The local news warned of a “winter storm” moving in last Sunday. Temperatures dropped from the mid 70’s to a high of 54!! Skies were overcast. It rained .03 of an inch!! Monday brought blue skies and sunshine again with the weekend temperatures predicted to be back in the low 70’s. So much for the “winter storm.”
Mind you, they did have some huge rainstorms here in December but that was before we got here. There were mudslides and highways washed out. They are still trying to recover in some areas. There is a water reservoir somewhere near here that has an abundance of water now but the officials say there is too much silt in the water to even run through their filtration system. So they are just siphoning it off and dumping it into the ground. One expert said the silt is so fine it would take two years for it to settle out.
It’s always fun to meet up with old friends again as we did last year in Tucson, AZ, when we met up with “the Canadians” John and Linda Brooks from Edmonton, Alberta. They were Tim and Diane’s neighbors in Hemet in ‘09.
This year, back in Hemet, Bix from Red Deer, Alberta, who was our neighbor in ‘08 & ‘09, just pulled in last week. He still has his two dogs, Oakley and Wicket – the ones we dogsat.
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| Bix, Wicket & Oakley |
Bix says he wasn’t here last year either due to a sudden required surgery in Jan. 2010 (sound familiar?) He had gone to his doctor for his annual physical which required some test and they found an aneurism on his aorta that needed immediate attention. What a scare! This year he headed out in November; has been all the way to North Carolina and is working his way back home. He has mended and is in good health.
Nadia and Terry James from Langley BC, who were also our neighbors in ‘08 and ‘09, are here again. We saw their fifth wheel right after we arrived but their truck was gone. Finally found out that Terry had torn his Achilles tendon. They went home for Christmas and his doctor put his leg in a cast from the tip of his toe to his hip so he was unable drive and Nadia had back surgery last September so she couldn’t drive either. They just got back here a few days ago. Both are on the mend and still recuperating. They are flying to Daytona, FL, in a week or so for the big NASCAR races.
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| Terry & Nadia |
We have always thought the Canadians had a good healthcare system but, after talking to some of the Canadians here, we are having second thoughts. For routine and emergency services it seems to work well at very low cost to individuals. However, for knee and hip replacements and back surgery, some folks have to wait as long as 2 years – even if they are in pain. Those who can afford it often go to private hospitals and pay out of pocket. Nadia had back surgery at a private hospital at a cost of $5,000 rather than wait 2 years.
We went to our first dance of the season last Saturday night. They had a good crowd and we managed to last until 9pm. The dance goes to 10pm. Joyce is still trying to get her strength back.
Thurs – Feb 3
When the good weather returns, often so do the Santa Ana winds – kind of like in Portland with the East winds coming out of the Gorge. So, yesterday the winds knocked over six big rigs on the I-10 and I-15 freeways. Sure glad we weren’t driving.
Fri – Feb 4
Joyce’s cousin Bill Wersch and his wife, Mary Ann, who are staying at the resort in Aguanga (about 25 miles away) drove over to play golf with us. Here we are at Happy Hour (it’s what we do best).
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