Charlie and I are now in our second month here in Mesquite and we’re beginning to settle into a pleasant routine.
After breakfast and watching an hour of TV, cleaning ourselves up and tidying the house, its time to walk the dogs. Typically I do it, but sometimes the chore falls to Charlie if I’m off doing stuff with the Hiking Club.
(BTW, it’s cool here when I take the dogs out for their morning jaunts. Typically, it may be about 40 degrees, but we’ve had a few mornings when the temperature has been closer to 30. A bit chilly for Charlie!)
I’ve developed four dog walking routes, with the distance varying from 3/4 of a mile to one mile in length. I take one dog at a time, so I do three walks totaling about 2-1/2 miles. It’s good for them and good for me. We both need the exercise and socialization; typically, we meet other dogs and their handlers along the way. We exchange sniffs and pleasantries, and it’s been a good opportunity for me to meet neighbors in the Oxen Ridge subdivision. We have yet to meet an unfriendly human or dog.
Charlie typically spends the morning catching up to date on client issues. Although son Jonathan is handling most of the bookkeeping grunt work now, there are always client “brushfires” to knock down or special technical questions that only Charlie can handle. Plus, tax season is rapidly approaching, so Charlie is prepping for that, too.
My role during the day includes going to the supermarket, the post office, doing some gardening, accomplishing “honey-do’s”, and whatever else the Boss tells me to do. If I’m using the car, the three dogs accompany me…on the off chance that I will swing by the supermarket and pick up a donut to share.
Lately, Charlie and I have been playing Hand and Foot (a card game) in the afternoon before we feed the dogs. Its a nice opportunity to wind down with an adult beverage, talk about things that are going down, and relax a bit.
Last week, the wife and I hosted a large Holiday Munchie Party for our new neighbors. We had about 25 attendees, everyone brought appetizers or desserts, and it was a very well-received event. The Mannings are now on the social map of Oxen Ridge!
I’ve been doing a lot of hiking lately. The Hiking Club does a couple of hikes per week. Usually, the hike is 3 to 5 miles in length and moderate in difficulty. There is a good variety of places to explore within a 40 mile radius. The club is a mix of women and men, ages 60 to mid-70’s, and typically there will be a couple of dozen hikers on each outing. It is really a social gathering, and each hike presents the opportunity to walk and chat with a number of interesting people. I really like it.
Last week, we hiked in the Valley of Fire. It is a State park located about 35 miles south of Mesquite. Lots of beautiful striped sandstone formations.
Then, on Friday, we hiked in the mountains just southwest of St. George, Utah, heading up into the red rock canyons to a place called Snow Cave. Very pretty.
Several of my neighbors are in the club. Another neighbor, who was actually the first person that we met on our street back in late October, is a guy named “Mac”, and he is a serious hiker. I’ve gotten to know him pretty well, and now I’ve joined his “serious hikers” sub-group. Yesterday,
John, Mac and I are talking about doing a Grand Canyon “rim-to-rim” hike somewhere down the road. Actually, a portion of the Grand Canyon is fairly near to us, about 20 miles due east of Mesquite. The only thing holding up this Bucket List adventure is the need to get permits. I believe there is a long wait list or a lottery or something. Anyway, that hike is on the radar screen for a bunch of us serious hiker guys.
Our Southern California home in Bear Creek is finally in escrow! Hip, hip, hooray!! We got a lot less than we wanted, but at least we won’t be scraping together two
With the scant proceeds from that sale, we will attempt to finish up our landscaping here in Mesquite. The local firm that we’re using is booked up for the time being, so we’ll have to wait until (perhaps) February. Not so good, but at least we’ve already got a fenced-in yard for the dogs to roam around in.
They’re pretty happy here, as are we. This has been a very good move for all of us.
Our son Jeff and his wife Carol are coming to visit us this week. Next week, I am thinking about taking a U-haul back to Bear Creek with some leftover stuff and then returning to Mesquite with all of Charlie’s potted plants. That will be a nasty couple of days in an uncomfortable truck, but, what the heck, it’s a chore that needs to be done.
And, then, it will be Christmas!
