SUNRISE OVER THE SWISSHELM MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING….COMPLETE WITH A UFO
Nothing has changed with the growth on little Cora’s hindquarters so we decided this morning to take her to a different Vet for a second opinion. We had heard much ado about a clinic between Bisbee & Naco so Kelly phoned for an appointment & they said bring her on over.
THE LOCAL JAVELINA GANG FINALLY PAID US A VISIT TODAY
Loaded up the Motormouse & while Kelly was opening the gate Checkers came running up wanting to come along. Climbed out of the Jeep, cleaned everything out of the back, loaded up Checkers in & away we went out the Mesquite lined dusty lane. We could tell little Cora was happy to have her big buddy Checkers along.
ON THE WAY TO THE VET
Took us about 45 minutes to reach the Cochise Animal Hospital south of Bisbee. Nice clinic & we were very impressed with the staff & the Vet Doctor. Even little Motormouse did well despite all the probes & prods. The Vet even came away with both his arms still attached. He was very thorough & went into great detail with his logical approach to the growth he feels is a Cyst. In the end it was felt that the best thing to do is….nothing. He does not feel it is cancerous or any kind of a threat to Cora at the moment so we will just leave it for now & keep an eye on it for any change. She also got her nails clipped while there & all & all did very well despite being a bit scared when getting her nails clipped.
THE LITTLE MOTORMOUSE SURE WAS GLAD TO GET HOME FROM THE VET’S TODAY
On the way back we stopped at my favorite Safeway grocery store which just happened to be a couple short miles from the Vet clinic & right on our way. This may sound silly but I’ve always liked the way this store has their produce set out & lit with soft directional lighting. With photography as a hobby, I often notice light & color differently than a lot of other folks. Didn’t take Kelly long to have a heaping cart of groceries but when we returned to the Jeep we had a small problem. There isn’t a lot of room in the back of the Jeep & we already had a great big lovable Border Collie sitting in there. Checkers took it all in stride as we carefully surrounded her with bags & bags of groceries. Kelly did have to keep the raw meat stuff up in the front seat under lock & key though. Forty minutes later saw us back at the RV & all was well once more with the Bayfield Bunch.
We sure made a big miscalculation on our propane use. We normally never use the furnace in the rig because RV furnaces are notoriously inefficient & that is why we bought a Legacy Blue Flame heater 3 years ago. This recent spate of very cold weather caused us to run our furnace for a few nights to make sure our plumbing didn’t freeze up. When we casually checked our tank’s propane gauge Friday we were alarmed to find it nearly empty. The furnace had sucked up a lot of propane & the propane truck can’t make it out to us until sometime next week so we may be forced to drive the rig down to McNeal for a propane fill up. Don’t mind driving to get propane but I was hoping not to take the rig over these rough roads if we didn’t have to. Looks like we might be down to ‘have to’ now. We have already shut down the propane fed hot water tank & do not plan to do any cooking on the propane stove. Luckily we have hot water & cooking facilities in the house if push comes to shove.
Had another 3 Jeep trail ride set for Monday but that has been put off till later in the week & oh yes, on our way to the Vet’s today we had a phone call from the Propane truck driver up in Wilcox saying he would make a special trip down to Elfrida today & fill our propane tank if we wanted him to. Thought that was very decent of him but said we would probably be fine until Monday morning. That kind of thing would likely never happen in Ontario. Folks in these parts are definitely more friendlier & accommodating than what we are used to where life & attitudes are definitely more rigid. There is still some of that good old west neighbor helping neighbor feeling blowing around in the Arizona dust down this way:))
COWBOY ON A CELL PHONE IN DOWNTOWN ELFRIDA, AZ.
I always kinda like when coincidences happen & Friday night I walked into a good one. The Library called saying a book was in, we needed bananas & the local little Eatery in Elfrida (Roundup Café) was having their weekly Friday all you can eat fish fry. Three reasons to head into town, so off we went.
The book we picked up was one recommended to us by Eve at the GRAPEVINE CANYON RANCH called, ‘The Log Of An Arizona Trailblazer.’ The sparsely stocked Elfrida store hardly had enough change in the till for a $1.49 bunch of bananas & when we got to the Roundup Cafe there was a fellow sitting in the corner singing & picking a pretty good guitar.
I noticed this fellow as soon as we walked in & he had a kindly face. I sensed a genuine quiet friendliness about this man & that is rare for me to pick up in a lot of people. There was only one other person at a table nearby chowing down on some fish & chips. More were to come soon enough though.
The guitar picker played songs I recognized & belted out a few Hank Williams tunes. The lone eater finished up & left. The guitar player man sang on for a few minutes & then took a break. He nodded our way with the words, ‘I’ll be right back’ & then slipped out the front door. I could see him outside getting some things out of his car & moments later he came back through the door with 3 or 4 paperback books & some CD’s in his hand. As he glanced my way I could see the book covers had an orange color about them. My sometimes not so sharp brain did a split second instant recognition Google computer search of itself & popped these words out of me, “can I see that book.” As soon as he turned one of the books my way I knew exactly who I had just met.
Some of you may remember me blogging about a book I had finished last week & liked so much called, ‘Chasing Rainbows’ by W.D. “Arizona” Kennedy. Well, I was now talking to W.D. “Arizona” Kennedy his very self. What a coincidence to meet this man. I think it was the first time I have ever met someone who’s book I have read. I was quick to have Kelly take some pics of W.D. & me. This is a very humble & soft spoken man with a gentle nature. ED FREY had left me a copy of his cousin W.D’s book at the ranch last month & that is how I got to read it. I have to get Ed’s book back to him so I bought my own book & had W.D. sign if for me. Also got myself one of his CD’s. He usually sings & plays over in Tombstone & this was his first time playing in the little Elfrida eatery. I read in W.D.’s book where a friend of his & fellow band member many years ago was lead guitar player for Johnny Horton when Johnny Horton tragically died in a motor vehicle accident. Again I say, what a coincidence it was to meet this fine man, & I might add, what a pleasure it was too. And, what a life he has had. Keep on pickin my friend:))
Oh, & that UFO in the blogs first photo…..just a reflection of our interior kitchen light over the sink. But, I’m still keeping a watchful eye out for the real thing:))
GROANER’S CORNER:(( Mary Poppins was travelling home, but due to worsening weather she decided to stop at a hotel for the night. She approached the receptionist and asked for a room.
"Certainly madam," he replied courteously.
"Is the restaurant open still?" inquired Mary.
"Sorry, no," came the reply, "but room service is available all night.
Would you care to select something from this menu?"
Mary smiled and took the menu and perused it. "Hmm, I would like cauliflower cheese please," said Mary.
"Certainly, madam," he replied.
"And can I have breakfast in bed?" asked Mary politely.
The receptionist nodded and smiled.
"In that case, I would love a couple of poached eggs, please," Mary mused.
After confirming the order, Mary signed in and went up to her room for the night.
The night passed uneventfully and the next morning Mary came down early to check out. The same guy was still on the desk.
"Morning madam...sleep well?"
"Yes, thank you," Mary replied.
"Food to your liking?"
"Well, I have to say the cauliflower cheese was exceptional, I don't think I have had better. Shame about the eggs, though....they really weren't that nice at all," replied Mary truthfully.
"Oh...well, perhaps you could contribute these thoughts to our Guest Comments Book. We are always looking to improve our service and would value your opinion," said the receptionist.
"OK, I will...thanks!" replied Mary....who checked out, then scribbled a comment into the book. Waving, she left to continue her journey.
Curious, the receptionist picked up the book to see the comment Mary had written.
"Supercauliflowercheesebuteggswerequiteatrocious!"
