Can You Make Her Two Years Old

Surely’s follow-up was today and the good news is she doesn’t have the cough. She will continue with her medications until they are gone.

Because of her age the doctor wanted to do a complete blood work-up and I agreed. Her liver and kidney function is a little high. She was given medications for her dementia and bladder control problem. We are scheduled for another follow-up in two weeks. The kidney functions levels are concerning.

I hope the medication for the dementia will give her some peace. The world is a scary place for someone blind and partially deaf; I cannot imagine what it is like for someone who is confused.

I am so fortunate to find a good vet and I feel confident that he is giving Surely the best care. Surely’s opinion of him is another matter. They had to give her a little gas to draw blood and cut her toe nails. That was the only time she didn’t scream, moan, and cry. She is the only dog I know that will scream for each toe nail clipped.

Her appointment is May 12th Hannah and I need to know your plans. If you are planning to fly in on the 12th then there is a conflict. Let me know when you will be here.

The nicest thing happened today. I left my basement door opened when I took the vacuum out and forgot to close it. My neighbor came over to let me know it was opened. Surely was standing in the doorway and this nice lady said “Is that Surely Not?”

Surely has fans all over! My neighbor is Froggy Donna and she is even nicer in person. I thought she had headed north. What a pleasure.

Location: Sierra Vista

The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy.

And every day the boy would come..and he would gather her leaves..
and make them into crowns
and play king of the forest.

He would climb up her trunk..and swing from her branches..
and eat apples.

And they would play hide-and-go-seek.

And when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade.

And the boy loved the tree...very much.
And the tree was happy.

But time went by...
And the boy grew older.
And the tree was often alone.

Then one day the boy came to the tree and the tree said, "Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches..and eat apples and play in my shade and...be happy..."

"I am too big to climb and play," said the boy.
"I want to buy things and have fun. I want some money. Can you give me some money?"....

"I am sorry," said the tree, "but I have no money. I have only leaves and apples.
Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in the city.
Then you will have money and you will be happy."

And so the boy climbed up the tree...and gathered her apples and carried them away.

And the tree was happy...!

But the boy stayed away for a long time...and the tree was sad.

And then one day the boy came back and the tree shook with joy and she said, "Come, Boy, climb up my trunk... and swing from my branches...and be happy."

"I am too busy to climb trees," said the boy.
"I want a house to keep me warm," he said.
"I want a wife and I want children, and so I need a house.
Can you give me a house?"
"I have no house," said the tree.
"The forest is my house, but you may cut off my branches and build a house. Then you will be happy."

And so the boy cut off her branches and carried them away to build his house.

And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time.
And when he came back, the tree was so happy she could hardly speak.

"Come, Boy," she whispered, "come and play."
"I am too old and sad to play," said the boy.
"I want a boat that will take me far away from here. Can you give me a boat?"

...."Cut down my trunk and make a boat," said the tree.
"Then you can sail away...and be happy."

And so the boy cut down her trunk and made a boat and sailed away.
And the tree was happy... but not really.

And after a long time the boy came back again.
"I am sorry, Boy," said the tree, "but I have nothing left to give you ...
My apples are gone."
"My teeth are too weak for apples," said the boy.
"My branches are gone," said the tree. "You cannot swing on them..."
"I am too old to swing on branches," said the boy.
"My trunk is gone," said the tree. "You cannot climb..."
"I am too tired to climb," said the boy.
"I am sorry," sighed the tree. "I wish that I could give you something... but I have nothing left.
I am just an old stump. I am sorry..."

"I don't need very much now," said the boy, "just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired."
"Well," said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could, "well, an old stump is good
for sitting and resting. come, Boy, sit down.
Sit down and rest."

And the boy did.
And the tree was happy.

Surely's Walk

Today we went to Fairbank, located within the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (NCA), along the San Pedro River. Fairbank is a ghost town but it has trails and one of them took us to the cemetery. It was a 1/4 mile trail and Surely only made it half way. I ended up picking her up and carrying her. The cemetery is located on a hill and I carried her up and down the hill. She didn't complain or wiggle which made the trip easier. The views from the cemetery was beautiful. I wanted to explore more but Surely could not handle it anymore. It is the medication she is on and hopefully in a couple of weeks she will be back to her cheerful self.



The question is..... who is greyer? Surely or me? Don't bother answering I already know.

Click Here For Fairbank

Location: Fairbanks

Maxine Or Martha?

Surely’s Check-up

Surely has developed a horrible cough and so the poor thing ended up in veterinarian’s office today.

When I was registering her, mom had to hold her and Surely just cried, scream, whine, and shed copious amounts of hair. She calmed down the minute I took her and put her in my lap. It is such a terrifying moment for her.

She has gained 2 pounds so she is back to her normal weight. There is fluid in her lungs, her larynx is semi collapsed, and she has allergies. They doubled her seizure medication; put her on a water pill, allergy meds, and meds to open her airways. She is taking more pills than me. The good news is she will not have to stay on the meds. In 10 days she will go back for a follow-up and if everything is okay then she will be on her seizure medications only.

Another good thing happened. The doctor gave her a shot and it did scare the poo out of her. That was her stool sample. It also took two vet techs to hold her down for an x-ray.

Right now she is passed out on the couch.

Yo Mama Plays The Tuba

This is a dream and only a dream.



I lost my mother, I was searching for her frantically. When I finally happened upon her, by chance, she was walking down a sidewalk carrying a tuba. She told me she was playing for the symphony.



This was enough to wake me up. When I finally got out of bed I asked my mother about her tuba playing. she told me to go back to sleep.



I don't dream but I when I do......

Okay after posting this I discovered Mr. Jellybean's web page. That sounds like a legitimate site for dream analysis. According to Mr. Jelly Bean a tuba respresents increased social activities and if you hear a tuba it signifies good news. A tuba in a dream is a good thing.

Bisbee Arizona

Bisbee
Evergreen Cemetery, Bisbee

Click on the above links to view photographs.

Hannah your doll's brother is on the Bisbee page.

I Would Love To Be Able To Sleep Like Her

We Have Arrived

We are in the country. I am looking out of my window and all I see is mountains. It is a beautiful place. Dirk, Tombstone is an awesome place for pizza.

The last park we stayed in Benson was so crowded. You can open your door and hit another RV. The place where I am now is spacious. The internet was also poor and today after arriving here I updated my webpage.

Clifton Arizona It is a neat little town mom and I discovered.

Hannah here is the response from your last posting.

If I were a direction I’d be… drive five miles down a gravel road and turn on Hermit’s Hollow
If I were furniture I’d be… a barrister bookcase filled with all of my old reads
If I were a liquid I’d be… Lemonade
If I were a sin I’d be… gluttony
If I were a gem/stone I’d be… Aventurine – heals heart and all physical healing. Clears emotional stress.
If I were a metal I’d be… Manganese no reason other than I like the sound of it when it rolls off your lips.
If I were a tree I’d be… Ceiba tree, Mayan tree of life.
If I were a fruit I’d be… grapes
If I were a flower I’d be… Spiderwort
If I were weather I’d be… soft rain
If I were a music instrument I’d be… ocarina.
If I were an element I’d be… water – I see no canoe
If I were a color I’d be… the color of water.
If I were an animal I’d be… a dog.
If I were a sound I’d be… church bells.
If I were a lyric I’d be…

CHORUS:
But when I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
Well, It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye

If I were a song I’d be… Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini
If I were a music type I’d be… Soft easy listening
If I were a perfume/cologne I’d be… desert air
If I were a feeling I’d be… exuberance
If I were a book I’d be… Bastard Out Of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
If I were food I’d be… taco.
If I were a city I’d be… There is not one I would want to claim as my own
If I were a taste I’d be… sweet and salty.
If I were a scent I’d be… once again, desert air.
If I were a word I’d be… eclectic
If I were a verb I’d be… laughing
If I were an object I’d be… a fishing hook
If I were a piece of clothing I’d be… a t-shirt
If I were a body part I’d be… an ankle
If I were a facial expression I’d be… smiling
If I were a cartoon character I’d be… Mighty Mouse
If I were a movie I’d be… The Circus
If I were a geometrical figure I’d be… sphere
If I were one of the 4 seasons I’d be… fall
If I were a sentence I’d be… this too will pass.

Huachuca City AZ

When Life Hands You Lemons

When life hands you lemons you make lemonade. When life hands you cherries… well you put them in the lemonade. Oftentimes when life hands me cherries I am very cautious because sometimes lemons can be disguised as cherries.

In the good old days, days of lazy summers and walking barefoot in the snow uphill both ways, life was simpler. Bad things were hidden away so well that you never knew about them and “Gomer’s Pyle” would bring hysterical laughter and some nervous tittering from prepubescent children. I don’t know about you but I was blissfully ignorant as a child. I was one of those children tittering over “Gomer’s Pyle.” Bad things only happen to bad people.

Now bad things have become a daily event. Bad things happen and they appear to be happening frequently. The first tragedy is often children. Gone are the days of the “Titanic” when women and children were boarded first on a life raft. Now it is a mad rush and when you are so small you are the first to become crushed.

I don’t have answers. Today has been a day of questions with no answers. Today has been a day of thought.

Truthfully I am so indecisive that I am not able to give answers or solutions. I am totally without an opinion which is the first time I can claim that. It isn’t a victory either.

What I do have is the unconditional love and support for my children, my family, and my friends. That is all I have to give. That is all I will give.

I am going to make some lemonade with cherries and I will raise my glass and make a toast to my child and say “I support you, I love you, and I am with you. Stop the insane 80 hours a week at work, focus on healing yourself, and breathe. Just breathe. I am, always will be, proud of you.”

Tomorrow (which I think is right now) is cleaning, packing and Thursday will be moving on day. We found a quiet place in the country, away from screaming sirens, and uptight people. Mom and I are just not city people and we like our time spent in wide open places. Don’t worry kids I should have cell phone service.

Until later.

Late Afternoon Drive

This afternoon mom and I decided to grab Surely and take a drive. We decided to head north because it is isolated. Just long roads that lead to gravel.

When we take these roads I notice cattleguard signs. Being the tourist I am, I thought cattleguards were metal bars set at ground level on a road to keep cattle from crossing. I found out this evening what a Cattle Guard sign really means!

Truthfully would you mess with this?

It is like something out the Cows With Guns Movie. This one doesn't look to happy either.

There were cows EVERYWHERE!

Even baby cows.

When we rolled down our window this is what greeted us.

Okay that is just a little gross - at least us humans use our finger.

Location: Pomerene Arizona

Music: Fragile Sung By Cynthia Clawson

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Yes this was sung by Sting but I like Cynthia Clawson. She is one of best Christian music singers.

Lyrics:

If blood will flow when fresh and steel are one
Drying in the colour of the evening sun
Tomorrows rain will wash the stains away
But something in our minds will always stay
Perhaps this final act was meant
To clinch a lifetimes argument
That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could
For all those born beneath an angry star
Lest we forget how fragile we are

On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are

On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are
How fragile we are how fragile we are

I Have You Beat

Hannah, of all the inane quizzes we have taken I think I have you beat.


Created by OnePlusYou -

Living In A RV

Created by OnePlusYou -

Profanity - I Think Not

Created by OnePlusYou -

I Am A Survivor! or I think so


Created by OnePlusYou -

Pour Me Another Cup Of Joe

Created by OnePlusYou -


I expect to see every one of these quizzes on your blog.

Catch Me If You Can

Today mom and I left home after a week of being cooped up, coughing, hacking and yes some squabbling. You can not have two sick, cranky women living together without a cross word or two. What was important was we knew where it was coming from and neither one of us took offense.



It was wonderful to leave home; mom and I were ready for an adventure. We left laughing and being goofy and came back tired, sick, and happy. Tomorrow we are going to do it again because there is nothing like fresh air and good times to spend up the cure. We are not infectious.



We really didn't have a destination in mind, just take a back road and follow it. This back road took us to Pearce Arizona, where we found a cemetery. Surely was cooped up all week and so she was with us and ready for a good run. The only problem was sandburs. Those nasty little prickly burrs that hurt like heck. The first two she got she came to me and I promptly removed them. The third time she came to me, the burr was embedded deep in her paw. After I removed it, she took off like a shot. I was hoping to hang onto her long enough to put her in the car but she was to fast for me.



For an old dog - she can move.



The chase was on. I chased her all over the cemetery and she was hauling....well you know what she was hauling. I sat down to catch my breath and she was lurking a few feet from me. When I saw her little face I had to take her picture.











I know what you are thinking..... "Why?" Here is close up of her face.





She had a sand burr stuck on her lip.



I knew I had to out smart her or we would still be in the cemetery. I found a gated family plot and open the gate and went inside. I left the gate open. Then I hunkered down where I knew she couldn't see me and I waited. I heard whimpering and crying because she could not find me. I waited until her cries for me were right next to the fence, then I started slapping my knee. When she heard the noise she was so overjoyed to find me that she came right in and I jumped up and slam the gate closed. She knew her goose was cooked. I sat there with her, comforting her and gently removed all of her sandburs including the one on her lip. Then I took her back to the car. She drank a bottle of water and curled up and took a nap.

Click Here For Pearce Arizona Cemetery

Click Here For Scenery Pictures Including Texas Canyon



Location:  Pearce Arizona

Rosy Hears "Jestes Dobra Dziewczynka"

Mom and I are slowly recuperating. In fact, as I type this she is sitting up on the couch engrossed in a TV show with Surely Not nestled beside her. I, on the other hand, am still a little puny. She became ill before me and so this is expected.

Two days ago I drug myself out of bed to do laundry. Mom was very sick and to cheer her up I brought home an Oriental meal and a book I found on sale at WalMarts titled “Water For Elephants.” Sometimes good food and a book can bring on a faster cure. I was skeptical about the book but it was on sale – so what the heck.

Mom finished reading it in less than twenty four hours. In fact I could see the light on at 2:00 a.m. and hear the rustling of pages as she absolutely devoured this book. I was reading a historical tome about Indians and it was getting a little dry, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book.

I am halfway through with it now. If I wasn’t so darn sleepy last night I would have finished it by now. It is truly a marvelous book. It is Jacob Jankowski’s memories of one summer of his life that shaped the rest of his life.

“I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One of the other.

When you’re five you know your age down to the month. Even in your twenties you know how old you are. I am twenty-three, you say, or maybe twenty-seven. But then in your thirties something strange starts to happen. It’s a mere hiccup at first, an instant of hesitation. How old are you? Oh, I’m – you start confidently, but then you stop. You were going to say thirty-three, but you’re not. You’re thirty-five. And then you’re bothered, because you wonder if this is the beginning of the end. It is, of course but it’s decades before you admit it.

You start to forget words: they’re on the tip of your tongue, but instead of eventually dislodging it, they stay there. You go upstairs to fetch something and by the time you get there you can’t remember what it was you were after. You call your child by the names of all your other children and finally the dog before you get to his. Sometimes you forget what day it is. And finally you forget the year.

I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other. ~chapter one~

It is set during the Great Depression and the story is about a young man who leaves his life as a Cornell University veterinary student and hops a train that happens to be the home of the Benzinia Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.

Jacob is eventually hired as the show’s veterinarian. He has a guarded relationship with August who is the head trainer and from what I have read is a very brutal man but also a very charming one. Jacob is also falling in love with August’s wife Marlena.

The characters including the main characters are so easy to like and dislike. The author draws you into the story like a circus barker and soon you are caught up in the story and the lives of the characters.

The most fascinating part of the book, besides the characters, and the plot - is the circus lore and vocabulary. Grifters, roustabouts, workers, cooch tent, rubes, First of May… Fortunately it is all explained so you don’t have to run to your computer and use Google. I learned what the band plays when there is trouble and I learned about Jake Leg, a very sad condition, slang for Jamaican Ginger Extract. This is truly a book to have on your must read list.
Even though I haven’t finished the book, my mother says the ending is outstanding – pure joy. I will not read the ending first, I will finish the book in its proper order, I will and I have. I want to experience the magic.

Age is a terrible thief. Just when you’re getting the hang of life, it knocks your legs out from under you and stoops your back. It makes you ache and muddies you head and silently spreads cancer throughout your spouse. ~Chapter One~

I Am Still Alive

This makes me an ISFP

The Word For Today Is………

Enigma

Definition: An enigma is a puzzle, something mysterious or inexplicable, or a riddle or difficult problem. Source: Wikipedia,



Enigma \E*nig"ma\, n.; pl. Enigmas. [L. aenigma, Gr. ?, fr. ? to speak darkly, fr. ? tale, fable.]

1. A dark, obscure, or inexplicable saying; a riddle; a statement, the hidden meaning of which is to be discovered or guessed.

A custom was among the ancients of proposing an enigma at festivals. --Pope.

2. An action, mode of action, or thing, which cannot be satisfactorily explained; a puzzle; as, his conduct is an enigma.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)



I chose this word as a way of defining me. I am an ‘enigma.” I have infiltrated the world of retirees and they don’t know what to do with someone that is 16 years to young to retire. I get the look, the questioning look…. I get the subtle statements “money is tight but you don’t have to worry… do you?” I have seen women making their men leave my presence. She is young, she is alone, and she isn’t old enough to retire. She either has money or she is after it.

Mom and I are alone in a sea of snowbirds that have settled into the park long enough to form enough friendships that there is no need to be friendly. Laundry day was today; I drug my tired, sick self out of the house and did several loads. No one spoke to me at the laundry mat; I was drifting alone in the proverbial sea of snowbirds. Since this was a public laundry mat, a local woman did sit next to me and struck up a conversation. I could tell she felt the same as I and it was great fun to pull my life raft next to hers and listen to her complain about how dirty her husband gets.

I am also feverish and babbling.



All is well.

Location: Arizona, Benson

Urgent Care

After a week of being ill, I persuaded mom to go to the doctors. Being sick myself, I was ready to go and put an end to this. When you call your insurance nurse she will tell you to go to an “Urgent Care” facility.

That is an oxymoron – Urgent Care Facility.

We discovered the following at this Urgent Care Facility:

1.) Don’t use the restroom. There is a bush outside that is better suited for that purpose and it has leaves.

2.) If you are young and childless, an Urgent Care Facility is wonderful birth control. Mom still has her headache and I have an aversion to anyone under three feet tall and wears a diaper.

3.) After 3 hours of waiting there is 12 people ahead of you, after five hours of waiting there is 9 people ahead of you, the odds are not good that you are going to get out of there anytime soon.

4.) The doctor will get upset with you if she finds out that you haven’t drunk anything for 6 hours even though the only water available is a drinking fountain and I am not going to get near that.

5.) There is no such think as a dress code, come as you are in your pajamas and white see through T-shirt. While you are at it bring your blankie, a pillow and stretch out on the floor. Yep it was done. I just regret not bringing my camera.

We are tired, cranky, but fully medicated and on our way to recovery. After a couple of days if we are still puny then we are going to go to Walgreens. They have a clinic there that will take mom’s insurance and if a doctor is needed they will find one that you can see that day. I did not know that Walgreens offered this service until I went there to pick up my prescriptions.

Good Night

Location: Tucson and Benson

Robin

Thanks for the website. It is indeed a Harris Hawk. I will be using this site frequently because I have been able to identify several birds that I have taken pictures of.

Mom and I are getting better. Due to our sore throats we both sound like men but hopefully that will change. We are still not at 100% but hopefully tomorrow we will get out and about.

Location: Benson

Of course retrying means I get the following error message:

Did that last blog post post?

I received the following message:

Duplicate action errorThe action associated with this page has already been performed. You may want to try going back one page in your browser and re-trying.

I am starting to get really mad.

What The Heck

I am trying to read my favorite blogs and leave comments. I have been getting strange error messages or my comments just doesn't appear. The following is what happened on Dirk's blog. I am seriously looking into moving to another blog home.

Duplicate action errorThe action associated with this page has already been performed. You may want to try going back one page in your browser and re-trying.

Of course retrying means I get the following error message:

Duplicate action errorThe action associated with this page has already been performed. You may want to try going back one page in your browser and re-trying.

Things You Don't Want To See In Your InBox

Father and son's mug shots -
Kids, I don't ever want to hear you say "my family is odd."

I received the dreaded call from MotoSat. We spent an hour on the phone changing this and changing that. Nothing worked. It appears that I am not talking to the big satellite in the sky. Now this could be caused by moisture on a plastic doohickey that is located on the arm.

I am sick. I am talking SICK and I explained that there was no way I was going to climb on top of the motorhome to check the plastic doohickey because I am so freaking dizzy. Tomorrow it is up on the rooftop. Another call but it went well.

Mom is also sick. I have never seen her so sick in a long time. I am talking stretched out sideways on the bed, babbling sick. She is not running a fever but she has a bad sinus infection going on. Tomorrow will be doctor time if this doesn’t clear up.

Like most folks her age there is this fear of doctors. It seems when a person reaches a certain age the pharmacy opens their doors and presents that person with the key to the drugs. My father saw several specialists and if it wasn’t for mom taking his prescriptions to his doctor he would have been on 30 different prescriptions. His doctor would go through each one and decided which ones to fill. Most times he got it down to 10 prescriptions, which is a third.

Right now I am fighting falling asleep and fighting the cold. I tell myself if I think I am well I will be. It is a losing battle.

Right now it is about 80 degrees, mom is freezing and I am burning up – so all of the windows are only half opened. You see we do compromise.

I have updated my web page. Made it a little more user friendly and that has helped pass some time. I need something mindless to do when I am feeling like this.

As you know, my niece gave birth on the 16^th. I was curious about the middle name and decided to ask my sister why did she give her the middle name of Rae? My sister and her family did not have a very good relationship with dad. We will just leave it at that. I was surprised when their first grandchild was given the same name as dad. Her name was selected 6 months ago and the baby’s due date was the end of March. I decided to ask and it seems that McKenna was named after our brother, Ray. McKenna was born the 16^th of March; my brother was born on the 17^th. I find that odd. It is probably because I believe that God Recycles. If that is the case this child will have a very punny sense of humor. It will be interesting.

I think I need to stretch out sideways on the bed and do my babbling there.

Later

What Is In That Coffee?

This morning we were suppose to head to Tucson to have the jacks repaired. Mom woke up sick and I woke up tired and we rescheduled.



I grabbed my cup of coffee, stumbled outside for a smoke and as I looked across the field my eyes zeroed in on something in the trees. It was big and in my muddled brain I was thinking "What the heck is that?" It isn't big bird because it isn't yellow. I first thought it was an owl.



Fortunately I was awake enough to grab the camera, with the wrong lens, and take a picture.







I just wish I had a better lens.



Location:  Benson

Update

I received an email from MotoSat from the head technician. We are going to find the what the problem is and fix it. He will be giving me a call on Wednesday.

I am still leary but I am going to give it a try.


The park's internet has been spotty and trying to update my webpage has been difficult. It is done.

We mainly hit the cemeteries but for those that are interested:

High Street Cemetery Benson

Tucson’s Cemeteries

Boot Hill Cemetery Tombstone

Pomerene Cemetery

DataStorm, MotoSat

When we first started on this journey we had a satellite dish installed on the roof of our RV so we will have access to the internet. All of the equipment was kept in a storage compartment. All we had to do was push a button, the satellite would rise up and connection would be assured.

From the beginning it gave us problems. Every time I would push the button it wouldn’t lock onto a signal. Only a handful of times have we been on the internet and every one of those times was spent on the phone with tech support. Then about 6 or 7 months ago I was being instructed to take the motorhome and do a 180. This is a logical request for an unusual situation. When I explained to them I cannot do a 180, I was told “Then I can’t help you.”

To do a 180 I need a large parking lot, I need to turn on my generation to provide electric, and I have to leave the park. It is a major pain in the arse.

When I finally wised that they were delaying me, I started my conversation by insisting that I cannot do a 180 and that was not the issue.

The other day I raised the satellite and then called to tech support. Daniel took my call and after telling him that I didn’t need to do a 18o, and that he was going to have to take the time to solve this problem. So he had me make some changes to the settings and then said “recalibrate the compress, then do a search, and call tech support if this doesn’t work.”

I did that and when it didn’t work, I called tech support. I was asked by the person who answered the call who I was working with. I said “Daniel.” The next thing I know I had Daniel and Daniel was not happy. He had me make a few more changes and said “recalibrate the compass, do a search, and call back after hours and talk to someone who works that shift.” Then he reprimanded me for calling him direct and that I should follow the prompts when I call tech support.

I was floored. I told him I didn’t have his direct line and he hung up on me.

I cancelled my internet service. I am looking into aircards but until then I am dependent on the park internet which is inconsistent or hot spots.

Will post pictures when I can.

It Is Official

My sister, Deanie, became a grandmother at 8:41 this morning. McKenna Rae weighed 6 pounds 4 ounces and is 18 inches long. If McKenna's mom allows it, I will post a picture.





Permission granted.

Greetings

We have arrived safely. It is a back-in spot but with the aid of a fellow RVer directing me I had no trouble getting on my spot. I did have troubles with the jacks, levels. The control panel will not turn on. I called Winnebago and after following his instructions I discovered that we do have the correct fuse. I finally gave up with Winnebago and called a repairman. It is an electrical problem, so the first of the week we will be taking the coach into Tucson for repairs.



I went to a lumber yard and purchased 6 2X8 boards and leveled it the old fashion way. I need to pick up four more just in case. When you use pads or boards to level your RV you need to make sure that all of the tires are resting on it. If not, expect a flat.



Since I am on a roll of telling people what to do, it is also very important to make sure your tires are resting on the ground when you do use your levels. I have seen coaches two feet in the air, resting completely on their jacks and let me tell you that is not a good thing.



I was told by Sunland RV that I would never ever have to maintain the jacks or slideouts. Which I knew was bull. After checking the fuse that is connected to the pump I realized it is going to be a pain in the neck to check the fluid and to fill it. So I will have to go out tomorrow and buy a turkey baster so I can fill it. I went over the maintenance with the jacks with the repairman and it is pretty much the same.



This is a nice park, over 100 sites – so it a busy place. I am going to get my shorts out and maybe my swimming suit (don’t expect pictures). Sit in the whirlpool or take a swim. Everybody here is my age or older so I won’t feel to out of place.



New pictures of Rusty’s RV park in Rodeo New Mexico. Click Here to view.

Location:  Benson

The High Price Of Gasoline

I have received some comments about the high price of gasoline. Mom and I are getting very close to the stopping point. That is why we need to leave Rodeo and move on. As much as we love this park and the country we need to be parked in a city. Somewhere near grocery stores, gas stations, and propane. As far as entertainment is concerned it would be nice to turn on the TV. We were hoping to move on yesterday but our mail didn't arrive so we were delayed by one day.

We are heading to Benson Arizona and will be there for a month. We will either see gas prices drop or (scary thought) rise. There is lots to do in and around Benson and our little car gets great gas mileage. We will be exploring and there will be pictures and stories.

Until then.

Location:  Benson

Pictures

Click Here For Portal Arizona, My Kind Of Town

How Cold Is It

As much as I love the desert, I am getting just a tad bit tired of the drop in temperature at night.



When we came to Rodeo, we knew it was isolated. That is what led us here - isolation, quiet, and peace. It is wonderful to hear the coyotes, see a bobcat, and listen to the ducks quack nervously.



The high price of gasoline was a shocker. They have taken the term “to gouge” to a whole new level. Also propane is not available nearby and so we opted to do without the furnace and rely on a little space heater. At night when the temperature starts to drop, we turn on our little heater. Since we are concerned about fire, we shut the heater off before retiring to bed.



Surely Not is now sleeping with me again because of the temperature. I wake up every morning in fear that she has had an accident. So far, it hasn’t happened. I also a wake to find my poor mother wrapped from big toe to head and she has started sleeping at the foot of the bed to be away from the window. She says she is toasty warm but she is also sleeping in a nightgown, sweatpants, a long sleeve shirt and a sweatshirt. To compliment this attire she has on thick bright red socks. I just wear sweats and a hoodie. Surely Not is the only one benefiting from the cold because she gets to sleep with me.



We will be pulling out of here on Monday. Surprisingly I am a little sad.



We might do a little roaming today. Have lunch at Portals and explore the park. If we do I will be posting pictures.



Later





Location:  Rodeo

Don't Beat Her With Two Dead Chickens

Hannah here is the septic story I was telling you about.



Millie and Ben had a volatile relationship to put it mildly. One time he beat her up with two dead chickens and Millie had enough. The following is an excerpt from the book, “Bordellos from Silver City to Ketchikan” by Max Evans.

This brought a thought to her mind. She drove to Bayard and bought a sack of slack lime. This stuff will eat and dissolve amalgamated steel. She put it in the trunk of her car. Then she went into the back of the bar and had one of her workers take the concrete slab off the septic tank. She got a rake and started trying to correct the rose gardens. (Situated by the septic tank and the ones Ben had destroyed) Millie figured the odds of her plan reaching fruition at fifty-fifty. They were in her favor that day, however. She told Ben to get back in the bar or go home. She was still giving him a chance. He went back in the bar. She was thinking that if he returned, that would be it. She’d barely started back on the roses when Ben returned, telling her what a bitch she was for leaving him in jail over the long weekend, and uttering various other complaints. Millie just took it and kept on working until he moved right up against the opening of the septic tank. Then, in a sudden move, she raised the rake like a spear and drove it right into his middle, knocking him into the thick fluid, saying “Now take a drink of that, you blubbered headed sot.” He came up gasping for his life and she shoved him back under with the rake. He was harder to keep under than she had figured. After about the fourth dunking, she raised the rake to whack him on the head, when she heard a scream. In the intensity of her endeavor, she hadn’t heard Ronnie Smith and the entire band drive up. She stopped the rake in mid-air and put it out Ben’s blindly grasping hands, yelling at the band, “Help, help the poor son of a bitch is trying to drown himself.”

Millie says, “I intended to drown him in that shit, pour the lime over and let the honey wagon suck him up and haul him to the dump.” At the time, though, she held that back, explaining to the band that publicity of her sweet husband trying to commit suicide in a septic tank would be all bad. Besides, he smelled so terrible, she doubted that they’d accept him in such a clean place as a hospital, dying or not.

Millie say, “I want to tell you, that for the next three or four months, when he’d break out in perspiration, he smelled like shit. He was taking five showers a day.

Ben and Millie divorced after he beat her so badly that she almost lost her sight. Millie later found the love of her life.

Hannah, like Sadie Orchard, Millie had a heart of gold, just don’t beat her up with two dead chickens. It was a fun book but I will put it in the book exchange.


Click Here For Douglas Arizona Cemetery

Click Here For Hotel Gadsden Douglas Arizona

Location:  Douglas

Who Am I

Who are You?

Place an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not. Answer the 30 questions at the end and send it on. This is for your entire life!

Gone on a blind date
Ditched the blind date
Skipped school
Watched someone die X
Been to Canada
Been to Mexico X
Been to Florida
Been to Hawaii
Been to Alaska
Been to Europe
Been to Far East
Been to South America Does Central America count?
Been on a plane X
Been on a ship
Been lost X ha ha ha
Been on the opposite side of the country X
Gone to Washington , DC
Swam in the ocean X
Cried yourself to sleep X
Played cops and robbers X
Recently colored with crayons
Sang Karaoke
Paid for a meal with coins only?
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? X
Made prank phone calls X
Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose? X
Laughed until you cried X
Caught a snowflake on your tongue X
Danced in the rain X
Written a letter to Santa Claus X
Been kissed under the mistletoe X
Watched the sunrise with someone you care about X
Blown bubbles X
Gone ice-skating X
Skinny dipping outdoors
Gone to a drive-in movie X


1. Any nickname? Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon.... Sounds like hooker names
2. Mother's name Jane
3. Favorite drink? Diet Coke
4. Tattoo?? No
5. Body Piercing's? no
6. How much do you love your job? Since I am mom's caretaker, I love my job.
7. Birthplace? Lebanon Missouri
8. Favorite vacation spot? A tiny village in Belize on the Guatemalan Border
9. Ever been to Africa ??? No
10. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? Yes
11. Ever been on TV?? Yes
12. Ever steal any traffic sign?? Yes
13. Ever been in a car accident?? yes
14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle??? 4
15. Favorite salad dressing?? Ranch
16. Favorite pie?? Lemon
17. Favorite number?? 7
18. Favorite movie?? Somewhere in Time and A Trip To Bountiful
19. Favorite holiday?? Not a holiday person
20. Favorite dessert? Chocolate pudding
21. Favorite food?? Mexican for now but give me a week and I will have a new one.
22. Favorite day of the week?? Wednesday
23. Favorite brand of body wash?? Whatever is on sale
24. Favorite toothpaste?? Tom's Cinnamon
25. Favorite smell?? Desert air, my grandmother's basement, rain
26. What do you do to relax? Read
28. How do you see yourself in 10 years?? I have no clue, my life is a roadtrip
29. Furthest place you will send this message? World wide (I’m gonna blog it)
30. Who will respond to this the fastest?? No clue.

Today

Mom and I drove 2 hours to find the closest Walgreens. While we were there we picked up odds and ends so we are set for a while. We did stop in Douglas to fill up the gas tank so we don't have to pay the $3.50 a gallon they charge in Rodeo.

Weather warning - the winds are gusting, the temp is dropping, and I am concerned that all heck is going to break loose for those north of us.

IWhat is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset... ~blackfoot~

Location:  Rodeo

Don't Squat With Your Spurs On

• Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction.
• Don't squat with your spurs on.
• Don't judge people by their relatives.
• When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
• Talk slowly, think quickly.
• Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
• Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.
• Don't interfere with something that ain't botherin' you none.
• Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
• It's better to be a has-been that a never-was.
• The easiest way to eat crow is while it's still warm.The colder it gets, the harder it is to swaller.
• If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
• If it don't seem like it's worth the effort, it probably ain't.
• It don't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.
• Sometimes you get and sometimes you get got.
  The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with watches you shave his face in the mirror every morning.
• Never ask a barber if you need a haircut.
  If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
• Don't worry about bitin' off more'n you can chew; your mouth is probably a whole lot bigger'n you think.
• Always drink upstream from the herd.
• Generally, you ain't learnin' nothing when your mouth's a-jawin'.
• Tellin' a man to git lost and makin' himdo it are two entirely different propositions.
• If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there with ya.
• Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
• When you're throwin' your weight around, be ready to have it thrown around by somebody else.
• Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back.
• Always take a good look at what you're about to eat. It's not so important to know what it is, but it's sure crucial to know what it was.
• The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back into your pocket.
• You can't tell how good a man or a watermelon is 'til they get thumped
• Never miss a good chance to shut up.
• If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen are defrocked, shouldn't it follow that cowboys would be deranged?
• There's two theories to arguin' with a woman. Neither one works.
• Never smack a man who's chewin' tobacco.

Silver City

Click Here For Silver City Pictures

There is information about Ben Lilly. Remember when you read this he is not completely responsible for wiping out the wildlife, also it was a different era, a different time.

Don't Buy Gas In Rodeo

I forgot to gas up the car before coming down here and they charge $3.50 a gallon. I felt like telling the clerk "excuse me I have to go hock the family farm before I can fill up." We didn't fill up, just got enough to go to another town (20 miles away) that has more than one gas station.

We made it and it is beautiful. I am listening to the coyotes howl. Awesome.

Kids, if you need to talk I have yahoo messenger open and the winds are going to be calm so I can leave the satellite up and stay connected via the internet.

Still fighting the webpage but I hope to have the kinks out of it soon.

Location:  Rodeo

Put Him In My Pocket

Have ever met someone that is so interesting that you forget to ask him his name? I had that pleasure in Silver City New Mexico. We went to their museum and I overheard him talking about maintaining his grandfather’s gravesite. Of course I had to ask him where the cemetery was located and that is what led me into this wonderful conversation about the history of Silver City.

I heard the tale of how the town founder, John Bullard was killed by an Indian. He was shot in the chest with an arrow which made him go down in a sitting position with the most surprised look on his face. Seconds later he just toppled over backwards dead.

I heard about Catherine Atrim, Billie the Kid’s mother and what a delightful person she was. She came out west for her health, she had TB and during the time she was well enough to get out of bed she proved to be a “delightful Irish lady.”

I heard about his grandfather, Tom and the family feud that led to the killing of his Uncle.

Of course the story was completed by a story of a delightful lady, Millie. She came to Silver City and started a “cat house.” Back in 1940 when he was a youngun he met her and asked her if she knew his father. Thanks to her, he had stories of his father. Like Sadie Orchard, she was generous to a fault and helped the community.

For an hour the west came to life for me and driving home I saw the country in a whole new perspective.

I was hoping to find some pictures of stories of old Tyrone New Mexico, a ghost town that I did not try to find. I found some pictures of the town but no stories. I feel the website Ghosttowns describes it better than I could so I will quote them.

Tyrone occupies a singular position in the history of New Mexico ghost towns. Nowhere else will the ghost town visitor gaze upon what once was a display of rococo mansions patterned after the imposing Mediterranean-style homes of Spain. All this was the idea of Mrs. Dodge of the giant Phelps-Dodge Corporation. It was her dream to make Tyrone into the most beautiful mining town in the world. She first engaged the services of the well-known architect Bertram Goodhue, the same Goodhue who designed the buildings of the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Diego in 1915 and the Capitol building in Lincoln, Nebraska, to come to New Mexico. He did and the same fundamental plan was adopted for Tyrone. The town was built including a business section, a residential section, a school, a hospital and palatial residences at a cost of over one million dollars. The project was completed in 1915 and ready for occupancy. Except for the ravages of time, Tyrone today is not much different than it was in 1915. The reason? There were rumors being circulated that the rich copper deposits were not as rich as once believed and who would want to move into a failing operation. Rumors became fact in 1921when the mines closed and people moved away. Submitted by Henry Chenoweth.

One word of warning about this website…. Turn off your sound.

It is moving on day. I still can’t post my pictures because of the slow internet. Hopefully at the next park.

Location:  Silver City

FYI

We are all set for peace and quiet! It comes at a price though, we will have no phone service. Starting tomorrow kids you will not be able to call until we leave. I don't know when that will be either so don't ask. If you do then Hannah and Robert will be spending Spring Break with us at this wonderful location.

We will be staying near Rodeo New Mexico with the Chiricahua Mountains to the west and the Peloncillo Mountains to the east. It is beautiful country and quiet. No TV or phones and hopefully, since we are close to the office, we will have Internet service. If not I can put up my satellite.

I will be posting our adventures we had yesterday soon.

Location:  Rodeo

Its A Miracle

We have left Las Cruces. Our original plan was to leave yesterday but there were "wind warnings" which delayed us. This morning was beautiful with 10 - 15 mph winds and mom and I were packing like two crazy women. Even Surely Not seemed excited. We left the KOA and drove two hours to our destination. We are firm believers in going to places we want to see no matter how far or how close.

We are in Lordsburg New Mexico and have spent the evening figuring out where we want to go and what we want to see. There is not a lot of excitement in Lordsburg, folks and we like that. We are going to do a little ghost town hunting, see more unusual rock formations, and of course we will be stopping at every cemetery along the way. I hope to get lots of pictures. Our plan is to spend a couple of days here and then head into a very remote part of New Mexico... far far away from the people, total isolation for a week. It will be nice.

I wish I could have met you Lynilu. Next time we are in Las Cruces we will set up a time and place. I loved the KOA there. Very clean park, very nice people but it was a little expensive like all KOAs even with my discount card.

Later.

Location:  Lordsburg

Mountains

I finally found a book that scared the devil out of me. The title is “Mountain Directory West.” When the introduction begins “There is an old saying among over-the-road truckers. “There are two kinds of drivers – those who’ve been in trouble on a mountain grade and those who will be,” you know this book is not for the faint of heart.



As I finished reading the introduction and studied the maps and the descriptions of the mountain passes it became crystal clear to me that I will not be going through them in my little house on wheels. The scare I had going into El Paso has damaged me for life. The good thing is it does show the roads that go around and if I can’t get around then I am not going. Sorry son but you are surrounded by mountains.



It is a great book to have though. If you still want to travel into the mountains then this would be a great book for your library.



What scared mom was the following passage from the book:

“Imagine yourself descending a mountain grade in your RV. You didn’t know there was such a long, steep grade on this highway. What a surprise! And things are not going well. You have a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. The engine is not holding back all of this weight, the brakes are smelling hot or even smoking, you’re pushing harder on the brake pedal but your speed keeps increasing. All you can see ahead is more mountains. Your mind is racing through all of the available options and none of them are good. “I’ve got to do something,” you say “or I’m not going to make it.” The options include: run into the rock wall, go over the side, hit those trees, or see if you can make the next curve and ride it out.



A highway patrol officer in Oregon told us that in the summer an average of one motorhome per week burns to the ground while trying to climb Cabbage Hill on I-84 east of Pendleton.”

On that note I am happy to say we are heading west tomorrow….



Location:  Lordsburg

Fly Me To The Moon

52%

Fly me to the moon

And let me play among the stars

Let me see what spring is like

On Jupiter and Mars

Hannah, you just need to be with your mother when you take to the stars.

White Rabbit, For Those That Don't Know

Or those who can't remember.

Chloride New Mexico

Mom and I went exploring on the nineteenth, once again searching for ghost towns. I realize that there are many ghost towns in the US but the west holds the mystery and romance.

The links below will take you to both sites. With Chloride I got a little carried away with the history and if you don’t want to read all of it just click on the number 9 and that will take you to the pictures.

Monticello New Mexico was our favorite. The town was built in a square fashion for protection from the Indians. Also a lot of the original buildings were still there. It was just a quaint little town.

We then journey to Chloride. It was a long, windy, lonely road, 34 miles from Truth or Consequences – right in the middle of nowhere. Chloride would be a true ghost town if it wasn’t for Don and Donna. They moved there in the 1970’s with the intentions of making it come to life again. They purchased the two remaining stores with the intentions of restoring them to their former selves. One of the buildings was an assay office and the other was the store. They did a wonderful job.

The treasure in this was the store. In the 1920’s the previous owner boarded up the windows and locked the door leaving inside all of the merchandise. It was a time capsule. Of course everything was littered with guano and bird poo which required days and months and probably years to clean. The store has everything in it, from food items to an old safe. It was the most fascinating museum I have ever gone through because everything was original and not replicas.

Donna was our tour guide and my favorite story she told of the history of Chloride was the one of a wonderful woman named Cassie.

Cassie married at 16 to a worthless cowboy. She never had anything, moved constantly until they moved to Chloride. With little to no money she created a beautiful home. If she wanted the pretty carved chairs that she had seen, she made it herself. She wore beautiful crocheted boots and shoes that she created herself with nothing but scrap wood. They are beautiful shoes. She made all of her own clothes and if she wanted something pretty on it she quilted, embroidered, or painted it on. She made baskets out of coffee cans using a tin snip and made photograph frames using the same method only she made it out of cans. She was an artist who truly saw beauty in everything. Her work is amazing. When she passed her sons came down to settle her estate. They only took the shotgun and told the Edmunds to throw the rest away. Fortunately the Edmunds kept everything and it is on display at the museum. I would have loved to have met this amazing woman.

Enjoy the pictures.


Click Here For Chloride New Mexico

Click Here For Ghost Towns

Go Ask Alice

The dental work is completed. I arrived at the office at 10:00 and left at 2:00 with a new smile. The dentist office is so nice. In each of the little cubicles where patients sits is a huge picture window. It overlooks a small yard, which is surrounded by a very tall adobe fence. In front of each window (in the yard) is a statue. The statue I sat staring at was of a little boy holding a ladder while his sister is on it. It was a large sculpture. Someone came in and lowered my chair so I was lying flat on my back. After thirty minutes of poking and prodding I was raised back into sitting position and to my amazement there was a live white rabbit in the yard.



I asked the assistant: “Excuse me, but is there a large white rabbit in the yard or am I hallucinating?”



Of course when I made a reference to the song “White Rabbit” I totally lost her. When she was leaving I said “Remember what the dormouse said.” The dentist is my age and totally understood the joke.

Location:  Las Cruces

Like Fireflies I Always Come Back

Sheri Reynolds

Due to drinking coffee after five, I didn’t stumble off to bed until the wee hours in the morning. I curled up with a book written by Sheri Reynolds. Hannah, “Firefly Cloak” is another must read on your list. Her imagination is mind boggling and with this, as with her other books, there is a message that doesn’t get lost in the insanity. The book starts out with Travis and Tessie being left in a campground by their mother. Fortunately the mother had the sense to write her mother’s phone number on Travis’ back in black magic marker. Tessie and Travis were taken to their grandparent’s home where they were raised. From CIA bomb carrying baby birds to discovering their mother is a mermaid this book does not let you down. Brilliant, imaginative, poetic are just a few adjectives to describe this book. Like “Bitterroot Landing” and “The Rapture of Canaan” Sheri Reynolds wrote another novel to be remembered.



The Shirt

My daughter gave me a wonderful gift, a bright orange shirt that I would estimate its age at 8 years. To the human eye it shows its age sadly with worn out places and stretched out sleeves. To those that know, it carries tears, laughter, fears, and two hearts on its sleeve.



It is a magical shirt, that when you put it on it will take you back in time when life was bittersweet. It transports you back in time and if you close your eyes a slideshow of memories occurs. My memories, when I slip it on is of two brown hair teenage girls, rutted, washed out roads, beer can alley, a house by the river, and dreams of vineyards. I remember tie dying t-shirts in the basement, those crazy girls jumping in the lake in February, laughter, and the love two girls had for each other. My daughter’s memories are hers to tell.



From its beginnings of production to being taken home this shirt has traveled. It was a gift, to my daughter, along with a lock of long brown hair. It has been worn with pride to being held by a sad eyed brown hair girl. It absorbed her tears, her laughter, her memories, and when she slipped it on it felt to her that she was being hugged once again by her best friend.



Watching my daughter and her friend, I found out what friendship really means. I also found a person, a young teenager that had the ability to accept her fate, and had the ability to explain it to her friend in a way that I have never seen or witnessed. Her life was not a long good-bye, it was a daily hello.



Hannah, I love and miss you.

The Weather

We didn’t get any snow, not even a flake but enough rain fell to encourage the plants to grow. There is snow on the mountains and that is enough snow for me.

The Dream

Every once in a while my daughter, Hannah will send me one of her dreams for me to analyze. I am not an expert by any means but I have been pretty good at doing this. I have a dream for Hannah and others if they wish to try to figure this dream out. I rarely dream but when I do it is something that makes me scratch my head. This dream is a little embarrassing. I found a turd. Don’t know where it was, it was just there. I realize that this could come from Surely’s amazing abilities to poo 5 times a day. This rather innocuous turd suddenly sprouted a Furbie head but it was an angry Furbie head. Then bat wings sprouted from its side and that was enough to wake me up and make me sit up. This is not a good thing if you are sleeping in a bunk bed.

The Recipe

Crock Pot Recipe For Jolie

4 cups Chicken broth

1 can Cream of mushroom soup

1 16 ounces sauerkraut, rinse -- drain

8 ounces fresh mushrooms -- slice

1 medium Potato -- cut small cubes

3 medium Carrots -- chopped

1 medium Onion -- chopped

2 Ribs celery -- chopped

3/4 pound Smoked Polish sausage -- cube

1/2 cup Chicken; cooked -- chopped

2 tablespoons Vinegar

1 teaspoon Dried dill weed

1/2 teaspoon Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a 3 to 4-qt Crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or until veggies are tender.

Root Canal

I thought I would never say this.... my root canal went well. Absolutely painfree and I have not experienced any pain.

I left the dentist office yesterday afternoon. The dentist worked on me for an hour so I was numb and a little swollen. There was a bookstore a few blocks down from the dentist office so we made a quick stop before I drove home. I was getting prepared to spend the rest of my day on the couch in pain but it didn't happened. I was so surprised.

The dental experience in Las Cruces has been (so far) painfree. Great place to stop over to have a root canal and a crown.

We are expecting cold weather and possible snow. I don't think it will happen. It is now 1:37 a.m. and I haven't seen a flake, just rain. Believe it or not I am disappointed. We went from 70 degrees today to 27 degrees, quite a change.

Mom and I did try the Saurkraut crockpot recipe and it was "okay" which translates to "I will eat the rest but don't cook it again." I will share the recipe in my next posting.

Until then.


Location: Las Cruces

Just Babbling

I received a call from my sister this morning, and the conversation left me feeling blue. How is my sister feeling? Overwhelmed I would say but she wouldn’t say. She is facing caring for two people who are dear to her. One of those situations where the family needs to step in and they are doing so willingly. Currently there are no plans for them to move in with Deanie but I can see it coming.

We promised dad that we would never put him in a nursing home. All of the care was provided first by mom, then by me. It was a lot of responsibility and it was a lot of work. It also required a lot of patience. To this day I don’t know what was worse – shaving dad or bathing dad.

Have you ever tried to shave an older gentleman (wrinkles and all) with cerebral palsy? One time I really thought I had a handle on him. Until I heard his muffle cry “I can’t breath.” It appears I had my hand over his mouth and nose. There are funny moments in every situation.

The time I had just finished with his bath. Wearing nothing but a towel I rolled him into his bedroom, where I strapped him in his lift. After raising him I realized how funny this situation looked with him dangling from the ceiling with nothing on but a towel and a frown. You know how warped I am; I left him there after telling him I was going to get the camera. He laughed folks and there is no photograph. Yes Hannah, it was destroyed after I put it on his computer as a wallpaper.

I just hope that when the care becomes too much for my sister and her husband they will know it would be the right thing to do. They can find a home and monitor it. Mom and I made that difficult decision with dad. There was nothing more we could do and fortunately for him he passed away. We kept our promise.

What do you see, nurses, what do you see,
what are you thinking when you're looking at me?
A crabby old woman, not very wise,
uncertain of habit, with faraway eyes.

Who dribbles her food and makes no reply
when you say in a loud voice, "I do wish you'd try!"
Who seems not to notice the things that you do,
and forever is losing a stocking or shoe.

Who, resisting or not, lets you do as you will
with bathing and feeding, the long day to fill.
Is that what you're thinking? Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse; you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am as I sit here so still,
as I do at your bidding, as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of ten with a father and mother,
brothers and sisters, who love one another.

A young girl of sixteen, with wings on her feet,
dreaming that soon now a lover she'll meet.
A bride soon at twenty - my heart gives a leap,
remembering the vows that I promised to keep.

At twenty-five now, I have young of my own
who need me to guide and a secure happy home.
A woman of thirty, my young now grown fast,
bound to each other with ties that should last.

At forty my young sons have grown and are gone,
but my man's beside me to see I don't mourn.
At fifty once more babies play round my knee,
again we know children, my loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me, my husband is dead;
I look at the future, I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing young of their own,
and I think of the years and the love that I've known.

I'm now an old woman and nature is cruel;
'tis jest to make old age look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles, grace and vigor depart,
there is now a stone where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass a young girl still dwells,
and now and again my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys, I remember the pain,
and I'm loving and living life over again.

I think of the years - all too few, gone too fast
and accept the stark fact that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, nurses, open and see,
not a crabby old woman; look closer - see ME!

Stephen King

I have always wanted to read a Stephen King novel but I don’t want to be scared half to death. Rumor has it; he can do that to you.

Last week I found his latest book and after little thought and much impulse, I bought it. I started reading it yesterday and haven’t been able to put it down. It is not because it is the best book I have ever read; I wanted to be scared witless. I wanted to have Stephen King nightmares and this book was not producing. I am now ¾ into the book and finally ACTION! Ghost, a giant frog, twin girls being chased into the ocean, death, destruction, and I am…..bored.

Yes I am so bored with the book that I just want to pitch it out the window.

I like the characters and the way he introduced them to you. He made them a little unreal but likeable. After the first five or six chapters I knew what was going to happen. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out. I already knew who was going to die and the reason for the main character’s fanatical painting sprees. I knew who was going to be resurrected and who wasn’t. I wish he would have painted Elizabeth young because she seemed like the most interesting character in the book. I bet she had stories to tell that could curl the hair on your toes.

I am going to finish the book while in the Doctor’s office. Now that is enough to scare the bejesus out of me, ROOT CANAL!


I have been trying to figure out a way to describe my feelings while I was in Mexico having a temporary filling put in. I want to keep things “nice” and not vent my opinions. If you are going to take the road to Mexico to have dental work done – stay away from Palomas Mexico. It is not a good place to go. They have the staff, the clean exam rooms and they are friendly but they are not what they say they are. If you have any medical issues stay in the US. A professional told me all I needed to know. If you are going to cross over in El Paso then there are actual dentists there that are quite good but I couldn’t get the names. As it stands now I am paying the same price for dental work as I would in Mexico and getting the same thing done with the exception of getting a partial. I am satisfied.




Location: Las Cruces

It Is Up My Alley

My dental experience in Mexico was interesting. The clinic was clean, the staff wonderful, but when it came time to pay I had to barter. I have never bartered for dental work in my life and I will chalk it up to “what an experience.” I had a temporary filling and an x-ray done. The total cost….. Drum roll please…..$240.

I could get my dental work done much cheaper in the good ole US so I started haggling. I ended up saving $100 and as soon as I could I made an appointment with a dentist in Las Cruces.

Now for the rest of the story: they would have given me a post, a crown, a root canal, and a new partial for $1500. That is a good price but I have severe allergies to pain medication. As tempted as I was, I knew it would be safer for me to have that kind of work done in the US with a hospital close by.

The appointment is set for tomorrow, which by the way is my birthday, Happy Freaking Birthday to Me. All I want for my birthday is my one back tooth.

I have found the best restaurant in Las Cruces. Forget Si Si Senor or Double Eagle, drive to the Pancake Alley, order up a Wimpy Burger and onion rings while grooving on the tunes of the sixties and seventies. I am partial to the “Hotter Than Your Mama” though. What makes a good restaurant even better is the staff. The staff at Pancake Alley is fantastic, great people, great conversation, and wonderful displays of Betty Boop, Elvis Presley and James Dean.

Ah food! Life is good! I just don’t think we will ever leave Las Cruces.

Hola

If the month of January reflects how my year is going to be I think I will dig a hole and hide. With the near daily sinus problems, the headaches, and the abdominal discomfort I am looking for relief. The final insult to injury was when I broke my tooth. Not just any tooth but the tooth that my I need in order to wear my partial. We are looking at a major problem folks not to mention costly.

I went to the office and asked if anyone knew of a good dentist. Just about everyone said “Fierro Clinic.” I am not sure of the spelling. I asked for the location and was told it was in Palomas.

I never heard of Palomas New Mexico. I asked for directions.

It is in Mexico, not New Mexico. I am sorry folks but my teeth are American made and they are going to stay that way. Vickie, my dentist would have a fit if she knew I was even contemplating going over the border. Then I heard the cost is about 1/3 of what they charge in the United States. A retired doctor said he goes there. Everyone flashed me their perfectly straight pearly whites.

We are off to Palomas Mexico tomorrow, which I find strange because I started celebrating my birthday in Central America. I couldn’t go last year and didn’t think of it this year until now. I will be out of the country perhaps a few days short of my birthday but it doesn’t matter. Maybe by my birthday I will have all of teeth back in my mouth where they belong. That would be a truly wonderful birthday present to save a few hundred dollars.

Of course I will bring my camera and take pictures but not of my dental experience. I will let you know what happens tomorrow.

Later.
Location: Las Cruces