MORE CACTUS IN THE GROUND TODAY

MORNING SUNRISE IN OUR FRONT YARD (COLOR NOT ENHANCED)

 

OUR PORCH FACES THE RISING SUN

Sat on our porch early this morning & watched a fiery sunrise over Arizona’s Wickenburg Mountains.  Could see we were going to have a partial cloud cover for the day.  Had Cactus to plant & knew it would be cooler working without direct sunlight. 

WE WEREN'T THE ONLY ONES ENJOYING THE SUNRISE

On our walk we stopped & chatted with neighbors Shirley & Lew who have a cozy little place around the corner from us.  They also have a nice Cactus Garden & later brought over some Gold Cactus for us which I immediately planted.  Love those Golds.  Took my time planting the rest of Matthew’s Cactus pads & that pretty well took up my morning.  I like puttering in the dirt:))

 

 

OUR 3 NEW GOLDEN CACTI CAME FROM SHIRLEY & LOU’S PLANT BELOW

When one continually battles with their weight like I do exercising is important & of course I have no interest in organized exercising.  Never have.  My exercise comes from walking, hiking, or gardening, etc.  Sort of a natural every day exercise so these days of yard work are good for somebody like me.  It’s a creative exercise that accomplishes things in more ways than one.  Maybe not targeting specific muscle groups like regular exercises do but at least I am doing something.  Another advantage of having a house & property with a gardening hobby built right in.  It was one of only a few small problems I had with boondocking.  If I wasn’t outside cleaning up the campsite chances were I would get a little bored after a short time.  I’m at my best when I have a little something to do.  Sitting reading, watching television, or spending hours in front of a computer does not always work for me.  I can do each one of those 3 things in short increments & then I have to be doing something else.  Preferably something enjoyably physical.  Preferably something that will give me some necessary exercise.  We are all different of course, but a variety of hobbies is what works best for me……………...

SOMETIMES WHEN WE GO TO WICKENBURG WE CAN’T ALWAYS TAKE THE PHEEBS SO SHE GETS IN HER CHAIR & STAYS THERE WATCHING OUT THE WINDOW UNTIL WE RETURN HOME 

Think I figured out one of the things I have been doing wrong with the Critter Cam.  Been setting it on the ground & I think the infrared flash is reflecting off the stones & gravel right in front of it & washing out the pics.  Tonight I will either put it in the attic or out front in the Cactus Garden.  And I will make sure I position it higher.  Why they can’t engineer these cams with a simple tripod mount in the bottom I don’t know.

WE SURE SPEND OUR SATURDAY NIGHTS A LOT QUIETER NOW THAN WE USED TO YEARS AGO

Answering Dianne’s question from STORMRUNNER in our Shout Box I can say the license plate on the trailer belongs to the fellow we bought it from.  He let us borrow it to get the trailer home.  We will return his plate this week.  We need our own plate so will have to slip into the ‘Title Company’ in Wickenburg & pick one up.  Trailer was originally bought at Harbor Freight.  Can be lowered at the back to drive an ATV or  Motorcycle up onto.  Charlie the owner made some low wooden sides for it but the sun & rain have warped the wood a bit.  No problem, it’s still quite functional.  I’m sure even I could make some new side panels if I should decide to do so.  Maybe even paint er up kinda spiffy like.  Could be a project:))

Sometimes at garage sales or out shopping we see things we can’t decide on or agree on to purchase.  Sometimes those items just remain where they are & other times the thought occurs to us we should have got that.  Kelly saw a big green wooden clock for sale yesterday & mentioned it to me but I was too lazy to get out of the Jeep & go look at it.  Lady was asking $5.  After we got home I thought maybe that clock would be good in my bedroom where I could easily see it.  Kelly had to go back to North Ranch today to exchange some books anyway so remembered which house the clock had been for sale at.  Knocked on the door but the lady said she had given the clock to another lady who has a permanent garage sale going on in Congress.  Of course Kelly knew this lady & where she lived.  On her way home she swung around to the lady’s house & knocked on her door.  Yep the lady had the clock alright.  Kelly offered her $2 & the lady took it.  Wow, what a steal:))  Got the clock back home, put a new battery in it & hung it on the wall.  Wow, what a bust.  Clock doesn’t work:((

 

SOME COLORFUL BALLS KELLY HUNG ON A FRONT YARD MESQUITE TREE

And that Woodpeckery looking bird in yesterday’s post TOM is a Gambel’s Quail.  And we have lots of them here running around on the property eating fallen birdseed & wild weed seeds.  They are a very skitterish bird & have a comical skitter to them when they run.  Like the sound they make too.  It’s kind of a soft weeble.   

WE NEED A NAME FOR OUR MEXICAN WOODEN EAGLE…ANY THOUGHTS?

By early afternoon I had worked up a sweat getting all the Cacti in the ground.  And I ran out of energy.  It was into the cool house with me, into my recliner, & on with the television.  Spent the next 3 or 4 hours watching the History channel’s stories, interviews, & footage about the Second World War.  I always find the interviews with Veterans very riveting, educational, & sobering.

MORE CACTUS IN THE GROUND TODAY

  

We hit 80F today with the next few days predicted to be in the mid to upper 80’s.  Sure glad we didn’t decide to head over to the Slab City/Borrego Springs area this week or we may very well have been beaten back by the heat.  But there’s one great advantage about traveling foot loose & fancy free.  If it gets too hot, too cold, to noisy, too crowded, too wet, or too windy, ya just pack up & move on:))

  

END OF DAY:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Little Willie asked his mother: "Mamma, don't soldiers ever go to heaven?"
"Of course they do!" protested his mother. "What makes you ask?"  "There are so many soldiers with beards but I never saw any pictures of angels with beards."  "Oh, that's because most men who go to Heaven just get there by a close shave."

Little grandson asked: "Granddaddy, when you were in the Army and were posted as sentry at night, were you afraid?"  "I was, but only until I fell asleep."

A famous admiral and an equally famous general were fishing together when a sudden squall came up. When it died down both eminent warriors were struggling helplessly in the water.
The admiral floundered his way back to the boat and pulled himself painfully in. Then he fished out the general, using an oar.
Catching his breath, he puffed: "Please don't say a word about this to anyone. If the Navy found I can't swim I'd be disgraced.
"Don't worry," the general said. "Your secret is safe. I'd hate to have my men find out I can't walk on water."

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

A GIANT GARAGE SALE NETS US SOME LOOT & A TRAILER TO BRING IT HOME IN:))

MY GARDEN TOOLS PATIENTLY AWAIT MY RETURN ON A SUNNY ARIZONA MORNING

Had to quickly haul all the Cactus pads out of the Jeep this morning because it was the Escapee’s North Ranch annual Saturday morning garage sale day.  I had forgot about that.  Jeep space was probably going to be needed for garage sale loot.  Probably??  It was needed for garage sale loot!!

LOTS OF CACTUS TO PLANT SUNDAY MORNING

I didn’t go to the garage sale last year because for me to be tagging along on a garage sale run I have to have my head on pretty crooked.  And darned if it wasn’t on pretty crooked this morning.  We must have spent at least a couple hours from street to street, sale to sale.  Some I stayed in the Jeep for & some I did not.  The very first one we stopped at we scored a nice authentic yellow wooden table & that kind of set the pace for our morning garage sailing.

I DON’T ALWAYS TAKE DIRECTION WELL BUT WHEN I HEARD THE ORDER BARKED ‘GO THAT WAY’ I HURRIED UP & WENT THAT WAY

DOESN’T TAKE MUCH TO FILL UP A JEEP WRANGLER

BUT SOME FOLKS HAVE EVEN LESS SPACE THAN WE DO

Surprised at how many people we ran into that we already knew.  Jim from last winter’s gold mining area drive southeast of Wickenburg.  And Mike McFall his very self as we stopped to see what Mike was selling.  A wee chat with Mike & we were off again.  He was pretty busy selling some stuff.  Very next stop we met Mike’s wife Pat.  We met Pat & her friend Carol Spenny about half a dozen more times after that as the garage sale morning played itself out.  We were whizzing one way in the Jeep & the 2 Gals were whizzing the other way in their golf cart hopping from sale to sale:)) 

 

I ALWAYS ENJOY LOOKING AT PEOPLE’S DESERT LANDSCAPING IDEAS

One of the last stops we made for the morning had a small utility trailer for sale.  Just what we have been looking for since buying the house.  Not much room in a 2 door Jeep Wrangler so we have always had a problem carrying stuff.  Any stuff.  A deal was struck & the trailer was ours.  We took our Wrangler load of loot home first & then came back for the trailer.  Had spotted a couple sizeable items earlier for free but had no way to pick them up……..until we bought the trailer.  It was then quickly back to pick up an old large weather beaten wood table for outside & a computer desk/shelf thingy that I can use in the shed to put things on.  All & all we ended up with quite a stash of stuff.  And a utility trailer to haul some of it all home with to boot………:))

THIS TRAILER HAS A FEW UPGRADES LIKE NEW WIRING & BIGGER TIRES

 

A LITTLE ‘HORSE TRADING’ GOING ON HERE & THE TRAILER WAS OURS

DIDN’T TAKE US LONG TO ROUND UP SOME FREE STUFF:))

Okay so here is some of the stuff we dragged home today.  First is the free stuff…………….

A MAT FOR OUR PATIO

 

AN OLD WELL WEATHERED OUTSIDE WOOD BENCH & A SHELVING UNIT FOR OUR SHED

A SMATTERING OF BRICKS & BLOCKS FOR THE CACTUS GARDEN

And here is the stuff we darned well had to pay for………

A GOOD LEVEL FOR $2

 

ONE WELL MADE TABLE FOR $12 & A SHELVING UNIT NEVER OUT OF THE BOX FOR $6

THIS LIKE NEW MOTORCYCLE HELMET IS MUCH BETTER THAN THE ONE I HAVE IN ONTARIO – $20…(NOW IF I CAN JUST FIND A HARLEY DOWN HERE TO GO ALONG WITH IT)

 

CAMERA TRIPOD $2 & THIS WOODEN HAND CARVED MEXICAN EAGLE FOR $23…JUST NEEDS A LITTLE PAINT & SPRUCING UP

TABLE FOR OUR PORCH $5

AND A PRETTY GIRL ON THE PORCH…NO CHARGE:))

Definition of a Weed:  {a wild plant growing where it is not wanted & in competition with cultivated plants}  Well I guess that doesn’t make all my Cactus plants weeds because….they are wanted:))  And some of the most beautiful landscaped gardens one can find are done in the South West theme made up of desert cactus plants.  One only has to cruise through some very ‘posh neighborhoods’ to see that.  I’ve always loved South West desert landscaping.  Weeds?  I think not.  In other words, ‘no way Jose’ & weeds are only in the eyes of the beholder.

NOPE, I DON’T FIGURE THESE ARE WEEDS

First results from our Critter Cam are in.  Technically they are not very good & we have a ways to go to tweaking the cam for better results but even with our poor first effort images it is clear we are dealing with a Skunk under the house.

 

SKUNK PASSING BEHIND A TREE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT THEN STOPS, TURNS, & SHOWS US HIS BUSINESS END IN FULL DEFENSIVE SPRAY MODE

 

I’LL LET YOUR IMAGINATION FIGURE THESE TWO OUT

 

I FIGURE THIS IS SKUNK FUR AS LOUIE LAPEW CLOSELY CHECKS OUT THE CRITTER CAM

I’ve often heard it said the heat is dryer here in Arizona.  I agree with that.  We are hitting low to mid 80’s temps these days & that equivalent in Ontario with the humidity factor thrown in is much worse.  What I like best about this South West weather is the ability to change one’s surrounding environmental temperature in a matter of seconds.     Too hot in the sun…..just step into the shade & the temperature on your skin drops about 10 degrees in a second.  Sit on the south side of your RV & it’s summer.  Sit on the north side of your RV & it’s winter.  We have no A/C in this house but it stays cool as long as we close the drapes to the sun.  In Ontario there is no escaping the humidity anywhere unless one encompasses themselves in Air Conditioning.  That humidity just sticks to ya no matter where ya try to hide………………

THIS AFTERNOON’S BIRDS

KEEPING WATCH WHILE THE LADIES CATCH A QUICK DRINK

GROANER’S CORNER:(( 71 Reasons why it's great to be a guy

1. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
2. You know stuff about tanks.
3. A five day vacation requires only one suitcase.
4. Monday Night Football.
5. Your bathroom lines are 80% shorter.
6. You can open all your own jars.
7. Old friends don't annoy you if you've lost or gained weight.
8. Dry cleaners and haircutters don't rob you blind.
9. When clicking through the channel, you don't have to stall on every shot of someone crying.
10. A beer gut does not make you invisible to the opposite sex.
11. Guys in hockey masks don't attack you.
12. You don't have to lug a bag of useful stuff around everywhere you go.
13. You can go to the bathroom without a support group.
14. Your last name stays put.
15. You can leave a hotel bed unmade.
16. When your work is criticized, you don't have to panic that everyone secretly hates you.
17. You can kill your own food.
18. The garage is all yours.
19. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
20. You see the humor in Terms of Endearment.
21. You never have to clean the toilet.
22. You can be showered and ready in 10 minutes.
23. Wedding plans take care of themselves.
24. If someone forgets to invite you to something, he or she can still be your friend.
25. Your underwear is $10 for a three pack.
26. The National College Cheerleading Championship
27. None of your co-workers have the power to make you cry.
28. You don't have to shave below your neck.
29. If you're 34 and single nobody notices.
30. Everything on your face stays its original color.
31. Chocolate is just another snack.
32. You can be president.
33. You can quietly enjoy a car ride from the passenger seat.
34. Flowers fix everything.
35. You never have to worry about other people's feelings.
36. You can wear a white shirt to a water park.
37. Three pair of shoes are more than enough.
38. You can eat a banana in a hardware store.
39. You can say anything and not worry about what people think.
40. Michael Bolton doesn't live in your universe.
41. You can whip your shirt off on a hot day.
42. You don't have to clean your apartment if the meter reader is coming by.
43. Car mechanics tell you the truth.
44. You don't care if someone notices your new haircut.
45. You can watch a game in silence with your buddy for hours without even thinking: He must be mad at me.
46. You never misconstrue innocuous statements to mean your lover is about to leave you.
47. You get to jump up and slap stuff.
48. One mood, all the time.
49. You can admire Clint Eastwood without starving yourself to look like him.
50. You know at least 20 ways to open a beer bottle.
51. Same work....more pay.
52. Gray hair and wrinkles add character.
53. Wedding Dress $2000; Tux rental $100.
54. You don't care if someone is talking about you behind your back.
55. You don't mooch off others' desserts.
56. The remote is yours and yours alone.
57. People never glance at your chest when you're talking to them.
58. ESPN's sports center.
59. You can drop by to see a friend without bringing a little gift.
60. You have a normal and healthy relationship with your mother.
61. You needn't pretend you're "freshening up" to go to the bathroom.
62. If you don't call your buddy when you say you will, he won't tell your friends you've changed.
63. Someday you'll be a dirty old man.
64. If another guy shows up at the party in the same outfit, you might become lifelong buddies.
65. Princess Di's death was almost just another obituary.
66. If something mechanical didn't work, you can bash it with a hammer and throw it across the room.
67. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
68. You don't have to remember everyone's birthdays and anniversaries.
69. Your pals can be trusted never to trap you with: "So... notice anything different?"
70. Baywatch
71. There is always a game on somewhere. 

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.