Daily Life

On Wednesday we took the motorhome in for refrigerator repairs. The part they needed was in stock and it was covered by our warranty. While the RV was in the shop we drove over to the RV park we will be calling "home" for the next 6 months and selected our space. The choices were few but we are pleased with our selection.



Scott starts to work on the 4 of August and it will be a 30 minute drive for him. He will be staying with us until October. Mom and I are planning a car trip in September and it will be nice having him stay in the motorhome while we are gone.



Today was spent running around trying to get things done before moving to Marana on Friday. Grocery shopping, laundry, minor car repairs all needed to be done before the move. I plan to spend part of my weekend getting organized. We are accumulating again and we need to do a little purging. Our biggest vice is books. While at Double Adobe mom and I decided to unload a couple bags of books. Just donate them to the library and not take anymore. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. We walked out of there with two bags of new books. We just can't say no to a good book!



Thanks Hannah for the kind words and inspiration. You are indeed a rare jewel.



Deanie thanks for the warning about bears.  Click on photo to enlarge it.

Location:  Tucson Arizona

Hello Tucson

We have left Double Adobe RV Park today.  We have a problem with the fridge and had to take the RV into Tucson for a little work.   Double Adobe was a wonderful place to stay.  Granted there was no TV unless you were fluent in Spanish but there were lots of DVDs to watch.  The scenery was spectacular and the people friendly.  We still plan to move on to our winter home Friday unless they need parts.  :-)

Another Rainy Day

Today was rainy and so we did what normal folks do on a rainy day..... we took a drive a up a mountain. I tried to explain to my children that mommy doesn't have life insurance. Actually it was a beautiful drive and I enjoyed it. It was made enjoyable by guard rails.

Took pictures and they are posted.

Hannah - you are not the only one in this mixed up family that likes to climb trees.
Plus.... Scott takes after his mama in dancing with tarantulas. Of course he had a Margarita prior.

Click Here For Pictures!

How To View My Pictures

There are several ways to view my pictures, one way is a slide show. Just click on "slide show." The other way is clicking on the word "index" below the title - doing this will allow you to view them individually. Also if you use my photos, please let know. Located in the "index section" is another label "Info." Clicking on that will give you more information about the pictures taken such as stories, who took the picture, what the picture is (sometimes I am not sure myself) and other stuff.

Location: Chiricahua National Monument, Texas Canyon, Rigg Family Cemetery, and the drive.

Fly In The Car

I'm Henry the 8th I am,

Henry the 8th I am, I am,

The reason why I am Henry the 8th (yes I am) is Henry 1, Henry 2, Henry 3, Henry 4, Henry 5, 6, and 7 weren't as fast as I, I Henry the 8th I am.

I'm her 8th fly I Henry,

Henry the 8th I am.

Epilogue: Henry was a tad bit over confident and quickly met his demise. We are currently Henryless.

Pictures

I am scared of heights. I know that sounds a little strange coming from someone who enjoys climbing. Yet it is true. I even have moments when I am climbing that I stop and think to myself "don't look down, OH GOD don't look up."

The other day we took off for Coronado State Park in Sierra Vista. They have hiking trails and picnic areas, beautiful views but Scott wanted to see what lies ahead. So we drove up to Montezuma Pass, elevation 6575. The road leading to Montezuma was gravel, narrow, curvy, and no guard rails. It was, in fact, my worse nightmare.

When I am in this kind of situation I immediately assume "scared to death position." I am sitting slightly sideways, my head is tilted and I am staring straight ahead. I just don't move from this position with the exception of my foot. My foot is constantly pressing down on my imaginary brake. It doesn't help if the view is so spectacular that my driving partner says "Oh my god" several times. Sometimes I will steal a sideways glance but then my eyes quickly go back to staring straight ahead. I figure every trip I make up and down a mountain I lose at least one year of my life.

Now there is another position I rarely take. My daughter witnessed it for the first time about a year ago. It is called "fetal position." Robert decided to take a mountain drive in the snow. I just layed down and cried. Everyone was scared of that drive.

I am sure there are some that wonders why I put myself through this.

Yes it is worth the drive.

Click Here To See More Of Bisbee!

You can never see Bisbee in just one day. Everytime I go there I see different things. These are new pictures.

Click Here For Drive Pictures!

My intentions of exploring went awry so Scott and I took a drive instead.

Click Here For Hiking Pictures!

We went hiking a various places. In one of the photos you will see an emergency vehicle. We wanted to hike to the waterfalls but someone fell off of the falls and required a lot of assistance in getting off.

Look Hannah It Is Getting Shorter and Shorter

Location: McNeal Arizona

Musical Beds

The first night of Scott's arrival, he slept on the couch. Mom slept in her room, and I nestled down in the bottom bunk.

The second night, mom and I spent part of the evening watching a movie in her room, while Scott spent his evening in the living room watching his movie. Unfortunately for him, our movie ended before his and of course we had to go and see what his movie was all about. So Scott couldn't go to sleep.

The third night, Scott packed up his computer and moved into mom's room. She has the only room with a door! Mom moved to the bunk bed and I went on the couch. The couch does fold down and makes into a bed but I prefer to keep it as a couch, much more comfy in my opinion. Truth be told, I would rather have either the couch or my bunk.

The three of us fixed dinner the other night. Mom had the stove area for her Spanish Rice, Scott took over the other side to cook hamburgers, and since the table was already set I sat on the couch and prepared the salad.

We are settling in quite nicely.

The weather has been haphazard, to say the least. We managed to explore Bisbee the other day and no matter how many times we drive into Bisbee we all always find something new. What is great fun is to take one camera and pass it around. You end up with a wonderful combination of pictures.

Yesterday our goal was to head to Patagonia but we ended up in Tombstone because of the rain. It started sprinkling by the time we got to Sierra Vista so we decided to go to Fairbanks and do some hiking. By the time we got to Fairbanks the heavens opened up! So we decided to head into Tombstone and wait out the rain.

Off on another adventure.

Ah Coffee

Wiley Coyote

The coyote is a member of the dog family. Coyotes can breed with both domestic dogs and wolves. A dog-coyote mix is called a "coydog."



Coyotes found in low deserts and valleys weigh about 20 pounds, less than half of their mountain kin, who can weigh up to 50 pounds.



Desert Coyotes are light gray or tan with a black tip on the tail. Coyotes of high elevations have fur that is darker, thicker and longer; the under parts are nearly white, with some specimens having a white tip on the tail. In winter the coats of mountain coyotes become long and silky, and trappers hunt them for their fur.



The coyote's tail is used in threat displays. It becomes bushy and is held horizontally when the Coyote displays aggression.



The coyote's hearing is very acute and is used for detecting prey and avoiding danger. Movement and position of the ears are used to communicate mood and rank.



The coyote is found throughout North America from eastern Alaska to New England and south through Mexico to Panama.



The coyote's sense of smell is highly developed and is used to detect prey and carrion. It is also used to detect the scent left by other coyotes as territorial markers.



The coyote is digitigrade meaning it walks with only its toes touching the ground.



The coyote can run at almost 40 mph and can get over a 8' fence.



Communication



Howling - communication with others in the area. Also, an announcement that “I am here and this is my area. Other males are invited to stay away but females are welcome to follow the sound of my voice. Please answer and let me know where you are so we don't have any unwanted conflicts.”



Yelping - a celebration or criticism within a small group of coyotes. Often heard during play among pups or young animals.



Bark - The scientific name for coyotes means "Barking dog," Canis latrans. The bark is thought to be a threat display when a coyote is protecting a den or a kill.



Huffing - is usually used for calling pups without making a great deal of noise.



According to Shoshone Folk Lore the reason Coyotes howl is long ago, Coyote had many magical powers. He became so proud that he wanted to makes friends with the loftiest of beings. One night he called to the brightest star, "take me with you into the sky world!" Bright Star laughed, then leaned close so Coyote could grab on to one of her points. "I will take you to meet Moon." At first Coyote whispered "oohs" and "aahs" as they glided upward, but when they approached Moon, he became so cold that he called to Star to stop. "Everyone knows that Moon is made of ice. Of course it's cold," she answered. Coyote's paws were freezing. He could hold on no longer. So he fell down through the night sky, until he landed with a thump back on earth. When he woke up, his family was around him. "I feel strange," he murmured. Then much louder, "I have no more magic!" He began to cry and yip and howl, and the other coyotes wailed along with him. When that full ice moon is in the sky, they still howl their sadness at Coyote's loss.

Scott Has Arrived

He came in at 9:30 - his car is loaded! All is well.

Location: McNeal Arizona

Another Stupid Moment

Beta Blogger has so much going on right now but one of the features I discovered was the import/export function. Prior to moving to the blog I have now I made a back up of my old blog. I saved all 600+ entries and put it on disk and I also left it on my hard drive. Then I carefully went through all of my entries located in my old blog. I deleted YouTube videos, memes, and junk. Then I started the labeling process. It was a little time consuming to say the least because one thing Blogger hasn't done (or I haven't found it yet) is to make deletion of blog entries easier. It had to be done one at a time. I am an insomniac and sometimes repetitious boring work can put me to sleep. It was beneficial in an odd sort of way.

I also had over half of my entries labeled but the other have half had to be labeled. Which I did. I whittled my old blog entries to a little over 300 entries - all labeled and all ready to go.

Then I created a new blog with a new URL and I went through the process of moving my old blog to my new one. Nothing goes to plan and I received an error message. So I contacted blogger and found out there is a file size limit due to a glitch in the system.

So every other day I tried to move the old corrected blog and every other day it failed. Last night I decided to try it again and I selected the wrong file. Why didn't I put the file with all the entries and no corrections in a separate file? Why?

whywhywhywhywhyWHY.......

Last night Blogger fixed the glitch and last night all of my old blog was moved over - all 600+ entries with no corrections. The list of all of my old entries with labels is on my new blog, it isn't complete. That I will work on when I can't sleep.

If anyone gets a wild hair to do this, I have this warning for you. All of the comments on all of your old blog entries will move to. Then you have to republish your entries - which isn't hard. That means that you will be notified by email of all comments. Oh yeah. At least I have that set up correctly and I all I had to do was hit delete but it was the most emails I have ever received in my lifetime.

Location: McNeal

Dancing With A Tarantula

One of many things I enjoyed while in Guatemala was tarantula hunting, everybody that reads this blog is aware that I have my eccentricities. The tarantula that I am used to are big and black. One of the most beautiful arachnids in my opinion.



While taking my evening stroll this evening I came upon an Arizona Blond Tarantula. Not as big or as beautiful as the ones in Guatemala. I decided to interrupt his nightly stroll and get a picture of him. I stepped forward, he stopped, I aim my camera and the darn thing charged me. The ones I have dealt with in the past were not as aggressive as this one.



Soon the dance began. I jump back laughing as he would charge forward. I would walk around and he would follow. I attempted a picture, he would charge, and I would jump back. Okay I was laughing hysterically because I have never encountered anything like this. I managed to get behind him and didn't move, not even a chortle, and he calmed down. He assumed a position and froze. He was guarding his turf, which in my opinion covered at least a 1000 miles radius. I watched him and waited for his rear end to go down. I figured when the butt went down he was calmer. Then I lowered my camera, ground level and as he was whipping around, I snapped. Then I jumped back laughing. I managed to fire off a couple of ground shots, then I just photographed him from above. I would have been a little more assertive but I was wearing flip flops. My ten exposed little piggies was not going to be roast beef to an enraged tarantula.

The worse part of this "dance" was I was entertaining two gentlemen without being aware of it. I gave them something to think about. I didn't acknowledge them, I just walked off, carefully. I didn't want to step on the tarantula. When I left him, his butt was down and was back to guarding his kingdom.

Arizona Blond Tarantula

Tarantulas spend most of their time underground in burrows (a tarantula burrow can be identified as a 1-2 inch hole covered with some fine strands of silk). In the winter they plug the opening with rocks and silk and remain in a relatively inactive state, living off their body reserves. Except in the mating season, tarantulas remain close to their burrows, and prefer to hunt at night. To eat, they grab and inject their prey with venom which paralyzes them and begins the process of digestion.

Tarantulas are not dangerous to humans, though they can deliver a painful bite if provoked. In addition to venom, tarantulas are equipped with barbed hairs on the top of their abdomen. When threatened, it can brush these hairs onto it's attacker. These hairs are irritating, and because of the barbs, are difficult to remove.

The spiders typically mature around 10-12 years of age and can live up to 20 years. Once mature, a male will leave his burrow in search of a mate (the tarantulas you see on the roads in Arizona are usually males cruising for females). Upon finding the burrow of a female spider, the male will announce himself by tapping and plucking the silk at the entrance. After mating, the male beats a hasty retreat lest the female kill and eat him, though even if successful, he usually does not survive much longer.

And no, I don't think this is the varmit that bit my mama!

Click Here For More Pictures



Location:  McNeal Arizona

Romance Sonambulo - For You Mom

Green, how I want you green.

Green wind. Green branches.

The ship out on the sea

and the horse on the mountain.

With the shade around her waist

she dreams on her balcony,

green flesh, her hair green,

with eyes of cold silver.

Green, how I want you green.

Under the gypsy moon,

all things are watching her

and she cannot see them.

Green, how I want you green.

Big hoarfrost stars

come with the fish of shadow

that opens the road of dawn.

The fig tree rubs its wind

with the sandpaper of its branches,

and the forest, cunning cat,

bristles its brittle fibers.

But who will come? And from where?

She is still on her balcony

green flesh, her hair green,

dreaming in the bitter sea.

--My friend, I want to trade

my horse for her house,
my saddle for her mirror,

my knife for her blanket.

My friend, I come bleeding

from the gates of Cabra.

--If it were possible, my boy,

I'd help you fix that trade.

But now I am not I,

nor is my house now my house.

--My friend, I want to die

decently in my bed.

Of iron, if that's possible,

with blankets of fine chambray.

Don't you see the wound I have

from my chest up to my throat?

--Your white shirt has grown

thirsy dark brown roses.

Your blood oozes and flees a

round the corners of your sash.

But now I am not I,

nor is my house now my house.

--Let me climb up, at least,

up to the high balconies;

Let me climb up! Let me,

up to the green balconies.

Railings of the moon

through which the water rumbles.

Now the two friends climb up,

up to the high balconies.

Leaving a trail of blood.

Leaving a trail of teardrops.

Tin bell vines

were trembling on the roofs.

A thousand crystal tambourines

struck at the dawn light.

Green, how I want you green,

green wind, green branches.

The two friends climbed up.

The stiff wind left

in their mouths, a strange taste

of bile, of mint, and of basil

My friend, where is she--tell me--

where is your bitter girl?

How many times she waited for you!

How many times would she wait for you,

cool face, black hair,

on this green balcony!

Over the mouth of the cistern

the gypsy girl was swinging,

green flesh, her hair green,

with eyes of cold silver.

An icicle of moon

holds her up above the water.

The night became intimate

like a little plaza.

Drunken "Guardias Civiles"

were pounding on the door.

Green, how I want you green.

Green wind. Green branches.

The ship out on the sea.

And the horse on the mountain

Mural located on the side of a business (hotel) in Bisbee Arizona

Location: Bisbee AZ

My Dream Home

This sweet thing is built on a Ford F-550 cab chassis - commercial duty, diesel powered, 4x4 truck. 6.4 liter power stroke diesel engine with 350 hp and 650 ft pounds of torque. Be still my beating heart.



You don't need a road, you can make your own. It might be smaller than what I have now but I would give up everything - except camera, laptop, and photo albums, to call this one home.



I sound like Tim the Toolman when I read the specs. It is totally self contained so I can just park it and live. I can go places wherre noone will find me. If I want to hang out at a RV resort I can go there. I can see mom and me cruising in this bad boy. She will be hanging on for dear life with her mouth open in a silent scream. The problem with owning one is I will eventually have to push it to it's limits and that always gets me in trouble.



But one can always dream, can't they?

EarthRoamer  Clicking on EarthRoamer will open a new window and cause excessive drooling and longing.

A Varmit Bit My Mama

One of the things that has plagued my mother is a nasty bug bite on her chin. It appears the bug started nibbling in her hair and went on down her face until he found the juiciest part of her face. It started out with a bump then it turned black and then the other day... well it is sometimes best not to go into details. Lets just say it looks like an open wound, a nasty drippy open wound. The two bumps above it had disappeared and the bite on her head isn't as nasty as the one on her chin.

Today we went to an Urgent Care Clinic in Sierra Vista.

When the doctor came in, I am sorry, but he reminded me of the Tim Conway character - the old doctor. I almost started laughing but I bit my lip. He shuffled in like Tim Conway and he was beyond retirement age. Honestly, to me that is the best doctor to have. He was very thorough.

Mom said she was there for a bug bite - he said "A bug bite!' He looks at her chin and he motioned for me to come over and take a look. Truthfully I had just eaten and that was the last thing I wanted to look at but being the dutiful daughter I am I stood beside him and look deeply into my mother's chin.

That is love folks. Pure love.

He said "that ain't a bug bite. Some varmit bit her."

I am not sure what a Arizona varmit is, so I googled it. A varmit is an animal considered a pest; specifically : one classed as vermin and unprotected by game law or it could be a contemptible person. My favorite definition comes from the Urban Dictionary: an awnry/ornery, pesky/pesty, grouchy, cantankerous, belligerent, tetchy, argumentative, crabby, unreasonable, or bad tempered HUMAN BEING OR CREATURE.

Mom, I don't know what is crawling in bed with you at night and nibbling on your chin but my advice is sleep on the couch!

Other than that - she is healthy as a horse. A strong antibiotic cream is all that is needed.

Location:  Sierra Vista and McNeal Arizona

"There Is A Hole In The Floor"

Hole In The Floor

We have a Winnebago Motorhome. Not a Prevost or a Beaver but a simple home on wheels. It is because of this we have some little quirks, like the hole in the floor. In the bathroom cabinet, where the pipes lead in or out, is a hole. Big enough to let critters in because we all know once a critter is in, it doesn't want to go out the same way.

I also have a toilet that isn't top of the line either. Even though I don't get a lot of comments I do have readers and lurkers so I won't post photos of the inside of my toilet but to thoroughly clean it I have to have a long brush and rubber gloves that go up to the elbow. It is a vile job.

I also have a ball of yarn and a large paperclip. I bet you all are thinking where is she going with this? or I bet she was a Boy Scout at one time.

I have a hole in the floor, a vile toilet job, a ball of yarn and a large paperclip. First I tied the clip to the yarn and dangled it down the hole. Once I located the location of the hole I tied my hose to the yarn, then I went into the house and gently pulled my hose threw the hole in the bathroom floor. Then I attached a sprayer onto the hose and viola - the nasty, VILE toilet job is done and I was able to add a little water to the tank as well. I love mornings like this when something actually goes right.
Location:  McNeal Arizona

If You Were

1.) If you were a piece of fruit, what kind would you chose to be and why?

I would be a watermelon, the the fruit of summer, the sweet sticky juice running down my arms and the smile it brings from the first bite to the last. Just the taste of watermelon brings back memories of screaming happy children, fireworks, picnics, seed fights, and laughter. If I had to eat watermelon in the winter the taste of it would not be as sweet.

One of my favorite books is "Watermelon Sugar" by Richard Brautigan. "In watermelon sugar the deeds were done and done again as my life is done in watermelon sugar.

2.) If you were an animal (other then a human) what animal would you be and why?

What fun it would be to be a bird. The ability to see mother earth in two different ways. I would a be migratory bird.

3.) If you were a writer, who and why?

It would be a toss up between Brautigan and Andreas. I love the abstract.

4.) If you were a painter, who and why?

An any abstract artist influenced by landscape and there are several. With an abstract painting I can draw my own conclusions.

5.) If you could live over again, would you?

I have lived my life over. As a different person, a different sex, a different life story. I believe you are drawn to the place of your birth and the place of your death. Some call it deja vu and laugh it off but there is a reason for this feeling. What place are you drawn to? Have you ever listen to your child or children play? Before they are contaminated.   Where do they get their information? Yes, I believe I have lived before. Yes I know I have lived before.

The question I will answer is "will I live this life over again?" The answer would be no. Upon my death I will not leave the people I love behind they will be with me again. This life that I am living is just another lesson and in order for me to continue the cycle I need to learn from it. If I am to live this life over then my lesson has not been learned. As much as I have enjoyed this life, this ride that  I am on, I would not want to repeat it. I am ready to move on and I am curious to see what God has in store for me.

I would love for my daughter, Hannah to do this meme.

Location:  McNeal Arizona

Love You Forever

When my son, James aka Rusty, graduated from the Naval Academy I sent him what I thought was a wonderful book - "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch. It was a children's book with illustrations for children but the message was wonderful. James aka Rusty was my first born, I raised him by myself for the few years of his life. He didn't quite get the message. I still love the book and the message.

A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she held him, she sang:

I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be.

The baby grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was two years old, and he ran all around the house. He pulled all the books off the shelves. He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and he took his mother's watch and flushed it down the toilet. Sometimes his mother would say, "This kid is driving me CRAZY!"

But at night time, when that two-year-old was quiet, she opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of his bed; and if he was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be.

The little boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. he grew until he was nine years old. And he never wanted to come in for dinner, he never wanted to take a bath, and when grandma visited he always said bad words. Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo!

But at night time, when he was asleep, the mother quietly opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep, she picked up that nine-year-old boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be.

The boy grew. he grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a teenager. He had strange friends and he wore strange clothes and he listened to strange music. Sometimes the mother felt like she was in a zoo!

But at night time, when that teenager was asleep, the mother opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep she picked up that great big boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be.

That teenager grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a grown-up man. He left home and got a house across town.

But sometimes on dark nights the mother got into her car and drove across town. If all the lights in her son's house were out, she opened his bedroom window, crawled across the floor, and looked up over the side of his bed. If that great big man was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be.

Well, that mother, she got older. She got older and older and older. One day she called up her son and said, "You better come see because I'm very old and sick." So her son came to see her. When he came in the door she tried to sing the song. She sang:

I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always....

But she couldn't finish because she was too old and sick.

The son went to his mother. He picked her up and rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And he sang this song:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
My Mommy you'll be.

When the son came home that night, he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs. Then he went into the room where his very new baby daughter was sleeping.

He picked her up in his arms and very slowly rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while he rocked her he sang:

I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be.

by Robert Munsch

Big Red and Tooth

When I saw this picture of Big Red, I thought of something my father would say.....

"Kiss Me Baby, Nothing Makes Me Sick."



And Now For The Rest Of The Story



Tuesday, last week, mom's bottom left tooth started bothering her and the next day I called the dentist. With it being a holiday weekend I couldn't get her in until today.



Finding a dentist in a town that you are not familiar with is difficult and I usually start the search with the internet. I look for someone who looks like they would have a sense of humor - anyone can look like a dentist but not everyone has a sense of humor.



By Thursday morning she was in a lot of pain and I noticed two small bites below her tooth. On the outside, not the inside.



By the time the weekend got here, she was very quiet and swollen. Which is not a good thing, her being quiet I was ready to haul her off to the hospital because her bites were turning black, the bottom of her tooth was turning black, but her disposition wasn't unless I mentioned hospital - doctors.



Mom is an amazing person. When things go wrong for her it happens in threes. First her tooth - the nerve was dying and it perished without an infection setting in. When the pain from the dying nerve stopped, the pain from the canker sore took over, and to really confuse and complicate things, the two spider bites on her face is still huring. The canker sore is fine as well. It is just the bites that are hurting.



I would rather give birth than have a toothache. She endured with a great sense of humor and is now planning our next adventure.

Location: McNeal Arizona

One Foot On The Ground

Have you ever seen a quiet wisps out of the corner of your eye? It happens so quickly and when you turn around it is gone. Yet somehow you know it was there. Sometimes when I stand in front of my door and I see this. I get the sensation of brown when this happens. Hannah tell me about the color brown and the significance.



I sleep in the bottom bunk. I love pulling the curtain and having the feeling that I am in a cocoon. Bedtime along with taking a shower is when we are at our most vulnerable. I haven't been sleeping because of a feeling. You don't know how many times I called out "Who is out there?" and it is just my mom making a trip to the "little room." I finally gave up and stopped closing the curtains. I sleep with one eye open and one foot on the ground. I know the reason for my feeling unnerved is because I am at my most vulnerable.



 I just need to know about the color brown - Hannah.



Location:  McNeal Arizona

When on a hike you definitely do not want to run into this!







A demonic goat!

Hurt

My poor mother looks like she has gone three rounds with Mohammad Ali and the way she is feeling I am sure she will win on the fourth round. There is nothing worse than having a bad tooth. We will be off to the dentist on Monday.

Yesterday was a lot of fun. Good food, great conversation and enough left overs from the veggie tray to make hamburger soup. Which by the way, is in the crock pot and the house smells so good. I will put the recipe on my blog if anyone is interested. It is mom's recipe and not mine so it is edible.

I am considering putting a pay pal button on my blog requesting donations to feed the birds. I put food out last night and by noon today it was empty. Looking out the window now I see 20 birds sitting on the branches of the tree, all of them peering in. There is nothing more disconcerting than having all those eyes looking at you.

One of the topic of conversation yesterday was humidity. It is monsoon season and so the humidity is up but nothing like when I went to Ceibal (say-BALL). We went by river and the hike to the ruins was a little rough because the humidity was over 100%. I was carrying camera equipment and water. Hannah had the worse of it. Mosquitoes must love her because she was a cloud during the trek. I carry extra mosquito repellant and we had her covered it. I am amazed she didn't get sick.

The humidity is climbing here but it isn't to uncomfortable. The cloud cover is amazing and the shadows of the clouds change the mountains.

The birds are now hanging on the side of the window. This is pure Hitchcock folks. How do you tell these little feathery beasts that I am trying to conserve food until I get to town.

Last night, like many nights, I couldn't sleep. I curled up on the couch with a book and heard an owl's song. Low and deep. It had to be in the tree by the RV because he drowned out the frogs. I just shut my book and my eyes and listened.

I was talking to James aka Rusty this morning and sharing songs. Which is typical for us but the internet kicked us off before I could share a Johnny Cash song with him. It was on his last CD and the song is haunting. Hannah, I think you will like this as well.



I hurt myself today
to see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
the only thing that's real
the needle tears a hole
the old familiar sting
try to kill it all away
but I remember everything
what have I become?
my sweetest friend
everyone I know
goes away in the end
and you could have it all
my empire of dirt

I will let you down
I will make you hurt

I wear this crown of thorns
upon my liar's chair
full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
beneath the stains of time
the feelings disappear
you are someone else
I am still right here

what have I become?
my sweetest friend
everyone I know
goes away in the end
and you could have it all
my empire of dirt

I will let you down
I will make you hurt

if I could start again
a million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way

Location: McNeal

Happy Day

Happy

Fourth

Of

July

Hordes of People and Flat Tires

We ventured out to the grocery store this morning, Which was not the brightest thing to do before a weekend or weekend holiday. When you put a bunch of people together in this environment common courtesy, respect, and manners go right out the window. After being hit with grocery carts four different times I was teetering on the edge of going ape crazy. Mom knows that look I get in my eyes. She knows when I have had enough and I am going to let the next person who hits me a cart have it. Believe me people it is not a pretty picture when I go ape crazy. Fortunately it doesn't happen often.

I know the difference between being hit with a cart accidentally and being hit with a cart on purpose. These hits were done to get me to move. I have not mastered the art of being able to grab merchandise off the shelves while still pushing the cart. I like to stop, pick up the merchandise, place it in my cart and move along. I am an odd duck folks. I am not a drive by shopper.

I was never so happy to get out of that place. I am not a crowd lover. I can only tolerate people in small increments. But I am looking forward to tomorrow though.

Mom and I were invited to a pot luck lunch with the folks at the RV park. I know I will be a little nervous but I think this will be enjoyable. Kids, I am not cooking. Don't panic. I am doing the veggie tray. I am aware that poisoning your neighbor is not a good way to get acquainted.

James aka Rusty called last night. I asked him what his plans were for the 4th of July. Usually he sits home and watches it on TV but since separating from his wife he has become more outgoing. His plans are to go to a truck - tractor pull, stock car racing and something about a school bus. Afterward there will be a big firework display..... Great he is turning my granddaughter into a redneck. Which is not a bad thing since it makes shopping for her birthday easier. All I have to buy her is a bug zapper and a six pack of soda pop. That will keep her entertained for hours. You can take the boy out of the hills but you can't take hills out of the boy.

Yesterday I noticed my rear tire on the car was looking a bit puny. So I checked the pressure and was finally able to use my portable air compressor. It was meant for my bike but hey I had 30 minutes to kill. The tires are still under warranty so we went to Sierra Vista to get it fixed. The clerk asked me what was wrong, I explained it was puny and that this time a ten is not a good thing. I ran over a nail.

Later

Location: McNeal

Guess What Today Is?

Happy Tooth Day MOM

tooth day = birthday

Location: McNeal Arizona

Pictures of the RV Park

Clicking on the photographs will (hopefully) enlarge them.

Pond Photos

Who Is Hanging Out At The Bird Feeder?

The birds are a little skittish because of the herd of kitties living next door. Two females, one male creates a herd and makes the male very happy.

Cows



The reason he is not with his buddies is he learned how to turned on the water faucet with his horn. He is in bovine time out.


Around The Park

Location: McNeal

Sulphur Springs

I didn't take very many pictures of Sulphur Springs Valley so I will post them here









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Clicking on the pictures will (hopefully) enlarge them.



Location: Kansas Settlement