Monday, January 19, 2015

TODAY I BEGAN READING ‘PARTY OF ONE: A LONER’S MANIFESTO’

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FEMALE CARDINAL THIS MORNING

Had forgot to turn Big EEE’s furnace switch to ‘on’ Sunday night but no matter, our desert night only dropped to a balmy 50 degrees so Pheebs & I remained nicely comfortable.  The little Princess slept on the couch.  Outside water tap was forgotten as well so had to slip outside in my P.J.’s & give the faucet a turn before I could dip my head in the sink.  Did remember to fire up our hot water heater Sunday night though.  Bonus:))

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AM GUESSING THIS FELLER TO BE A NORTHERN FLICKER IN OUR MESQUITE TREE THIS MORNING

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A few months back I downloaded nearly half a dozen free books to my Kindle.  First 2 after a couple dozen paragraphs or so didn’t appeal to me but a book by Canadian author Delwin Mark Clark called, Does Anyone Remember Sundown Slim caught my wandering attention & held it captive long enough for me to finish his book.  Not my usual reading fare I thought but it was his writing style, simplicity of story, & memories it evoked of a young boy soon to be a man growing up back in the 50’s somewhere in British Columbia that drew me in.  Not often I read fiction anymore but I did enjoy this book.  To me his fiction spoke truth.  My next read began today with Party Of One: The Loner's Manifesto.   Already after only reading for half an hour I am thinking, ‘why didn’t I read this book years ago!!  But no matter, I’m reading it now & I am a happy reader thinking to myself…..'Aha I knew it all along’.  I particularly liked this ladies blogsite thoughts on the book…Live From Planet Paola. I could so identify when she writes, “The Internet is, for loners, an absolute and total miracle”.  Amen to that I say & I do feel I am a prime example of what this lady says:))

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GAMBLE’S QUAIL

No doubt about it……certainly is nice to be hooked up to an unlimited water & electricity supply.  Although we are solar equipped our rig does have it’s limits.  Even with nicer comforts it still isn’t enough to make us seek out RV Parks while traveling.  Not unless of course we were the Parks only occupants.  We just don’t care for that close proximity of neighboring RV’ers just a few feet away,  people noise, or looking out a window seeing walled sides of other RV’s right there in our field of view.  Soon as we step out our door Pheebs has to be on a leash & that right there is a big no-no for us.  I do well understand dogs having to be leashed in tight communities & not be running willy-nilly through people’s sites so we just stay away from places where those kinds of rules are in effect.  RV Parks have their place & serve a great purpose to countless RV’ers.  Without them many people would not be able to travel.  We have actually stayed in a few nice RV Parks over the years & what made them acceptable for us to stay there was the fact it was off season & in all cases we were practically the only one’s there.  If we did have to stay in an RV Park setting for any length of time we would seek out State Parks.  They seem to be more nature oriented & sites are often roomier & maybe not as crowded.  We’re just not into the pools, hot tubs, clubhouse events, etc. etc.  Nice for folks who like all that stuff of course but just not our cup of tea.

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I feel like such a big meanie every time I climb up our aluminum ladder to swoop more nesting materials off our side slide top.  A pair of Cactus Wrens keep flying in with grasses & small twigs trying to get a comfy feathered nest built & me the big old party pooper keeps thwarting their well & natural intentions.  I was up & down our aluminum ladder 4 times today sweeping out more nesting material.

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CACTUS WREN

Have to say I spent most of my very relaxing day in our Motorhome just quietly reading, listening to music by Will Ackerman & a continuous chorus of cheerful birds outside my door.  Sun beaming through windows made for a warm coach while opened windows brought in cooling breezes.  I knew Leslie & Peter were preferring to do just about the same thing I was doing & just savor these warm Arizona days pursuing their favorites as well such as reading & relaxing.  Again, I am so fortunate my Kindle has drawn & enabled me to return once again after soooooo many years away to take up one my oldest favorite hobbies from years ago…..reading.  A big personal thanks to in this particular case………..technology:))

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GROANER’S CORNER:((  A woman called the dean of the college that her freshman son was going to. "I'm worried. I don't know who my son can hang out with. He doesn't have the kind of money all the other students have."
“In that case”, the dean replied, "He can hang out with the faculty."

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Just in case our Commander-In-Chief decides to recall any of us military retirees, I have been trying on the old uniforms. I want to be ready.  So far only the socks fit.

16 comments:

  1. I can so relate to how you feel about not wanting the birds to build a nest on your slide topper! Silly birds...
    Nice pictures of the Flicker!

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  2. I agree that the internet has been great for loners, but I wonder if it is turning folks into loners who shouldn't be. I'm shocked to go anywhere today and see that most people are walking around looking down at their phones. I sometimes feel like I'm on a strange planet.

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  3. Yes, the Internet is wonderful. Without it I wouldn't know who Al and Gypsy are! What a loss that would be. As to what she said about phones, I had a close call an hour ago. Was backing out in a parking lot. A man, walking in the dark, looking down at his phone, was totally oblivious. Scared me that I almost didn't see him; i don't know if he saw my car!!

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  4. The technology today is wonderful. Internet is a bottomless pit of knowledge and the E Readers, we both love ours too.

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  5. I've read "Party Of One" fits me too!

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  6. wBut Al, you are not alone. unless you are lucky enough to think of Kelly as so much a part of you that you forget she is also a separate being. An what about Pheebs. You would be a very sad and lonely guy without your doggie by your side. In many ways we are all alone, even when surrounded by friends, family, and strangers.

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  7. That Northern Flicker sure is pretty. It's interesting how you can show your personal side in your blog, which I like, but I just can't seem to do it. I guess blogs are for all levels of expression and that is good.

    I too find myself reading more now that I have a Kindle. Reading "Taken" by Debra Lee right now. Easy to read so far. I will have to read the one you are reading next.

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  8. Love Miss Cardinal, she looks much more like a desert dweller than her flashy counterpart. Like free paperbacks offered in a box, those free Kindle reads do introduce us to books we never would have purchased - glad you found such a winner! Like all other "new fangled" things that come along, we humans will over do our use and dependence on the Internet and then eventually scale back to a more balanced approach. Tis the way of the human IMHO. For so many it has meant having a "social life" they otherwise would never have known. I am always so happy to see RV parks full of folks packed in like sardines.......leaving more wide open dry camping spots available :-)

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  9. We may have to read that book, Party Of One. The robins try to build nests on our house awning in the spring, I hang a piece of fabric at the edge of where they try to enter--stops them in their tracks or flaps or whatever.

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  10. I've not had a chance yet to read that book but another on the same topic spoke volumes to me: Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain. Makes me wish everyone would read these books so they'd have a better understanding of us quiet types!

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  11. Love that cardinal shot. As to the birds trying to build a nest, how about cutting a piece of cardboard or foam to put into the opening between the top of the awning canvas and the actual top of the slideout at both ends. That will stop them.

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  12. Beautiful bird pictures today Al especially those flickers. Me too on the parks. We only do state and national parks unless we have no choice on a one nighter after a long drive. But even the state and nationals are getting crowded as more and more people want to escape the chaos they've created. Sure wish there was more wide open boondocking in the East.

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  13. Having trouble posting this morning. I haven't written anything for long while. I am an introvert who enjoys my alone time and the company of people. Not sure of the percentages. Lol. Love the pictures.

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  14. Al, as we know there is a big difference between being alone and being lonely. I enjoy quiet times and on occasion a visitor or two-as long as they don't stay too long ha.
    Whether we are on our sailboat or in our motorhome we always seek out the quiet Maine anchorage, or boondock whenever we can,

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  15. Bill was working outside today (we're in an RV park until Thursday) and a man stopped by... (I was inside on the computer but could hear their conversation). I'll bet he mentioned no less than 6 or so times that his wife passed away 10 years ago and he was alone. All my life I've been a person "alone"... but I've never been lonely. Yeah... Bill is my 2nd husband and we're in a 27' motorhome nearly 24/7.... but as others have said, being alone and being lonely are totally different. I felt kinda bad for Bill's visitor today.... he needs a companion. The beauty of loners life is that while they may not NEED a companion, when they have one they can still have their space.... be alone.... even when in the same room with their best friend.

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  16. Just a suggestion, available in your library. DESERT SOLITAIRE: A SEASON IN THE WILDERNESS.
    This should be your kind of reading.
    I downloaded on e-reader from public library.

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