Friday, March 25, through Thursday, March 31, 2016: Spring is Really Here?:

Friday marks the end of the second week of having Libby in our life.  She's turning out to be a terrific dog, and Ramsey and Kelsey are having fun with her. 

Becky had a hankering for a Pablo Picasso Mexican Salad for dinner, so we used that as an excuse to go to Flagstaff Friday afternoon to do some shopping.  As usual, the salad was amazing.  The Friday night Netflix movie was His Girl Friday, a 1940 Cary Grant/Rosalind Russell romp based on Front Page.  There were two sly moments.  The third star in the film was Ralph Bellamy, who played Rosalind Russell's fiancé.  At one point in the movie, someone noted that the fiancé bore a strong resemblance to "that actor, Ralph Bellamy."   At another point, Cary Grant referred to a fellow named Archie Leach, which was, of course, Cary Grant's real name.

After having had the spa de-winterized more than two weeks ago, we finally jumped in it Saturday afternoon.  It was wonderful.  We should do it more often. 

Also on Saturday, Becky had another hankering---this time for Prime Rib.  After calling every decent restaurant in Williams, it turned out that Rod's Steakhouse was the only one serving Prime Rib on Saturday.  So, we went there for a pre-Easter dinner.  We had eaten there only once before and had enjoyed it, so it was no surprise that the dinner was terrific. 

The Saturday night redbox movie was Everest, starring Josh Brolin and a number of Aussies and/or Kiwis playing mountain climbers.  It was an exciting, scary, and sad film about a group of climbers in 1996 who attempted to climb Mount Everest, only some of whom made it and only some of whom returned alive.    

Sunday was Easter, of course, and the weather was cold and windy, but beautiful.  We celebrated it by puttering around and the usual---walking dogs and reading.  The movie we watched was Bridge of Spies, the latest Tom Hanks film.  It was very good.

We went to Flagstaff Monday morning for an appointment with Dr. Knutson, my dermatologist.  I've had what I have always described as a mole on my nose, even though it didn't look like a traditional mole.  About two weeks ago, it started to morph into something else and developed a crust along one edge.  It didn't take much coaxing to get me to Dr. Knutson's for a look.  She wasn't sure what it was but knew it didn't belong, so she sliced it off, sending the piece to the lab to determine whether it was part of my melanoma outbreak.  We'll see. In any event, I'm now sporting a small Band-Aid on my nose.

We took advantage of being in Flagstaff to do some shopping---but not much, because we'll be back on Tuesday.  Monday night's movie was Spectre, the new James Bond flick.  It was a typical 007 movie, but we like Daniel Craig so we enjoyed it.

Tuesday morning---early---we returned to Flagstaff for an appointment with Dr. Mathern.  It was cold, but the forecasted light snow had not arrived in Williams overnight.  Halfway to Flagstaff, though, we saw that snow had come close to Flagstaff, and when we arrived there it was still snowing!  So much for Spring weather.  Fortunately, Becky had brought the dogs' coats.

Dr. Mathern agreed with my speculation that the gonzo drugs he had arranged for had actually started to shrink the melanomas that had appeared.  We'll continue the drugs and the observation.  But, so far the news is great!

We celebrated when we got home by hopping into the spa again.  Aaaaaaah!

Wednesday morning we woke to bright sunlight, cold air, and a thin layer of snow that had sneaked in during the night.  I guess we have to wait a little longer for Spring to really be here.

Becky noticed that the water feature was not working, and a little inspection revealed that the power to the RV barn (which is the source of the electricity for the water feature) was totally down.  Apparently, it happened at 6:00 in the morning, according to the timer.  After checking all the involved circuit breakers, which told me nothing, I contacted our home warranty people and they promised to send someone out to check it soon.  Bice Electric, in Cottonwood (an hour and a half South of Williams) is scheduled to come next Monday.  It seems the warranty people can't find anyone in Flagstaff to do their work.  I wonder why.

Wednesday afternoon, Becky gave blood at the high school.  (I've not been allowed to give blood for many years because of all the medications I take.)  That night, we watched a few more hours of Fargo.  It's still fun to watch.

Thursday morning, the weather pattern had been repeated and we woke to bright sun, bracing cold, and a thin layer of snow.  The snow went away quickly and we ended up with a cold but beautiful day.  I made Cioppino for dinner  (from the Trader Joe's package, of course).  But I served it on a bed of pasta for the first time.  Not a bad addition. 

Friday, March 18, through Thursday, March 24, 2016: Tucson and More:

Friday, we dropped off the dogs early at the Cinder Hills Dog Kennels and headed for Tucson.  Some of our old RV buddies are about to leave for their summer haunts and they are hosting a going-away party at the Voyager RV Resort in Tucson on Saturday.  We arrived in due course at the Hyatt Place near the Tucson airport, after a slight struggle getting through the Friday traffic in Phoenix. 

The hotel appeared to be quite nice, and the personnel were terrific, but two problems became immediately apparent:  First, the rooms had big flat-screen TVs, but only a few of the channels were High Definition (an outrage these days), and second, the bathroom door scraped the floor for about half of its arc, which means the housekeepers are not paying attention.   Not very impressive for a Hyatt!  At checkout, I mentioned these to the clerk, who expressed shock about the door, and dismay that the management would not authorize High Definition TV reception.  I’m not so sure she was shocked or dismayed.

We had sushi Friday night at a local place near the hotel, Sachiko Restaurant II, which was delicious, then we crashed. 

Saturday morning after breakfast at the hotel, Becky went on a long walk toward the San Xavier Mission, which dates back to the 1700s.  I picked her up just before she got there, and we visited the mission.  Totally Spanish, quite simple, very beautiful, and pretty-well preserved.  The statuary was all made of carved wood.  Well worth the visit.

After a stop at Costco for our usual supplies, we went to Wal-Mart to pick up the fixings for glazed meat balls, our contribution to the party.  We had brought along our slow cooker, and proceeded to prepare the food in our room.  We then headed for Voyager.  The whole gang arrived and we had a great time catching up with all of them.  At the end, Linda Ostiguy presented Becky with a Dalmatian made of pickleball balls.  Very cute.  Becky immediately christened it Molly.

We headed out early on Sunday so we could pick up the dogs before the kennel charged us for another day.  The traffic through Phoenix was non-existent, but it built up, almost dangerously, several times on the long climbs that exist on I-17.  We arrived at the kennel with plenty of time to spare and were reunited with Ramsey, Kelsey, and Libby.  The report was that they had been perfect guests and Libby was adorable, especially on their walks.

After our 695-mile weekend, we snacked for dinner, and watched three more hours of the first season of True Detective.   It continues to be very strange but somehow captivating.  I’m sure we’ll stick with it to the end of the season to find out what the hell happened.  We had picked up a couple of bottles of Sangria at Costco on Saturday, and I sampled it with my dinner.  Quite delicious. 

Monday, we returned to our normal routine---walking dogs and reading.  I received a phone call from the pharmacy that is providing my cancer drugs, and was told the processing for the new drug was nearly complete and I would receive another call on Tuesday giving me the delivery details.  That was a lot quicker than for the first drug.  The call came through on Tuesday, as promised.  The news was that the new drug (Cotellic) would be delivered on Friday.

Wednesday was a work day at the house.  Becky cleaned up pine cones and worked on getting the water feature going for the season, while I created a gizmo to deal with distributing water to the back yard.  It took only three trips to the hardware store for the parts, and three take-it-apart-and-put-it-back-together steps to get the damn thing to stop leaking.

On Thursday, Becky cut an ad for a carpet cleaner out of the local paper and called the fellow---Brian Perfetto.  He came an hour later and cleaned the carpet in our bedroom, sitting room, and closet.  (We decided not to bother with the third bedroom, which has the only other carpet in the house.)  The job area was less than his normal minimum, so he charged us proportionately less.  What a deal!  Brian did a good job, and we'll definitely have him back.

After Brian was finished, Becky went to town for a 1 1/2 hour massage.  She came home feeling very comfortable.  While she was gone, the dogs just slept---until ten minutes before she returned, when the dogs decided it was dinner time.  They paced, and paced, until Becky returned. 

We had barbecued ribs from Tony Roma's (via Costco) for dinner.  Yum!  After dinner, we watched three more hours of Boss.  The intrigue is fascinating.  Are all politicians that venal?


 


 

Friday. March 11, through Thursday, March 17, 2016: Libby's Here:

Late Friday morning the man from Summit Spas arrived to un-winterize the spa.  If we had known we were going to spend the entire winter here, of course, we never would have winterized it in the first place.  Live and learn.

Then I heard from the pharmacy that is arranging for my gonzo drugs.  They finally finished the negotiations necessary to make the drugs free (to me, anyway) and my drugs are set to arrive on Tuesday.  Then, in late afternoon, in Flagstaff, Becky met the lady from Lucky Dog Rescue who had brought Libby up from Tempe for the "handover." 

For safety reasons, Becky didn't want the dogs to be loose together in the back seat, so she had put one of our crates in the truck for the ride back home.  It was a little small for her, and the back seat was quite cramped, but everything worked out fine.  Once they arrived in Williams, we took them all for a short walk, then fed them dinner, then Becky took them for a longer walk. 

They seemed to get along fine.  Finally. it was time for bed.  We put Libby in one of our living room crates, and, as usual, Ramsey and Kelsey slept wherever they wanted in the living room.  Becky had to take Libby outside twice during the night, which didn't surprise me, but otherwise all was serene.  In the morning, all three were becoming chummy, or so it seems.  It looks like Libby will be here permanently.

Saturday morning we woke up to a little snow on the ground again.  It had sneaked in overnight, without warning.  It's very manageable, and pretty, though. 

Becky had previously bought a toy for Libby, and decided that we should get ones for Ramsey and Kelsey, as well.  So we went to the hardware store Saturday morning and got some.  Within five minutes after arriving home, Ramsey had already destroyed his. 

The movie for Saturday was three episodes of Fargo from the first season.  It continues to be weird and very entertaining.

Saturday night went well with the dogs.  The introduction of Libby into the household seems to be going well.  Becky took Libby out twice during the night, again.  That needs to stop; Becky needs her sleep.  Sunday morning there was no snow on the ground.

Sunday I spent the day working on the Downey Estate paperwork.  The attorney (Becky Thyne in Pasadena) asked me to go through the files and select all the court documents, arrange them by date, and send her copies.  I also went through the death tax files.  There were death taxes paid to the federal government and the governments of seven states.

Monday was the day to attack the 2015 incomes taxes for the Shelton family trust.  Becky and I analyzed the available data and put together the package to send to Dan Floyd, the accountant in San Marino, so he can prepare the returns.  After that, Becky took the dogs to Cataract Lake for a long walk.

Tuesday, we went to Flagstaff for our periodic meeting with Dr. Mathern.  

He continues to be very positive about the prospects of beating the melanoma.   He wants to add a second drug to the treatment, which he will arrange.  It should take about three weeks to make that happen.  On the way into Flagstaff, we stopped at the Pato Thai Restaurant to pick up our dinner.

Tuesday evening, at 7:00, the UPS man arrived with my first supply of what goes under the trade name “Zelbarof.”   The dosage is eight pills per day---four in the morning and four at night---so there were 240 pills delivered.  That’s just the first month supply.  I immediately took my first dose, and waited for the potential side effects to kick in.  So far, the only one I am experiencing is fatigue.  I’ll get over it.

Tuesday night the Netflix movie was Life Itself, a documentary about Roger Ebert, the film critic, who died of a nasty mouth cancer.  Fascinating film.

Wednesday was mostly spent working on getting Libby more integrated, including more doggy-door practice.  She continues to amaze us with her progress.  About noon, after running some errands, I felt the strong need for pizza, so I stopped at the Pizza Factory and indulged myself.  I know pizza is terrible for any diet, but it felt good.

Thursday’s highlight was a visit from Brett and Laura Hawks and their two children, Annie and Lexi.  Laura went to high school with Becky, and they haven’t seen each other (other than on Facebook, recently) for 46 years! 

The daughters are adoptees from China, by the way.  They all live in Kapaa on the island of Kauai, in Hawaii, and are vacationing in Arizona.  Somehow that seems weird, but it’s quite natural for them.  We had lunch with them at the Red Raven Restaurant, and then they came to our home so the girls could meet the dogs.  All of it was great fun.  They then headed up to the canyon for a four-day stay at the El Tovar Hotel.

In late morning on Thursday, John McKnight of A-1 Mobile Repair stopped by to take a look at the hydraulic system on our RV, which developed a leak very recently.  He thinks he fixed it (very quickly, I might add) by tightening two fittings, but thinks we should test it in a few days to make sure. 

 

Friday, March 4, through Thursday, March 10, 2016: Spring-like Weather Continues, For a While:

Friday we watched the end of the first season of House Of Cards.  Fun, and nasty, as usual. 

And on Saturday, we started watching the first season of Boss.  Among other things, Boss is particularly interesting because its star, Kelsey Grammer, plays a mean and thoroughly corrupt politician, in contrast to his character on Frasier.  I guess he's a pretty good actor, after all.  It's also fun to compare Boss with House Of Cards.

On Sunday we took the dogs with us on a field trip to Sedona, which is only 1 1/4 hours away. 

While Becky walked them through the downtown area, I had a beer while I read more of the Clarence Darrow book at the Oak Creek Brewery & Grill in the Tlaquepaque Shopping Center.  Becky then joined me there and we shared some seasoned fries with our drinks.

Sedona is beautiful, if very touristy, but it is fun to go there once in a while.  It was a nice diversion.

Sunday television was consumed with reporting on the death of Nancy Reagan.  While I adored Ronald Reagan and understand Nancy was an important part of his life and career, there is only so much fawning I can take.  I watched very old Closer re-runs instead.

On Monday, our great weather took a quick turn for the worse.  Suddenly the 50-60 degree weather turned to 30-40 degree weather, with wind adding to the change.  Starting in late afternoon it actually snowed, and the snow stuck to the ground even though the temperature was 43 degrees.

It's supposed to be back to "normal" on Tuesday.  It may have been, but we didn't spend enough time in Williams on Tuesday to find out.  Early on, we headed for Scottsdale (383 miles, roundtrip) for two reasons:  First, to go to the home of Gwen Pike to pick up some files from a probate matter I started in 1998 relating to her aunt (the matter has remained open this long for a good reason, but it's now time to shut it down)

and second, to take another look at Libby, the Dalmatian at Lucky Dog Rescue in Tempe.  At Gwen's, I quickly found the files I was looking for, so we had time to go to lunch at the Grassroots Kitchen, a terrific place in Scottsdale, where the three of us (Becky was with us) all had the same delicious Club House salad. 

We hadn't seen Gwen on some years, and it was fun to catch up.  She's a very nice woman.

Then we had a great visit with Libby, through the auspices of Lucky Dog Rescue.  She was as terrific as last time, and almost as lively.  She got along very well with Ramsey and Kelsey (for the most part they ignored each other) and we think they will work out just fine together in our home.  Last time, she was considered (by the lady from LDR, not by us) to be too dominant. 

This time we didn't see it, deciding that she had not been too dominant, just glad to have someone to interact with.  We sent a note to Lisa, the LDR lady, suggesting that we were ready to make a deal.  We'll see.

Wednesday, I went to see Dr. Boettcher for our periodic visit to assess my healing from the December surgery.  He was pleased.  I can't see the surgery site since most of it is behind my left ear, so I have no opinion. 

After seeing him, I took the truck to Jiffy Lube for its regular "Signature Service."  The truck now has more than 277, 000 miles on it and I don't want to risk breaking the pattern that I believe is most responsible for the its lasting so long. Since there's a good chance we'll be getting Libby on Friday, I then went to PetSmart to get her a name tag.  I  wouldn't want her to feel like an orphan.

Thursday was a mostly relaxing day after my previous day in Flagstaff.  I really don't have a lot of  stamina these days.  Something about getting older, I guess.  While on a walk in the neighborhood, the dogs went to say Hello to a couple of Great Danes.