POINTING TO CONGRESS AZ ON AN AFTERNOON HIKE
Well it was my last day in the RV & after tonight’s sleep Pheebs & I will be moving back into the house. Peter & Leslie leave Saturday heading for Las Vegas to get themselves on a big shiny bird for their flight back to Buffalo where they will make their final 1 hour+ drive back home to Webster New York.
Have really enjoyed my 5 days & nights camped out in our driveway. A great opportunity to catch up on a lot of reading. Despite having a TV here in the rig the only time I turned it on was to watch President Obama’s State of the Union speech earlier in the week. Not being the least bit politically minded who would have ever thought I would have watched that……but I did.
IT IS A WILD & WOOLY COUNTRY OUT HERE IN THE SOUTHWEST
After Thursday’s cold windy day it was nice to step outside this morning & feel that warm sunny touch on my skin. Could immediately feel energizing rays coursing through my body pumping up my enthusiasm levels again.
DIDN’T TAKE PETER LONG TO GO FROM THIS……….TO THIS:))
Some may wonder at times when I occasionally write about enjoying my alone times such as my week in our RV or the many country road drives Pheebe & I take when we are back home in Bayfield. Some may wonder how Kelly feels about that. I can assure you we are on the same page in our thinking. It is not only an alone time for me but it is an alone time for Kelly as well. It agreeably works both ways. She too much appreciates her alone time & it is one of the reasons we were attracted to each other right from the beginning. We both sensed in each other our independent natures. We like our private space & appreciate the peace of mind it brings to each of us. We are not & have never been a couple who needs to be together 24/7. First couple years of our relationship was week-ends only. We lived in distant cities & never saw each other between Sundays & Saturdays. But we hung in there & really appreciated seeing each other when we did.
TODAY’S INTREPID HIKERS
I never feel lonely or alone unless I walk into a big crowd by myself. It’s rare anymore that I do that but if & when I do I am immediately aware of my feelings. Needless to say I avoid big crowds. Even for short periods between relationships or marriages years ago I do not remember feelings of loneliness but that’s not to say it couldn’t happen if I were to spend a long time by myself or suddenly find myself without a partner again. I sometimes wonder about fellow RV’ers traveling solo. They have by choice decided to travel on their own & I often wonder what their true thoughts are & how they really feel about that. Different for me & my enjoyable short periods of alone time because I always have a partner to come home to or a partner who is returning home soon. But what if I had no partner, how would I feel about that. It is a question I have no answer for. Would I like years ago seek out another partner for companionship or would I now at this latter age & stage of life finally just throw in the towel & go it alone? Not something I dwell on of course but the thought is always there just as I am sure it is with everyone else out here from time to time……………
A NICE SPLASH OF COLOR IN THE AFTERNOON DESERT
THE BEAUTIFUL SONORAN DESERT JUST GOES ON FOREVER
And an interesting excerpt (to me) from a book (Quiet) I am presently reading & I may add, enjoying. “Studies have shown that, indeed, introverts are more likely than extroverts to express intimate facts about themselves online that their family & friends would be surprised to read, they say that they can express the ‘real me’ online. They welcome the chance to communicate digitally. The same person who would never raise his/her hand in a lecture hall of two hundred people might blog to two thousand, or two million people without thinking twice. The same person who finds it difficult to introduce himself to strangers might establish a presence online.’ ……… ‘Aha’ I thought as I smilingly read this & thought, so that is my excuse is it:))
HEADING BACK TO THE JEEP
Kelly, Leslie & Peter headed off to Nichols West for lunch. Luckily I didn’t have to go. Not that the food isn’t good or anything it’s just that I’m not comfortable in certain kinds of environments & higher end restaurants is one of them. Maybe it’s because they won’t let me eat my soup with my fingers in there.
SAY CHEESE PLEASE
Two o’clock this afternoon saw us piling into Jeepers for a drive & short hike in the desert out behind our house. Same place Kelly & I were hiking one morning in March of 2013 when we came upon Two Dead Rattlesnakes. We had a high cloud cover move in this afternoon dropping our temperatures. Combined with a westerly wind we were all bundled up on the warm side. Leslie spotted a Saguaro with an odd top to it & I think this cactus may very well be in the early stages of morphing into a rare Crested Saguaro. We all agreed to come back in 50 years & see how it is progressing. We were back home before 4.
Right after a supper of Chicken Parmesan we hustled ourselves outside for a backyard campfire. First one this year actually. Night was cool so we had to dress warm. Had my fingers crossed a big red fire engine wouldn’t pull up in front of our house like it did a few months ago when I was burning some brush. Winds had died down so it wasn’t too bad out. Still had to dress warm against Arizona’s desert night air. Nice fire & nice coals. We all ended up smelling like Smokey The Bear:))
<<< AND A LAST MINUTE REMINDER TO EVERYONE
GROANER’S CORNER:(( A fourth grade teacher in Ventura County, California as a fun assignment, I gave her students the beginning of a list of famous sayings and asked them to provide original endings for each one. Here are some examples of what her students submitted.
The grass is always greener….. when you leave the sprinkler on.
A rolling stone….. plays the guitar.
The grass is always greener….. when you remember to water it.
A bird in the hand….. is a real mess.
No news is….. no newspaper.
It's better to light one candle….. than to waste electricity.
It's always darkest just before….. I open my eyes.
You have nothing to fear but….. homework.
If you can't stand the heat….. don't start the fireplace.
If you can't stand the heat….. go swimming.
Never put off 'til tomorrow what you….. should have done yesterday.
A penny saved is….. nothing in the real world.
The squeaking wheel….. gets annoying.
We have nothing to fear but….. our principal.
To err is human….. To eat a muskrat is not.
I think, therefore I….. get a headache.
Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry, and….. someone yells, "Shut up!"
Better to light a candle than to….. light an explosive.
It's always darkest before….. 9:30 p.m.
Early to bed and early to rise….. is first in the bathroom.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a….. blister.
There is nothing new….. under the bed.
The grass is always greener….. when you put manure on it.
Don't count your chickens….. it takes too long.