  It rained a lot today and forecast is more rain tomorrow - so we'll see.  But a White Christmas?  Not seeing it this year.  

In other news, it's official.  Our Atlantis host left - she made a major career/life change and is going to be a translator of Spanish.  We are so sad to see her go - she has done so many wonderful things for us in the nine months she's been our host.  The great news is our new host is her husband - who is equally wonderful.  We are in good hands.  

Hello again - it's now the end of December.  J. is taking B. to the airport as he wings his way back to New Jersey.  We had a wonderful week which flew by in the blink of an eye.  Last night, we dined at the Atlantis Steakhouse which is always epic.  The play (unfortunately) wasn't epic but oh well.  Bad days happen.  We ended the evening with a little shopping in the gift shop - B. got a pair of pants and a shirt and J. got another cold weather golf shirt.  All of that made quite a dent in our comps but that's a perfectly OK thing.  

The cleaning lady is working away in the great room.  This is her third visit and as usual, she was late.  I texted her 25 minutes past the time she said she'd arrive and her reply was 'oh, I'm leaving now'.  It's a constant puzzlement.  She's a one woman show so it takes her a while but that's OK. She does a really great job with a lot of attention to detail which I appreciate.  She does things no other cleaner has paid attention to - so late starts seem worth it.  We don't usually go anywhere on Fridays so it works out pretty well to just hang out in the study while she tidies up.  

We are planning to spend NYE at Atlantis.  I'm excited for the New Year.  

Still no snow.  Can't believe it.  After last winter, people seem relieved but we sort of miss it.  There is a storm front coming through this weekend so we'll see. 

Right Place, Right Time

Have to share the craziest slot win ever today.  

Sunday is our free play day and we usually head to Atlantis around 10AM.  We love going to brunch and they only do brunch on the weekends.  

Today, our neighbors hosted a brunch at their house - it was loads of fun and we met some neighbors we hadn't met before.  We had to adjust our plans but it was OK and we had such a great time - wouldn't have missed it!  J. helped me make scones last night and while they didn't look as great as they usually do, they tasted great and they were a hit.  They are always a hit - and we took some to our neighbor T. and he was super happy.  He loves them! 

So...we ended up heading to Atlantis after brunch - left Carson City between 1:30 and 2:00.  I was bummed there were no Dragonlinks available but not surprised.  There are only six machines and they fill up quickly - it's irritating (often) but oh well.  I am honestly trying hard to NOT play Dragonlinks at Atlantis anymore - they are ridiculously tight (more about that in another post) - but I still like to start there most days.  

So...I headed to my favorite free play machine - but didn't hit a thing.  Decided to stop my free play and move - told J. I was going to go check in the high limit room.  

I don't play in the high limit room much - but there are a couple machines I enjoy - minimum bets are $5ish and that's not bad.  Sadly, those machines were occupied, too, so bummer. 

I ended up sitting down at a Lightening Cash - Lightening Link were the first of the link machines and I used to love them before my obsession moved to the newer Dragonlinks.  Lightening Cash is the 'high limit' version of Lightening Link.  The machine was actually 'out of service' but as I stood there looking around, the slot attendant unlocked it - so I sat down quickly.  I did the lowest denomination - ten cent - with a minimum bet of $5.  I played my free play and won $130 - and then sat there for a bit.  Decided that if I played down what I won, I'd be down $200 for the day - and as days go (especially lately) that would be a pretty good day.

A couple spins in, this happened.  

 My first ever high limit hand pay.  Final tally was this:

 It was the perfect confirmation of being at the right place at the right time.  I was shocked - and overjoyed.  Made for a fun rest of the month for sure!

Happy Halloween

Oh my goodness!!  Haven't blogged in a month and a half!  Is that a record?  I could look back and do the math but if I do that, odds are I won't get back to the post.  That's life lately - start one thing, move on to something else and dart around doing a ton of stuff.  

I've started keeping a daily to do list but it's still a crap shoot.  The joy of retirement. 

Lots of things to document and update.  

I had my 'throat scope' (every three years) on October 4th - it went fine.  The doctor did a few biopsies including the tissue that is near where I used to have a tonsil.  I haven't seen the results yet but he said he wasn't concerned.  Sent to lab and we'll see.  I had an office visit scheduled to go over results which would happen after my colonoscopy.  They changed their procedures and since the doctor was going to (possibly) dilate my esophagus, they wouldn't do both procedures on the same day - so I had the throat scope and then had to dread another prep process for the colonoscopy.

I was scheduled to have a colonoscopy on October 11th.  I woke up on the 9th and started the process.  Felt fine all day - full of energy and piddled around the house productively.  I decided to make myself some ramen and used low sodium chicken broth as the base.  I didn't add the seasoning packets - I felt like it was essentially noodle soup and that seemed fine.  The next day would be my day of 'no solid food' so I wanted to eat something satisfying.  Noodles are my go to. Ate some mid-day and then around dinner time.  

At 10PM as I was heading to bed my stomach felt pretty 'off'.  I started throwing up shortly after getting ready for bed.  I thought 'well, I've emptied my stomach and feel better so I'll sleep and be fine'.  At 3AM, I woke up vomiting again and had pain in my lower right 'flank' as well as pain radiating up my back.  I woke up J. and said we should call 911.  I was scared.  The pain was bad and I'd used the restroom....but it didn't abate.  Thankfully, I did another bathroom visit and the pain radiating up my back stopped.  I felt OK enough to say we'll drive to the ER - it's literally across the street from our house - we see it from our back patio.  

They did all the things they do - including an EKG and eventually a CT scan.  Thankfully, though there were some blood things as 'red flags' - higher white blood count was one - the CT scan ruled out anything major.  They gave me IV fluids and medication for the pain and nausea and we were home by 7AM.  The ER doctor said 'you can still get the colonoscopy tomorrow' and I said 'there is no way I'm going to spend today doing the prep and go another night without sleep.  I just don't think I can do it'.  He said 'that's OK.  Just get it done as soon as you can'.  He referenced how doctor's in this area are so backed up - but I hadn't had any issue making the appointment so I was confident they would be able to get me rescheduled fairly soon.

J. called the doctor's office and told them I was sick and the procedure was moved to this Friday, 11/3.  And I'm dreading it but it is what it is.  

J. is winding down the 2023 golf season - he and his friends took a Geezers Gone Wild trip to a couple California courses.  He will start playing 'winter golf' next week - a schedule that will very much depend on precipitation, temperature and availability of places to play.  

We had one trick or treat visit this evening - that's it.  With the new housing development next to our neighborhood, I wondered if we'd have more kids this year - but no.  The new houses are on smaller lots but still family friendly - and there are a lot of them.  

H. is doing well - he had a job interview at a grocery store and has a 2nd interview on Friday.  Also has an interview at Walmart on Thursday.  Praying so much that he secures a job - not only because earning what he needs to support himself is important but because he will feel so much better with a job to go to.  Getting out of the house and being productive will be so good for him.

B. is also doing well.  He's started his instrument training classes for flying and is excited to be working on getting his instrument rating.  

With now two pilots in the family, I find myself very interested in all sorts of You Tube videos about flying.  J. and I queue up a couple most nights after we finish our TV watching.

Temps dropped into the low 20's this week (in the mornings) and boy, do we feel it.  We've got the heat on and are grateful for it.  This morning, J. had a doctor's appointment and then took his car for maintenance so I was hanging out in the kitchen with the cats.  We got a visit from a group of blue birds splish splashing in the (thankfully) thawed out bird bath water.  The cats are so enthralled - both of them 'talking'.  Nala chittering and Muf doing some quick meows.  It's always so fun to watch the birds.  So beautiful - bright blue tail feathers.

On September 30th, we attended a graduation party of our neighbor's daughter (graduated with her Bachelor's in Nursing and is now working in the ICU of the hospital I mentioned) and her boyfriend (graduated top of his class from the Reno Fire Department Academy and now working as a Fireman).  Two amazing young people and all the people who encouraged them.  It was a blast.  We had a fun time and spent time with neighbors which was a lot of fun.  Met some neighbors I've never met before.  It was a beautiful party and a bit of rain did nothing to lessen the celebration.  The hosts (parents of the boyfriend hosted at their house and parents of both of them hosted the food) were such nice people and wow, the house was incredibly beautiful - in Gardnerville. 

I'm in a psychological struggle on and off about adult friendships in retirement.  We have confirmation of events where we were excluded - and even as I rationalize all the 'why's and what's' that might create that situation, what is incredibly hard is feeling like it's being rubbed in our face.  As neighbors post pics on their Facebook and all the 'ah-ha' moments of 'wow, I was right.  I don't know what everyone does or why, but for me, if I had hosted an event where other friends weren't included for some reason, the last thing in the world I would do is post pictures all over the place so that the people excluded know they WERE excluded for sure.  

We had great neighbors in Tracy - but we never socialized with them so these situations never happened.  Our current neighbors?  Well, we're completely devoted to one set, thought we were friends of the other set but now realize apparently not.  I feel devastated in a way that is hard to describe.  

I wasn't expecting my retirement to feel very much like high school - I'm not in the popular crowd; never will be in the popular crowd and it appears some people just like to rub it in your face - also like high school.  

I'm getting around it by not following (on Facebook) one neighbor in particular - I won't see what she's posting so I won't care.  But it still stings.  

Guess that's it for now.  I've drafted some of the 'retirement is a lot like high school' stuff before but never 'published' it.  I know I am blessed with a handful of dear friends who read this blog - friends I've had FOR DECADES - so if any of you have any words of wisdom, please leave a comment.  Any thoughts will be appreciated. 

Bring it on, November.  Knowing 2023 is going to be over in the blink of an eye is stunning - time goes so incredibly quickly these days.