Thursday, October 31, 2013

WICKENBURG, 18 CACTI PLANTED & WE’RE GONNA GET OUR WEEDS WHACKED

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I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS LITTLE FELLOW IS

More Mesquite & Palo Verde tree trimming this morning.  Definitely a gloves job because both those trees have very sharp prickers.  Kelly slipped the Jeep down to the garage to have the fellow test the battery.  Said it was borderline & looked like the original.  Because we are sometimes way out in the desert where there is no cell phone coverage we decided to play it safe & have that aging battery replaced with a new one.  Will do that Thursday morning.  Also decided to go with a good ‘used’ spare for Winnie The Bago.  Much cheaper than a new Michelin tire we may never have to use.

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SPOTTED THESE TWO FELLERS CRUISING BY THE ACE HARDWARE STORE IN WICKENBURG THIS MORNING

Hadn’t been in the Wickenburg Alco store since the last time I was in the Wickenburg Alco store.  Nothing much had changed.  Groceries at Safeway & off to Ace hardware to pick up our new Gravity chair.  From there it was back to our Adobe Digs in Congress. 

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MATTHEW AROUND THE CORNER FROM US PULLED SOME CACTUS PADS OFF THE BIG CACTUS FOR US

Neighbor Matthew said he would pluck off some new Nopal cactus pads for me today so I slipped around & picked them up.  Didn’t take me long to get myself in planting mode & it wasn’t long before I had 18 of the lovely little things in the ground & watered.  Thanks to ‘Guest’ in our Shout Box for the list of hardy desert plants.  I will print that out.    

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YEP I’M AT IT AGAIN…THESE ARE THE NEATEST THINGS:))

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PHEEBS WAS A BIG HELP AGAIN TODAY AS SHE DUG SOME OF THE CACTUS HOLES FOR ME

In a comment, Jerry from OUR LIFE ON WHEELS said, “Don'tcha just love our desert”?  And my quick answer to that is ‘yes we sure do’.  I have heard it said about the desert ‘you either love it or you hate it’.  Lucky for us it is the first case.  I will never understand how some people cannot see the absolute beauty that abounds here in the Sonoran Desert.  Not just rocks, scrub, gravel, sand, & prickly cactus.  We can easily look out & see miles upon miles of green.  The desert landscape is so diverse & ever changing.  Just gain or drop a few feet and the flora begins to change.  Cozy up to a ridge line & again plants quickly change as soil has a higher water content from run off.  Not many Saguaros on the desert floor behind our place but just walk over to the base of rocky outcrop & there they are.  Saguaro Cactus all over the hillsides.  Rock formations everywhere with enough old worn & craggy Indian faces in them to keep an imaginative mind alive indefinitely.  Our rural farms & forest landscape back in Ontario are beautiful in a different way than the rugged desert landscape we have here.  Both are picturesque in their own right & fortunately I see & appreciate that beauty in both places.  Each compliments the other & we are extremely fortunate in that we can live & love each one for a whole 6 months of the year.  And it is that extreme difference & change that keeps my interest peaked.  Just as I do not like a cold Canadian winter anymore I would probably not like a hot Arizona summer either.  So again, despite my grumbling about stuff sometimes, we do have the best of both worlds:))

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YEP WE LOVE OUR DESERT ALRIGHT

I remember someone commented one time about getting out for Jeep rides in Arizona with Pheebs just like we do back home in Ontario.  Great idea except for one small thing.  In Ontario where we live the countryside is crisscrossed with countless thousands of miles of country roads.  Once could spend the entire day driving in a 50 mile radius of home & never travel the same road twice.  That’s what makes it so interesting.  Here in Arizona there basically are no country roads criss-crossing with each other like in Ontario.  You are either on a paved highway or you are on a rough dusty trail in the desert.  Always a good idea when on those trails to have 2 people along so Pheebs & I have haven’t been out bombing around by ourselves.  But I know she’s needing a Jeep ride real bad so we are just going to have to work out some Jeep time logistics. 

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CHATTING IT UP WITH THE NEIGHBOR’S ACROSS THE ROAD THIS MORNING

Mr. Gingerich rolled into our driveway somewhere around 4 this afternoon.  Recommended by Pat & Mike McFall over there in that Escapee North Ranch place Les is a competent yard maintenance fellow.  Worked out a deal where he is going to come in & weed whack our weeds & I will rake up & dispose of them.  He will then look after our weed problem in the future.  No more Sheeps!!

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THIS IS ONE OF THE CRITTERS THAT ATE UP OUR CACTUS

On our way south last week I remember spotting the smallest fifth wheel I had ever seen.  John from FINDING OUR WAY commented on my post he had one of those fifth wheel Scamps & would be happy to drop by sometime this winter & show it to us.  So John if your still reading bring it on by:))

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PHEEBS GOT A LITTLE TIRED OF DIGGING CACTUS HOLES SO STOPPED FOR A SHORT SNOOZE

Not sure if I have Craig & Sue’s link correct for OUR FIVER ADVENTURES but welcome aboard folks & thanks for popping up on our Google Friend Connect list.   If I have the wrong link let me know & I’ll get the correct one in:))

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IN A COMMENT FLOWERGIRL WONDERED HOW BIG THE ANT HILLS WERE IN TUESDAY’S POST PHOTO…HERE ARE THE SAME MOUNDS BUT IN PERSPECTIVE WITH A POWER POLE…OF COURSE I AM ONLY ‘ASSUMING’ THESE ARE ANT HILLS…COULD BE SOME KIND OF RODENT TOO………

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And a big hello to Morris, Elizabeth, & Wilf Blakey way up there in that Timmins place Ontario Canada:))

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KELLY RELAXES IN OUR BACK YARD WITH HER BOOK THIS AFTERNOON

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A new York Divorce Lawyer died and arrived at the pearly gates. Saint Peter asks him "What have you done to merit entrance into Heaven?" The Lawyer thought a moment, then said, "A week ago, I gave a quarter to a homeless person on the street." Saint Peter asked Gabriel to check this out in the record, and after a moment Gabriel affirmed that this was true.
Saint Peter said, "Well , that's fine, but it's not really quite enough to get you into Heaven." The Lawyer said, "Wait Wait! There's more! Three years ago I also gave a homeless person a quarter." Saint Peter nodded to Gabriel, who after a moment nodded back, affirming this, too, had been verified.
Saint Peter then whispered to Gabriel, "Well, what do you suggest we do with this fellow?"
Gabriel gave the Lawyer a sidelong glance, then said to Saint Peter,
"Let's give him back his 50 cents and tell him to go to Hell."

-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

14 comments:

  1. My feeling is that the North American continent is so vast and has so many climates, plant life, terrain, etc. there is more than enough variety to please everyone. I love N. CA, but I also love the mountains in the eastern part of the country. Deserts just don't do it for me although I agree there is a lot of beauty and some gorgeous sunrise/sunsets. We are both fortunate to be able to live in an area we like and travel to its near opposite and enjoy that too.

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  2. Nice see you are getting settled in. Too bad the local lawn labor is getting laid off. Hope they find work elsewhere soon.
    A new battery is a great idea. For a spare any rated tire will do. I always had my tires rotated ( name brand offers free rotation and balance). The spare would do it's time on the road. Not saying anyone should, but it is how I roll.

    I am getting a bit antsy staying past the fun and counting down the days. Doc visits all week. Bah!

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  3. We too love the desert, and are hoping that we can enjoy it this winter for a few months.

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  4. So glad you replanted the cactus. Did the sheep really eat them? That seems strange. More like goat behavior. But whatever, you've worked out a cactus saving strategy. Hope you get to see their blooms.

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  5. Les stopped by and I told him to get on over there and take good care of you folks,,,,cause you were good people...
    It always amazed me how stuff grows in the ground around here, Its as hard as concrete!! But it sure does.....

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  6. your little bird could be a brown capped rosy finch, but I'd need a better picture to be sure. Look forward to seeing all those cacti lining the fence again

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  7. We've a family wedding coming up in early December so I doubt we'll get out before that. I'm planning to go to Q in late January / early Feb so if not before we'll swing by then if you're home.

    Love your blog!

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  8. Thought of you a few days ago. We were attending a railroad celebration in our little town. There was a Hobo camp included as one of the exhibitions. We learned about the life of Hobo's in their heyday. Found out that when one died, they weren't referred to as died, or passed away. It was said that "They caught the Westbound". The West!
    Heaven on Earth for you, and me.

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  9. I thought it might be time for a new battery. Getting stuck out in the middle of the desert would not be good. I figured you were smart enought to know that, and you are.

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  10. Love the desert. Didn't know I would until I got right out in it and took a whiff, but I sure do.

    I'm glad you knew what to do with those cactus pads. I would have figured they were to eat.

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  11. Pheebs did a good job on those cactus holes. Looks like she hollowed out a bit of a "nest" for herself in the dirt. Poppy used to love to have a "nest" under a shady bush.

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  12. Just got into the BLM land in Q and we are happy to just 'be' here. Got caught up on all your news. Glad you are all doing well.

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  13. I like to find out about the birds. My guess is a Rufous-winged Sparrow, because of its slim beak and the facial markings.

    "Uncommon and sparsely distributed, the Rufous-winged Sparrow resides in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona and northern Mexico. It times its nesting attempts with the onset of the summer rains."

    http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rufous-winged_Sparrow/id

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