MORNING DESERT WALK & I MANAGED TO GET THAT BIG MOSSMAGATOR OF A MUD FLAP OFF THE RIG

THIS IS NOT ONLY A FAVORED WALKING AREA FOR US BUT IT IS ALSO A FAVORED JEEPING AREA WHERE WE CAN JUST GET OUT & GO FOR MILES & MILES & MILES

We actually made it out into the desert this morning without setting off a hull-a-balloo of dog barking.  Problem was we were too late in starting our morning walk & by 8 a.m. it was already getting too hot for we Canadians.  We plan to be out an hour earlier Sunday.

KELLY & PHEEBS COMING OUT TO JOIN ME FOR OUR MORNING WALK

I think if we would have had the rig’s inverter problem fixed we might have headed for higher altitudes & cooler temperatures.  Hadn’t planned on taking the Big EEE to Phoenix for that inverter fix until next month sometime.

I LIKE THE SOUND & SMELL OF HORSES NEARBY

Kelly’s cold is slowly clearing up but she is having trouble with tiredness & fatigue.  We won’t be straying too far from the house in the near foreseeable future.  I worked at trimming trees again this morning but by 10 o’clock I had to beat a hasty retreat inside to our cooling tabletop & ceiling fans.  Definitely not looking forward to an even hotter week next week.

VIEW FROM MY CHAIR AS ARIZONA’S MORNING SUN STREAMED THROUGH THE WINDOW INTO OUR LIVING…THAT’S MY SUNKEN BEDROOM WITH THE LAMP & RED CHAIR

 

MY TREE TRIMMING BRUSH PILE IS GROWING   

Noticed we had a new Blog Follower this morning.  jolenemacinjax joins us as we begin our 9th winter season of travels & home life in Congress Arizona.  Welcome aboard Jolene & here’s hoping we can continue to hold your interest over the coming months:))

LOOKS LIKE WE ARE OUT IN THE COUNTRY HERE BUT UNFORTUNATELY WE’RE NOT & WE DO HAVE NEGHBORS AROUND US

Well it took me a bit of gruntin & a whole lotta sweariin mixed with about half a dozen body contortions under the rig plus a vice grips & a healthy dose of liquid wrench to get the job done but I finally did it.  Got that big 50 pound solid heavy rubber Mossmagator of a mud flap off the Big EEE.  After reading a comment a couple days ago it became crystal clear to me how that mud guard caused the Jeep damage.  Air passing under the Motorhome hits that full width mud guard which has only about 4 inches clearance off the road & is directed immediately downward.  Easy to understand how that blast of air concentrated on the gravel only inches below easily kicks up a vortex of stones & debris.  With that flap off air can now move freely under the rig from front to back unobstructed.  We never had a wide mud flap on the back of any RV we’ve ever had & despite travels on gravel roads we never so much as put a dent on any of our 2 tow vehicles.  Also easy to understand is how gas mileage will now improve.  No big heavy wind drag at the rear of the coach.  Thanks to readers for clueing me in on this mud flap road sweeper problem.  Well done folks & much appreciated:))

 

NICE CLEAN UNOBSTRUCTED AIR FLOW UNDER THE MOTORHOME NOW WITHOUT THAT BIG HEAVY MOSSMAGATOR SINGLE PIECE ROAD SWEEPING MUD FLAP

Sarge (HUDSON HORNETS) dropped in Friday afternoon.  He & Jackie are the folks who helped us move into our Congress house.  John (Sarge) is just finishing up his 44 treatments for Prostate Cancer & has himself a real positive attitude about the procedure he decided on.  Living in a Congress sticks & bricks now their Class A Motorhome came in real handy for the length of time all those treatments have taken.  They drove it up to Prescott & stayed in an RV Park to make the daily treatments at the Prescott Hospital more readily accessible.  Sarge has been expressing his thoughts about his procedures on Facebook in hopes anyone else out here with that same problem may see his posts & find some answers to some questions they may have. 

WE HAVE HAD THE JEEP THROUGH THOSE FAR AWAY MOUNTAINS HALF A DOZEN TIMES & AS SOON AS THIS HOT WEATHER ENDS WE WILL BE OUT THERE AGAIN TO SEE WHAT WE CAN SEE

And for any newbies or seasoned RV travelers you will probably find Paul & Marsha’s post from WHERE'S WEAVER interesting.  Statistics for the past 5 years Fulltiming laid out in a detailed manner at the end of their post including financial costs & mileage figures as well as fuel costs per year.  Someone has spent a lot of time with attention to detail tracking all the numbers.

WASN’T SURE IF I WAS GOING TO HAVE ENOUGH ROOM TO TURN OUR NEARLY 37’ MOTORHOME AROUND ON THE PROPERTY BUT AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE TIRE TRACKS IT WAS NO PROBLEM

Had the Critter Cam set up Friday night & by golly we caught us a couple Critters alright.

 

THE PUSSY CAT ON LEFT IS WELCOME BECAUSE IT HELPS CONTROL THE MOUSE POPULATION BUT THAT ODOROUS GENTLEMAN ON THE RIGHT IS GOING TO HAVE TO FIND HIMSELF SOME NEW DIGS!!

Until the weather cools off & we get’s to feeling a bit better I may not have a whole lot of things to write about or photograph in the next little while so hang in there dear faithful readers & we’ll see if we can’t kick up something different & remotely exciting soon.

AND THIS GREAT AREA IS ONLY A BLOCK BEHIND OUR HOUSE

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Our young daughter had adopted a stray cat. To my distress, he began to use the back of our new sofa as a scratching post. "Don't worry," my husband reassured me. "I'll have him trained in no time."  I watched for several days as my husband  patiently "trained" our new pet. Whenever the cat scratched, my husband deposited him outdoors to teach him a lesson.  The cat learned quickly. For the next 16 years, whenever he wanted to go outside, he scratched the back of the sofa!!

A SKUNK BOMB WENT OFF UNDER OUR HOUSE FRIDAY NIGHT

HEADING HOME FROM WICKENBURG THIS MORNING OUR HOUSE IS DEAD AHEAD IN CONGRESS

I’m not normally happy to see overcast skies but when I saw no stars early this morning I knew we were under a cloud cover & that was going to mean a cooler day.  Bonus.  I’ve noticed the Sun feels hotter here in Arizona but at least we don’t have any dreaded ‘turn me into a ball of paste’ humidity.  Even under cloudy skies humidity still sticks my clothes to me but here in Arizona there is none of that & despite the hotter sun one can easily escape to a cool shady place without that miserably heated steamy air following them.

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About 8:30 Friday night we had a great big stinky Skunk bomb go off under house.  I had tossed some loose dirt in the hole by our foundation & when the Skunk headed out on his nightly rounds he found his hole blocked.  I think that stressed him into releasing a cloud of eye watering gas.  At least now we know for sure what it is under the house.  I shoveled the dirt back out of the hole making it easier for him to get out tonight.  I have bought some wire mesh for the hole.   We just have to make sure Mr. Skunk is not under the house when I seal off the hole again. 

ROLLING NORTH PAST NORTH RANCH WHERE MIKE & PAT LIVE

We are definitely back in the land of barking dogs.  Being in our quiet Bayfield neighborhood all summer we had forgot about the barking dog problem here in our Congress neighborhood.  Seems everyone on our block has a dog or six & nobody ever makes any kind of effort to shush their barking.  A new family beside the gate where we enter the desert has two dogs that now rush the fence sending up a terribly fierce racket.  So much so we have avoided our morning walk the past couple days.  It’s the hazards of having neighbors…………….

By 8 this morning I had a bunch of Mesquite & Palo Verde trees trimmed up & by 8:30 Kelly & I were on our way to Wickenburg for groceries.  Some big bargoons going on at Basha’s so that is where we headed.  By the time we left there I was hanging off the grocery cart & just wanting to get back to Congress & collapse in my comfy recliner.  And that’s what I did soon as we arrived home.  For some reason I felt totally drained & remained that way for the rest of the day.  As a matter of fact Kelly felt the same way.  We even called the Congress Garage to re-schedule the Jeep’s headlights replacement till Monday.  Guess we’re just not over our tedious 2 week trip down here yet.  It seems we just don’t quite bounce back from things as quick as we once did…………:((

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Quite a fracas going on now that Verizon has bought out Millenicom.  We were with Verizon for about 7 years before switching to Millenicom last winter.   No complaints with Verizon except with their higher pricing for less Gigabytes.  We & countless others made the switch to Millenicom who offered lower prices for more Gigabytes.  A perfectly logical move.  Now that Verizon pretty much has the monopoly on this type of service it will be interesting to see if their former thinking pattern will again come into their new price structure or will they take a page from Millenicom’s book & set their prices fairly & accordingly.  Come on Verizon, this is your opportunity to step up to the plate & hit a financially feasible Gigabyte home run plan for all of us this time……………..

THIS IS GHOST TOWN ROAD & OUR HOUSE IS ABOUT HALF A MILE STRAIGHT AHEAD ON THE LEFT

And here is the short terse email we received from Millenicom this afternoon…….."This is to correct an earlier email that was sent to you regarding your service.  Verizon Wireless, the carrier providing your wireless service, may be contacting you about options for your ongoing service.  Going forward your relationship will be directly with Verizon Wireless.  Millenicom will no longer have any role concerning your account and Millenicom does not now or will have any relationship with Verizon Wireless.  Thank you and we apologize for any inconvenience this notice may cause”.  Now how’s them apples for ya………

OTHER THAN SLIGHTLY UNDEREXPOSING THIS PHOTO THERE HAS BEEN NO COLOR ENHANCEMENT…FROM OUR BACK YARD TONIGHT

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Getting away from their high-stress jobs, a couple spends relaxing weekends in their motor home. When they found their peace and quiet disturbed by well-meaning, but unwelcome, visits from other campers, they devised a plan to assure themselves some privacy.  Now, when they set up camp, they place this sign on the door of their RV: "Insurance agent. Ask about our term-life package."

WE’RE GETTING LITTLE JEEPERS FIXED UP & THE RIG’S ALL SPIFFY AGAIN:))

TONIGHT’S TWILIGHT GLOW AS SEEN FROM MY BEDROOM WINDOW

By the time I remembered I still had the whole driver’s side of the rig to wash it was almost too late.  A quick glance at the Eastern horizon told me the Sun was nearing the horizon & I had better pull the lead out & get rolling with my coach wash.  I was about half done when old Sol popped up over the Weaver Mountains & cast his heated solar rays right at me.  Luckily I finished up before that big ball of fire rose too high & roasted me on the spot. 

THE BIG EEE’S ALL SHINY AGAIN & I HAD TO DO A LOT OF PALO VERDE TREE TRIMMING ON THE LEFT SO WE COULD GET THE LIVING ROOM SLIDE OUT

Kelly worked on a big interior rig clean-up as I got myself to work on about a 101 other little jobs around the property.  I am fortunate to have something to do.  Keeps me from getting bored.  Sitting around watching TV doesn’t work for me.  Like to keep myself  physically active with little projects here & there.  And I have lots of them for the next little while too.

SPENCER & FROGGI HAVE TAKEN UP THEIR POSTS AS YARD SECURITY

 

MAYBE TOMORROW I’LL GET ‘CACTUS MAN’ BACK UP ON HIS FEET & COULD THAT BE A SMALL SCORPION AT RIGHT

Set up the Critter Cam Wednesday night but no images were captured.  Just me walking in front of the camera.  We haven’t heard anything under the house & have not smelled anything Skunky so far.  There is a chance that whatever made that hole has moved on.  I have shoveled some dirt into the hole today to see if anything is disturbed in the morning.

FOUND A FEW PHOTOS IN MY NIKON D3100 I HAD FORGOT ABOUT…ABOVE  IS A CLOSE UP LOOK AT BLUFF UTAH’S TWIN PEAKS

 

THIS DEER FAMILY BLEW THROUGH A STOP SIGN IN MONTICELLO UTAH

And this in our Shout Box……‘With millenacom you get what you pay for. Their reception is usally terrible’.  Yes we do get what we pay for & in this case it is cheaper than Verizon & the reception is ‘exactly’ the same.  When we first bought our house we had Verizon & had reception problems right from the get-go.  When it boils right down to it our location is the biggest problem.  I remember Kelly on the phone with Verizon asking the same questions she had for Millenicom a few days ago.  Two different companies but the same problem…………………

 

“Hey the Canadians are back’ is what we heard from both Jerry & Judy as we walked into the Congress Depot this morning.  Nice folks in there & Judy make’s just the best Pizzas.  Owners Judy & Jerry are busy working on expansions to their business.  A busy place indeed.  We had dropped in to pick up some birdseed but they don’t carry it anymore.  We are off to Wickenburg first thing in the morning for groceries so will pick up some seed at TSC.  I’ll have the feeders loaded by late morning & hopefully our feathered friends will soon return for another winter season of fast flying photos.  Someone asked about photographing the night sky’s Milky Way.  Time lapse photography is something I have little experience with but nothing’s impossible I guess & the question did send me to my camera manual to check a few things out.  

PUT THE RIG’S AWNING DOWN THIS MORNING IN CASE IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN WET FROM OUR TRAVELS

Made it till noon before having to retreat inside out of the heat.  But not before trimming part of that Palo Verde tree touching our roof, more cleaning in the shed, & awning out on the rig in case it was wet from last week’s traveling rains.  It wasn’t.  We picked up our mail at the Congress Post Office & stopped at the B&B Congress garage.  Jeepers will have new headlights installed Friday & we have a twice recommended fellow coming out to the house next Tuesday to put a new windshield in little Jeepers.  Have also ordered caps for the broken fog lights.  We decided ‘not’ to put these repairs through insurance.  Things are much cheaper here in the States so we’ll just absorb the cost.  But I am definitely going to see if I can take that big single mud flap off the back of the rig.  I have a feeling it contributed to the damage somehow because we have been up & down gravel roads before while boondocking in our other RV’s & never had a scratch on either our Santa Fe or Jeep.  I think someone commented about seeing people on an Alaska trip taking those big wide mud guards off their vehicles for that very reason.  And yes it makes sense those guards would catch a lot of air & hamper fuel consumption as some have suggested.

HAPPY TO SEE MY PLANTED CACTI GROWING

 

VIEW OUT OUR KITCHEN WINDOW & THE VIEW OUT MY BEDROOM WINDOW FROM MY COMPUTER CHAIR…SAGUARO’S ARE FAINTLY VISIBLE IN THE FADING LIGHT

Things are moving right along.  It was just a short week ago today when we were feeling so blue. Kelly finished cleaning the rig’s interior so the Big EEE’s set for her next trip but we’ll have to wait for the temperatures to drop before that happens.  Our first venture will likely be to Phoenix for the inverter fix first.  After that we’ll be pulling some plans & destinations together for this winter’s boondocking adventures.  Some old familiar places plus some some new ones as well.

SUNSET TONIGHT AS SEEN FROM MY BATHROOM WINDOW

GROANER’S CORNER:((  The vet prescribed daily tablets for our geriatric cat and after several battles my husband devised a way to give her the medication. It involved wrapping the cat in a towel, trapping her between his knees, forcing her mouth open and then positioning the pill on the back of her tongue. He was proud of his resourcefulness until one hectic session when he lost control of both cat and medicine. The cat leaped out of his grasp & chased the pill which had rolled across the floor………grabbed it & ate it.

A BETTER DAY…THREE STEPS AHEAD & ONLY TWO STEPS BACK FOR A CHANGE

I HAD TRIMMED THAT PALO VERDE TREE ON LEFT AWAY FROM THE ROOF LAST WINTER & I’M AMAZED AT HOW FAST IT GREW BACK INTO THE ROOF AGAIN…MORE TRIMMING COMING UP…SKUNK HOLLOW IS AT THE FOOT OF THAT TREE

Tuesday was a lost day for us but with a good night’s sleep we were able to hit the deck running this morning.  With all the little set backs we’ve been having I knew we needed to somehow turn things around.  For me I knew I had to get a few accomplishments under my belt.  Passed on our morning walk & started right in with the Jeep.

OH-OH HERE COMES THE BOSS TO TELL ME TO GET OFF THE ROOF

Knowing by 9:30 it was going to be too hot for me I was outside at 6 with brush & hose in hand washing all the road grime off the Jeep in the cool pre-dawn Arizona air .  Cool works best for me.  Fortunately we had a high thin cloud cover today taking a bit of the heat bite out of the sun’s rays.  Lifted my Spirits to see the Jeep all clean again.  Not losing any precious momentum I fired up the rig & moved it to it’s RV spot at the south end of our house.  Sun was getting up but knew I could at least get the North & West sides of the Motorhome washed.  (Passenger side & front end)  That took me awhile but again my Spirits soared as I saw the nice shine re-appearing from under all that road grime.  Guess I have to eat my previous words saying I’m not into shiny vehicles anymore.  I sure was this morning:))

REAR HALF IS WASHED, FRONT HALF ISN’T

In the meantime Kelly was on the phone regarding our Internet problem.  When I moved the rig we noticed we had a weak internet signal with the antennae on the rig’s roof.  We have a metal roof on our house so figured why not put the small magnetic Wilson Sleek antennae on the roof.  I don’t do ladders & roofs anymore but it was the only way we were going to get the antennae up there.  Grabbed our stretchable aluminum ladder, shoved my ladder fear in my back pocket & up I went.  I have no fear of heights, only climbing back on a shaky ladder to climb down.  Set up the magnetic antennae, Kelly plugged the other end into our Wilson Sleek below & Walla we had a steady internet connection.  Not fast but good enough to work for us.  Took a few photos from the roof with my Canon ‘Point & Shoot’ while up there.  Kelly stood on the bottom wrung of the ladder to steady it & I successfully made the transition from roof to ladder & came down. 

THOUGHT MAYBE IF I HUNG ON TO THE POWER LINE POLE I COULD LOAD MYSELF UP WITH A FEW EXTRA JOLTS OF ENERGY…DIDN’T WORK & I HAD TO GO WITH WHAT I HAD

  

A FEW PHOTOS LOOKING SOUTH FROM ATOP OUR ROOF…FIRST TIME I’VE BEEN UP HERE

NICE THAT WE HAVE A CEMENT PAD IN OUR BACK YARD & IT’S EASY TO SEE WHY THE SONORAN DESERT IS REFERRED TO AS ‘THE GREEN DESERT’

Last winter we had a bit of electrical work done by a young fella Les (our gardening guy) had recommended.  We were pleased with Wendell’s work & fair price.  Kelly had called Wendell Tuesday night about our current electrical problem.  Wendell came over this morning.  Probably took him an hour to finally track down the source of our power outage Tuesday night.  A bare chewed wire in the attic touching a nail.  Wendell put in a new section of wire & we were good to go.

WENDELL REPAIRS SOME WIRING IN THE ATTIC ABOVE OUR DINING ROOM

In the meantime again Kelly had been on the phone with the makers of our rig’s Magnum inverter, MAGNUM ENERGY.  They needed some voltage information about the inverter & Wendell was able to test it & acquire that info which Kelly relayed back (via phone) to the tech in Phoenix.  They are pretty sure they know what the problem is.  Something to do with a FET board or control module inside the inverter.  Good news is we probably do not need a new converter, just a new board.  Magnum’s approved authorized service facility is DIVINE COACH CARE which is located in Phoenix just west of the Airport.  When we’re ready we will drive the rig there & have them fix that board.  Fellow on the phone said it was too bad we were not the original owners because it would have come  under warranty.  Looks like it will cost us in the neighborhood of either $400 for a FET problem or $250 for a control module problem.  That’s a big difference from the diagnosis & price we got from that Northway RV dealership place just west of Sturgis SD.  They said our inverter was toast & wanted $2,600 plus labor to fix it!! 

KELLY’S ON THE PHONE WITH THE MAGNUM TECH GUY IN PHOENIX RELAYING THE WATTAGE NUMBERS WENDELL HAD JUST CHECKED ON THE INVERTER OTHER SIDE OF THE BATTERIES

We’re in no big hurry to have the rig’s inverter problem fixed right now so will just spend the next month or so right here at home in Congress relaxing & enjoying our desert surroundings.  We’ll get the Congress garage to throw a couple new headlights in the Jeep & we’ll be ready to rumble.  Wendell gave us a recommendation for a place to get the Jeep’s windshield replaced as well.  And I’m thinking maybe I’ll just get a couple fog light covers for those broken bumper mounted fog lights.  I have never used those lights anyway.

FOR A FEW MINUTES THIS MORNING I WAS KING OF THE CASTLE

We wisely chose to coast through the afternoon.  Caught myself another episode of Corner Gas at 1 o’clock & what now makes it more interesting for me is seeing the actual set where we were one week ago today.  Our television satellite is Shaw so much of our programming is Canadian…My sore throat has cleared up & it did not turn into the expected usual full blown cold.  I think the reason I was so fatigued Tuesday was due to the fact my body was using up all my energy resources to fight off the cold.  And it worked.  And Kelly wasn’t coughing as much today either………Thanks to everyone for your concerns & ‘welcome backs’     :))

 

OUR FRONT YARD WITH THE WEAVER MOUNTAINS ON THE DISTANT HORIZON

GROANER’S CORNER:((   History Teacher: "Why was George Washington standing in the bow of the boat as the army crossed the Delaware?"
Student: "Because he knew if he sat down, he would have to row."

INTERNET PROBLEMS!!!!

PHEEBS CHECKS OUT THE BACK YARD

THIS IS TUESDAY’S POST…..We are having trouble with our Internet signal.  Tuesday it just went dead.  Kelly’s been on the phone with Millenicom & in desperation this morning I went against my better judgment, put a ladder up to our porch & climbed myself up onto the roof.  Put our Wilson Sleek antennae on a high point.  Kelly immediately got an internet signal.  Slow but we got it.   I’m typing this Wednesday morning & we have an electrician here right now troubleshooting why our electricity went off Tuesday night in our living & dining room.  These old Cowboy houses are notorious for their wiring.  And yes I will get that header picture changed shortly.  We have been soooooooo tired:((

It was somewhere well north of Flagstaff that I first noticed a slight tickle in my throat.  Knew right away what it was & this morning I woke up with a sore throat.  Kelly’s cold had made the leap.

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Not sure if it was the Roosters or the Owls that woke me up this morning but by 4:30 I was up & out the door with Pheebs.  Right away looked for the Constellation Orion Jean & there it was straight overhead & slightly to the South.  I slept in the house on my comfy Queen size bed & Kelly decided to sleep in the rig one final night.  Said she wanted to clean her room first.

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Noticed on my house walk around Monday night we again have a big hole under the foundation in the same place we had 3 Skunks when we arrived her last year.  I’ll set up the Critter Cam & see if we have an Elephant living under there.  I suspect Skunks

I’M GOING TO DIG DOWN A COUPLE FEET & PUT WIRE MESH IN ALONG THIS SECTION

Re-met some of the neighbors this morning on our walk.  Nice to walk out into the desert again & it was cool enough not to have to worry about Rattlesnakes.  Our neighbor around the block killed 2 of them near his house 3 weeks ago.  It’s still hot enough here for them to out in the middle of the day.  Our neighbor’s Shirley & Lou did a fine job in looking after our place.  Said despite an excessive amount of rain this past summer our house never sprang a single leak.  Thanks for that new roof on my bedroom Jean:))

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Kelly held up fairly well today but the congestion in her chest was really evident in her coughing.  She did not get a good night’s sleep so hopefully tonight sleeping in the house will go better.  If that congestion does not clear up she may be forced to see a Doctor. 

I’m afraid the long journey & Arizona’s heat combined to knock the stuffings out of me today (Tuesday).  Managed to clear a Pack Rat nest out of our shed, get a couple loads of laundry done & carry in all the food stuffs from the rig but that was it for this guy.  Energy drained away by mid morning & I spent most of the day in my recliner in front of a fan.  Don’t get me started on the word….HOT 

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Having a difficult time with our internet signal again this year.  We do have a signal but it is very weak & then it quit altogether Tuesday afternoon.  Signal has always been weak at our location in Congress but seems slower than ever.  We have our Millenicom device in a Wilson Sleek to boost the signal but it’s barely enough.  My Monday post took nearly an hour to publish.

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ED…..we plugged a small 400 Watt Inverter into our cigarette lighter to charge up our computers.  Would only work if the engine was running though.  I could have started the rig a couple night’s ago to publish my post but Kelly had gone to bed & I did not want to take a chance on waking her up by starting the engine.  And no we were not traveling with full dump tanks.  We had dumped the gray & black tanks in Sturgis a couple days previously (as mentioned) & we were traveling with about a quarter tank of fresh water.  This wasn’t our first time on the road you know.  Hope that clears up the confusion for you.  

OUR 75 WATT & 400 WATT DOUBLE PLUG INVERTER & MY SOUVENIR FROM CORNER GAS:))

We tried to gear ourselves down this morning.  No need to have the rig emptied & cleaned up the first day here.  We are both still tired from our 2 week not so swell trip down here.  Going to take a couple days for the dust to settle.  Did manage to get our satellite dish set up & were lucky enough to hit the bird with our first sweep.  I do the dish set-up & Kelly does all the programing set-up.  And I see I forgot to include a groaner in last night’s Groaner’s corner as well as altitude drop down the Yarnell Hill.  GAELYN thinks it’s about a 2,000 foot drop from the Colorado Plateau to the floor of the Sonoran Desert.

NEIGHBOR’S FLOWERS

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A retired man who volunteers to entertain patients in nursing homes and hospitals went to one local hospital in Brooklyn and took his portable keyboard along. He told some jokes and sang some funny songs at patients' bedsides.  When he finished he said, in farewell, "I hope you get better."  One elderly gentleman replied, "I hope you get better, too."