Monday, January, 9/2012

C'mon lets go for a walk!  This is his mean dog "OR ELSE"  pose!!

Sunset

Fire while we are BBQing

Moon coming up

Hogan was rather vocal about 3 o'clock this morning so I imagine there was some creatures out and about that were bothering him. I did get up to look but could not see anything of course despite the benefits of the full moon.  It really was quite bright out!!
This morning, the sun is shining, there is no wind and the birds are happily chirping at the feeder and seem to be enjoying their breakfast. Even the doves, who were not around yesterday, have returned today.  Life is good!!
Hogan and I took a hike up the hill and although I saw three big jack rabbits on the way up, Hogan did not so there was no frantic chase through the cholla  and I was spared the task of getting the thorns out of his paws.  We made it up the hill and back to the bus in good time and I realized just how out of shape I am so now we are going to have to do this daily until I start doing it without trying to cough up a lung!!
Back at the bus, John was up and ready for another ass kicking at Yahtzee - I am on a roll!!
Today I had the pleasure of crawling under the bus to measure for the length of the cable that is needed so that all the solar panels can finally be hooked up and used.  Yeah,  that is right - it is still not done.  This project is definitely on "John Time"!!!  The whole "under the bus thing" was really quite dirty and as a result, I had to throw out one of my tank tops as it was covered in something that looked like it wouldn't come out and I also managed to put a hole in it although I am not quite sure how I accomplished this!!  My hair was full of all sorts of debris and I required a shower just to get all the dirt off my face!!  This is sooo not girl work!!
The job was complete just in time for happy hour so we did have time to enjoy the sunset.  Keith and Charlotte had gone into town earlier and returned with a stack of pallets for the campfire.  We unloaded them and Keith said there were a few more so we returned to the spot for the rest of them.   We now have a few pallets to supplement the wood we find around here.
With a campfire blazing, John cooked our supper and we called it a night.  I was in bed early reading my book and John watched TV.  It was a good day - well except for the part of my having to throw away my tank top.  Looks like I will have to go shopping to replace it!!

Sunday, January 8/2012

It was windy throughout the night and continues this morning.  Although the sun is up, there is a bit of a chill in the air.  I do not think that I will be doing any of my craft painting outside today.
I was wondering yesterday, with our move, just how long it would take the little birds to find the feeder again and I really should not have worried.  They were as busy as ever at the feeder when I got up and I am now sitting here, enjoying my coffee and their entertaining ways.  I really must get the hummingbird feeder up as well.
I walked over to the old campsite and managed to get the strings of soft white lights off the mesquite tree with only a few battle wounds!!  I now have to decide which tree to put them on here at the new site.  I have a choice of three and luckily, they are Palo Verde trees and although armed, are a bit more friendly!!
I got the hummingbird feeder up again and it was only about 5 minutes before the little hummer was there and enjoying the syrup.  There are no bees around today and I suspect that it may be due to the wind.
It remained windy most of the day and it was quite a hardship to just relax and enjoy my book.
Oh, and by the way - I won BOTH games of Yahtzee today!!!

Saturday, January 7/2012

No clouds again today!!  Nothing but sunshine in the forecast - Woo Hoo!!  It is Ukrainian Christmas today so I really should have been making perigees and cabbage rolls for supper!!  Oh well, just going to have to settle for bbq steak and baked potato.  What an awful hardship[!!
We took the bus into town today to do the fuel, propane, water thing and got back to camp about and hour and a half later.  Then we proceeded to move to the new site.  Once we were levelled off, I raked a few rocks up and John started pounding in all the solar lights.  The bird feeder went up and the water dish.  I will make new hummingbird syrup tomorrow and then will hang that up as well.  I have to go get the lights off the mesquite tree tomorrow as well so I had better be prepared for a few scratches and a bit of cursing as this will be a bit of an adventure!!
With most of the camp set up, we retired in to the trailer and huddled around the "campfire in a can".  Keith and Charlotte wandered over and we chatted with them for a few hours until it was time to cook supper then head to bed.
All in all, it was a good day.

Friday, January 6/2012

Once again, Hogan and I are up early and it looks like it is going to be another wonderful day.  Not a cloud in the sky and the birds are busy at the feeder.
As the day warmed up, the honey bees once again came out in full force so I put the birdseed feeder away and got out the soapy water and started "war".  Eventually, I had to admit defeat although their numbers were less!!  I will put the feeder out again about 3:30 or so as the bees tend to be heading "home" by then.
I got some crafts out today and actually started to work on them.  It is about time I think!!  Dena at the Rancher Bar has only one hand held fan left so I found a couple of wooden ones at Michaels Craft Store and am now painting them so that the next time I go into town I can drop them off to her.  Then, when I am sitting having a cocktail and happen to experience a "moment", I will have a fan handy to cool down with!!
When I was at the birthday party yesterday, and had one of my infamous "moments", Tommy simply turned the big room fans on for me so that made my stay much more comfortable and I didn't care that everyone else had to put their sweaters on!!  Again, the beauty of Small Town Wickenburg!!
John scooted into Wickenburg today to pick up a few packages from the UPS store and when he got back, we wandered over to the new campsite (about 100 feet away) and started "landscaping" around the Saguaro cactus and the trees.  John had decided where to park the bus so that he gets optimal sunshine on the solar panels.
Happy Hour arrived before he got too crazy with the landscaping (thank you Lord) and we sat and watched the sun go down then headed in to the bus.  It still cools off a lot when there is no sunshine so unless you are sitting around a campfire, or in your sweats and a sweater, it is too chilly to just sit outside.  BBq pork chops for supper - Mmmmm - then we spent the evening watching TV and reading.  Oh yea - and getting my arse kicked in another game of yahtzee!!

Thursday, January 5/2012

I am up early again this morning and have decided that I am going into town to get all my running done and while I am there, will stop and throw a load of laundry in as well.  Hogan and I traveled in and got the clothes going, then had 35 minutes to shop before the cycle was done!!
I had asked the woman who works at the laundromat if there was an optometrist in town and she said yes so I got the address and planned on stopping there before heading back to the bus.
Hogan and I managed to get all our shopping done and got my glasses straightened while the clothes were being done except for the grocery shopping which we did after.  We were back at the bus before noon and since the birthday party was to be starting at three, we had plenty of time to get ready.
Showered and stinking "pretty" and headed into town.  We met the group at the Bar Seven and enjoyed the  fun.  We celebrated two birthdays in one!!  Brenda's daughter turned 29 and Jana turned 50!!  Brenda had organized the whole affair and certainly did a good job and the cake was awesome!!  We met her family and found out that Brenda had got permanent custody of two of her grandchildren, James, age four and Javen, age  six in November.  One of her daughters was having some major issues and simply was no longer able to care for  her children so, what is a grandmother to do but step up and do what needs to be done.  She is one of so many grandparent to take on this challenge.  Her daughter Terry (who also lives here in Wickenburg) is a great help to her as well so that will make things a bit easier for her.  As I watched those two little munchkins, I could not help but feel how terribly lucky they were to be able to have a soft place to fall when their little lives had been in such turmoil and danger.
The kids eventually had to go home and the adults continued with the celebration.  It was shuffleboard tournament night at the bar and that is always entertaining to say the least.  This small town atmosphere is really quite incredible to see.  Bobby had made this wonderful looking cheese and fruit tray using wine glasses as part of the decoration and went from table to table showing it off.  Of course with everyone knowing  each other,  the compliments and the birthday salutations were flowing through the air!!  The birthday cake was cut and put on the bar for everyone to enjoy and it wasn't too long before it was darn near gone.  Even some of the patrons who simply stopped by for supper and did not even know the birthday girl, enjoyed the cake.  This really was the epitome of "small town atmosphere"!!
As the evening wound down and the bar headed towards closing, Jana, who seems to have enjoyed her day, caught a ride home with Tammy (one of the servers at the restaurant) and John and I headed back to the bus.  It was a lot of fun and I truly enjoyed the evening.
Hogan was glad that we were home (it was 10:00 o'clock) and danced around as if we had been gone for days.
A quick game of Yahtzee then off to bed.  Who knows what is on the agenda for tomorrow!!

Wednesday, January 4/2012

These are my little birds - the ones that provide us with hours of entertainment

Looks like it is going to be a much nicer day today than yesterday.  There is not a cloud in the sky and already it is warm.  Darn - going to have to work on this sun tan again!!
I am supposed to go into town today and see if there is an optometrist around who just may be able to straighten my glasses (I am still mad about that!!)  I don't have much ambition today and just may not do anything!!
I made a macaroni salad for supper cause it truly looks like it is going to be too hot to cook.   We have one more package of deer sausage from home so will have that and salad.  Sounds good to me.
I truly was hot today, too hot to do anything but sit and relax and just enjoy life (if one calls getting one's ass kicked in yahtzee enjoyment!1).
Charlotte wandered over for a visit and she now has a wrist splint on her left arm.  Her and Keith went into town yesterday to the drug store to pick one up as the tensor was just not working all that well and she is getting more support from the splint and is able to use her hand a bit more.  Still hurts like crazy though!!
With all this hot weather, the bees have come out and are quite a nuisance around the feeders.  I have waged war with them with a spray bottle full of soapy water!!  It is me against a million and I don't think I am making a dent in their population however I am sure I have dampened the spirits of several of these pesky little creatures (not to mention their wings!!).  Maybe communication will get back to the hive to stay away from that psycho Canadian with the spray bottle!!
Happy Hour arrived and John and I sat with a view of the bird feeder and had our evening entertainment.  "The Bully" was back at the feeder and he was once again chasing the rest of the little finches away and starting fights.  We giggled and watched as he was soon out numbered and decided to "play nice".  John thinks that we are just a couple of "old farts" with no life since we get such a kick out of watching the birds!!  We set up the chairs so we had a good view, cracked a beer and commenced to watching!!
Eventually, with the sun going down and it getting chilly, we headed into the bus and caught up on some TV and ate supper.
We are headed into town tomorrow to attend Jana's (one of our Arizona friends) birthday party and were going to take the bus in and get all the tanks emptied but have decided to postpone that for another few days.  John is thinking of moving to a different spot - still here in this area but to a different spot.  Maybe we are running from the bees!!
Off to bed and sweet dreams.

Tuesday, January 3/2012

There are a few clouds in the sky this morning and although he sun is shining, I do not think it will be a warm today as it has been the last few days.  That of course its not a bad thing.  It will be good to get a bit of a reprieve from the hot sun.
My forehead is definitely sore but I am quite convinced that I will live!!  My glasses, well not too sure about those but I am so glad that I have my old pair along with me.
Charlotte just wandered over with her sore thumb and wrist and although it is swollen and painful, she can still move her thumb and her wrist so I think it is mostly soft tissue injury.  I put a tensor on it and hopefully that makes it feel a bit better.  God, the two of us are like the walking wounded but we did have a good time yesterday and hopefully we can return to Box Canyon and just spend the day there enjoying the scenery.
I did not feel too terribly ambitious and did not feel like going into town to find an optometrist so decided to just relax and enjoy the day.  I spent it reading and then went outside to start mucking with the cholla that Keith and I had gathered a few days ago.  I started to sand some of it and clean the dead stuff out of the inside and think that it will actually work out well for what I have planned although the plans are in the very early stages and most definitely subject to change!! John had his pistola out target shooting and I must say he is getting pretty good at it! Those beer cans don't stand a chance!
We spent the evening watching Canada get their asses kicked by the Russians in the Junior Hockey game and although Canada finally got their act together in the third period, it was too little, too late and they ended up loosing to Russia by one goal.  Looks like they will have to settle for the Bronze medal (if they win their last game).
It was early to bed for me - I just may get into Wickenburg tomorrow but then again, maybe not!!