Monday, November 19, 2012

FENCE DONE, CACTUS PLANTED, DOOR RETURNED…& A CACTUS GARDEN GUARDIAN

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WITH SOME SCRAP PIECES OF WOOD & A BIG ROCK, I CONSTRUCTED A CACTUS GARDEN GUARDIAN TODAY… ‘CACTUS MAN’

Sitting on my bed Sunday night about 10 p.m. looking out the window at the night sky to the East, I noticed the constellation Orion (the mighty hunter) with his Sword hilt hanging directly down between our two front yard Saguaros.  For me, a fella who enjoys the night sky, I thought that was kinda neat.

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MAIN DRIVE THROUGH GATES AT CENTER & A SINGLE WALK-THROUGH GATE JUST TO THE LEFT…ENOUGH ROOM HERE TO GET OUR MOTORHOME IN OFF THE ROAD

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Happy to say our fence project is now complete.  Marteen & his wife finished up the fence across the backyard this morning so we are now totally enclosed.  No more wandering Ephalents, Rhinosaucerouses or Hippopotamooses in our back yard.  Much safer for the Pheebs:))

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MARTEEN & HIS WIFE FINISH UP THE LAST OF OUR FENCING

I did get all my little Cactus guys planted this morning.  Kelly had picked them up last March from a lady over at the Escapee’s North Ranch.  Same Cactus that summered over in our back yard until I was able to move them this morning to their new & permanent home at the front of our property.

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I WILL PLANT OTHER DESERT THINGS AMONGST THE CACTUS & WEAVE A PATHWAY THROUGH THE GARDEN

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NOW, TO GET SOMETHING PLANTED ALONG THAT FENCE LINE ON THE RIGHT & CREATE A PRIVACY HEDGE

We had picked up a metal security door last March for our back door.  Wrong size!!  Loaded that door into the Jeep this morning & Kelly headed off to Stewart’s Hardware in Wickenburg to exchange it for a simpler & correctly sized heavy duty Ponderosa Pine wooden screen door.  We will pick that door up Saturday.

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KELLY HEADS FOR WICKENBURG WITH THE WRONG SIZED SCREEN DOOR…PHEEBS FOLLOWS & CLOSES THE GATE BEHIND HER:))

Our back yard today reminded me of something I had seen in Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park back in May of 92.  I think they called them ‘bubbling paint pots’.  Noticed a large wet spot back near the fence line late this morning.  Hmmmmm.  No smell & I   thought I detected soap suds.  Kelly had done a couple loads of wash, & this afternoon I did the same.  Suspecting laundry water, I looked out the window & sure enough… saw water bubbling up out of the ground in 2 separate locations.  Dug down a couple inches & located a white plastic pipe.  Not a serious problem & I’ll think about what to do about that later.  Maybe a natural outside hot tube cactus mud bath thingy eh:))

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WHEN I TOOK THIS PHOTO TODAY I FAILED TO NOTICE THE TWO DAMP SPOTS (DARKER SOIL) ON THE GROUND…WATER LATER BUBBLED UP OUT OF THE GROUND REMINDING ME OF YELLOWSTONE NAT. PARK

Jim (Bev & Jim) got me straightened out the other day about our 8 tons of crushed stone.  Gravel is sold by the yard & when someone orders a load it comes by the yard. (confusing) Jim explained the 8 tons includes the truck or something.  So, in reality it turns out I didn’t really move 8 tons of crushed stone (unless I moved the truck too) & maybe it was more like 49 pounds or something.  Anyway, with my sore leg, it sure felt like 8 tons by the time I finished wheel barrowing & spreading it:((

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HEARD CHILDREN’S VOICES SATURDAY & SPOTTED A KID SITTING HIGH ATOP THIS ROCKY RIDGE ABOUT A QUARTER MILE BEHIND OUR HOUSE…THIS IS THE SPOT I HOPE TO HIKE UP TO & TAKE SOME PHOTOS JUST AS SOON AS MY LEG IS FEELING BETTER

In the morning we’ll head the short distance down Ghost Town Road to the original Congress town site.  An old Pioneer cemetery is located there as is the towns dump from years ago where we heard, artifacts from an all but forgotten time can still be found.

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BURNING A PILE OF DEAD PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS MADE FOR A NICE CAMPFIRE TONIGHT

GROANER’S CORNER:((  When young Jose, newly arrived in the United States, made his first trip to Yankee Stadium, there were no tickets left for sale. Touched by his disappointment, a friendly ticket salesman found him a perch near the American flag.  Later, Jose wrote home enthusiastically about his experience. "And the Americans, they are so friendly!" he concluded. "Before the game started, they all stood up and looked at me and asked, 'Jose, can you see?'"

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12 comments:

  1. I think you did move 8 tons, when we lived in the Caymans, I worked in the office of rock quarry, a ton of rock is real close to a yard. The trucks were weighed empty and reweighed when they were loaded with the required amt of stone. Works that way when we get gravel at home too. We used the grey water from the washing machine to water the plants when we were down there.

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  2. A nice mud bath is supposed to be very healing, might be a good idea. :)

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  3. Al,

    As Jean and Skip said, we ran our washer outflow drain to a mesquite tree on the North side of our house. I wouldn't worry about it beyond, maybe, digging a larger pit and filling it with local rocks so that it doesn't bubble up to the surface. Also, you may want to direct it to a more suitable place or plant something there that would benefit from the gray water.

    Pat

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  4. I was raised on a farm and we had a septic/RV Black system and a separate washer and kitchen/RV Grey pipe that ran to a pit filled with big rocks. It was put in just after WWII and still works today. The water never overflowed unless we had a heavy long rain.
    I do envy you living in a planetarium. No big varmints can get you with the new fence, so now you can put your recliner in the yard and enjoy the show.

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  5. great job on the cactus guard! and Pheebes seesm to be doing a good job on being the 'keeper of the gate'!

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  6. Hey, it's just gray water. Some plant will love it.

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  7. The gray water will get filtered in to soil and help the plants I am sure. The fence looks great.

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  8. I sure so like the idea of a cactus garden...You might want to check online and see further ideas for one...Glad you are secured and locked down in your little hacienda..

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  9. Your yard is really coming along Al and your Cactus man looks kind of like a southwestern Inukshuk!

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  10. Your cactus guardian looks like a desert version of an Inukshuk.:o)
    What a lot of work you've put in since arriving at your second home and it certainly shows well.

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  11. Cactus Garden is looking really good, Kelly & Al!
    So glad they survived the summer for you to plant them in the Fall!

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