OUR GATE IS COMPLETE & AS YET AN UNSEEN GOPHER SNAKE IS IN OUR FRONT YARD

The bird in my Sunday post has been identified by DONNA W & GORDON W (no relation) as an AMERICAN KESTREL.  I think it is the first time I have ever seen one.  Photo was taken near the Date Creek Ranch west of the Date Creek Mountains.

 

Readers may have noticed I have been slowly re-building my ‘Fellow Bloggers’ list on our sidebar.  A lot of blogs slipped through the cracks over the last few years.  Some mysteriously disappeared, some I removed when they went dormant, & others I removed one time in an attempt to shorten the list & keep it more current.  As I come across blogs I remember I have been re-adding them to my list again.  This morning’s example is LADY DYNA RIDER who I think I had on my list at one time.  I recognized the name.  Check out her post about a Steel Building Home.  Kelly & I have thought of this concept many times over the past years.

I am soooooo glad it is not last year at this time.  Not only were we headed for a cold snowy & rainy stretch of weather but it was the time we drove over to Quartzsite on January 25th & got ourselves tangled up buying a 2012 Class C Sunseeker.  That was the beginning of some highly stressful days for us that would last for months.  It is still stressful to this very day just thinking of it all.  Worst day was January 31rst when we drove the Damon to Quartzsite for the trade-in.  Now there’s a miserable memory still too fresh in my mind to even write about.  And that’s the end of that.

 

<<< LITTLE MISS HAPPY FACE

Dally was back to more of her old self this morning.  Quicker coming over to the fence & jumping up for some scruffles.  Someone asked if she was fixed & yes she is.  Several folks have wondered about us adopting Dally.  This is a tough question.  After 3 dogs we are very comfortable right now with one dog.  Everything is much easier for us.  Pheebe is our top priority & we do not want to do anything that disrupts or changes things for her.  We already know Dally totally overpowers Pheebs while playing & we can tell Pheebs is uncomfortable with that.  Dally might settle down after awhile or she might not.  It’s a big chance to take.  Dally requires training & I don’t know if I have the patience for that anymore.  It would be pretty crowded in the Jeep with 2 dogs in the back etc.  Adopting Dally is not out of the question but it is a very, very, difficult decision requiring not only clear thoughts from the head but clear feelings from the heart as well…………………

The flower pics I had in my post a couple days ago are a type of Daisy.  Shirley gave me a coffee can of seeds awhile back & I scattered them in a bare spot along our fence north of our front gate.  Maybe just need some rain now to get them started.  If we can just get a few growing they will soon take off covering our front yard.

Marteen & his boys showed up this afternoon & completed our south gate.  Good job & glad to have that project done & out of the way.  They also made a few adjustments on our front gate to even things up as well.  Waiting for Les now to drop over with our new shed doors

 

WE NOW HAVE 2 ENTRANCES TO THE PROPERTY MAKING IT EASIER ENTER & EXIT OUR PLACE

We noticed a white pick-up truck stopped on the road in front of our house this afternoon.  We recognized the truck from the Congress Water Department & one of the fellas was out shoosing something off the road with his hat.  Turns out it was a 3’ GOPHER SNAKE.  Gopher snakes are good snakes & not harmful.  We didn’t see it but Lloyd from the waterworks said he last saw it slipping under our fence heading for a Prickly Pear Cactus patch we have in the corner of our front yard.  With camera in hand Kelly & went looking for him but he may have gone down one of the holes under the Prickly Pears.  This Gopher snake sighting along with a commenter having a Rattlesnake in their breezeway in south Congress a week ago prompted Kelly to call a Vet in Wickenburg.  Pheebs is going in for an anti-venom Rattlesnake shot Tuesday at 4 just to be on the safe side.  She will get a booster in about a month & it will be good until next January.  With our mild temperatures lately some of the crawly things are beginning to come out of the ground.  Those Cactus Wrens gathering nesting materials Sunday may be a sign of an early Spring in these parts.

Three o’clock this afternoon found us over at North Ranch with a group of folks in the activity center listening to Bob Cardwell giving a talk & showing slides on Crested Saguaros of Arizona.  To date he has documented 2,081 Crested Saguaro Cacti.  Bob is connected with the TUCSON CACTUS & SUCCULENT SOCIETY.  Kelly & I have found close to a dozen so far in our travels.  Typing ‘Saguaro Cactus’ in our search bar will take you to my posts over the years about us finding them.  Recent finds are listed first.

 

Noticed a few fellow RV Bloggers over in Quartzsite made it out to Crystal Hill a day or two ago.  Rough washboard road to get there but it’s a nice hike up a rocky hill where crystals can still be found.

 

WE FOUND SOME ON CRYSTAL HILL

KELLY & I ON CRYSTAL HILL SOUTH OF QUARTZSITE AZ ON FEBRUARY 08 IN 2010

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Did you know the very first doctor of dermatology had to start from scratch.

Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

This dog, is dog, a dog, good dog, way dog, to dog, keep dog, a dog, dummy dog, busy dog, for dog, 20 dog, seconds dog! ... Now read without the word dog.

Farmer Evans was driving his John Deere tractor along the road with a trailer load of fertilizer.  Tim a little boy of eight was playing in his yard when he saw the farmer and asked, 'What've you got in your trailer?'  'Manure,' Farmer Evans replied. 'What are you going to do with it?' asked Tim. 'Put it on my strawberries,' answered the farmer. Tim replied, 'You ought to come and eat with us, we put ice-cream on our strawberries.'

DROVE US ABOUT 40 MILES TO FIND A SPOT ONLY ABOUT 6 MILES FROM WHERE WE STARTED OUT……..DUH:((

(this is Sunday’s post)

A PAIR OF CACTUS WRENS WERE BUSY THIS MORNING GATHERING NESTING MATERIAL

 

If anyone is up early enough & wondering what that bright round looking light is in the South-Eastern sky it is the Planet Venus.  With our crystal clear cool Arizona skies Venus really stood out this morning & caught my eye as soon as Pheebs & I stepped outside.

TIPPY ACROSS THE ROAD FROM US PATIENTLY WAITS MOST EVERY MORNING FOR A SNUZZLE WITH THE BAYIELD BUNCH & ESPECIALLY SMOOCHES WITH THE PHEEBS

 

We noticed a difference in Dally when we walked by this morning.  She didn’t come rushing over to the fence jumping up to see us.  She held back watching us at first then slowly approached.  Seemed like she was being very cautious.  Gave her a couple treats & she was happy to see us but the excited exuberance we had seen before wasn’t there.  Her experience may have settled her down a bit & she just might have been very, very, tired.

THIS CACTUS WREN COUPLE HAS TAKEN UP RESIDENCE IN OUR FRONT YARD SAGUARO CACTUS

 

I GUESS JUDY FROM TRAVELS WITH EMMA WOULD CALL THIS, ‘THE END’

Filled the bird feeders, fired up Jeepers & we were on the road before 10.  Kelly had read about a mineral hill up highway 93 somewhere.  We should have paid more attention to the map in the library gem book because it took us about 40 miles to find the spot we set out to find which turned out to be only about 6 miles from our house.  And all because we were not paying attention & missed a road sign.  Oh well nice morning for a drive but not necessarily on highway 93.  It’s the race track between Phoenix Arizona & Las Vegas Nevada.  I have a feeling there are a lot of drugs & alcohol on this stretch of road.  Why else would some of the crazies be driving the way they do eh. 

AT LEAST THE DESERT ROADS WE WERE ON TODAY WERE UNUSUALLY SMOOTH

AND HOW NICE TO BE IN A LAND OF JOSHUA TREES

We did finally find the area we were looking for at the western edge of the Date Creek Mountains.  That of course after a dusty stretch of desert road led us to a dead end & back.  Knew we were in the right spot though when we saw some people on a small hill digging with shovels. 

KELLY WALKS OVER TO SEE WHAT THE FOLKS HAVE FOUND

 

  

PHEEBS MAKES FRIENDS WHEREVER SHE GOES

Parked & walked over to where the folks were searching for Crystals.  They did have some nice small finds.  We spent about half an hour walking around picking up some prospects.  A lot of nice stones here but the elusive Crystals are hard to find.  Book says to dig for them & sort through the dirt.  They can be as small as half a fingernail or less.  Something that requires a trained eye to find.  The family digging on the hill was from Phoenix. 

  

OF COURSE WE DO HAVE OUR OWN ROCKOLOGIST IN THE FAMILY

 

MIGHT BE CRYSTALS INSIDE THE TWO ROCKS I PICKED UP

THE CLEAR PIECE ON THE LEFT WAS KELLY’S BEST FIND

PHEEBS DIGS HERE OWN HOLES LOOKING FOR CRYSTAL BONES

 

BACK HOME KELLY LOOKS UP SOME GEM INFO ON HER LAPTOP

We were home before 2.  Kelly had a hankering to head on up to Yarnell to browse some stores which are only open on the week-end.  Pheebs & I took a pass on that.  I trimmed some more Mesquite & Palo-Verde trees on the neighbors property & that was about it for the day.  Kelly did return with a couple nice colorful southwest skirts.

<<< ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS WHAT THIS BIRD IS??

Listening to music from the 40’s on Sirius Satellite radio this afternoon I realized for the first time while listening to Nat King Cole singing Route 66 that we have actually been through the majority of the cities & towns mentioned in that song.  Chicago, St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Gallup, Kingman, Flagstaff Arizona & don’t forget Winona, .  Much of Route 66 can still be seen running alongside I-40.

And I did tough out the annual Grammy Awards show tonight simply because I wanted to see Paul McCartney & Ringo Star.  I well remember the days when I enjoyed the Grammies.  There was a time when it was all about talented musicians & their music.  Oh there are still a lot of greatly talented musicians out there but I do not associate talented musicians with rap music.  For every minute that offensive noise is on stage it is taking away valuable time from truly talented & genuine musicians.  Keep in mind folks this is just old Grumpy’s opinions here.  Did enjoy seeing & listening to Chicago, Paul & Ringo together, Willy Nelson, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson & Blake Shelton.  Nice to see Carol King is still going & of course Taylor Swift is always easy on the eyes.  And I would have got into the Metallica segment if we had had a decent sound system here.  But tinny TV sound automatically means…..no bass.  Liked the tribute to Phil Everly by Miranda Lambert & Greenday’s  Billie Joe Armstrong.  Heard a few tunes from the FOREVERLY album by Billy Joe Armstrong & Norah Jones last week & thought it was totally excellent.  They really nailed the Everly Brothers harmonies………………

 

SHE SURE LOVES STRETCHING OUT ON HER VERY OWN COUCH

GROANER’S CORNER:((  When we were looking to buy property I had this over zealous Realtor show us what can only be described as a totally worn out old farm. I mean the land had just been worked to death. The weeds were hardly even growing. The smiling super salesman said, "Now really, all this land needs is a little water, a nice cool breeze and some good people." I replied, "Yeah, I agree, but couldn't the same be said of Hell?"

Canadians & especially Ontario folks will recognize these two characters depicted here as Laurel & Hardy.  Justin Bieber on the left & Toronto’s mayor Rob Ford on the right.  I think the picture sums these two Ontario headline grabbers quite well…..