WITH HELP FROM ‘THE SONS OF THE PIONEERS’ I FINISHED THE CRUSHED STONE PROJECT TODAY:))

AHA, CAUGHT SOMEBODY TIP TOEING ACROSS THE LOT IN THEIR BATHROBE THIS MORNING

Hip was feeling better this morning but not to the point where I could do a full morning walk yet.   But, I did do half a block & I’m optimistic Wednesday morning I may be able to go farther.  Decided to work on & finish my crushed stone project because that work mainly involves upper abdomen muscles. 

CAREFUL AROUND THOSE AGAVES PLEASE

A few words about wheel barrowing while I’m at it.  Depending on what is being carried, wheel barrowing something from point A to point B does not have to be as hard a task as it sounds.  Three important things make it easier than it looks.  First, make sure the wheelbarrow tire is up to pressure.  Two, do not overload the wheelbarrow & three, make sure the load weight in your wheelbarrow is centered directly over your wheel at the front of the wheelbarrow.  That third one is very important.  With your wheelbarrow properly balanced it’s not much harder than pushing a baby stroller down the street. (although I have never done this)  And, if your using a shovel to load it, keep your back straight as possible & use a long handled shovel.  Great exercise for strengthening your arm muscles & easing back stress.  I also prefer long handled rakes for the same reason.

WITH EACH WHEELBARROW LOAD I DUMP OUT 3 SMALL PILES OF HALF INCH CRUSHED STONE…USING A GARDEN RAKE I THEN PUSH OR PULL THE STONES INTO PLACE

Marteen, our Mexican fence builder guy was on the job this morning at 7:05. I was at my job half an hour later with shovel & wheelbarrow in hand.  Figured I had a good shot at finishing that job today, & I did.  Kelly was off to Wickenburg for a stop at the bank, a couple hardware stores & Safeway for groceries.  And she actually made it home today….furniture free:))

My optimism is growing regarding Crestor being the link to my hip & leg pain for these past many months.  Kelly cautioned me not get too over the top in the blog just yet. (I do that sometimes you know) But, let me offer a sincere word of premature thanks for the readers writing in about their experiences with these types of drugs….& their solutions.  I will have more to say about this later if indeed this has been my problem all along.  Both my hip & leg definitely felt better the last couple days.  Sunday was as bad as it ever was.  Kelly brought home a couple bottles of extra strength 200mg CoQ-10 this afternoon too so I started on them this afternoon.  Thanks guys & let’s keep our fingers crossed.

HMMMM, GOPHER HOLES OR FENCE POST HOLES >>>

It always amazes me what a small world this can be sometimes.  After posting about John & Jackie’s beautiful house Monday, we had a comment this morning from THIS AIN'T FOR CITY GALS.  Sheryl says, “Just wanted to say hi...I have been reading for awhile but when you mentioned John's house I had to say something...I think we are the builders of that house you are talking about and I appreciate the nice comments about it...it is a wonderful home. We are now building two miles down the road”……. Next time over at J & J’s I hope to take some photos of their house & property.  Nice:))

SACKED OUT IN THE SAND PILE

Some readers have commented about getting a front end loader to move all that crushed stone around.  Had we put down 350 tons of crushed stone like JB & BRENDA did at their place southwest of that Phoenix town, for sure a loader would have been the logical & right thing to do.  But, for a measly 8 tons in a small area, a wheelbarrow & the willingness to do the job worked just fine.  Have to keep in mind something else here too.  I enjoy doing this kind of thing & the exercise I am getting is priceless.  Hasn’t been the greatest with the sore hip but aside from that it has been beneficial in strengthening my upper body muscles.  Especially back, stomach & arms.  Been about 50 years since I last saw my stomach muscles.  And no, despite all the work this week, I am not at all optimistic about ever seeing my stomach muscles again.

AS SOON AS I MOVE THAT WHITE PILE OF SAND & REPLACE IT WITH THE PILE OF CRUSHED STONE ON THE RIGHT, I WILL BE DONE…THIS IS WHERE THE MOTORHOME WILL BE PARKED

Weather here today has been exceptionally perfect for working outside at 70F.  Had the great harmonious sounds of the ‘Sons Of The Pioneers’ helping me all day with every wheelbarrow load.  Wow, what a day, what a day:))

GOOD THING I GOT THIS WHOLE AREA CLEARED OUT A FEW DAYS AGO

Indian Joe & friend Bill showed up this afternoon to to measure up our back door to see if a security door we bought last March will fit.  It won’t.  We are going to exchange that door (still packaged) for a smaller wood screen door.  Wickenburg’s Stewart Hardware for that.  Joe said he would be around in a couple days to load up all the brush piles I have stacked up.  Figured out a better place for the Motorhome so had to trim a couple more Palo Verde trees.  Maybe move the Motorhome Wednesday sometime.

OUR GATE POSTS ARE CEMENTED IN

Anyway, after Monday’s long blab, I figure I had better wind this one up….now!!

GROANER’S CORNER:(( 

While practicing auto rotations during a military night training exercise a Huey Cobra screwed up the landing and landed on the tail rotor. The landing was so hard that it broke off the tail boom. However, the chopper fortunately remained upright on its skids, sliding down the runway doing 360s.  As the Cobra slid past the tower, trailing a brilliant shower of sparks, this was the radio exchange that took place...
Tower: "Sir, do you need any assistance?"
Cobra: "I don't know Tower, we ain't done crashin' yet."

----------------------------------------------------

- 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.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

YAHOUIE LOUIE…OUR FENCE IS UNDERWAY:))

SPENT A FEW HOURS THIS MORNING BURNING UP SOME BRUSH

We both had ourselves a good first night in our new to us beds.  My bed is Queen size so there is lots of room for Pheebs. She slept the entire night on one side while I slept on the other.  And Wowie Kazowie, for the first time in 68 years I have my very own bathroom complete with a walk in shower.  How lucky can a feller get eh.

<<< KELLY FOUND THESE 2 LITTLE RASCALS IN ONE OF THE SMALL CABINETS SHE BOUGHT AT A GARAGE SALE SATURDAY

We decided to have ourselves a relaxing day &  by noon I was able to walk without the cane.  We put up some curtain rods & I managed to get a few piles of brush burnt up in the back yard.  As the day wore on, my leg was feeling better than the day before.  I am so very much like my Aunt Jean in Florida.  Hard to sit around when there is work to be done.  Physical difficulties or no physical difficulties.  It is that physical energy that keeps the mental side of idle depression in line.

KELLY PICKED UP THESE 2 ROY ROGERS COFFEE MUGS AT THE NORTH RANCH GARAGE SALE…THEY ARE NOW OUR OFFICIAL MUGS    

After being away for a couple hours Saturday we were surprised to find Pheebe sitting in front of the house when we returned.  A heavy wind gust had blown open our back door & she had got out. (we now have a big heavy rock in front of the door)  But, being the great little girl she is, she knew enough to stay close to the house & Motorhome & wait for us to return.

 

SEEMS LIKE PHEEBS IS ALWAYS GETTING STICKERS BUT ACTUALLY SHE IS DOING VERY WELL DESPITE ME TAKING A PHOTO EVERY TIME SHE GETS ONE

The loose fitting rear door was one of the things we were hoping to have fixed by now, including a couple leaking taps.  But, our handy man didn’t show up last Thursday as promised.  That meant our new back screen door didn’t get installed either.  Disappointing.

---

A white pick-up truck rolled in this morning & I somehow knew this might be the fencing guy so many area folks had recommended.  It was.  Walked around the property lines with Martin Rivera  (everyone pronounces his name, Marteen) & discussed the fencing plans. As hoped, he will move the existing ‘inner’ fence around the house to across the back & part way up one side of the property.  A new chain link top rail fence will go across the front of our property & part way up one side.  We will have a lockable gate in that section with a small walk though man gate in the big gate.  Also a small gate at the rear of the property leading out onto a neighbor’s long laneway.  Within hours of talking to Marteen, he was back & dug all the holes for the corner posts, mixed up a wheelbarrow load of concrete & set the posts.  This fellow doesn’t waste any time & I like that.  The adobe wall idea was just waaaay to expensive for us.  Eating breakfast this morning we watched a large Coyote saunter through our front yard about 40 feet away.  We’ll be so glad to get ourselves & the Pheebs fenced in & secure.

‘MARTEEN’ OUR FENCE BUILDER   

Kelly picked up some more furniture deals at a Saturday morning garage sale so we are now almost ready to hold our own garage sale already.  But, for the most part, we have pretty well everything we need now to complete our little south-west travel base here in central Arizona.  Hope we can get out & do a little back road Jeeping soon.  My camera’s are needing some new inspiration.

 

OUR FIRST DINING ROOM TABLE AT LEFT IS NOW A SIDE TABLE & TABLE AT RIGHT IS OUR SLIGHTLY BIGGER & CURRENT DINING ROOM TABLE

Elfrida friends John & Jackie bought a house in Congress this past summer.   One day while catching up on my blog, John came to the realization that the Bayfield Bunch had already bought a place in the same town.  They are in the process of moving things up from Elfrida to Congress but will not relocate to their house full time until John officially retires in another year.  John is a military fellow & works on the base at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista.  They brought us some things from Elfrida including a wash machine.  Saturday they invited us over to have a look at their digs.

---

Wow, talk about a beautiful southwestern house with a million dollar view.  This house, sitting on 3 acres of land could easily make the cover of ‘Better Homes & Gardens’.  Gorgeous house, granny suite, beautiful landscaping, etc.  By the time we got home & walked into our dusty little abode with it’s leaking taps & loose fitting doors we were both feeling a little more than discouraged.  Fortunately, by the time we got up this morning, we were happily back on track with our own realities:))

YES IT’S TRUE, THAT’S AL WITH A LAMP SHADE ON HIS HEAD THIS MORNING

I’m not one used to having people help me with things.  I’m just one of those people who prefers doing things myself except mechanical or technical things of course.  Had it not been for John & Jackie this past week-end we would have really been beat.  John, with limited help from me & my sore hip, & with the aid of a utility cart, loaded the wash machine into the back of his pick up truck, brought it over to our house, moved it in & set it up.  Normally I could or would have done the bulk of that work myself but there I stood feeling useless & looking on for the most part. 

John & Jackie took us out to the ARROWHEAD BAR & GRILL for lunch which is just a couple miles from both our places.  It’s not a fancy pants restaurant so I was comfortable there.  I don’t eat a lot of burgs & fries anymore but figured I would make an exception because the burgs looked great.  Bacon, cheese, & onion rings built right into the burg.  Wow, tasted great & it came complete with home cut fries.  It was so big it was all I could do to eat it.  Looks like they have a good breakfast menu as well so I’m sure we will be back.

JACKIE, JOHN, & KELLY…LUNCH AT THE ARROWHEAD

Had a couple beds to pick up & had it not been for John & Jackie I have no idea how we could have picked them up.  Again, John did the bulk of the work while all I could do was kind of hobble along at one end of each mattress.  Jackie & Kelly loaded up up the rails etc.  We had the back of John’s pick-up truck piled high with 2 box springs & 2 mattress’s.  Fortunately it is only about 3 miles between their house & our house.  Beds were laboriously unloaded into our house & I said to John, ‘don’t worry about setting them up’ because he had already done so much for us.  Kelly & I did, with a little swearing, get them set up later.  Um no, Kelly was not the one doing the swearing.

---

As long time readers know, Kelly & I are basically loners & we don’t socialize much or hang out with a lot of folks.  Aside from my Blabberfingers blog we keep a low profile & live a very quiet life.  We try to do as much as we can by ourselves & seldom ask anyone for help with anything.  But, had it not been for John & Jackie stepping into the breech & helping us Saturday & Sunday we would definitely have been in a pickle.  Thanks for all your help guys:))

Knowing we had a washing machine coming we held off from running to the Laundromat.  After John & Jackie had left Saturday I happily loaded the machine with dirty clothes & fired up the washer.  All went well until it came to the part of emptying the water in the first spin cycle.  Unknown to us the drain pipe was plugged so the water quickly backed up, & under pressure, blew out the top of the drain pipe all over our laundry/kitchen area.  Fortunately I was in the living room when that happened & was able to quickly get the machine shut off.  What a mess of water to clean up.  Happy to say, after pouring copious amounts of Drano down the pipe & letting it sit for the night, the pipe unplugged itself & I was able to get my laundry all caught up Sunday morning:))  We always do our own laundry.  Laundry was something I learned to do back in boot camp in 65 & have always done my own laundry ever since.  Just an old habit I guess.

YEP, THAT THERE’S OUR OFFICIAL CLOTHESLINE ALRIGHT

Interesting comments about a possible connection between Crestor & my hip pain.  I did stop taking my Crestor pills 3 days ago & we’ll see what happens.  This pain began not long after I started on the Crestor pills last summer so who knows.  I have my fingers crossed this could be it, but know enough not to count on it.  If this pain stops, I am going to run  around the block 3 times & climb right up to the top of a large rocky ridge behind our house & take some photos……….10-4 for sure:))

---

Okay, to answer a few questions if I can remember back a couple days.  Yes, that is a ‘disco ball’ in one of the photos.  I like how the little reflected light spots dance about on the side our house.  We have one on our Bayfield front porch as well.  No, we didn’t name our front yard Saguaro’s yet.  Any ideas?  No idea about the waiting list in Canada for something like a hip replacement & no, despite the pain I do not want to go to a Doctor if it can be avoided.  With another claim, the insurance company would for sure write me off & I might not be able to get insurance again for next year.   And this informative comment from ED FREY in response to Renee’s comment……Renee said:  Here I have been using blue agave as a sweetener in my tea for years and you have the beautiful blue agave plants right in your front yard!"
Ed said:  You could get a sweetener from the Agave Americana, also known as Century Plants, in Al's front yard but they are not Blue Agave. Your better sweetener comes from Agave Tequilana, also known as Blue Agave, as does tequilla.

YOU CAN SEE THE LITTLE POINTS OF LIGHT DANCING ON THE WALL

And, a very, very, strange thing just happened here tonight.  I had taken our IPod/Bose out to the front porch this morning & plugged it in with the intention of listening to some music later.  Got busy with things & never did turn it on.  Late this afternoon I brought the IPod/Bose back in & set it on the fireplace mantle.  Left the A/C cord outside.  Tonight about 6 p.m. Kelly was in her recliner with her laptop watching the news & I had just walked out to the kitchen to get my Cranberry juice.  I suddenly heard music & at first thought she had changed the channel.  Recognized the tune as ‘Sunflowers’ by Kevin Kendle.  Also realized the sound quality was much better than our TV.  For absolutely no logical reason, our IPod/Bose was playing.  Nobody near it, nobody turned it on.  Wasn’t plugged in & the remote was laying beside it.  But, there it sat playing……. ‘Sunflowers’.  Very, very, strange.

ALL’S QUIET AT OUR HOUSE AT THE END OF ANOTHER DAY  

GROANER’S CORNER:((   A friend was in front of me while coming out of church one day. The preacher was standing at the door as usual, to shake hands. He grabbed my friend by the hand and pulled him aside.
The Pastor said to him, You need to join the Army of the Lord! My friend replied, I’m already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor.  Pastor questioned, How come I don’t see you except at Christmas and Easter?  He whispered back, I’m in the secret service.

----------------------------------------------------------
- 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.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

TONIGHT MARKS OUR FIRST OFFICIAL NIGHT IN THE HOUSE:))

YEP, GONNA HAVE ME A BIG BED TO SLEEP ON TONIGHT

 

I think it was a combination of both mental & physical fatigue that came together knocking both Kelly & I down for the count late Saturday afternoon.  We were tired, we were discouraged & we were happy.  We had been busy all day.  Kelly was out wheeling, dealing, & garage sailing over at North Ranch & I kept my wheelbarrow on the go putting an ever larger dent in our big pile of crushed stone.

 

I’M GETTING THERE, ONE WHEELBARROW AT A TIME:))

When you buy an older house like the one we have, problem solving becomes job 1.  Between the two of us we have been doing reasonably well at handling the daily challenges & unfamiliarity's confronting us.  This is not something new for us.  We did the same thing when we moved into the old farmhouse back in 95.  Did it again with our Bayfield move in 2002 & we’re doing it again now here in Congress.  With our matching ‘let’s get er done’ personalities we have a tendency to fly right into things & I think it was just that flying right into things that temporarily caught up with us Saturday.

JACKIE, JOHN, KELLY, & THE PHABULOUS PHEEBS

I totally fell asleep in my recliner after supper & stayed there the entire night.  Never once looked at my computer.  Never even got out of my clothes into my jammies.  I will blog more about some of the things that have taken place in the last couple days, a bit later.

GIT ALONG LITTLE DOGGY 

Health wise, I have run into a problem.  Readers may remember me complaining a bit about my legs off & on.  Especially last Spring when I had some X-rays etc.  The problem seemed to clear up for the summer, but in late August while working at rearranging our back yard I began having difficulty with my upper right leg & thigh area.  To make a long story short, this problem has steadily been getting worse & I am at a point now where it is difficult for me to walk without the aid of a cane because of the pain in my hip area.  Today in particular, was the worst day I have had. Not wanting to sound like a complainer I have only slightly alluded to this problem a couple times in my posts.  I had been optimistic the problem would clear up ‘any day now’.  Been missing most of our morning walks since we arrived in Congress & am discouraged at the thought of not being able to get out on any of our usual southwest rock scrambles.  Doubly discouraging is the fact I have a lot of enjoyable things I have been looking forward to getting done here on the property.  If I don’t move my leg, I have no pain, but I’ll be dammed if I am just going to sit here like a bump on a log every day. I think I may have a hip going sour on me. 

So, that’s what’s been happening here & I figured I might as well get that out & up front.  It’s one of the reasons I have been stuck taking so many photos around the house & property.  And, one of the reasons my posts lately haven’t included any of our usual day trips, hikes or travels.

---

Monday, I hope to get myself back into blogging mode & posting mood again.  Want to tell you about how friends John & Jackie really helped Kelly & I today, how a washing machine took care of our laundry woes but nearly flooded us out when a plugged drain pipe backed everything up.  A hamburger at the Arrowhead Saloon that made me give silent thanks for my Doctor putting me on Crestor last summer & the wind blows our back door open while we are away….but Pheebs was home, & slips outside looking for Mom & Dad.  Loading heavy mattresses into a pick up truck today & yay, tonight will be our first official night of sleeping in the house.  Monday or Tuesday I hope to answer a few more questions from readers emails, comments, & Shout Box queries.  And Scott, about towing the Jeep, crankcase, transmission, etc, I’ll have an email headed your way shortly:))

OMG!!

And, would you believe it has been warmer back home in Bayfield Ontario than it has been here in Congress Arizona.  We ended up down around the freezing mark Saturday night.  However, we have a pleasant warm up on the way:))

IS THAT REALLY YOU UNDER THAT HAT JOHN??

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A young man asked an old rich man how he made his money.  The old guy fingered his worsted wool vest and said, "Well, son, it was 1932. The depth of the Great Depression. I was down to my last nickel. I invested that nickel in an apple. I spent the entire day polishing the apple and, at the end of the day, I sold the apple for ten cents.  The next morning, I invested those ten cents in two apples. I spent the entire day polishing them and sold them at 5:00 pm for 20 cents. I continued this system for a month, by the end of which I'd accumulated a fortune of $1.37.
Then my wife's father died and left us two million dollars."

-----------------------------------------------------------
- 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.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

TRIMMED A FEW TREES, MOVED A LITTLE GRAVEL, GRABBED A FEW ZZZZZZZZZ’S

CLOUDY SKIES OVER CONGRESS ARIZONA

Rain in the desert brings a pleasantly sweet pungent aroma & that was very apparent when I stepped out of the Motorhome under dark cloudy skies this morning. It comes from the many Mesquite trees & shrubs growing here.

OUR FRONT YARD AREA NEXT TO GHOST TOWN ROAD

Kelly was off to Wickenburg this morning with a grocery list & a few errands to run. I don't know where that Gal gets all the energy. Pheebs & I held the fort down & I spent my day trimming Mesquite & Palo Verde trees at the front of our property right next to Ghost Town Road. Like I've said before, I generally like to trim trees up to the 6' level so I can walk under them without knocking my hat off or poking myself in the eye with low hanging branches. And I tend to either eliminate or cut in close on the Mesquite shrubs. They are the worst for snagging skin when one walks by. The big Prickly Pear Cactus plants I just generally leave alone with the exception of fishing out the dead stock stuff. I like the looks of them, despite their skewering spikes. Cleaned up the remains of 2 Agave plants but we have 4 left which I hope will survive & grow. Love those Agaves.

 

NICE TO HAVE THESE AGAVE PLANTS IN OUR FRONT YARD

Put a few wheelbarrow loads of stones down but I'm holding off for kind of an unusual reason. I need a long handle shovel & good garden rake for this job. The shovel I have been using is a short handled one we normally carry in the Motorhome. To level out the stones I have been using my foot instead of a garden rake. Now here's the odd part. Leaning against the wall a few feet away I have a brand new never used long handled round mouth shovel & garden rake. Bought them in Wickenburg a few days ago. So, why am I not using them? Well, in case we take them back for a refund. The day we bought the new shovel, garden rake & leaf rake, an email rolled in when we arrived home. Some readers may remember me posting about friends John & Jackie (HUDSON HORNETS) moving from Elfrida Arizona to Congress. The email was from John saying, "can you use any garden tools, I've got shovels rakes, etc". They are due to rumble into Congress this week-end with a whole boat load of stuff so I've been waiting to see what John has in the way of garden tools. We might be able to return the new stuff so I have held off using them.

TRIMMED UP TWO MESQUITES ON THE LEFT & A PALO VERDE TREE ON THE RIGHT

Sooooo nice being outside working on a cloudy day with cooler temperatures. A feller can just keep on going & going without the heat sucking all the energy out of him. I really enjoy creative & constructive yard work so I am one happy camper these days for sure. A darn tired happy camper that is. But, it's a good kind of tired & I like that. We are so fortunate because if we were back in Bayfield with the cold damp weather we'd end up having to just sit in the house looking out the window for most of the winter. No matter what the financial cost of traveling south each season, it pays off a million times over in both the mental & physical departments. I am so lucky to have these projects to work on.

RETIRED ROD, Loyce, & Biscuit made it to Mesa Thursday but not without a lot of something banging on the roof of their Motorhome near Payson Arizona. Banging on the roof of anything is generally not a good sign & Rod will tell you all about what happened.

<<< DOGGY GOING LICKITY SPLIT DOWN THE ROAD

Many of we RVing folks are experiencing the ravages of aging & each individual has their own personal distress list. No, I'm not about to tell you about mine, but you can read Froggi Donna's take on a few ongoing issues she has noticed lately & is dealing with. I think this aging stuff is something we can all identify with. Drop by & see what she has to say about, THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE UGLY.

I HAVE HAD TO DO SOME CREATIVE TRIMMING >>>

And for you serious photography buffs out there, you might want to stop by Andy Baird's site & have a read as Andy talks, ABOUT THE PHOTOS.   Professional photographers say, " The mark of an amateur: show everything you've got. Mark of a professional: only show your very best. I guess that kinda puts me somewhere in between the two as an advanced amateur. I'm comfortable there & do try to hold things down to a dull roar in what ends up in my blog. I'm still basically a one shot Charlie though. I do understand the logic of photographing a subject half a dozen times or more & then picking the best one, but that's just taking photography a little too seriously for me, & if I do that, the fun goes out. Maybe it has something to do with my impatience, d’ya think:((

THIS FENCE DIVIDES OUR PROPERTY & I’LL BE GLAD WHEN IT’S GONE

Noticed this morning we have a new Blog Follower. A big southwest welcome to Pia Kaven. We're not doing too much traveling at the moment but if you have a shovel & a wheelbarrow Pia, come on over:))

PHEEBS HAS MADE PEACE WITH THE TEST PATCH OF CRUSHED STONE & LIKES IT NOW…ONCE SHE GETS THE PEANUT BUTTER OUT OF THE KONG:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( In an effort to motivate the boy into focusing more attention on his schoolwork, the father said to his son, "When Abe Lincoln was your age, he was studying books by the light from the fireplace." And the son's reply, "Dad, when Abe Lincoln was your age, he was The President of The United States!!!"

--------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

AS SOON AS HE DUMPED THE CRUSHED STONE, I THOUGHT…..’OH OH’

 

OUR NEIGHBOR GROWS SUNFLOWERS

Had me one of those early starts today. Went to bed at 10 Wednesday night, woke up 4 hours later & that was it....I was up for the day. Hate when that happens. Finally made it out for a morning walk. Kelly & Pheebs have been out everyday but I missed a few mornings because of a bothersome right leg.

OPENING A GATE TO THE SONORAN DESERT THIS MORNING:))

A white dump truck rolled in about 8:30 this morning with our 8 tons of half inch crushed stone. Soon as he dumped it I knew we had underestimated how much we need & maybe the stone size itself. Next size up they will deliver is 17 tons. One more ton than Tennessee Ernie Ford sang about years ago. Turns out 8 tons was plenty for now because we're just not sure if we like the size. I put a small patch down in front of the porch to walk on for a bit, so we'll see. Pheebs walks around the patch of stones....not a good sign. I did spread some out along the house where I plan to plant Cactus. By the way, thanks to the folks who sent in gardening comments. Guess I better reconsider those Yellow Bells eh. Think I’ll get meself a ‘how to’ book on planting Cactamuses & other South-Western plants.

While cleaning up another room in the house today we found an old torn part of a yellowed Wickenburg newspaper. No date but there was an ad visible for Lewis Motors. An 'Oil Change Special' said oil, filter, & lube...$13.88. A couple cars for sale as well. 1985 Chevy Blazer...$4,495. A 75 Olds Cutless for $1,495. No idea how long ago that might have been but am guessing late 80's.

FIRST LOAD OF STONES GOES DOWN…7.99 TONS TO GO:))

Thanks to Larry C & Hot Shot for letting me know I had duplicated a paragraph in my Wednesday post. I have since fixed that. When editing my finished post I sometimes re-position paragraphs by copy & pasting them. On several occasions I have forgot to 'cut' the original positioned paragraph. Shows you how short term my short term memory can be sometimes. Thanks guys:)) Maybe catch you in Congress next time Larry........

I WILL PROBABLY PUT VARIOUS CACTUS PLANTS ALONG THIS WALL

While standing in his undies, TOM got to see a swat team swing into action pretty much right in front of him. Hours later, he needed some blood work done....but it didn't have anything to do with the swat team or him being in his undies.

<<< YES, WE EVEN HAVE HORSESHOES IN OUR BACKYARD

The American Air Force was busy over Congress again today. I can hear fighter jets training up there but can't see em most times.  With today's heavy cloud cover moving in, some of them were down to the deck a few times in their high speed turns. Somebody with a turned up radio 3 blocks away bothers me but high speed jets overhead.....no problem:))

MY BACKYARD BRUSH PILES ARE GROWING 

And again, just a reminder to folks on Facebook. Because I have been hacked, scammed, & slammed several times, I do not accept friend requests, game requests, birthday calendar stuff, or anything like that, etc. etc. I post my daily blog on Facebook & that's it.

SITTING IN OUR BACKYARD WATCHING AN APPROACHING STORM THIS AFTERNOON

RAINY NIGHT IN CONGRESS

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A woman walked up to a little wrinkled up man rocking in a chair on his porch. "I couldn't help noticing how happy you look", she said. "What's your secret for a happy life?" "I smoke three packs of cigarettes a day," he replied. "I also drink a case of whiskey a week, eat lots of fatty foods, and never ever do any exercise."
"That's amazing, "the woman said. "Exactly how old are you?' "Twenty-six," he said.
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- 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.
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