TANGLING WITH THE MESQUITES & PALO VERDES

NOPE, NOT A MOUNTAIN, JUST A HIGH ROCKY RIDGE A BLOCK BEHIND OUR HOUSE…I’M HOPING TO CLIMB MYSELF UP THERE SOMETIME THIS WINTER

Warm enough overnight to have the window beside my bed open. I was lulled to sleep by Crickets & awoke in the morning to the sound of our local Rooster up the road. Now, how nice is that. Under a half moon high overhead Pheebs & I had a nice walk around the front yard about 4:30. The air was very still as the Moon's warm glow cast it's soft light on our Saguaros, Palo Verde & Mesquite trees. A small bunny slipped around a large Prickly Pear cactus. Pheebs didn't see it. I think this quiet time just before sunrise is my favorite of day. And, it was warm enough to totally appreciate it. Another bonus.....sounds like we have a Great Horned Owl nearby & how nice to hear the mellow sounds of hooting in the night.

CAN WE GO BACK TO BAYFIELD MOM & DAD WHERE I WON’T GET SO MANY STICKERS IN MY PAWS:((

We luckily landed in Congress two days before the free community waste management week-end so we were able to get rid of a couple Jeep loads of garbage. Of course a Jeep load of anything isn't too much but we did manage to get rid of an old aluminum door, a tire, half a dozen flattened cardboard boxes, a tin awning, & strangely enough, a sponge cushion seat that may have come out of an old RV. It was lying behind the house & was definitely not there when we left in March. We also noticed some big tire tracks that were not here when we left so am wondering if someone with an older RV stopped in here for an overnighter at some point & threw the seat cushion affair behind the house. Hmmmmmm. Just another reason for us to get a fence with a gate installed. Especially when we are not here for 6 months of the year.

ROBBERS BEWARE….WE HAVE SSS!! A ‘SPENCER SECURITY SYSTEM’!!

Kelly headed off in search of some Saturday morning garage sales but came home a few hours later empty handed. Even went as far as Wickenburg.  I spent a total of 6 hours trimming Palo Verde & Mesquite trees. Sure wished I had brought my chain saw, but my manual Swede saw does pretty good & the exercise is good for my arms. Those thorny Mesquites can rip a feller up pretty good so I wore a long sleeve shirt & thick gloves. About 10 o'clock I had to switch to short sleeves & the Mesquite branches didn't waste any time getting at me. Despite the heat I hung in there & got myself a lot done before taking a 2 hour break before having another go at it for a couple more hours. Just the way it used to be years ago before this unwelcome age crap began to creep in & slow things down a bit. No matter, I enjoy the yard work.

GETTING MYSELF A FEW PILES OF TREE LIMBS GATHERED UP

CLEARING BRUSH ALONG THE BACK YARD PROPOSED FENCE LINE

  

YEP, AL FINALLY SAW THE LIGHT……..:))

This is our first experience with an RV in hot weather & I must say I am surprised at how blasted hot it can get inside the coach. If we were boondocking now we would for sure have to move to higher altitudes to escape the hot days. Because we do not have a couple beds yet, we are still pretty much living in the Motorhome. Seems a little silly because the house is so nice & cool. And, the Verizon signal in the house works great as well, even with the router out in the rig. Right now typing this I am in the house sitting in my recliner with nice ambient music on the IPod/Bose system. Now that the house is filled with music, it feels like home to me. A small fan brings me a soft breeze, a glass of cold Cranberry Ginger quenches my thirst, Pheebs is lying beside my chair & Kelly is on the sofa writing down some measurements for a table to put our television on. Sometimes I just have to up & give myself a good pinch to see if this is all real. It's like Kelly said yesterday, we are kinda like boondocking in a desert setting on our own property.....with a full size kitchen & bathroom. And my fav, a big shower with a big supply of hot water:))))))

I REALLY DO TRY TO SMILE IN PHOTOS, BUT MY FACE IS JUST NOT ONE OF THOSE ‘SMILEY FACE’ EMOTICONS 

Not sure if I mentioned this before but the 5 Cactus plants I hurriedly & temporarily planted last March have all survived. I was afraid the Javalinas would have eaten or trampled them. Right now they have a lot of weeds all around & close by, but as soon as I get some flowerbeds figured out I will move them into their permanent spots.

WE DO HAVE ENOUGH ROOM HERE TO PARK A COUPLE RV’S IF NEED BE

Have I mentioned lately how much fun we are having. Of course ‘fun’ may mean different things to different people of course.  Just got out of Bayfield in time because they are really having some very depressing November weather. Rain & temps in the low to mid 30's. Better give myself another pinch as we had to tough out another perfectly warm day here in sunny Arizona.  Weatherman says we have cooler temps headed our way next week.  

Everything we plant here will be native plants. Much the same way we did it in Bayfield. Whatever grew naturally in the forest I dragged home & planted. We did look at some plants at the new Congress Mercantile place along highway 89 & I think we'll try to keep our spending local. Very helpful & friendly lady who grew up in these parts & knows her plants. She has a lot of groovy stuff in her store.

AT THE CONGRESS MERCANTILE WE LIKED THE CALIFORNIA PEPPER TREE ON LEFT & YELLOWBELLS ON THE RIGHT

Couple questions in our Shout Box abut MPG with the Motorhome & does Kelly drive it. I have no idea how many miles we get to the gallon & it's probably best I don't know that or we might never get out of Bayfield. The way I look at it is, we knew going into the RV lifestyle it was going to be expensive.  With the ever rising cost of fuel it was just one of the things we had to accept for the Snow Bird lifestyle we chose. I can tell you one thing though, it cost us just under a thousand dollars for gas to travel about 2300 miles……. And, Kelly has driven the Motorhome but I pretty much do all the driving. Kelly drove large school buses years ago so can handle it if necessary. I must admit, I am a driving hog. It is the only place in a vehicle where I feel totally comfortable & relaxed. I am not a good passenger at all.

NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE AT SUNRISE

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A woman and a man are involved in a car accident; it's a bad one. Both of their cars are totally demolished but amazingly neither of them are hurt.
After they crawl out of their cars, the woman says, "So you're a man, that's interesting. I'm a woman. Wow, just look at our cars! There's nothing left, but fortunately we are unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should meet and be friends and live together in peace for the rest of our days."
Flattered, the man replied, "Oh yes, I agree with you completely!"
"This must be a sign from God!" The woman continued, "And look at this, here's another miracle. My car is completely demolished but this bottle of wine didn't break. Surely God wants us to drink this wine and celebrate our good fortune."
Then she hands the bottle to the man, The man nods his head in agreement, opens it and drinks half the bottle and then hands it back to the woman.
The woman takes the bottle, immediately puts the cap back on, and hands it back to the man.
The man asks, "Aren't you having any?"
The woman replies, "No. I think I'll just wait for the police..."

---------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com