ICY WINDS & FREEZING TEMPS HELD US CAPTIVE ALL DAY:((

SUNRISE….ARIZONA STYLE

First thing I did when I got up this morning was to check the GRAND BEND WEB CAM back home.  I was really hoping I wouldn’t see any shadows!!  Had I seen the buildings or lamp posts casting any shadows I would have known for sure that 6 more weeks of winter were definitely in store for our Bayfield area.  And, what do I base that piece of absolute fact on??   Wiarton Willy of course!!   And who & what is a Wiarton Willy & what’s so big about seeing a shadow or not .  Wiarton Willy lives in Wiarton Ontario & is the chief Prognosticating Groundhog in that neck of the woods of Canada.  Every year on this day WW (not to be confused with WW WANDERING WILLY although I’m sure he would be quick to draw some comparisons) comes out of his burro to predict if we will have 6 more weeks of winter or not.   In the northern States you have ‘Punxsutawney Phil.’  Yaaaay Willy & Phil, Spring is on it’s way:))))))))

THOUSANDS OF HIGH FLYING SAND HILL CRANES

After receiving an email from fellow Canadian blog reader Robert (astronomer from the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria) this morning good naturedly wondering when we would be continuing our travels I was bolstered enough to cautiously broach the subject again that maybe it was time we resumed our winter trek westward.  After all, we have been in one spot now since about November 15th of last year.  Waaaaaay too long for the Bayfield Bunch to be in one spot for sure!!!!  Coincidentally, while checking a past blog, it was one year ago yesterday (Tuesday) that we rolled out of the Ranch near McNeil Arizona & headed west for Quartzsite.  That led to some new areas & a nice time boon docking in the Kofa Mountains south of the Q.  Anyway, are the winds of travel beginning to stir……well, your guess is as good as mine because Kelly’s response wasn’t exactly, “Yaaaay, let’s rumble!!”  Stay tuned & wish me some travel luck…………

(FILE PHOTO) THE STEERING WHEEL ON THIS JOHN DEERE TRACTOR IS THE SAME WHEEL WHICH APPEARED IN TUESDAYS BLOG…AND YES, THAT IS ARIZONA SNOW AT THE RANCH ALRIGHT!!

Elfrida’s weather station tells us it’s 12F this morning with lows tonight of 9F predicted.  When I stepped out of the rig this morning the icy winds quickly froze me to the spot.  Quick thinking Kelly hurriedly unthawed me with a hair dryer so I could quickly slip around the yard breaking frozen ice in all the water dishes we have out for the birds & little critters.  I really do think it’s about time we headed for warmer temps in southern California’s Borrego Springs …..don’t you:))

MEXICO  IS 28 MILES SOUTH OF US ON THE HORIZON

 

Two new Blog Followers today:))  Didn’t see a blogsite for Pidge 1991 but we have had another reader by the name of Pidge who used to leave us a comment from time to time.  Both these ladies husband’s name is Don & have been full timing since 2007.  Hmmm, sounds like this could be one & the same person except Pidge 1991 appears to be in Indianapolis right now while Pidge from THE FRUGAL TRAVELERS is in San Antonio, Texas.  Sure doesn’t take much to confuse me these days but thanks for your interest in the Bayfield Bunch Pidge1991/Pidge:))  And, while I am still in confusion mode, I say welcome to Follower R Vin, if indeed this fellow is a true Blog Follower.  A little hard to tell sometimes…..

Thanks to everyone for their comments in Tuesday’s blog & a special thanks to Bill from NE in initially kicking off the topic in my mind & then coming back with his thoughts in the comment section of Tuesday’s blog.  All good thoughts, feelings, suggestions & opinions from everyone & it leaves us all with, ‘food for thought.’   As I have previously stated, I am not politically minded so I won’t follow up on the topic with any more discussion.  I’m sure there are far more people knowledgeable about these things than I am.  Now, let me see….where can I find me a nice Saguaro sunrise to photograph:))

How often have we heard the phrase, ‘if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.’  And, so it was, a month ago when we stopped into a store just north of Naco.  Three big bags of wild Birdseed on sale for the amazingly low price of $10.  Well, Cheap-O me fell right into that one.  Without checking the ingredients we hauled our big bargooooon of the day home & I promptly filled up two bird feeders we have hanging in a pine tree.  Well, sure didn’t take long to drive away the multitude of birds we had attracted in the past couple months…..and attract a whole host of new visitors we had not anticipated.  Yep, we had a whole gang of little buzzers at the feeders.  Bees!!  Something about that Bird Seed attracted the bees!!  Luckily, I have mostly always got along well with bees over the years so was able to wade in amongst the buzzers & gently retrieve the feeders from the tree, carry them a short distance & empty the contents on the ground.  Didn’t take the little bugg…er, buzzers long to swarm all over the dumped birdseed.  Noticed later that the bag said Wild Bird Food & not Wild Bird Seed.  Hmmmmm!!  Say, would anyone in the area like a really super good deal on a couple bags of unopened……Bird Food!!  Might be good for your Apiaries you know:))

Turns out our entire day was spent inside out of the icy winds & only 30 something temperatures.  It was a typically cold Canadian winter day without the snow.  Fortunately the big warming Arizona sun beamed through our windows all day long keep us toasty warm.  Gonna be a bad one tonight so we’ll have to run the furnace to keep our pipes from freezing.  Do I still think the Southwest has the best overall winter temperatures of anywhere…..ya darn right I do:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Despite our icy cold temperatures right now the locals tell us it still gets pretty darn hot here in the summer.  How hot you ask….well, let me tell you!!

• The trees get so parched they whistle for the dogs.
• You have to chew the air properly before you can swallow it.
• You realize that asphalt has a liquid state.
• You eat hot chilies to cool your mouth off.
• Hot water comes out of both taps.
• And, your biggest motorcycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death?"

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The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
 
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