Monday, December 10, 2012

CACTUS MAN TOPPLED, VALVE RE-INSTALLED & OUR FIRST COZY FIRE

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A WARMING FIRE IN OUR FIREPLACE TONIGHT

At 34F we had our coldest morning so far since arriving over a month ago.  A gusting north wind late Sunday afternoon brought in colder temperatures.  And, it also toppled our garden’s Cactus Man.  Found him in disarray, lying on the ground this morning, but I was not surprised.  I knew when I set him up with a few pieces of scrap wood & a big rock last month that he was very precariously balanced & probably would not stand up to any kind of abusive Arizona wind….& he didn’t.  I rebuilt him today & took the time to make him more secure.  Gave him a new set of stronger hips is what I did, & carefully this time is how I dids it:))

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A NORTHERN ARIZONA WIND TOPPLED OUR CACTUS MAN IN THE NIGHT…YOU CAN SEE HOW 3 LARGE PIECES OF WOOD JUST MISSED FALLING ON ALL THE CACTUS

Haven’t had the Motorhome on the road since arriving here back on November 1rst.  Time to make sure we hadn’t fenced the rig in.  Our new fence wasn’t here when I nosed the rig in beside the house last month.  But, no problem.   I backed it out, swung it around making a sweeping right turn out our gate onto Ghost Town Road & headed on down to a small garage in Congress.  They work on Motorhome stuff there & we still needed that gray water valve re-installed.  I tried to do it but ended up running out of patience.  Took the guy (using the right tools) about 20 minutes to re-install the valve with new seals & we were good to go.  A job well done for $20.00……& that included the new seals.   

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NOT EXACTLY CAMPING WORLD……BUT HEY, THAT’S OK:))

Very discouraging to find more & more of our newly planted Cactus chewed off each morning.  Seems to be a certain kind of Cactus the Rabbits or Pack Rats favor.  Just not practical to put metal cages around them.  And, probably more practical to not plant any more of that animal attractive Cactus.  Kelly did put some moth balls around some of them this morning so we’ll see if that helps.       

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I have come to the conclusion that my legs have simply aged much faster than the rest of my body.  I first became aware of leg problems about 5 or 6 years ago & they have slowly but steadily declined ever since.  I have the hands, wrists, arms & shoulders of a 68 year old or younger man but have the legs of a an elderly fellow in his 80’s or 90’s it seems.  I don’t have the spring in my walk anymore & I notice myself moving much slower due to the ever increasing stiffness.  Harder to get my right leg into or out of the Jeep & it pains me every time I get out of a chair.  Tried a little rock scramble this morning but had to go slow.  No springing from rock to rock anymore.  Kind of discouraging.  Can’t stand for long periods of time or walk the same long distances I could just a year or two ago.  Not complaining, just sharing some thoughts.

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For me, it is sometimes uplifting to read of other peoples difficulties.  It always assures me I am not alone & not the only one who has problems with mechanical & technical things, etc.  Case in point…..Check out SASSY'S ON 'DA ROAD.  Many, many, times I have said the very same words to myself as Sassy said to herself while attempting to do something….'It wouldn’t be me’!!

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Here in the heart of Arizona’s gold country we have a lot of prospector type people out in the desert every day looking for gold.  I find this whole gold thing annoying because every time I dig one of my post holes, I am slowed down by these big pesky gold nuggets I have to pry out of the hard soil.  Some of them are so heavy I have to get Pheebs to help me lift them out of the post holes.  Had so many of the darned things laying around I loaded them in the Jeep today & took them to the dump.  Texas isn’t the only place for long tall tales you know:))

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REBUILT CACTUS MAN IS A TAD SHORTER BUT HAS STRONGER HIPS NOW

GROANER’S CORNER:((   A Lutheran minister is driving down to New York to see the radio show and he's stopped in Connecticut for speeding. The state trooper smells alcohol on his breath and then he sees an empty wine bottle on the floor, and he says, "Sir, have you been drinking?"  And the minister says, "Just water."  The sheriff says, "Then why do I smell wine?"
And the minister looks down at the bottle and says, "Good Lord, He's done it again!"

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14 comments:

  1. When you get home talk to your doctor about Lyrica. It might work for your leg pain. I've been taking it for degenerative disk disease in my neck.

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  2. Oh that fire does look cozy. Make sure you leave it unlit on the night of Dec 24th so Santa doesn't get a hot-foot!!

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  3. It's been really windy here for a couple of days, makes it hard to do things. I'm glad you were able to give Cactus Man stronger hips, to bad you can't get your legs fixed that easily.

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  4. Unfortunately we all find new aches and pains as we grow older. You are not alone.

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  5. Careful with the mothballs, they will kill any vegetation they come in contact with.(experience talking)

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  6. I think you are happier with your RV repair than you would have been at Camping World. Wish we had a shop like that around here.

    My husband swears by his exercise bicycle. He wore one out and is on the second one. It's not like he doesn't get exercise, he's a farmer. He was having trouble walking any distance. The bicycle keeps him limber and helps his back.

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  7. The legs thing seems too extreme to be normal aging to me for 68. Hope you get it checked out as soon as you can. This getting older sure isn't fun. I spent my childhood wanting to be older and now I want to be younger. Foolish wishing all around.

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  8. I'm close to becoming one of those "eldery" folks you talk about. I was a young pup just like you a short time ago.. i don't think its normal for you to be nursing sore legs like that...

    wish there was some way you could figure out what the problem is.. There are lots of Drs
    right down in Surprise that could fix you up in a heartbeat..

    You need them legs!

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  9. Caryl and Jerry removed all the prickly pear cactus from their property--they harbor pack rats--:((

    I'm with everybody else, your leg problem is not normal aging Al--remember I live with a dude who is the same age as you and he has aches and pains but not that extreme. Wish it would get better for you!

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  10. It is so hard to transplant anything in the desert...really makes you appreciate all the natural landscaping and how that actually survived. Everything grows so slowly compared to what most people are used to...and the pack rats are just waiting for your next little snack...unless you have a cat...which would be hard for you since you won't be here this summer...the pack rats will take almost everything...don't want to be discouraging but..I don't like the wire cages either...On your legs...I would suggest going to see Steve (I think that is his name) at Champion Physical Therapy in Wickenburg...he is the best and almost as reasonable as the Congress Garage...he can at least help you from getting stiff and show you some exercises to keep you walking...really worth a visit or two....sometimes it is just a simple thing. The more you try to avoid the pain the more your body tries to compensate etc etc...

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  11. Good luck with the leg problem, mine are not that good either, too many years standing on my feet for very long hours.

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  12. Rats! Yup, ya gotta hate 'em. We have some plants here that we have to trim up from the ground because they could harbor rats, and rats bring snakes, and then you have to find some roadrunners to go after the snakes. To keep the roadrunners around, some folks put our balls of ground beef (true!) but that causes other problems. There's no answer.

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  13. Love the fire....that is something that is a must wherever Brian and I live...a fireplace! You've done so much with your place...love it! About your legs. I can totally relate to the legs problems too. But, I'm almost 70 now.

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  14. Such a cozy spot you've created there. We plan to explore Congress and Wickenburg when we head back out after Christmas; but first our beautiful Anza Borrego Desert is calling!

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