SOLAR PANELS CLEANED, CHINESE FOOD, AND WANDERING WILLY FINISHES UP OUR ‘TIRE MINDER’ INSTALLATION:))

Kelly headed off into Yuma about 9:30 this morning to browse a few stores in the Yuma  Palms Mall.  Ten minutes after she left Pheebs and I had our heads buried in a carrot muffin.  I brewed up a coffee and we briefly considered pulling the slides in and and taking the rig for a cruise around a few desert Jeep roads so we could do our morning coffee and muffin routine just like we do so often back in Bayfield when we are home.  Luckily cooler heads prevailed and we left the Motorhome right where it is.

‘I’M KEEPNG MY EYE ON THAT MUFFIN IN CASE MY DAD TRYS TO SNEAK SOME ON ME’

MAYBE I BETTER GET A LITTLE CLOSER JUST IN CASE’

‘‘OKAY DAD LET’S NOT BE TOO STINGY WITH THAT MUFFIN EH’………

Kelly snapped on the TV for us before she left and Pheebs and I did watch two of our favorite half hour situation comedies back to back.  Corner Gas and King Of Queens.  Soon as they were over I snapped the TV off again and cranked up our Sirius Satellite Radio.  I do prefer Satellite Radio and it’s abundance of music channels.  I generally knock around between 4 of them…..052 Chill, 068 Spa, 071 Sinatra and 073 Fortys.

HERE’S OUR SOLUTION TO STOP THE WIND FROM FLAPPING OUR STOVE VENT

IF I TOLD YOU ONCE I TOLD YOU A HUNDRED TIMES….DON’T BE A WISENHEIMMER!!

Bright sunny day but cool winds from the north were not to my liking again.  Toyed with the idea of re-positioning the coach to give us a wind break on the passenger side but couldn’t quite get myself talked into it.  Looking up through our skylight I could see a combination of sand and rain had left it with a muddy residue.  That also told me our 4 solar panels must have that same amount of sandy residue on them and for sure that would definitely be interfering with our solar power.  Well, only one thing to do.  Get up on the roof and clean em!!  So that’s what I did and seeings how I had the glass cleaner out I did the rig’s outside windows as well with the exception of the big double windshield facing south.

DOING A BIT OF GLASS CLEANING THIS MORNING

FOUR SOLAR PANELS AND TWO SKYLIGHTS UP HERE TO CLEAN

ABOVE LOOKING FORWARD SOUTHEAST AND BELOW LOOKNG  BACK TO THE NORTHWEST

Compared to other years we have definitely noticed fewer boon-dockers wherever we go and it’s very noticeable here on Ogilbe Road west of Yuma.  From atop the rig this morning I’m guessing hardly a dozen RV’s could be seen scattered about across the desert floor.  Bonus:))

A FEW OF OUR FELLOW BOON-DOCKERS SCATTERED ABOUT

AND YES EVEN WANDERING WILLY IS OUT THERE BEHIND ONE OF THOSE PALO VERDE TREES

With a cool wind blowing from the northeast this afternoon I was able to set myself out a chair on the sunny southwest side of the coach, tip myself  back and finally enjoy some warm sunshine.  Can I say ‘hot’ even?  Well sure I can because it was:))

A MARINE HELICOPTER HEADS ACROSS CALIFORNIA’S IMPERIAL SAND DUNES WEST OF US

SPOTTED THESE 2 U.S. MARINES V-22 OSPREY AIRCRAFT HEADED OFF IN THE DIRECTION OF THE CHOCOLATE MOUNTAINS EAST OF NILAND

About 3:15 this afternoon I spotted a vehicle with running lights approaching and knew that to be Kelly returning from Yuma.  And ‘oh boy’ she had supper with her.  Something we haven’t had in years…..Chinese Food from the Panda Express in the Yuma Palms Mall.  We weren’t long in gobbling that all up.

It was about 4 when we heard a light tap at the door and by golly it was that wily Wandering Willy fella dropping by to see if we needed a hand hooking up that Tire Minder repeater I had talked about in Tuesday’s post.  Well we sure did and it didn’t take Bill long to figure out the best place for the repeater booster to go.  Also didn’t take him long to have a bin light taken apart, the booster wires spliced in, light put back together and ‘Walla’ the green booster light came on and the installation was done.   Our ‘Tire Minder’ monitoring system is now complete.  Sure is nice to have helpful handy friends and a big thanks to Bill for hooking that up for us today.  Bill is a fellow Canadian by the way who lives in British Columbia.

NEEDING SOME OF HIS OWN TOOLS BILL (aka WANDERING WILLY) SLIPPED OVER TO HIS RIG AND NOT ONLY CAME BACK WITH THE NEEDED TOOLS BUT SOME WARMER CLOTHES TO BOOT…..DESERT TEMPERATURES DROP VERY QUICKLY BY LATE AFTERNOON

The more I read through my new camera manual the more pleasantly surprised I am at finding out all the things this Nikon D3400 can do.  I had no idea.  Definitely opens up a few new photo options for me…..if I can figure them out of course.  I am totally pleased with this camera so far.

OUR LITTLE SNOOZY FACE GIRL

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A Few Words Of Wisdom Tonight:: 

The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.

To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.

Two wrongs are only the beginning.

Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7th of your life.

The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up.

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before.

Love may be blind, but marriage is a real eye-opener.

Borrow money from pessimists, they don't expect it back.

Half the people you know are below average.

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Knock Knock
Who's there?
Heaven!
Heaven who?
Heaven seen you in ages!

KELLY INSTALLED OUR NEW TIRE MONITORING SYSTEM TODAY

WE ARE STILL KEEPING OURSELVES HIDDEN AWAY FAR FROM THE MADDENING CROWDS

If it wasn’t for Kelly installing our new tire monitoring system today I wouldn’t have had a darn thing to write about tonight.  We finally decided on Tire Minder and today Kelly installed the whole thing herself.  I was wisely not allowed anywhere near the operation as my impatience has a habit of hindering things instead of helping things.  We decided on Tire Minder about a month ago, ordered it and had it shipped to our friends Pat and Nancy’s place near Sierra Vista where we picked it up last week.  We now have all the tires on the Motorhome and Jeep monitored and the only thing we didn’t hook up was the signal booster which requires splicing into or clipping onto some wiring.  The system works without the signal booster device but the booster adds extra strength to the monitor signal.  Maybe we’ll run across someone who can hook up and install that little booster up for us.

KELLY READS THE ‘TIRE MINDER’ INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS AND POWERS UP THE MONITOR

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A hungry lion was roaming through the jungle looking for something to eat. He came across two men. One was sitting under a tree reading a book; the other was typing away on his typewriter. The lion quickly pounced on the man reading the book and devoured him. Even the king of the jungle knows that readers digest and writers cramp.

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How many racists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? None -- they don't want to be enlightened!

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People say that there is no difference between ‘finished’ and ‘complete’. I say there is... Marry the right person, and you’re COMPLETE.  Marry the wrong person, and you’re FINISHED.

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After the christening of his baby brother in church, Little Johnny cried all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him what was wrong and finally, the boy sobbed, “That priest said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I want to stay with you guys!”

BACK TO YUMA AGAIN THIS MORNING AS HIGH WINDS WRECK ANOTHER DAY:((

NEVER TOOK A SINGLE PHOTO ALL DAY SO THIS IS A FILE PICTURE OF A YEAR AGO HERE ON OGILBE ROAD WEST OF YUMA

Well by golly if we weren’t back into the Jeep headed yet again into Yuma this morning.  Pheebs too.  We zipped across I-8 to Yuma’s east side and slid us into a big Walmart Superstore there.  Been in that store a couple times before a few years ago and it’s still as big as ever.  Seemed crowded this morning so my patience with people leaving shopping carts scattered in the middle of aisles while they plod off to graze other aisles had my tolerance levels completely maxed out!!

Had us a few patters of rain Sunday evening, a smattering through the night and a few more droozles first thing Monday morning.  Sunny and mild to begin with this morning but gusting north winds soon put an end to what otherwise had started out as a real nice day.  We had been thinking of heading back to Borrego Springs shortly but after checking the weather for that area we quickly put the kybosh on that idea right quick.

Despite stopping at Walmart and Target’s camera centers as well as Best Buy again this morning we were unable to locate a 55mm UV lens filter for my D3400 kit lens.  Nikon has outfitted their newer cameras with a slightly different and larger diameter lens and the old standard 52mm filter size and lens hoods no longer fit.  With all this blowing sand out here I really need to get a protective filter on that new lens!!  We’ll have to order the filter and hood on line.  Years back in Borrego Springs the hardware store accepted on-line parcels for folks but they have stopped that.  Seemed to me somebody told us where to have parcels shipped in Borrego Springs now but neither of us can remember where that was.  Anybody know??

We did find that elusive and wily Wandering Willy this morning and as it turns out he’s camped just on the other side of the wash from us only a few hundred yards to the west.  Now how coincidental was that. Hadn’t seen him since back in 2012 so Bill popped over this afternoon and we spent a fine couple hours catching up on things.  We first met up with Wandering Willy in Borrego Springs years ago.  And it was near Bouse Az. back in January 2012 when Bill was instrumental in fixing our satellite dish after big winds slam dunked it into the desert floor.

At the time of posting this tonight winds are so bad we saw an old wooden house fly by followed by a witch on a bicycle.  Looking right at us she seemed to be shouting something that sounded like, “I'll get you, my pretties, and your little dog, too!”

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Boss, to four of his employees: "I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to let one of you go."  Black Employee: "I'm a protected minority."  Female Employee: "And I'm a woman."  Oldest Employee: "Fire me, buster, and I'll hit you with an age discrimination suit so fast it'll make your head spin."  To which they all turn to look at the helpless young, white, male employee, who thinks a moment, then responds: "I think I might be gay..."

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A man runs to the doctor and says: "Doctor, you've got to help me. My wife thinks she's a chicken!"  The doctor asks: How long was she had this condition?"  "Two years." replies the man.  "Then why did it take you so long to come and see me?" asked the doctor. The man shrugs his shoulders and replies: "We needed the eggs"

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A spiritualist who'd recently been widowed met a colleague and reported excitedly that she'd just received a message from her dead husband - asking her to send him a pack of cigarettes. "The only thing is," she mused, "that I don't know where to send them."  "Why not?" asked her friend.  "Well, he didn't actually say that he was in Heaven - but I can't imagine he'd be in Hell."  "Hm," responded the friend. "Well, maybe I shouldn't bring this up, but. . . he didn't mention anything about including matches in the package, did he?"

HOLY COW I ACTUALLY SAW A MOVIE TODAY I LIKED

HAD US ANOTHER FIERY SUNRISE THIS MORNING

I think this is or has turned out to be the poorest weather here in the Southwest that we can remember since 2011 and I was reminded of that this morning when we woke up yet again to overcast skies!!  Disappointing to say the least.  But on a brighter note we ended the day in warm temperatures and sunshine:))

SEEN ON A ‘BUFFALO WINGS’ EATERY CLOSE TO THE THEATER

We decided to head into the Yuma Palms Mall again this time for the sole purpose of seeing a movie.  For me none of them sounded interesting so Kelly read out what each one was about and I decided on one of them because it said it had music in it.  Kelly chose the movie ‘Fences’ while I chose a movie I wasn’t expecting much from.  I chose LaLa Land.

STANDING IN FRONT OF THE ‘HARKINS’ THEATER AT 9:30 THIS MORNING

TURNED AROUND AND FACED DOWN THE MALL

TWO ‘SENIORS’ TICKETS PLEASE……$5.50 EACH:))

THESE YUMA MALL AND THEATER SHOTS WERE ALL TAKEN WITH MY CANON SX210 POINT AND SHOOT

Like most everything else we like to get things done in the morning and going to the movies is no exception.  Kelly’s movie started at 9:40 and mine started at 10.  I so much love movie theater lobbies with all their creative colored lighting, fancy carpeting, big tall ceilings and darker painted walls.  Kelly headed off to her movie and I headed off to mine.  I was the only one in the theater up until the movie started and a woman came in with a barrel of popcorn and a pail full of what I guessed was soda pop.  She sat somewhere behind me and every once and a while it sounded like someone turned on a garburator back there somewhere.

KELLY’S MOVIE WAS DOWN THAT HALL TO THE RIGHT

MY MOVIE WAS DOWN THIS HALL ON THE RIGHT IN THEATER 12

After wading through seemingly endless commercials and movie previews it was time for the main attraction.  One of the personal problems I have with movies is I view them with a very critical eye maybe like the late Roger Ebert or somebody but not as smart as those guys of course.  Right from the big opening musical dance number on a Los Angeles freeway I felt this movie just might have something special going for it.  The production and creative thinking behind the choreography of that opening scene was great and I wondered how many times they had to rehearse that scene just to get it right.  The acting in this movie was flawless.  The story line was easy for me to follow and that was a plus for me.  Too many movies lose me too quick with all their twists and turns and tangled plots and characters.  I’m not one much for romantic movies but this one was an exception.  When I leave a movie theater I like to feel uplifted and walk away with something inspiring to think about.  La La Land did this for me.  I liked the special effects of the 2 principle characters dancing through the Universe and especially liked a short musical number where the fella walks out onto a pier singing and whistling.  I liked all the music in this movie as well and always have a place in my heart for most any kind of piano music.  I grew up with a piano in the house which my Mother played.  This movie has shades of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and the way big musicals were done years ago.  I looked for and liked the lighting, the direction, the cameral angles and the creative thought that went into each scene.  And I especially liked the way this movie ended.  An unspoken understanding between two star crossed lovers.  A smile, a nod of the head and it was done.  And how nice to finally be entertained in a feeling good way by a movie without the standard Hollywood violence for a change.  Imagine in this day and age a movie with no blood and gore, fiery explosions, foul language, mass destructions, violent and ridiculous nonsensical fight scenes or ridiculous super hero mutants saving or destroying the planet.  Two thumbs up for Lala Land.  Oh dear, am I finally showing some very late signs of actual maturity in these final aging stages of life.  Well I sure hope so……………..La La Land

LOVE THE LIGHTING AND COLORS INSIDE THE THEATER ITSELF

After the movies we both felt the need for feed so cruised around the Yuma Palms Mall checking out the options.  We knew most places were too expensive for us but when we spotted an IN-N-Out Burger we knew we were in luck.  Had been to one once before in Tucson a few years back just after I spent an overnighter in a Tucson hospital with a kidney stone attack.  Today’s In-N-Out burger was jam packed without a table in the place so we had to sit at a counter.  We both had double-double burgers and they were great.  So was the price.  When we left folks were lined up to the door.  Two thumbs up for In-N-Out Burger:))

THAT’S KELLY UP THERE AT THE COUNTER

A few sunny breaks this afternoon as winds once again picked up.  We got up into the high 60’s if not low 70’s I think and that sure beats anything back home in Bayfield.  No matter how poor our weather may be here in the southwest sometimes it is always better than our northern winters back home this time of year. 

GROANER’S CORNER:(( There was a little boy in kindergarten. At the end of one cold winter day, when all the other children were leaving, the teacher found him crying, so she asked him what was wrong.  He sobbed, "I can't find my boots." The teacher looked around the classroom and saw a pair of boots. "Are these yours?"  "No, they're not mine," said the little boy, shaking his head.  The teacher and the boy searched all over the classroom for his boots.  Finally, the teacher gave up, "Are you SURE those boots are not yours?"  "I'm sure," the boy sobbed, "mine had snow on them."

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Doctor: You're in good health. You'll live to be 80.  Patient: But, doctor, I am 80 right now.
Doctor: See, what did I tell you.

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In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and then He rested.  Then God created man, and then they both rested.  Then God created woman, and since then neither God nor man has ever rested.  

NICE SUNNY DAY BUT COLD WINDS MOSTLY KEPT US INSIDE

OUR RIG IS UP THERE SOMEWHERE
Bright sunny day with gusting cold northwest winds kept us mainly inside the rig except for a drive into the Yuma Palms Mall Saturday morning to browse a few stores.  Best Buy and Pet Smart.  A sandwich and coffee to go at Kneaders pretty much sums up our day.

SOME FOLKS LIKE TO FIX UP THEIR SITES NICE
Spent some time going over the printed manual for my new Nikon D3400.  I prefer a simple printed manual as opposed to on-line manuals.  There is something about readable print in one’s hand that works better for me.

A VERY SNOOZY LITTLE FACE
Managed to get myself a few wooden slivers under my fingernails tonight after scratching my head trying to think of something even remotely interesting to blog about.  Most days my head works fine for writable ideas but some days the old head just don’t seem to work so swell at all.

COULDN’T REMEMBER IF I HAD ALREADY POSTED THESE FOUR PHEEBER PHOTOS BEFORE OR NOT



Took the following series of 9 photos about a month and a half ago when we were still in Congress.  It shows what a speeding little doggy looks like running across the desert floor towards you at about a hundred miles an hour
 
 
 
 

It is so amazing how we both have basically turned our backs on TV viewing this winter since leaving our Congress house.  Well, especially me.  Although the satellite dish is set up at the moment we have simply not got ourselves back into our old TV routine we used to have.  I still basically do not have a clue what’s going on in the world and the only occasional news source I have is Kelly herself telling me the odd tidbit of news because she reads on-line newspapers every day.  Kelly had that inauguration stuff on TV Friday when I came back from doing my laundry and when I came in some wonky main line news channel was on with all the usual ‘talking heads’ doing their over and over and over and over again specumalating, conjuratin, predictacating, theorizing, accusining, opionizing, praiserating, and downright grabbleated babbelizing.  If I would have had something in my stomach to throw up I would have stepped outside and let it go.  I watched so much of that bafflegab a couple months ago I don’t want to ever have to watch any more of it.  I hope when we arrive back in Bayfield around the end of March I don’t let myself fall back into that swirling morass of routine mind numbing television viewing.  I am beginning to believe the less I know about what’s going on in this rapidly evolving twisted world of ours the better I am going to feel about things.

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A sister and brother are talking to each other when the little boy gets up and walks over to his Grandpa and says, "Grandpa, please make a frog noise."
The Grandpa says, "No."  The little boy goes on, "Please .. please make a frog noise."
The Grandpa says, "No, now go play."  The little boy then says to his sister, "Go tell Grandpa to make a frog noise."  So the little girl goes to her Grandpa and says, "Please make a frog noise."
The Grandpa says, "I just told your brother 'no' and I'm telling you 'no'." The little girl says, "Please .. please Grandpa make a frog noise." The Grandpa says, "Why do you want me to make a frog noise?" The little girl replied, "Because mommy said when you croak we can go to Disney World!"
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After the church service a little boy told the pastor, "When I grow up, I'm going to give you some money."  "Well, thank you," the pastor replied, "but why?"  "Because my daddy says you're one of the poorest preachers we've ever had."