Friday, March 15/2013

Oh Dear, it is already 16 C this morning and it is only 8:00 o'clock!!  I think it is going to be another warm day.  I text Kimmy just to let her know as I know she is sitting in the cold, in another six inches of new snowfall and just hating it!!  Yes, I can be hateful at times!!  LOL.
Today, I believe we are supposed to be heading out to look at another camper.  I am not sure where this one is but the truck has air conditioning so I am good to go.
Ray and Kay invited us on a quad ride today but with John in "camper mode" we declined.  It will be a hot day to ride but given enough cool beverages, I am sure I could have handled it!!
We never did go see any truck campers today and I spent the warmest part of the day inside the bus working on an art project that must be done by the 1st of April.  I have a ways to go towards finishing it but, I will get the thing done.
We got a call from the repair shop and the jeep is fixed and ready for pickup so John and I headed into town.  We got the jeep then walked over to the Rancher Bar for a beverage.  We were able to sit outside under the umbrellas and it was actually quite pleasant.  We then headed towards home stopping at the Wickenburg Feed Company for yet another beverage!!
When we pulled into the park, we stopped at Mitch's to see what kind of progress him and his friend Roy were making on the roof. John climbed up on the roof and gave them a few suggestions and I continued to the bus to let Hogan out.
Ray and Kay had made it home and had a rattlesnake with them.  Of course the head had been chopped off it and buried in the desert but the body was brought home.  Because they did not know if the snake had "bit" itself (apparently that is something they do as a defence mechanism, thus rendering themselves inedible) so Kay decided that she would bring it home and teach me how to tan the hide and then pin it up on a board for display in the man cave.
The nerve ending on the body were still very active and the crazy thing was moving around and actually kept putting itself into a "strike" position.  Now, that was freaky!!  A headless rattlesnake ready to strike.  Wow...is that not what horror shows are made of?
John soon returned to the bus and he too looked at the snake.  He was not too interested in skinning the thing but I was game.  I donned on the rubber gloves and started.  I only screamed like a girl a few times when the damn thing kept wiggling out of my hands.  It was so freaky!!
Between Ray, Kay and myself, I got the thing skinned.  It was pretty awesome and once the skin is tanned, it will look great pinned to a board in the man cave.  All the rattles were not intact but I was able to save what was there.  They too, will look pretty good pinned to the board with the skin.
Tomorrow, I will go into the drug store and get some glycerin and some alcohol as this is what is needed for the "tanning" process.  In the mean time, the skin will sit in a ziploc bag in the fridge!!  I must be careful when I am looking in the fridge for a midnight snack tonight!!
Both Kay and Ray mentioned that the ride today was on some pretty awesome trails and both thought that we would have enjoyed it.  Too bad we hadn't gone but I am sure we will be on the trails again soon.
The campfire was started and we all sat around it for the rest of the evening.

Cotton Tail

Headless snake about to get skinned

Hogan checking him out

At one point, Kay had gone into their home and came back out with a "surprise" to show me.  Turbo, their cat had been into some mischief.  She had something clutched in her hands she wanted to show me.  Because she had it in her hands, I knew it wasn't venomous so that was a very good thing.  We walked into our trailer so that I could see whatever it was in the light.  As it turned out, it was a baby cottontail bunny that Turbo had caught!!  It was the cutest little thing.  Kay must have timed her discovery just as Turbo had hauled it into their house as the little thing was not hurt.  It lay rather contentedly in her hands as I took pictures of it with the camera.  Eventually she put it down on the counter and the little fluffy creature hopped around wondering just what kind of trouble it was in!!
Hogan was curious as to what we had and I managed to get a few pics of him sniffling at it while Kay held it.  It was so cute.  We then took it outside, showed John, then let it go,  hoping it would find its way back to his Mom and not end up as a midnight snack for one of the nighttime predators.
Eventually, it was time to call it a day and head into our beds.  It had been another good day with fun being had by all except for Mitch of course who spent the day working on his roof repairs!!