SNOW ON THE MOUNTAINS

On my way to bed Saturday night I glanced out my bedroom window & saw a night full of stars.  I knew we were in for a sunny Sunday. 

HEY, WHO’S BEEN SLEEPING IN MY BED………

Almost looked like frost on the Jeep’s windows this morning & I spotted snow up on the Weaver Mountains to our east.  Kelly slipped into Wickenburg later & said the whole Weaver range was topped with snow.   GAELYN lives just a few miles from us up in the mountains & mentioned in Facebook she spent part of Saturday watching it snow.

With the ground saturated with water I figured it would be a good time to dig me some more post holes for our wood fence.  Nice digging when the ground is soft.  That completed, I moved all the garden tools & lawn chairs back out of the shed.  And then I did something I do not normally do. 

DIGGING A FEW MORE POST HOLES WHILE THE GROUND IS STILL WET

Sat myself down in one of our lounge chairs, faced myself into the warm morning sun & tipped myself back with the express purpose of doing absolutely nothing.  How nice to close my eyes & listen to all the birds in our back yard flitting about in the Mesquite & Palo Verde trees.  Cardinals, Sparrows, Curved Bill Thrashers, Cactus Wrens, Pheebs, Gamble’s Quail, Mourning & Inca Doves. (thanks Judy) Even saw what I believe was a Gila Woodpecker later on one of our Saguaros.  All & all, a relaxing few hours spent on a quiet Sunday morning in our sun drenched back yard.  Again, I was reminded of how fortunate we truly are.  We may not have everything we want, but we do have way more than we need.

COLD RAINDROPS IN TALL GRASS

And what was Kelly doing in Wickenburg?  She had a $10 Alco coupon that expired today plus it was a 10% off everything on a pre-Christmas Sunday.  Figured we would grab ourselves another heater.  We are definitely heat seeking Canadian Snow Birds alright.

GROANER’S CORNER:((

The hardest thing in Hollywood is to keep the marriage a secret until the divorce leaks out.

-------------------------
- 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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AWWWW NUTS, WE SPRUNG A LEAK:((

OUR SECOND DREARY RAIN SOAKED DAY:((

Our morning dawned with cloudy skies, cold 38F temps, & drizzling rain.  Not nice!!  And especially not nice here in sunny warm Arizona!!!!  Long range forecast says the weather will begin to turn around Tuesday & by the end of next week we will be back to full sunny 70F days:)) 

<<< CLEANED A FEW CEILING FANS TODAY & YOU CAN SEE A LEAK SPOT LEFT OF THE FAN

Woke up about midnight to a sound I did not want to hear.  Drip, drip, drip………. Awwwww nuts, we have a leak in our roof:((  Happens to be my bedroom with the slow leak a couple feet from my bed.  It is the only section of roof that has shingles.  Rest of the roof is steel.  We can tell by the ceiling, this room has been susceptible to leaks before.  We did have the steel part of the roof patched & recoated with an Elastomeric Solar Flex material last March but I can see where we will probably have to have the shingled part of the roof repaired & covered in steel as well.  It’s the only way to do it right & the only way to permanently put a stop to further leaks.  $Oh dear$ 

AT LEAST THIS LEAK IS NOT DIRECTLY OVER MY BED

A second slow leak started between the living & dining room but only a few drops then stopped.  I did have a look up in the spooky attic but everything appeared dry.

 

ATTIC ABOVE OUR DINING ROOM & YEP, I DID SEE A GHOST SCOOT BY WHILE UP THERE:))

Rain continued through the day so there was no going outside beyond our red crushed gravel.  To do so would be to sink into the desert mud.  And, it’s real gooey stuff.  Fortunately we park the Jeep on the gravel so Kelly, without getting all mudded up, headed off for some DVD’s at the Congress library.

EVEN SPENCER CAME IN OUT OF THE WEATHER

Despite me grumping about the weather, Kelly was quick to remind me of a few times we were stuck inside our Motorhome for a few days waiting out rainy days.  So much nicer to be in a sticks & bricks during rainy weather.  One of those times was on Ogilbe Road west of Yuma California when we were CONFINED TO THE BOX & another time was in Texas when camped beside a lake near Bob Sandlin State Park.  That turned out to be a couple COLD WET MISERABLE DAYS.

AW COME ON DAD…..GIVE ME A BREAK WILL YA!!

Not a real exciting day, but in a nutshell….cleaned 3 ceiling fans, 3 separate light fixtures, replaced an old toilet seat, took a few photos, blew my nose, put this post together, ate a couple peanut butter sandwiches, burned some cardboard boxes & grouched myself around the house a bit…….and you?    

RAIN LET UP ENOUGH TO LET ME BURN UP THE EMPTY IKEA CHAIR BOXES LATE THIS AFTERNOON…NOTICE I REPLACED THE CEMENT BLOCKS WITH ROCKS IN THE BACKGROUND CAMPFIRE AREA

Again, a word of thanks to readers for your kind Emails, your Comments & your Shouts.  Without you the readers, this daily blog would have dried up & blown away a long time ago.  Kelly, Pheebs, & I thank you all once again for your interest in the Bayfield Bunch:))

OH OH, THERE’S A LITTLE DOGGY ON THE NEW IKEA POANG CHAIR ALREADY…THESE $69 CHAIRS ARE VERY COMFORTABLE & THEIR LIGHT WEIGHT MAKES THEM EASILY PORTABLE…NEXT BEST THING TO A RECLINER:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Late one night in Washington, D.C., a mugger jumped a well-dressed man and held a gun to his ribs. "Give me your money!" he demanded. The man stiffened, but said indignantly, "You can not do this to me ? I am a U. S. Congressman!" "In that case," replied the robber, "give me my money!"

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

WHAT A MESS THIS WORLD IS IN…….

Had a fair bit of rain in the night & I like the smell our Sonoran desert takes on when it gets wet.  Creosote shrubs give off a distinct sweet & slightly pungent aroma that is unmistakable.

 

Knew soon as I looked out the window this morning I was going to have myself an inside day.  Cloud cover was heavy & the air was cold & damp.  Our walk around the block was brisk & our warm house felt welcoming on our return. 

THIS PRETTY WELL SUMS UP OUR WEATHER TODAY

First on the agenda was the assembly of our new Ikea Poang chair & foot stool.  Tackled the stool first & soon had the easiest piece out of the way.  I did put together a couple Poang chairs about 4 years ago, but my memory did not readily retrieve the assembly files.  Took me about half an hour but was finally able to figure it out & the job was done.

 

KELLY TRIES OUT THE NEWLY ASSEMBLED CHAIR & FOOT STOOL

Sitting around the rest of the day doing the square root of nothing wasn’t in the cards so I wasn’t long in hauling out a can of paint, a brush, & a roller.  Our laundry room has a bunch of that ‘popular in the 70’s’ cheap light wood paneling on the walls.  Took me a few hours but I was finally able cover up that grim looking cheezy paneling with a couple coats of paint.

Turned the TV on late this afternoon & heard about the terrible tragedy of all those children & adults dying in another senseless mass shooting.  What a mess this world is in.

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

AND THEN I CLOSED THE CUPBOARD DOOR

WELL, WELL, AND JUST WHAT DID THE FEDEX MAN BRING TODAY

I was again reminded of my age this morning while in the kitchen preparing to make myself some porridge.  Half fill the pot with water, place on the stove, & turn on a small burner to bring the water to a boil.  Opened the cupboard door, pulled out the Quaker Oats & dumped some in the water.  Closed the cupboard door.  Opened the cupboard door to get out a new bag of brown sugar.  Closed the cupboard door.  Opened it again to put the oatmeal back.  Turned around & opened the silverware drawer to get a pair of scissors to cut a corner off the sugar bag.  Back to the stove & stirred some oatmeal.  Opened the cupboard door & lifted down my sugar bowl to replenish it.  Closed the cupboard door.  Turned around & retrieved a cereal bowl from the other side of the kitchen, brought it back & set it on the counter beside the stove.  Stirred some oatmeal.  Noticed the scissors lying on the counter & knew that was not the place for the scissors, so I returned them to the silverware drawer.  Back to the other counter & took the lid off my sugar bowl to pour some sugar in from the new package.  The new package was not open yet.  I needed a scissors for that & returned to the silverware drawer to get the scissors out…..again.  Stirred some oatmeal.  Cut open the sugar package & poured some sugar into my sugar bowl.  Put the bowl back in the cupboard & closed the door.  Sealed up the new sugar bag & put that in a different cupboard.  Returned the scissors to the silverware drawer, turned around & stirred my oatmeal.  I was going to need a spoon for the sugar bowl so it was back to the silverware drawer.  Back to the other counter & opened the cupboard door to get the sugar bowl out.  Closed the cupboard door.  Porridge was done so I turned the burner off, scooped the porridge from the pot into my cereal bowl & headed for the dining room.  Just got myself seated when I realized I had forgot the milk.  Back to the kitchen for milk & closed the cupboard door I had left open.  Even remembered to close the refrigerator door.  And, was anyone keeping count on how many times I closed that cupboard door…………me neither:((  Welcome to my routinely un-multitaskable morning……….

Thursday night into Friday morning was the annual Geminid meteorite shower & despite slipping out late Thursday night & Friday morning before dawn, I didn’t see any meteors.  We had a high wispy cloud cover which turned into heavy cloud cover as the morning progressed.  Maybe next time.

I HAVE BUCKETS OUT TO CATCH SOME RAIN WATER

Uneventful day as I worked away at completing some more fencing with the rails & posts Kelly had brought home Wednesday.  Soon as we get a couple more dollars saved up we’ll buy some more posts & rails & eventually we’ll have that little project behind us.  It’s not quite half done yet.

 

STORMY ARIZONA SKIES

Kelly slipped into Wickenburg to check out some electric heaters on sale while Pheebs & built us nice little fire in the fireplace to ward of today’s cloudy chills.  The fire was so cozy it dozed Pheebs & I out until a knock at the door bolted us both out of our chairs. 

OUR HALF INCH RED GRAVEL IN THE FOREGROUND SHOWS DARKER WHEN WET

It was the FedEx man with 4 separate packages.  Kelly had ordered a new Poang Chair & footstool from IKEA & it came in 4 separate boxes.  We already have 2 Poang chairs & like them so well she wanted another one for the house.  We have one in our sunroom at home & the other one travels in the Motorhome & sits on our front porch at the moment.  I unpacked it this afternoon & tomorrow we will assemble it.  You can read my post about the day in January of 08 we spent at the Ikea store in Tempe, Arizona…WOW & DOUBLE WOW.

 

UNPACKING THE IKEA CHAIR WITH A LITTLE PHEEBER HELP

Kelly was back from Wickenburg about 2:30 with a Lasko 1500 watt oscillating ceramic tower heater.  This heater had good reviews on the internet. 

It’s 16” high & with 3 settings it works like a charm.  We are totally happy with this product & for sure it has to be more efficient than the 2 old 8’ long base board heaters we currently have here in the house.  At $35 we just may see our way clear to get a second Lasko heater.

BY THE TIME WE RETURN NEXT FALL THIS FENCE WILL BE WEATHERED & MUCH DARKER…HOUSE IN BACKGROUND IS OUR MEXICAN NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH

Our darkening skies finally turned into rain about 3:30 & I thought I heard thunder.  The desert landscape takes on a different look after a rain.  I had not intended to take any more fence or house photos today but after the rain…..I couldn’t help myself.  Our backyard filled up with flocks of birds on the ground furiously scratching & pecking at the wet ground.  I’m hoping they ate up all the weed seeds out there.  More rain predicted overnight & Friday kinda looks a bit yukky.

I’M GUESSING THIS MIGHT BE AN IMMATURE WHITE CROWNED SPARROW

  

GAMBLE’S QUAIL ON LEFT & MOURNING DOVE ON RIGHT

A WHOLE HERD OF BIRDS IN OUR BACKYARD AFTER THE RAIN

 

A PAIR OF GAMBLE’S QUAILS ON THE LEFT  

Noticed this morning we have a new Blog Follower.  Yavapai Counties AIN'T FOR CITY GALS has joined us on our daily happenings.  Thanks for your interest folks.  Nice to have you along:))

PHEEBS SURE LOVES HAVING HER VERY OWN RECLINER

GROANER’S CORNER:((  In America one may use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place….. And, what is that soft stuff between sharks teeth?……….. Slow swimmers:((

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

GOT MYSELF HUNG UP ON A BARBED WIRE FENCE TODAY:((

ALAMO LAKE

Whoever built this house obviously never felt the need for any kind of heat source in the bedrooms or bathrooms.  I like a warm bedroom & a roasty toasty bathroom so I’m probably going to have to get me some additional electric heaters.  I see propane tanks at some houses so I’m thinking folks may use propane for heating.  It’s a thought for us, but not this year. 

A HOMELESS PERSON’S SHACK BEHIND THE GAS STATION IN AGUILA

Looks like we have some cloudy, cooler, & wet weather headed our way.  Oh dear, we have been so totally spoiled by soooo many back to back warm sunny days.  I like warm sunny days, not cold sunny days & not hot sunny days……just good old ‘warm’ sunny days:))

TUESDAYS DAY TRIP LUNCH…EGG SALAD, CHIPS & PICKLES

If the weather goes into the dumper we still have indoor projects to keep us busy.  I have a laundry room to paint & I don’t like my blue bedroom so that in itself will be a big painting job.  I like warmer colors so will go with the flowerpot clay color, just like in our Motorhome.  My bathroom needs painting as well plus some shelves too so lots to do if it’s cold & wet outside.  Should be enough to keep the hounds of boredom away from my door for a little while longer.

I see some buzz going around about the upcoming demise of our Planet on December 21rst.  Anyone gullible enough to believe all this ‘end of the world’ stuff again might want to read today’s DAILY ASTRONOMER.  It never ceases to amaze me what people can convince themselves to believe is true. 

  

KELLY BROWSES THROUGH THE VENDOR’S MARKET IN AGUILA ARIZONA TUESDAY

Regarding some comments in Monday night’s post. Decided to leave the cactus garden pathways….. At the first sign of rain we will remove the mothballs from around some animal troubled cacti….. Due to the repercussions from another travel insurance claim I will have to wait until we return to Ontario in the Spring to see the Doctor again about my leg problems. It was one year ago on December 15th that I ended up in a TUCSON HOSPITAL with a painful kidney stone.  Because of the costs incurred by that, my rates are up this year & the insurance company refused to cover me for kidney stone problems this winter. So, no way do I want to submit any more medical claims to an insurance company unless it’s an absolute emergency. Thanks to folks for their suggestions.

THIS AGUILA VENDOR SELLS WALKING STICKS…HE LIVES IN THE DESERT AT THE END OF OUR ROAD

Kelly was off to Wickenburg this morning for groceries & browsing. This afternoon she returned with more fence posts & rails so I know what I will be doing Thursday morning. Piece by piece we are slowly getting our decorative wood fence put together.

THURSDAY MORNING’S PROJECT

It was one year ago today I made a 'BIG' TOILET MISTAKE.  Thanks to LAZY DAYS RV & CAMPING WORLD in Tucson Arizona for both being understanding, & going out of their way to help us out with this problem:((

Well, I went & done something really dumb again this morning.  Noticed an old fence post lying in the Mesquite brush on the other side of our fence a few days ago.  Figured I could use that post in our Cactus Garden.  Problem was, only way to reach it was to climb over the fence.  And, that’s where I made my mistake.  Leg had been feeling a bit better the last 3 or 4 days so figured I’d be alright in slipping over & retrieving that post.  It was a part of the old fence near the neighbor’s that had barbed wire on the top.  Because of the cooler temps this morning I had put on warmer track pants instead of my usual blue jeans.  Sure enough, I got myself hung up on the barbed wire & that required some twisting & turning of my right leg to get myself untangled.  I felt the the pain rocket through my hip & groin area & knew right away what I was in for.  And, I was right.  Did manage to untangle myself by ripping a hole in my track pants, got down the other side, retrieved the post & then painfully got myself back over the fence again.   Ended up using my cane to get around for the rest of the day.  It just never really occurred to me that I could not simply climb over a fence anymore like I used to.  This mental denial of age is sometimes a physically painful experience.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Two medical students were walking along the street when they saw an old man walking with his legs spread apart. He was stiff-legged and walking slowly.
One student said to his friend: I'm sure that poor old man has Peltry Syndrome. Those people walk just like that."
The other student says: "No, I don't think so. The old man surely has Zovitzki Syndrome. He walks slowly and his legs are apart, just as we learned in class."
Since they couldn't agree they decided to ask the old man. They approached him and one of the students said to him, "We're medical students and couldn't help but notice the way you walk, but we couldn't agree on the syndrome you might have. Could you tell us what it is?"
The old man said, "I'll tell you, but first you tell me what you two fine medical students think."

The first student said, "I think it's Peltry Syndrome." The old man said, "You thought - but you are wrong."
The other student said, "I think you have Zovitzki Syndrome." The old man said, "You thought - but you are wrong."
So they asked him, "Well, old timer, what do you have?"
The old man said, "I thought it was GAS - but I was wrong, too!"

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