OUR COMPANY ARRIVES AS PHEEBS & I LATER SETTLE IN FOR A SURREAL SUNDAY NIGHT IN THE BIG EEE:))

WE SURE HAVE A LOT OF SAGUAROS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

First order of business this morning was moving my stuff from house to rig.  Shirts, socks, cereal, a case of peanut butter & a barrel of honey, milk, cranraspberry juice, Sirius satellite radio, Ipod, Bose boombox, etc. etc.  Not a lot of stuff but just enough to keep me comfortable for 5 nights while our company is here.  Did the same thing last couple years when Peter & Leslie came to visit as well as when Aunt Jean was here 2 winters ago.  Works well & I actually like hanging out by myself with Pheebs in the rig.  We’re like a coupla kids in a tree house Fort:))

PHEEBS LIKES TO LEAVE TOYS ON MY PILLOW SOME MORNINGS & I NEVER KNOW WHO I WILL FIND THERE…THIS MORNING IT WAS ‘SHUSTER THE ROOSTER’

A warm sunny relaxing low 70’s day when our company rolled in late this afternoon.  After spending a couple days in Las Vegas & touring Valley Of Fire Saturday it was time for them to slow down their pace for some R & R right here in our own dusty little western whistle stop of a town, Congress Arizona.  Where the desert breeze meets the mountain air.

JUST ROLLED IN AS KELLY HELPS BROTHER PETER WITH SOME LUGGAGE

 

HOW’S THIS FOR VALET SERVICE…OK, OK, I DID PUT MY CAMERA DOWN LONG ENOUGH TO CARRY IN A SUITCASE

KELLY, LESLIE, PETER, & THE FABULOUS PHEEBS WITH HER FRISBEE

 

GETTING CAUGHT UP ON ALL THE BACK HOME SPENCERPORT NEW YORK NEWS

Ever mindful of changing laws between our two countries our good friend & long time reader Don from Brandon Manitoba sent us this article which is of particular interest to Canadian Snowbirds.  Canadians Going To U.S. Need To Be Mindful Of Changes.   These seemingly changing chameleon like laws always seem to be an uncertain area of thinking for many RV folks. 

 

I AM HAVING QUITE A TIME WITH ONE OF OUR FINE FEATHERED LOCALS…KEEPS TRYING TO BUILD A NEST ATOP OUR SLIDE UNDER THE SLIDE COVER & I HAVE TO KEEP CLIMBING UP & UNBUILDING IT

Our first trip to Quartzsite Arizona was back in January of 2007 & we have been to or been through that little place every year since & sometimes 2 or 3 times a season.  We’ve done the big tent crowds, walked our legs off on seemingly endless miles of vendor’s stalls, probably dropped close to a thousand dollars there over the years, ate at most of the places including the 4 o’clock .25 cent hamburger joint.  Wonder if they still do that.  Been around to Quartzsite’s sightseeing places including the naked bookseller.  While boondocked in the desert south of Quartzsite we had a new awning put on our Damon one time plus had our Legacy Blue Flame heater hooked up we bought at Grannys.  Even had a honey wagon dump our gray & black tanks plus fill our fresh water tank out in the boonies one time as well.   Took out our Damon’s dinette, tub chair, & couch selling all that stuff to ‘The Gambler’ in town.  We’ve toughed out big winds & freezing cold nights.  Been rained on & scorched on as well.  One day we had to move 3 times because of other rigs parking too close to us.  (if you appear as a speck in my binoculars you are too damn close)  A couple years ago we bought an RV in the Q but let’s not go there.  For us Quartzsite now is just a quiet little whistle stop on our way to Borrego Springs, Yuma, or Arizona’s Kofa mountains.  And that’s just how we prefer the Q.  A place to pick up some gas, a coffee & a bite to eat at McDonalds before shoving off down the road.  No more mosh pit crowds for us, that novelty wore off a long time ago.  I did get a kick out of Doug & Yuma's Post when they both ventured into the Q Saturday.  His thoughts were mine exactly the first time Kelly & I went there.  What a zoo!!  But having said that I’m glad we did go all those times we did.  Gave us something to do, provided some excitement & enabled us to get a few things done with our coach that needed doing.  It was a good learning experience but neither one of us has a desire to go back & be a part of all those jostling crowds anymore.  Thanks for the memories Quartzsite:))

ALWAYS A LOT OF OLD RELICS AROUND FORMER MINING TOWN SITES

And speaking of Quartzsite: ‘Attention All Bloggers’!!!! This coming Saturday will mark the first ever 2015 Blogger-Fest.  The folks over at Just Wanderin in conjunction with a few other like minded RV Blogger’s will be hosting a get together Saturday January 24th from 1:30 to 3:30.  The folks from Wanderin say GPS coordinates & directions will be posted January 20th.  They went on to say, “This year we’ll be meeting at the end of  Plomosa Road.  Coordinates will soon follow as well as detailed directions but you’ll be able to tell you’re in the right place when you see all the yellow balloons”.  Plomosa Road mile marker 2.8.

It is Sunday night & I just can’t tell you how nice it is sitting here cozily in our Motorhome at my keyboard.  Favorite ambient tunes quietly wafting from my Ipod Bose beside me on a table.  Pheebs asleep on the couch lost in a world of wistfully delightful doggy dreams.  Soft lighting feathers down touching Toshiba’s keys lightly enough for me to see them.  Two warming candles flicker in a distant darkened corner.  It is one of those special moments where life’s memories come together just long enough to give me a fleeting moment of rare surreal calm & wellness with all.  How fortunate I am tonight to be a part of who I am……. 

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A friend of mine had resisted efforts to get him to run with our jogging group until his doctor told him he had to exercise. Shortly thereafter, he reluctantly joined us for our 5:30 AM jogs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  After a month of running, we decided that my friend might be hooked, especially when he said, "I've discovered what 'runner's euphoria' is."
When we questioned this he explained, "Runner's euphoria is what I experience at 5:30 AM on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays."

SUNDAY MORNING I MOVE OUT OF THE HOUSE :((…..:))

 

I liked Gaelyn’s thoughts when she wrapped up her latest post with the words “I’m not lost, just following an unfamiliar path”.  She ends her first paragraph with a question I’m sure we all can identify with, “I lost my way for a while.  Adjusting to the lack of direction.  Feeling on the edge of anxiety, what to do, where to GO.  Not life threatening mind you.  Not for the first time in my life.  Has this happened to you along life’s journey”?  My one word answer to Gaelyn would be a resounding ‘YES’.

Nice to see how well Doug over at Miss Adventure Travels & new bestest Pal Yuma are getting along & bonding so well.  I believe it was love at first sight for both these two & how heart warming to see things going so well between a man & his beloved dog:)) 

ONE LITTLE FELLA TAKES OFF & GAINS ALTITUDE WHILE ANOTHER COMES IN WITH FLAPS DOWN FOR A LANDING ON THE FEEDER

A few days ago I welcomed our latest Blog Follower Jan Mains to our travels but couldn’t find a blogsite for her on Google +.  Jan in a follow-up comment sent her & husband Bill’s site which is, Bill and Jan RVing the USA.  It seems Jan took a nasty tumble off a ladder just a few days after Christmas while putting Christmas decorations away & has severely shattered her heel which she has been told could take up to a year to mend.  Not the best way to start 2015 I’d say.

<<< GAMBLE QUAIL MALE

Sue B from BIGDAWG AND FREEWAY in a comment said, “nice looking cookies!..they must be for 'company”.  Sue hit the nail right on the head there.  Our company arrives Sunday & they are big cookie eaters for sure.  Of course Pheebs & I are moving out before Peter & Leslie arrive so I won’t be bothered by all those cookies around. (Peter is Kelly’s brother)  Not moving too far of course, just into our Motorhome till week’s end while Leslie & Peter use my bedroom with it’s big Queen size bed.  I’m looking forward to some nice alone time.  My TV my time, my music my time.  No music or TV my time as well.  My decisions, my priorities, my pleasures, my quiet.  And people just yards away if I’m needing a people fix.  When on the road traveling I usually find those people fixes by walking through a Walmart store for 20 minutes.  After that Walmart walk I usually need another 6 weeks to pull my frazzled nerves back together.  But those are Walmart walks & not Peter & Leslie:))

GAMBLE QUAIL FEMALE >>>

Kelly cooked up a big turkey yesterday & this morning I got put on carcass clean-up duty.  It was my first time doing this most unsavory & very greasy task & I was glad to hear Kelly say, “this is the last BIG turkey we will buy, too much work”!!  Up to my elbows in turkey grease I was glad to hear that which suits me fine just in case I would ever get stuck doing carcass clean-up again.  Sure am glad I have no interest in all that cooking stuff.  I’d sooner be outside playing in a pile of dirt any day.

  

GILA WOODPECKER LANDS ON OUR BIRD BATH FOR A DRINK

<<< THIS LOOKS LIKE A DOUBLE LANDING ON A NARROW RUNWAY

Took ourselves for a short 4 minute drive out to the end of Ghost Town Road again where we were a few days ago & had us a little rock scramble through, over, & around some boulders, Saguaros, & Palo Verde trees & lots of Prickly Pear Cactus.  From a distance we had spotted tell-tale signs of a mining dig & were curious to have a closer look at that.  Took us a wee bit of hiking but soon we were standing at the entrance of a mine shaft going straight into a Saguaro filled hillside.  I approached the entrance but stopped short when I picked up a faint but distinct animal smell.  Could be a Coyote den or maybe a Bobcat.  Not likely a Mountain Lion in these parts though.  Soft sand nearby showed small hoof prints & I knew they were not deer. Our suspicions immediately turned to Javelinas.  Those suspicions minutes later were confirmed when Kelly spotted 2 Javelinas moving through a patch of underbrush nearby.  We made sure Pheebs stayed right close to us as we continued our hike around the immediate area.  Probably spent close to an hour looking at things before returning back down Ghost Town Road to our house only minutes away.  It was nice to get out & grab a little leg exercise & enjoy today’s warming temperatures.

KELLY POINTS SOMETHING OUT IN THE DISTANCE

 

WE DID HAVE US A WEE BIT OF A ROCK SCRAMBLE THROUGH THESE BOULDERS

JEEP IN THE CENTER WITH CONGRESS AZ IN THE BACKGROUND

 

AN OLD MINE SHAFT ON THIS PIECE OF PROPERTY

IT WAS HERE I STOPPED WHEN I DETECTED A FAINT ANIMAL SMELL COMING FROM THE OLD MINE SHAFT

And what the heck’s going on over in Dardenne Prairie these days.  Well let’s just say Rigg’s is a bit upset & had this to say today, “For over a year I was the top dog, I was the only dog, then you allowed Sadie to come live with us”.  “Everything was going along just fine, WHY WHY did you let them bring Charlie to live with us”?.  Oh Dear sounds like Riggs is having a time of it over at Sam & Donna's House these days & they’ve got some funny pics of all the shenanigans too.

  

THESE TWO LITTLE CHAPS ARE ON FINAL APPROACH FOR THE BIRD FEEDER

Our weather has turned around nicely with sunny days & temperatures reaching 70 today.  I have also been keeping an eye on the temperatures & weather in California’s Mojave National Preserve & it’s looking good over that-a-way as well.  I’m hoping we can head up there around the end of this month.  It’s an area we have never been to before & because of the time of year I’m hoping there will not be too many if any people around.  Checking my Atlas I noticed this Preserve is only a hop, skip, & a jump from Death Valley National Park so that is another option for us.  We have been to & through Death Valley several times before but there’s a whole lot there we have never seen. 

GROANER’S CORNER:(( The personnel manager was impressing an applicant with a prospective job.
"We make parts for microscopes. You'll be required to work with lenses that are ten-thousandths of an inch thick."  "I can handle it," the applicant said, "I used to slice meat in a delicatessen."

---

When he received a journal as a gift, my eight-year-old son was mystified. "Mom, what am I supposed to do with this? The pages are blank."  "You write down interesting stuff that happens to you," I said.  "Oh so it's like a blog on paper."

FACE TO FACE WITH TEMPTATION IN OUR KITCHEN!!

Aside from cleaning up our Jeeps interior, cleaning half of the Big EEE’s windows (north side only because of sun) & a smattering of other puttering about stuff our day remained rather uneventful.  Could have washed the Jeep but figured what’s the point it’ll just get all dusted up again anyway.  We don’t have the types of neighbors here who care about who has the shiniest car on the block anyway so we fit right in quite nicely with the locals:))

Set my telescope up today in anticipation of having a look at Comet Lovejoy tonight but with Lovejoy being nearly straight overhead my telescope mounted on my camera tripod will not tip back far enough for me to look straight up.  I had forgot about that but while I had it set up I did have myself a look around at a few other hot spots in the night sky such as Orion’s Nebulae.  Cool.

HOPE AT LEAST SOME OF THESE ALOE PLANTS I DUG INTO THE GROUND A FEW DAYS AGO SURVIVE >>>

Additional info on Jeep headlights……. Both lights were installed brand spanking new back on October 20th last year.  They are Wegner lights & the passenger side light quit working in less than 2 months.  Replaced it Thursday with a Sylvania light.  No idea if it is a better light or not it’s just what they sold us at O’Reilly Auto Parts in Wickenburg.

 

PLANTED MYSELF ANOTHER JOSHUA TREE THIS MORNING

I heard a familiar diesel engine rattling up Ghost Town Road about mid afternoon & figured that would be today’s UPS truck.  I figured right as it rolled up to our gate with a fella jumping out box in hand containing 2 brand new KC fog lights for our Jeep.  Later pulling them out of a plain brown box I thought they looked sooooo shiny new & our little Jeep looked sooooo dustily old.  When I get those sparkly new fog lights put on I will have to dump a bucket of road dirt over them to blend each light in with Jeepers cool & gravely country road demeanor.

 

 NEW FOG LIGHTS WILL MOUNT WHERE THE OLD ONES ARE NOW

THANKS MR. UPS GUY

I did face a rather dicey dilemma in our kitchen this afternoon though which did require a quick & correct decision on my part.  Kelly had been busy with kitchen things earlier & when I walked into the house at one point I was instantly aware of a most wonderful smell.  Into our kitchen I walked & there spread out on our counter were stacks upon stacks of freshly baked & still warm chocolate chip cookies.  Dozens of them I figure.  Of course my first impulse was to get as many of those cookies into my face as quick as possible before Kelly returned from wherever it was she was at.  Therein of course rested my dilemma.  Caught myself before succumbing to temptation long enough to give me pause.  I knew right off if I ate just one cookie my addictive nature would immediately kick in & I would have of course needed 10 more cookies right away.  If one cookie tastes so good just think how great nine more would taste.  Nope, for me the answer came back as an immediate NO!!  Knowing myself as I occasionally do there would be no eating of cookies today.  Had to pass on the tummy yummers & go eat an orange.  I’m still holding my weight under 200 pounds & I don’t want to mess that up.  I did have an ice cream cone a few weeks ago while at the Peanut Patch in Yuma but I knew that ice cream cone would not set off my addiction.  A cookie would!!

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A father picked up his six year old girl from Sunday School and asked. "What did you learn today?"  "Daddy, I learned about Jonah."  "What did you you learn about Jonah, sweetheart."  "He was swallowed by a big fish and ..... and lived there for three days and then .... then the big fish spit him up on the beach ..... alive," she replied.  "Now sweetheart," he said, "you don't believe that that really happened, do you?''  "Yes ... yes ... I do Daddy, it's true, it's true."  "Why do you believe it's true."  "Because the Bible says it is so it's true, it's true, Daddy."  "Well, sweetie, what if you're wrong and it's not true?"  "Daddy, I'll just have to ask Jonah when I get to heaven."  "But sweetie. If it isn't true, maybe Jonah isn't in heaven. What if he is in hell."  Then, Daddy, you will have to ask him!"

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- 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.

CHANGED OUR JEEP’S HEADLIGHT TODAY BUT I HAD AN ‘ACE IN THE HOLE’:))

I just didn’t get around to taking any photos today except of our headlight exchange & rather than digging around in my photo files for some pics I think I’ll just give our Verizon bandwidth, broadband, or whatever ya call it a break tonight:))

---

Probably our most exciting venture today was a drive over to Wickenburg for groceries.  I’ve written a few things in previous posts about my ventures into grocery stores & how I go about my hustling up & down each aisle hunting down my own stuff.  But here’s a little something I hadn’t mentioned before which I caught myself doing this morning.  Not the first time either but it’s just one of those odd little quirks I sometimes befall myself with.  Had my list of 10 items to find & as I picked up each one I took my pen & stroked it off my list in a little black shirt pocket book I always carry.  And yes I’ve written about that little black book before too.

---

Cruising smoothly down one aisle I spotted Safeway’s Yogurt section on my left & knowing I needed Yogurt slowed down, put on my turn signal & pulled over alongside the Yogurt shelf & picked me up a couple boxes of Yoggies.  Took out my little black book to stroke Yogurt off my list but noticed I had forgotten to write Yogurt down in the first place.  No problem as I took out my pen, wrote Yogurt on my list then happily stroked it off.  ‘WOW’ what a sense of accomplishment.  I bet none of you have ever done that, right.  Ya I didn’t think so:))

---

Really enjoying my new transition glasses & I’m finding even while driving I’m Okay with not having to wear my Cocoon sunglasses over top them so far.  How nice not to have to carry clip-on sunglasses in my shirt pocket anymore.  And what a treat seeing clearly through lenses that don’t look like they have been run over by a Yavapai road grader.

---

There is, has, & always will be a day come for each & everyone of us to finally hang up our RV keys for the last time for whatever reasons.  It marks the end of an era & there is always a sadness goes with it when we hear of folks we know, friends, family, or fellow RV’ers reaching that point.  And especially so with one of the most kind hearted easy going RV couples we have ever had the privilege of knowing & communicating with here on-line over the years in our tight knit sharing together RV community.  I’m speaking of course about none other than Donna & Russ Krecklow who just Wednesday gave up their keys & sold their Lazy Days RV.  I’ll let Donna’s thoughts tell you how they felt.  A Final Farewell.  And to show you how considerate & thoughtful of others these 2 people truly are, some readers may remember when back in early November of 2013 I received a surprise cardboard package in the mail.  That package came from Russ & you can read about what was in it here at, A Big Surprise In The Mail From Oregon Today.  And Russ, Hoppy still hangs proudly on our living room wall in the exact same spot I put him that day way back on November 4th 2013:))))))

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While in Wickenburg this morning we stopped at O’Reilly Auto Parts & picked up another Jeep headlight.  Only $11 dollars which I didn’t think was too bad for a headlight.  Reluctantly agreed with myself to try this headlight installation myself.  From my many past experiences & a sordid track record of attempted mechanical repairs I could already sense my inner Gremlins lining up in great anticipation of once again delighting themselves by thwarting my every attempt at the task ahead.  So with that ominous thought in mind I set to work once we arrived home to swap out Jeepers burnt out headlight.  But to be fair…….I did have an ace up my sleeve:))

<<< HEY I MANAGED TO GRAB A QUICK PIC OF THE SNOOZING PHEEBS JUST BEFORE PUBLISHING MY POST TONIGHT:))

I knew enough to lift the engine hood but that’s where my knowing enough stopped.  Stood blankly looking in confusement wondering where do I even start to un-install Jeepers bad headlight.  Then, a light bulb moment of my own.  Into the house I went & cranked up my computer.  A minute later found me typing in these words. ‘How to change a Jeep Wrangler headlight’.  And yep there it was, a step by step video on how to do it.  Figured I’d have to sit & watch it at least 35 times so’s to remember everything but watching it closely & using all my very best memory brain cells I headed back outside with my Philips screwdriver & trusty hammer as back-up.  Of course they weren’t Philips screws at all as I heard the first Gremlin snickers.  Now what?  Aha, I remembered a gizmo gadget in the Jeep with a bunch of variously sized Allen type ends on it & sure enough one of those little end dickenses actually fit so figured I was off to the races.  ‘Not so fast Ace Ventura’ chuckled a Gremlin or two.

 

I was able to remove 3 of 3 outer chrome ring screws with no problem but inside were 4 more smaller recessed harder to see & get at screws holding another rim in place.  That rim actually held the headlight in.  Gremlins were now in high antics knowing what was coming next but by gosh this time I was determined in doing a little thwarting myself.  Slipped into our shed & retrieved an old shower curtain along with a small towel from the house.  Laid that flower patterned shower curtain on the ground underneath where I would be working & stuffed a striped towel in under the headlight itself because I knew if the towel didn’t catch the small tiny screws when I of course dropped them then at least they would not become lost forever in our stone driveway under our Jeep.  Carefully removed 3 screws using a needle nose pliers to grasp each one to prevent them from falling when backed out of their holes.  Fourth screw got away from me & landed on the towel where I was easily able to grasp it with said pliers.  Good play AL I thought as I heard some distinct growling from the Gremlin Gallery.  From here I gently removed the second rim & even remembered to unplug Jeepers headlight from behind.  No small feat in remembering that I assure you.  But taking out each of these small screws I already knew I had a big problem!!

There was no way I was ever going to get those screws back in their tiny little recessed holes without a magnetic screwdriver holding tightly to each one & I already knew my fingers were too big to try & start those screws in the narrow space I had to work with.  And I hadn’t even touched on the thought of patience yet but I’m sure my Gremlin nemeses’s were already gleefully anticipating & gearing up that embarrassing little scenario for me.   Ok………….it was time to play my ‘ace in the hole’ & by golly here she comes now:))  Kelly had just walked out of the house to see how I was doing.  She knew better than to figure I was doing well.  After over 20 years she too is quite familiar with my mechanical failings & shaky left handed monkey wrench track record. 

Holding Jeepers new headlight in place & aligning all 4 screw holes for the rim Kelly deftly inserted each & every screw using her slimmer fingers, supplied Jeep tool, & much larger patience reservoir.  And she did this with nary dropping a screw into towel or onto shower curtain below.  It was truly a team effort & one which I could not have completed without her…..except for maybe if I would have had a magnetic screwdriver.  Nawwww, the Gremlins would probably have had their way shutting off the magnetism at a crucial point causing me to loose 3 out of 4 screws for sure.  Yep, it was my ‘ace in the hole’ what saved the day alright.  AL 1 – Gremlins 0. Hahahahahahahahahahaha on all you smart ass Gremlins for a change & so there!!  I like when that occasionally happens:))

LEFT ONE IS JEEPERS NEW HEADLIGHT & UPS WILL BE DELIVERING OUR 2 NEW FOG LIGHT REPLACEMENTS FRIDAY…WILL THAT BE A JOB FOR ME TO TACKLE??  NO SIREEEEE, NOT SOMETHING I CAN DO WITH MY SCREWDRIVER & HAMMER PLUS I WANT TO SAVOR MY ONE TO NOTHING GREMLIN VICTORY JUST A LITTLE WHILE LONGER ANYWAY:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A man had been driving all night and by morning was still far from his destination. He decided to stop at the next city he came to, and park somewhere quiet so he could get an hour or two of sleep. As luck would have it, the quiet place he chose happened to be on one of the city's major jogging routes.  No sooner had he settled back to snooze when there came a knocking on his window.  He looked out and saw a jogger running in place.  "Yes?"  "Excuse me, sir," the jogger said, "do you have the time?"  The man looked at the car clock and answered, "8:15."  The jogger said thanks and left. The man settled back again, and was just dozing off when there was another knock on the window and another jogger.  "Excuse me, sir, do you have the time?"  "8:25!"  The jogger said thanks and left. Now the man could see other joggers passing by and he knew it was only a matter of time before another one disturbed him.  To avoid the problem, he got out a pen and paper and put a sign in his window saying, "I do not know the time!"  Once again he settled back to sleep. He was just dozing off when there was another knock on the window.

"Sir? It's 8:45."

TOOK ME A FEW SWEEPS OF THE NIGHT SKY BUT I FINALLY FOUND IT

First a thank you to always alert Ed at The Peregrinating Graybeard for pointing out an incorrect link I had included for Doug Laning’s Miss Adventure Travels in my Tuesday night post.  I corrected that error this morning & my apologies to Doug for that incorrect link.  What would we Bloggers do if we didn’t have our ever vigilante reader watch dogs out here eh:))

I SEE A CHERUBIC LITTLE PUPPY DOG PERSON FLOATING ALONG ON IT’S BACK OVER TOP THE MOTORHOME

It took me a bit of looking in Tuesday night’s dark sky but I finally found it.  Checking an on-line celestial map before heading outside I knew to begin my search west of a bright star called Aldebaran & luckily knew what to expect when I found what I was looking for because this was not my first time sighting this kind of object.  My object of search was Comet Lovejoy.  Took me a few sweeps with my Bausch & Lomb 7x50 binoculars but sure enough there it was barely visible in my view as a very faint smudge against an expansive star studded ebony sky.  I had better be dusting off my 80mm Stellarvue Nighthawk telescope shortly for a closer look.

 

USING A SCISSORS I TRIMMED ALL DEAD STUFF OFF EACH PLANT BEFORE PLANTING

I ALWAYS LOVE TO HAVE A GOOD REASON TO SCRATCH ME AROUND IN SOME DIRT:))

It’s a good thing I re-located our Friend Connect box in my right hand side bar or I wouldn’t have noticed we picked up another Blog Follower overnight.  We here at the Bunch welcome Jan Mains to our travels & stay at home times.  I couldn’t find a blog for Jan because whenever a link takes me into Google + land I seem to become lost & have difficulty finding my way around.  Am hoping the link I have included takes you to Jan’s ‘About’ page.  Looks like Jan & husband Bill are very active RV’ers belonging to several RV related clubs including the Escapees.

A RELAXING AFTERNOON SHELTERED FROM A COOL WIND

I wasn’t long in planting all my Aloe Vera plants this morning.  Majority of them went into my Cactus beds with 6 smaller ones going into clay pots.  Will be interesting now to see just how many of them actually live.  At least I was able to give 35 plants a fighting chance at life again.  And that in my books is classed as a good feeling:))

FAR END OF THIS FLOWER BED WAS A HARD DIG TUESDAY

  

LOADING UP THROWN OUT ALOE VERA PLANTS AT OUR NEIGHBORS TO RE-PLANT IN OUR CACTUS BEDS…YOU CAN SEE A FEW OF THEM I PLANTED & THEY WILL SPREAD

Completed my 2 little painting projects today as well.  When I opened a can of brown paint I had used to paint our fireplace bricks 2 winters ago I found it had jelled to a Jell-O consistency.  No matter as I added some water & stirred vigorously.  It was a door frame I used it on & the frame looks fine now as if it was made out of adobe.  Other project was some white paint on a ceiling repair.  We’re good to go:))

TWO BIRDS IN A BUSH

Took us for a short 5 minute drive this afternoon up Ghost Town Road to have a look at a few 4.5 acre properties for sale…………………….

CAN YOU IMAGINE HAVING THIS VIEW FROM YOUR FRONT YARD

AND THIS VIEW FROM YOUR BACK YARD FILLED WITH COUNTLESS SAGUAROS:)))))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Three guys go in for a job interview, all at the same office. The first one goes in for his interview and the interviewer says, "What's the first thing you see when you look at me?" The guy says, "That's not too hard, you've got no ears." The interviewer says, "That's it, get out, you'll never be seen around here again." The second man takes his turn and is asked the same question. The applicant replies, "Uh, you've got no ears." The interviewer throws the guy out, cursing and yelling that he'll never get a job with his company. As he is leaving, the second guy warns the third guy, "Listen man, whatever you do, don't say he hasn't got any ears. He's so touchy with the ear thing." "Okay," said man #3 on his way into the office. Once inside he is told, "Name the first thing you notice when you look at me." The guy answers, "That's easy, you wear contacts." The interviewer was flabbergasted, "How on earth did you know that, son?" "Well Sir, anybody knows you can't wear glasses if you don’t have any ears."