The overnight low was forecast to be in the mid-50s so before going to bed I closed the roof vents and we only left the windows open about half an inch. I was up at 7:12 AM this morning and put on my sweats. I fed the cats (they insisted), took out my nighttime bite guard, washed it, and put it away. I then sat on the sofa with the heater pad on my lower right back and Juniper on my lap while I worked on my iPad.
Linda stayed in bed until 9:15 AM. She is having trouble shaking the congestion and cough but the nighttime medication seems to control it and allow her to get plenty of much needed sleep. Once she was up I made a pot of coffee and she fixed bowls of granola for breakfast.
My main focus today was working on our 2015 Year-in-Review Holiday Letter but we had other things to do as well. At the top of my list was mailing the FMCA Freethinkers Chapter certification paperwork to FMCA HQ. I also needed to do a load of laundry, our first since we left home a week ago. Linda planned to work on her counted cross-stitch project but also needed to make a run to the Publix grocery store on the southwest corner of Gainesville.
The word “chore” is often used pejoratively, and that is an appropriate use according to the definition, but the first meaning is “…everyday tasks of running a household or farm.” The definition goes on to include “…. difficult or unpleasant tasks …” and some chores are certainly more (or less) pleasant than others. Linda likes to cook and I don’t mind doing the laundry but neither of us particularly enjoy cleaning. I don’t mind dumping our holding tanks, a chore that many RVers apparently find onerous, but I do not like adjusting the pressure in our tires.
I gathered up the soiled laundry and laundry supplies and loaded them in the car. The north bathroom/laundry building is in plain sight of our coach, and not that far away, but I had more stuff than I could carry in one trip and it was heavier than I cared to schlep around. If we had an appropriate wheeled cart I might have used that, but we don’t. I got two loads started but held off on the third until I had taken a shower. The bathhouses are in the same building as the laundry. I added my towel to the third load and started it.
In the middle of doing the laundry I was back at the coach, got the FMCA chapter certification paperwork in an envelope, addressed it, and added stamps. I was going to walk to the Post Office but in the interest of time I drove to the Resort office instead. That little task had been nagging me for quite a while so I had a sense of relief, as much as accomplishment, when I put the envelope in the outgoing mailbox. Linda walked down and used the shower facility.
As soon as I got back to the coach with the clean laundry/supplies and brought them inside I put the 2m/70cm ham radio antenna back on the roof of the car. Linda then took the car and headed for the Publix supermarket at the southwest corner of Gainesville. I did not want to unload the car, and had work to do at the coach, so Linda went to Publix by herself so there would be room for the groceries. I put the laundry away and then settled in to work at my computer.
I realized this morning that I do not have SPSS installed on my ASUS laptop so I will not be able to analyze the data from the FMCA education surveys myself, at least not until I get home. That is unfortunate as I do not know at this point if HQ has the ability or willingness to do the analysis we need done. I sent an e-mail to the committee chair and executive director to let them know. Mea culpa. I replied to a few e-mails and then resumed working on our Holiday Letter.
I realized last night that some of the images which had already been post-processed had dates in the file names that were different from the dates when they were taken. As I was trying to arrange them in chronological order I went back and found the originals and corrected the dates. I then continued placing and captioning the photos.
When Linda returned with the groceries I helped get them into the coach while she put them away. She finally found the Snyder sourdough pretzel nibblers we like and we finished an open container of hummus and had some fruit for a light lunch.
For dinner Linda made a salad and sautéed mushrooms, onions, and broccoli as a topping for a baked potato, which we split. I had a little vegan sour cream on my half. After dinner we changed into warmer clothes and packed a bottle of wine and our two plastic wine glasses and walked to the firepit.
Friday and Saturday nights during the winter folks at the Resort gather at the firepit to enjoy the warmth of the fire, have a glass of wine, talk to one another, and listen to live music provided by volunteer residents. Our friend, John Smith, is the main entertainer, doing mostly folk/rock/country-crossover. He is also responsible for the fire since Kevin and Sharon sold their park model and moved to The Villages. (We are still having a hard time comprehending that move.) John performed solo in clubs and bars for a living many years ago before he and Ali got married. Jeff sometimes brings his guitar and performs as well, his specialty being old time country music (such as Merle Haggard). Other musicians occasionally show up, or at least they did two years ago.
We were the first to arrive (besides John) and chatted with him for quite a while before anyone else showed up. Other folks drifted in and John eventually fetched his guitar and played. Ali was visiting with Jeff and Kathy and was one of the last to show up. Jeff and Kathy’s dog, Teddy, has lymphoma so they stayed at their 5th wheel with him. We stayed to the end, said “good night” to John and Ali, and walked back to our rig. We watched an hour of Create TV and went to bed.