ENJOYING OUR WINTER RETREAT

Enjoying Ourselves at Our Winter Retreat

We really enjoy it here in Tierra Del Sol RV Resort,our winter retreat.  Everyone is friendly and willing to help in any way they can when someone is working on a project.

My husband put down patio blocks to expand the size of the patio that was on the lot when we purchased it earlier this year.  I feel bad that I am unable to help but I just can’t do that kind of thing anymore.  He wants to enlarge it to make it easier for me to get on my bike and ride around the resort for exercise.  The rest of the lot is covered with pebbles so have to push the bike through them to get to the street.  One neighbor lent him a rubber mallet to tap them down.  Another neighbor lent him his flat shovel and knee pads (boy what a knee saver).  Another neighbor came by and brought a trowel to make it easier to level the ground so the patio tile will lay level.  We have been here for only about a week and a half and have experienced nothing but generosity and the friendliest people.  They know what it was like when they first moved here.  We don’t have a storage shed yet so we’re limited as to the amount of tools etc. that we could bring with us from home.  After all the block had been put down I swept sand into the spaces between them.  I had the easiest job of all.

There are so many activities that a person can be as busy as you want to be or just relax on your patio and do absolutely nothing.  We went to the weekly coffee social hour the first week we were here and everyone came over to introduce themselves.  Now to remember everyone's name.  They only have two names to remember and we have so many more to remember.  They said "don't worry about names give it time.  Everyone wears name badges at the clubhouse so that helps remember names.   The same thing at the pot luck that is held the first Sunday each month.

A neighbor has a really neat golf cart.  It is bright red and I mean a real true red.  It is really nice.  Janice, what do you think?  Can you see yourself driving around in one like this in your community?

The pool has been drained, cleaned and refilled.  Now if the weather would just warm up just a little so I could try out that pool.  There is a group that goes to the pool for exercise at 7:00 a.m. Monday through Friday, but I just can't talk myself into that just yet since the a.m. temps have been in the 30s and lower 40s.  It may be heated but I am a fair weather fisherman, golfer and swimmer.  There is always better weather days ahead for outdoor activities such as these.

Enjoying ourselves immensely and having a good time this winter. The wind is getting stronger this evening and looks like a cool night.  Now we wait for the weather to improve.  At least the sun has shone just about every day so far this month.

As always comments are welcome and followers appreciated.

Until next time.......

It’s A Bluebird Day

I wrote the rough draft of this blog about a week before we left for AZ and got so busy that I didn’t get it finished and published.  I decided it was about time to put the finishing touches on it and post it in my blog.

The sun was shining brightly this morning.  I poured my first cup of coffee and walked over to the back door.  I raised the blind on the door.  The sun was beginning to melt the heavy frost on the deck beyond my door.  As I drank my coffee I looked out on the back deck and the yard and pasture beyond the deck, it was such a relaxing scene.  Then I had a wonderful surprise.  An Eastern bluebird landed on the deck railing.  He sat there as he let the sun warm his feathers.  Then a second bluebird landed to the left of him and was also enjoying the warmth of the sun.  A third bird was sitting in the leafless tree just beyond the deck.  These birds are so beautiful.  It is a shame that we can’t see them more often in other parts of the country.  Wished I had my camera with me to take a picture.  But no, I didn’t have the camera ready to take that picture and I knew if I moved to go get it the bird would panic and leave.  So I stayed put and enjoyed the view.

When we moved to TN in 2005 we didn’t see any Eastern bluebirds.  We started to provide several kinds of birdseed to try and attract birds.  It wasn’t long before we started to see several kinds of birds.  The most beautiful birds were the cardinals, goldfinches and hummingbirds.  Eastern bluebirds are supposed to be in this area of the country so were disappointed we did not see them in our backyard.  So my husband started to research the Eastern bluebird and his houses.  After gathering all the info, he put together a plan for an Eastern bluebird house.  Size and opening was exactly as needed.  Then he mounted them the correct height from the ground.  He made sure the two were not too close to each other.  When you have more than one house they have to be a certain distance apart from each other.

Then we waited, and waited, and waited.  Several months later we had a new resident of our bluebird houses.  We now have a pair of bluebirds in each of our birdhouses every year.  They can be seen sitting on the fence across the back yard that goes around the pasture behind our house.  The neighbor to the west has a wood fence that the bluebirds also like to sit on so they can guard their houses and the babies inside.

As I look out of the window behind my desk the sun has melted the heavy frost and continues to dry the grass.  The sky is such a pretty blue with a slight breeze that helps that drying process.  It is such a peaceful Sunday morning.  There are still some pretty leaves around the area.  Some burgundy and golden brown oak leaves.  The ornamental pear trees are starting to get past their prime golden colored fall leaves.  Fall is such a pretty time of year in this area.  It is something that I will miss when I am not here. 

In closing I would like to share with you the sign in front of a church in our area.  I go past this church every time I go into the city.  I always enjoy reading that sign and always wonder who writes those quotes.  Someday I would like to meet him or her.

"God has given you a Church.  Some assembly is required."

I have a picture of a bluebird on the desktop of my laptop computer.  That way “It’s a Bluebird Day” at the beginning of each day.

I hope you enjoyed my blog posting today.

As always, comments are welcome and followers appreciated.

Until next  time...........