Sunday, January 13, 2013

OUR BACK YARD IS BEGINNING TO FILL UP WITH BIRDS:))

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Yikes!!  Colder than a Witch’s Wit this morning.   Locals in these parts are saying this is the longest cold stretch of freezing weather since back in the 50’s.  Not being here in the 50’s, I’ll take their word for it.  Even the Pheebs didn’t want to say out long about 5 this morning.  I’m itching to splash some paint on our faded front screen door but have to wait until temps get over 50F.  Sounds like that may happen next week.  Rumors & wild speculations have us at 70F by this coming Thursday.   Rumors, wild speculations, & weather forecasters that is…..

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THIS SIGN DIDN’T SEEM TO BOTHER THE PHEEBS TOO MUCH THIS MORNING

We have heat on in the Motorhome so no problem there but one of our 3 outside taps at the house here froze up bad enough last night to crack & spring a leak when it thawed out this morning.  In Ontario we can shut the outside water off in the fall but here there is no shut off valve for the outside taps.  I wrapped them in insulation a couple days ago but this old blister of a tap just couldn’t take the cold I guess.  We’ll have to get someone in next week to repair it.   

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Had some bird feeders in Bayfield that our birds there didn’t like.  The feeders sat full of seeds but the birds avoided them for some unknown reason.  Brought them with us, picked up some birdseed last week at the Yarnell hardware store, hung the feeders, & now our back yard has turned into Birdsville.  The southwest birds love the feeders & I have put a couple dishes of water out for them as well.  With our property completely fenced now I figured it was time to try out some bird feeders.  And, with warmer weather headed our way next week I’ll set up a longer lens & see if I can get a few bird photos together.  I still have it in the back of my mind to try my hand at building some kind of water garden refuge in the back yard at some point.  Kind of a little birding nature center.

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Not a lot happening here today.  Again, I spent most of my enjoyable time on the end of a shovel, rake, & a wheelbarrow.  I have now swapped out about 90% of the 1/2 inch gravel I had put down a couple months ago.  Today, I watered the 3/8 inch stuff & then drove around flattening it with the Jeep’s tires.  Makes for a nice hard flat surface.  But, being Northerners, we sure do miss our soft green grass.

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Busy day coming up Monday.  Have to get the slides out on the Motorhome & configure it for Pheebs & I moving in until next Saturday.  Lot of last minute things to do around the house before our company arrives sometime mid to late afternoon Monday.  And, we definitely have some Jeeping Safaris lined up for the coming week as well:))

DSC_7806Judy, from TRAVELS WITH EMMA is out of the hospital & already on her feet following hip surgery a few days ago.  There’s no keeping this Gal down & readers stopping by will be encouraged by her determination.

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As Ivan just found out, security can be pretty tight in Arizona and had to pass his drivers license over for a scan.  SASSY, also in Arizona, had to pass over her driver’s license for an entirely different reason:((

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LOOKING WEST, OUR HOUSE IS AT THE LEFT SIDE OF THAT ROW OF BUILDINGS…DATE CREEK MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND

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LOOKING EAST, OUR HOUSE IS AT THE FOOT OF THAT DARK RIDGE COMING IN FROM THE TOP LEFT…WEAVER MOUNTAINS IN BACKGROUND

Our RVing lifestyle has always been very flexible.  With the exception of our Ranch sitting days in southeast Arizona for a few years we have always kept ourselves footloose & fancy free.  If we didn’t like a campsite or an area, we simply moved on down the road.  If we didn’t like the weather in a particular area it was easy for us to move on to warmer climes or sunnier days.  Sometimes our destination decisions were made on the fly & at the day’s end we were not always at where we set out to be.  Sure takes the boredom out of sitting in one spot for 6 months at a time.  Merikay & Craig from MERIKAY'S DREAM headed out from Death Valley heading for Quartzsite Arizona & ended up sitting on a beach in California.  Now, how did that happen.  I like their spontaneity,  sense of adventure, & ability to willingly roll with the punches:))

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CAN YOU FIND THE PHEEBS

Fulltime RVers & motorcycle enthusiasts Steve & Joan from FOSJ are our latest Blog Followers.  Thanks for dropping by folks.

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DARK COLORED ROCKS WERE PREFERRED BY INDIANS FOR PETROGLYPH ART

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A Sunday School teacher began her lesson with a question. "Boys and girls, what do we know about God?"
A hand shot up in the air. "He is an artist!" said the kindergarten boy.
"Really?! How do you know?" the teacher asked.
"You know - 'Our Father, who does art in Heaven. . ."

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- 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.
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stargeezerguy@gmail.com

14 comments:

  1. We found some neat petroglyphs at Cabreza Prieta...way back by the windmill..and they were on the dark rocks...Have fun with your company...

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  2. There you go with those gorgeous boulders again... Not that the swirl of birds photo didn't grab me too. :)
    thanks
    Box Canyon Mark

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  3. At this refuge they have a simple, shallow, handmade concrete "bird bath" on the ground and the birds really enjoy it, they bath in it and drink from it and just play around. We scrub it out with a brush, pretty easy maintenance.

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  4. When I had a house, I fed the birds, lots of them, until one day there were none...a hawk had decided to hang out and see if it could get a free lunch. I followed it around with my camera until it got fed up and left, then the birds returned. So, you may be seeing a Cooper's Hawk one of these days, as they especially like songbirds. And that little guy with the punk hairdo looks like a character.

    Great photos and I bet you're glad you're not out RVing when it's so cold. The house was a great idea and you guys are really making it nice.

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  5. a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush?..I see some great bird photos in your future!

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  6. Feeding birds is very enjoyable but beware that it's likely to draw in pack rats, snakes and hawks that will go after the birds. But with Pheebs as a lookout perhaps you're safe! Your home is in a gorgeous setting and the work you've done on it so far, is amazing. Hope you take a vacation this week with your company arriving.

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  7. Wow! You weren't kidding about
    the birds. Love the female Cardinal
    so neat with the seed in her
    mouth. Great shots of the ones
    in flight too.

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  8. You enjoy yourself out in the motorhome with pheebs this next few days. It is just like having a little fort of your own. I used to bring home big cardboard boxes from a furniture store and make forts and stuff in the yard when I was a kid. Fond memories. Guess I am getting Old!

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  9. Remember all the birds at the little ranch house--they could go through two feeders a day!

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  10. Everything is coming together, you campout experience will be another adventure without going anywhere.

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  11. Al,

    We had to get rid of our feeders. As "unknown" above mentioned, the seed on the ground brought rats and the rattlesnakes came after the rats. We killed 4 rattlesnakes inside the fenced area where the dog stays. One of them was curled up within striking distance of where he was napping.

    Pat and Nancy

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  12. Wow Al, you've outdone yourself - amazing bird photos! :-)

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  13. I would love to set out bird feeders, but have always had problems with squirrels. I just gave up and realized they are more clever than I am.

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