Another day of organizing.

Almost two miles yesterday. I ended up walking part of the ATV trail and part of the desert itself. I was looking for a road that doesn’t exist. Today I will head in another direction. 

After I got back, I dug into the closet in the bathroom where all my clothes are. Sorted, removed the canvas bins, and rolled everything and put back all the stuff I am keeping. All of my clothes, including my jackets are now in one location. Everything is easy to see. I have a bin for short sleeves, long sleeves, dress clothes, underwear and night wear, sweatshirts, and shorts and jeans. My jackets have their own section in the closet beside the cubes. We’ll see how that works out. I’m keeping at least one of the canvas bins for KC and put her blanket in it under the table, and she has already used it. I have a second one on one of the benches, but she hasn’t shown any interest in that one yet. I might change it’s purpose to guidebooks and maps. Then I am sure she will be interested in it. :)

I wrapped all of that up around 1, including moving some stuff around in the car since I freed up one bin. I figured that was good for the day. Today I do want to do the cupboards over the table. Then I will start sorting all the stuff I pulled out. I also need to go grocery shopping. There is a craft fair this weekend, plus one next weekend. Maybe I will put off the cupboard until tomorrow. 

Geeze, I almost lost Kali Cat last night. I came inside with my arms full, camera, iPad, etc., and I ALWAYS close the door behind myself, but got distracted. Then I noticed her go down the step. She never goes down the step unless the door is open and she is going outside. I didn’t panic and lunge, I went out and calmly talked to her, and then grabbed her. She had only gotten a foot or so away from the door. But it was already dark out and there are coyotes here. I will have to be more careful and make sure I close the door behind myself. Phew!

I haven’t taken her out to the screen house since the first day. It is full of Ody overflow right now. Once I get that sorted and organized, I will start taking her out for a few minutes a day. I would like to get a mat for the “floor”, so it isn’t rocks and fine dust, but we will see. 

I just ordered a second solar panel for my little generator. I don’t use a lot of power, so I don’t think I am going to install panels on Ody. I have been getting by just fine with the Yeti, it just needed a second panel to charge it up a little faster. I also ordered a much smaller, portable one to keep my phone and ipad charged. I don’t like having to use the Yeti for that as it slows down the charging.  I would like it to be fully charged at the end of the day. A lower cost solution to additional power, and less expensive than a real hardwired solar setup. At some point I am going to have to get a Mr Buddy propane heater. That way I won’t be using all my fridge propane to heat Ody in the morning. I don’t need it at night while I am sleeping, I have blankets for that, but need heat when I get up in the morning. I can’t start the generator until 6 AM, and it is always coldest before then. Anyone sending xmas gifts, an Amazon gift certificate would be great.

Sometime this week I need to organize, wrap and ship out xmas gifts. That will free up some more space. But I want to finish cleaning out Ody first. As I mentioned, still have the cabinets over the table, and I still have the storage/craft area to sort out. Then I start photographing and putting stuff online to see if I can get it sold. Whatever I can’t sell will be donated. I will bring as little back in as I can. Pretty much everything I hauled out so far hasn’t been touched since I started this adventure. If I am not using it, I shouldn’t be hauling it around.

I tried the folding chair and footstool to watch TV last night. There wasn’t anything on that I wanted to watch, and the TV is too high to watch comfortably. The chair is big and in the way, so I guess that isn’t going to work. I will have to see how low I can get the TV on the mount in it’s current location, last ditch effort would be to relocate the TV. The bedroom would be nice, but then I would have to run an antenna cable in, and am not sure how I would do that without it being in the way. Plus, the power cable, same issue. But maybe the mount is long enough to lower it so my neck doesn’t hurt. 

I bought my folding chairs from LLB. Paid $80 apiece for them, but they are too big for any of Ody’s storage areas (what few there are) and are constantly in the way. I may sell them. I don’t know if they will fit in the back of the car or not. Will have to try them and see. If so, that might be a good place to store them. I haven’t really used them tho. They are really comfy for folding bag chairs, but are big and quite heavy. Not easily attached to the ladder outside. Maybe I can create something that will keep them hung out there, or maybe the bike rack will work. Will have to think about that. I have four months to figure it out.

Since there was nothing on TV last night and I was nodding off, I went to bed early again. Of course, I woke up at 1:30. At least it was an hour later than yesterday. I think I am going to try to go back to sleep for a little while. I did get a dribble shower yesterday, got my hair washed, and it sure felt good! I got so chilled when I was up yesterday morning, that I couldn’t warm up even after going back to bed. I finally got warmed up in the shower. But next time I think I will leave the generator and the electric heater going until I get out of the shower. Was a bit uncomfortable getting out.  I’m learning as I go. :)

Well, time to try and grab another hour or so of sleep. I have been sneezing and blowing my nose pretty much constantly for the last day or two. I hope I get over that soon and it is just a cold and not a new allergy. Lots and lots of dust and pollens out here in the desert.

A bunk and a dinette!

I started my day out with a good walk, almost two miles, with my hiking shoes. Wasn’t too bad, even kept them on for a while when I got back. I used my walk yesterday to figure out where I am on the LPS map. Also scoped out the utilities - dumpsters, water and dump station. I’m thinking if I move Ody once a week to dump tanks and refill water, I can take two showers a week. As long as I am conservative. I am missing my daily shower. 

The pen is pointing to an x marking my location on the map.

After I got back, I got started on clearing out the passenger side bunk. The driver side is the one with the shelving, and I am keeping that. The shelving was custom fit, so it probably wouldn’t fit on the other side anyway. 

I got everything hauled outside, and then proceeded to move the bed. I had to refold and lay out all my quilts first, then put the mattress on top of them. Figured since I had it all torn apart, I would put my xmas quilt on the bed. It is after Thanksgiving. :) Got the bed made up and ready to nap on, Then moved on to setting up the dinette. 

I have a water leak somewhere that needs to be addressed. One of the bases for the table is loose and wobbly, floor is soft. It has to be the fresh water tank, so will take that apart and see if I can figure out what is going on there. But now I need to put a brace on the wall to steady the table. At some point I will also have to have the floor fixed. I will fix the leak first, and see how bad it is when it dries out. 

Anyway, finally found a place to hang my fruit/veggie basket, and a spot for my thunder gourd I bought last week. Ate my dinner at the table last night, and then tried to watch some TV, but the damned benches are very uncomfortable. :( It isn’t a place that I can sit for any length of time, and TV watching is going to be at a minimum until I can figure out a comfortable place/way to sit. I ended up turning off the TV last night because I was too uncomfortable. I guess I won’t be falling asleep in front of the TV any more. Maybe a folding chair, but that will always be in the way. Just can’t seem to win. I solve one problem that creates another.

Kali Cat seems to be liking the changes. She did loose her hidey spot under the bed, but she spent the afternoon on one of the benches, then moved to the new bed for the rest of the night. Bonus on the bed, I have a whole new window to look out. More air circulation. Would be nice if I could free up the one on the opposite side too, but that probably isn’t going to happen. Will have to make a curtain for it at some point. For now, I am looking out on the wash which is filled with small trees and scrub, so it isn’t a priority.

Got all the stuff I moved out of Ody moved over to the screen house temporarily. Today I need to go thru the kitchen cabinets and pull out the stuff I haven’t used in the three months I have been living in here and make room for some stuff that I really don’t want to get rid of, but don’t have room for any more. Tomorrow I will start sorting the stuff I pulled out. Most of it has to go. I do need to pull some bins from the other side too to sort. I’m going to have to reduce pretty much everything including my craft stuff. There really is very little storage in Ody. I would like to get a solar oven, but there is no place to store it. 

Since I went to sleep so early last night, I was awake at 12:30, and have been up since then. I guess that means there is a nap on the agenda for today. I haven’t had one since the day I got here. I’m due. :) I was outside for a little while, but there was some sort of critter in the bushes, so I didn’t stay out. I have no idea what it was, but the glowing eyes were smaller than a raccoon. I am curious tho, but not so curious that I would get closer. There are all sorts of strange nocturnal critters out here in the desert.

Well, I’m cold. It is 45 out and 56 in, so it is time to go back to bed and snuggle with the furry one. 

Here is a sunset and a sunrise for you....

And my spot looking back from my walk....

Just another day

My Thanksgiving dinner consisted of chicken, sweet potato and squash. I fired up the generator and used my convection microwave. Thought about using my electric oven, but still would have had to fire up the generator for that. Since I cleared all the pots and pans out of the microwave, it has become much easier to use. Might as well get rid of the electric oven too, unless I can find a good storage spot for it.

I wasn’t as ambitious yesterday as I had been feeling in the wee hours. I did get the screen house set up, the base all weighted down with rocks, and got my chairs and the bike off the back of Ody. By the time I got all that done, I was out of ambition. I spent the afternoon sitting in the screen house in the sun, just enjoying the 70 degree temps. I didn’t get a nap, didn’t walk, didn’t do much of anything.

I spotted a squirrel around the dove block, and just as it started getting dark, I am pretty sure I saw a rabbit run from there as well. Will have to keep a closer eye on it. I would like to get a seed feeder to hang on the pole too. I have one little bird that isn’t a hummer that is going after the hummer juice, had them both on there at the same time yesterday, and of course, no camera in hand.

After I got the screen house set up and the bottom all weighted down, I took Kali Cat out. She was fine for about two minutes, then started crying. Then she peed…crying the whole time, so I brought her back in. Will take her out for a few minutes each day and see if she will get used to it. I have to carry her because I set the screen house up behind the car in the sun instead of in the shade by Ody. But it gives me a whole extra room that is bigger than anything inside. 

Today I will start hauling stuff out of my bunk space, hopefully get the bed moved and the dinette set up. Will put everything in the screen house until I can get it sorted, figure out what to get rid of and what to keep. I need to go thru all my cupboards and pull out the stuff I haven’t used in three months and get rid of it. Same with my clothes. See if I can’t make things easier. I really don’t want to use my shower as storage, but may have to at some point. I will avoid that as long as I can. 

I do need to walk first tho. So, a walk, then a bed and dinette. Not planning on going anywhere, but at some point need to figure out where I can take my trash, and hoping to find a real internet connection and maybe a larger propane tank. I use a quarter tank already because I had been using the furnace. So no more furnace. Need the propane for the fridge and freezer. I want to move Ody as little as possible while we are here. I will research those later.

I started to watch the parade on TV, but the channel I was on didn’t show the parade, they were featuring all the broadway musicals, and that wasn’t what I was after. I wanted to see the floats and marching bands, not a variety show. I was disappointed. Oh well. It felt like just another day instead of a holiday. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

My plan for today was to just hang out in my sweats, watch the parade on TV and just generally take it easy, BUT, I am feeling somewhat ambitious and want to get my bunk emptied out and setup to use as a real bunk, and get my dinette back in service.I will have to set up the screen house first so I will have some place to put everything until I get it sorted. I’m just going to haul everything out of the bunk area and sort it later. It shouldn’t take too long, but you never know. I have been getting extremely frustrated with the lack of counter space now that I am cooking for myself again. I had been using Ody’s stove, but I have to keep moving everything every time I want to use it. Finally gave up and got out my little butane cooktop and will use that now. That gives me a few extra inches of valuable counter space and I have to move less stuff to open and close the stove lid. Also, the burner itself on the butane stove is larger, spreading out the heating area on my frying pan much better, so cooking should be easier too.

Yesterday I went to the farmers market. Spent $11 and brought home an acorn squash, a zucchini, a bag of greens, brussel sprouts, lettuce, daikon radish, cabbage, and a bunch of celery. I would have gotten more, but it will be there again next week and I want to be able to use the stuff before it goes bad. 

Then I went in search of something to use to hang the hummingbird feeder. Struck out at the first place, but did get a microfiber duster to clean the desert dust off Firefly’s windows and some firewood and a pair of socks (for my hiking shoes), then hit the hardware store to see what they had. But the guy pounced on me before I could even make it thru the door, so I couldn’t just look. I ended up with a six foot section of 1 inch PVC. 

Then off to get my water bottles filled. I asked where I could get that done. A place called The RV Pit Stop. They also do propane…good to know. From there to the Roadrunner Market for some fruit, cat litter and a few other things.  I didn’t buy cat litter there, they only had a few bags of the clay stuff that I won’t use unless absolutely desperate. Asked where else I might buy some and they suggested either Dollar General or Family Dollar. Family Dollar was just up the street, so that is where I went. Got the cat litter, a couple of xmas coffee mugs and a small acrylic tree that changes color and plays tinny sounding xmas tunes. By the time I finished there, the car was full. Time to head back to camp.

Got all that stuff unloaded and processed, had some lunch and then went for a walk. I decided to see what my “driveway” options were, and found a flat road much closer to the entrance that I can use instead of having to drive thru a wash coming and going. I did close to two miles, took a few pictures, and got a feel for the place. 

The PVC pipe, my screw in umbrella stand, and a plant hanger and another piece that has served several different functions made an awesome bird feeder pole. I even have a solar light on the top. It’s main purpose is to keep the feeders from spinning around, the light is a bonus. Took me a while to find the hummingbird feeders, I had seen them recently, but couldn’t locate them in my mind, so had to physically search. I had hummers within five minutes of putting out the feeder. I picked up a Dove & Quail feed block at the grocery store, will be interesting to see if I get any of those. The grasshoppers (locusts?) seem to like it. 

One of my projects for later is to empty out the car, remove the seats and reorganize. I hadn’t emptied the car when I went out yesterday and ended up putting the three bundles of firewood in the front seat, and stuffing everything else in the back wherever I could find room. That isn’t going to work for me. I will get it all done eventually. 

Well, I guess that is about it. I think I am going to try to get another hour of sleep before it gets light. I fell asleep in front of the TV last night and have been awake since 2 AM. Gonna be a very long day if I can’t get another hour or so. Nothing special on the menu for today. I think I will have some chicken, brussels, and whatever other veggie I feel like having…maybe the acorn squash. That would be kind of thanksgivingish. I feel like I have gained back a little bit of weight since I ate like a normal person the last month. I want to loose more weight, and since I am feeding myself again, probably will. Especially if I keep walking. I’d like to be able to zip up that pair of jeans I bought at the thrift shop in Yuma. :) Having them be loose would be even better.

Here are some photos from yesterday...my walk and the feeder pole.

The rest are here...  https://plus.google.com/photos/118406578374225960662/albums/6086160125629582993?banner=pwa

Quartzsite, my new winter home.

Was up quite early yesterday morning and got myself moving. Got everything secured, packed up and ready to go. Howard came out with a scrub brush and gave Ody a water bath, and boy does she look a whole lot better! She had been parked under the mesquite tree for a month with birds pooping on her, blowing dust, leaves and more. Then we took her to get her propane filled and to fill up the gas tank. 

I hooked up Firefly all by myself with Howard supervising, it went well the first try, and I headed out a little before 11 and was here by 1.  I found a nice spot and parked myself, got unhooked and semi settled in. Not going to fully settle until I am sure I am going to stay in this spot. It is a nice spot, just hope it doesn't get too crowded too soon.

Towing was a little different. When it came time to go, I couldn’t get the camera working, I think the extension cord was too big and it lost all it’s power by the time it reached the camera. I was trying to run it on an inverter. Will play with that setup again some other time so I can at least see that the car is still behind me. Couldn’t even see it. I did use a little more gas than normal, but that was to be expected. Ody handled it just fine. And I got it unhooked fairly easily too. I was worried about that part.

I have a nice spot. Already has a fire pit, a huge saguaro cactus, some funny little trees, some quail and a hummer that buzzed me several times. I need to find a way to put up a feeder. I have nothing to hang it off. A pole of some sort is on my shopping list this morning along with some sugar. Then I need to find my feeders. I may do a cheapie regular bird feeder too and see if I get any song birds.

Kali Cat snoozed the whole trip and was ready to eat again shortly after stopping. We won’t have to move until I either need propane or gasoline to run the generator and it is only four miles to town, so she should be fine for a while. 

Here is the most unusual encampment I have seen so far...

I will be setting up my screen house in the next day or two so I can have an outdoor room with a roof. I have the sail cloth tarps to give it walls, and clear shower curtains to create a wind break. I parked with the door facing the trees and the fire pit which means I will get the morning sun on that side, and the afternoon sun coming in the window over the bed  warming things up some. It was quite cool in the shade yesterday.

I also have firewood on my shopping list for today. I want to fill my drinking water bottles, all of them so I only have to do that once a week, and hit the farmers market. I need cat littler, a pole for the hummer feeder and a few other things. Hoping for some nice produce at the FM.

Did I mention that I have a cold and am very tired? By the time I had a chance to nap yesterday, it was too late in the day so I didn’t. Up again at 4 this morning. I will nap today. Not sure if I am going to walk today or not. I would like to get my errands done early and if I walk, that won’t happen. I guess I will see how warm it is this afternoon after I get the errands done and a nap. If I am up for it, I will walk then. I am not doing anything tomorrow, so I should be able to get in a good one. 

A bunch of TV stations, but I haven’t run thru them. I found ABC and stuck to it for the season finale of DWTS. Looking forward to seeing the Thanksgiving day parade on TV tomorrow. Will be the first time in several years. Can’t get live feed online, so I haven’t been able to watch it. Now that I get over the air TV, I should find several. 

I gave up and fired up Ody’s furnace this morning. It is 39 degrees out and was 51 in…I hate to use the propane for that, would like to just use it for the fridge, but it was too early to fire up the generator and use the electric heater. Quiet time is 10 PM to 6 AM.  I now have it fired up and am charging my rechargeables, heating my water, and will turn on the electric heater shortly. My little solar gen held up just fine for TV watching last night, and the battery in the Bose speaker did as well. I’m pleased with that. The longer cord I got for the solar panel will allow me to move the panel with the sun and hopefully I will only have to run the generator once a day. The only thing I am not thrilled with is that the antenna for the TV runs off the coach battery, not the house battery. I will have to start Ody’s engine to make sure it doesn’t run the battery down. 

OK, I can run the water heater and the electric heater at the same time on the generator. Yay. Good to know. 

Well, it is almost 7 AM, not even light out yet. Will be a while before we see any sun, but the farmers market opens at 8 and I would like to be there fairly early, so I am off to get washed up and dressed, especially while the heater is running. 

Moving day!

Today is the day. Moving to Quartzsite for the winter. Finally. Three months to the day since I left Island Pond. I am ready to settle in for a while. I hope I like it there. 

Kali Cat and I went to the vet for her follow up yesterday. She still has the mass in her bladder, and I sprung for the x-rays to find out if it is crystals or tissue. It is tissue. We did not discuss options as there really aren’t any at her age. I am not putting her thru any type of surgery, and she seems to be fine and not in any kind of pain…yet.

My feeling is that she won’t be around to travel with me in the spring time. But I could be wrong. I hope I am wrong. But she is pushing 19 years old and she doesn’t like traveling. He says she needs her teeth cleaned, but at this stage of the game, I am not putting her thru that trauma. I’m wondering how cats and dogs the last thousand or so years got theirs done… Yesterday’s visit cost more than the first one. :( I’m up to about $500 on vet fees so far. It definitely hurts the wallet.

I did get her medical records and the x-rays on CD so that when we go to the next vet, I will already have all of that for them. She howled the whole way there, but not on the way back. It only took her about a half hour after we got back to tell me to feed her, she recovered quickly. She is such a good girl. 

When I got back, Howard had checked Ody's tires, and I asked him to do Firefly’s as well. Good thing, they were all quite soft. After he aired those up, I took it out for a spin around the block. Feels much better. I haven’t owned an old beater like this since I was in my 20’s. I don’t know how long I will keep her. We’ll see. She definitely isn’t my favorite car, but she is wheels and is affordable. A good desert car.

While I was waiting for 1 o’clock to come, I puttered around securing things, fixed the seat belt clip for Firefly and got her compass/clock mounted on the dash. Packed away some stuff and did laundry. I also got the bike hung on the back again and strapped in. I’m just about ready to take off. Just need to deal with gassing up Ody, getting the propane filled, and hooking up Firefly. It is an hour and a half drive, straight thru in a car, so I am expecting about two hours with towing. Oh, and I also cleaned the bathroom window on the outside, this is what my camera will see...

This morning will be my last shower in Ody for a while. Back to the bucket for washing up in the morning. At least until I get the water and tanks thing figured out. I did see a sign for showers in town and will check that out along with the laundromat. Wednesday is Farmers Market day, I am looking forward to that tomorrow. And some time in the next week, I will head to Parker and see about getting the grid cubes to make a kennel for KC. I will also try to acclimate her to the screen house. I should be able to weight down the bottom so she can't get out. She can't roam free there, and she needs to be able to get outside. Sunshine and fresh air is important for everyone.

I’m still thinking about removing the back seats in Firefly. Not sure what that would do to her value, if anything at her age…but it would give me about a third more space in the back. I very rarely have passengers, and if I do, it usually isn’t more than one additional person. Storage is the key word here. Plus, I have got to get rid of more stuff. My plan is to go thru every cupboard and closet and pull out the things I haven’t used and let them go. Clothes, dishes…whatever. I don’t know when I will be settling in a sticks and bricks again, and there is no sense in hauling all this stuff around. Besides, I want a real bed and dinette. The more stuff I haul, the more it costs to drive. I did really well getting rid of stuff before I left, but not good enough.

Well, it is just about time I get myself moving. It will be light soon and I have a few more things to pick up outside and secure inside. Get my shower, my water tank filled, and the other tanks topped off, and hit the road. Hoping to be on the road before 10:30 so I can get there about mid day. The plan is to take Ody out and gas her up and get the propane filled before hooking up Firefly. Then all I will have to do is drive. Hoping to miss the worst of the morning traffic on this end too.

Temporary back-up camera and toad hookup

We got the car hooked up to Ody and everything is working. It is quite the process to get it all ready to tow. I did it myself a couple of times, and will run thru it again before I actually head out tomorrow. I think I am going to create a checklist to keep in the car. The outside part is easy enough, but will need a reminder for the inside part, especially if I don’t hook it up again for four months.

We ended up having to go out twice for parts. The first time we had to go get a new hitch and ball. Mine was too low and we didn’t have the tools to take it apart and flip it over. After about an hour of trying to loosen the nut, I decided it was easier just to get a new one. That was $30, but the height of the hitch with the new one is perfect. Even if we had managed to flip the old one, it would have been too high. Then we got started on the wiring harness. We had to make one because Firefly and Ody have different connectors. One of the ends we bought the other day didn’t have enough wire on it, so we took that back and got the one with the longer wire. It actually worked the first time we tested it. Once we determined that it worked, we reconnected everything with permanent connectors and tested it again. Had to fix one wire, then wrapped the whole thing, and tested it one more time. The whole process took several hours and it was starting to get dark by the time I disconnected and got everything put away. 

Earlier in the day I played with my IP cam, and got that working as a backup camera. I will need to run an extension cord back to the bathroom, and use my inverter, but it should work just fine for this trip, maybe more. I used all stuff that I already had. So now I can see behind me as I am driving.  It is mounted and ready to go.

I did walk yesterday. It was quite windy. Blowing dust, etc., so I only did a mile and a half. I do want to walk again this morning as I won’t tomorrow since it is a travel day.

Today I start prepping for moving out tomorrow. I need to do a load of laundry, take out the garbage and start securing things. Once I disconnect tomorrow, we need to gas up Ody and get the propane filled so I can keep the fridge running. There won’t be any electricity where I am going. Hoping to get an early start so I can hit Q about mid day. That will give me time to find a spot and settle in, maybe look around a little. Depending on how much gas I use driving up, I may have to go out and fill up before settling in after I disconnect Firefly.

Wednesday is Farmers Market day in Quartzsite, so I am not going to do any shopping before I leave, although I should pick up some cat litter. Going to look for a different brand of litter, I am tired of sweeping it up everywhere. It sticks to her paws, and I have to sweep it up several times a day, and have to sweep it off the bed. It is a royal pain in the ass. It is bad enough that I have to clean the box twice a day, let alone having to sweep a half dozen times because I can’t stand it all over the place. I wish there was an out of the way place I could put it like I had in IP. She had her own closet there. Just not enough space here.

Kali Cat’s appointment is at 1:15 today. I’m hoping all goes well. The UTI seems to have cleared up, and I am hoping the mass in her bladder is gone too. She is eating like a horse and lets me know when she is hungry. I have started giving her watered dry food for between meals. She isn’t eating the dry food as is, and does eat it once it has been softened. Her new thing is to get on the footstool while I am on the computer and pulling at it incessantly to get me to feed her. This goes on every morning for a couple of hours until it is breakfast time. or I can’t stand it any more.

Balloons and Bazaars

Yesterday was another full day. Howard and I took off about 5:30 AM to go watch the balloons setup and take off. I took hundreds of photos, I had two cameras around my neck. It was cold, and the grass was damp and I was grateful that I had grabbed my slippers and a second sweatshirt as we were leaving. Hot air balloons are pretty impressive. The setup and break down and everything in between. Beautiful colors and designs. Not something I would want to do, but enjoyed watching them from the ground and snapping memories. 

We got back fairly early yesterday morning, and I tended to a few chores, garbage, vacuuming, etc. Then tried to get a little nap. It was at least a snuggle session with KC and a few snoozes in between. At lunch time, Barbara and I went off to the Holiday Bazaar - what we call a craft fair. Lots of vendors. I did spend some money, but I think I have my xmas shopping pretty much done. I won’t know for sure until I get settled this week, pull everything out and inventory it. I also got a sparkly little xmas tree. It was really cute. I may have to set it up outside tho, it is about four feet tall. Or, I could trim it down to a smaller size. Once again, will figure that out when I get settled for the season. 

Last night at dusk, we went to the Balloon Glow at the ball park and then saw the fireworks. 

I am looking forward to getting settled, and emptying Ody out and maybe making some more space inside. I really would like to get the kitchen dinette back to it’s intended purpose instead of using it as my bed, and a working bunk would be awesome. I just joined a couple of groups for Quartzsite bartering and trading on FB. See if I can get rid of more stuff and maybe generate some income.

I am very nervous about towing for the first time, but it is a good road, not a lot of traffic, and is a short drive relatively speaking. Once I get there, I will have to pick out a spot. Hoping for some trees…there aren’t a lot of those in the desert. And will have to figure out something for KC so she can have some outdoor time. After looking around online, this seems like the best solution. These are built out of storage cubes. Can be assembled and taken down fairly easy. But I am going to wait until I get there to buy the materials and build one for KC.  (After the visit to the vet). These can also be reused as something else later. http://www.pinterest.com/crnbrryctg/kitty-kennel/  Will be making regular trips to Walmart, so I should be able to get as many as I need. I still have a cat door, so she would be able to go in and out as she pleases. Attach it to the side of Ody at a window somewhere.

Today, Howard and I are going to assemble the electrical harness for towing Firefly. And I really need to walk this morning, I haven’t walked in two days. But I should have that done by the time he gets moving this morning (afternoon). Other than that, nothing on the agenda. I could use a quiet day…not that I am complaining. In the month that I have been here, I have already done more than I did the four and a half years Jake has been gone, combined. It has been fun and interesting. 

Kali Cat seems to be ok. No more accidents. Intermittent tiny clumps in the litter box, but no excessive straining. Will know more tomorrow. I got her started on the supplements, so hopefully we will be good for a while. There is at least one vet in Q, and I already know where it is if I have to take her. I will see if there are any others after I get there. I have a feeling she is winding down tho. The trip has been rough on her, but we will be settling in for about four months which will help. If she has to leave me, I hope she does it quietly in her sleep, and that I won’t have to make any heart rending decisions. And I am also very glad I will have a little car to get around in. I should have just bitten the bullet and towed the Jeep. Oh well. Hindsight and all that…

Trip to Quartzsite and the Colorado River Balloon Festival

Good trip to Quartzsite yesterday. I now have a winter PO box. 

Quartzsite wasn’t quite what I expected. I had seen pictures, but it isn’t the same. I drove around one of the LTVA’s for quite a while. Got a feel for the place and an idea of which direction to head when I get there with Ody. I picked up some maps and got a phone book while I was at the post office.

The car was fine. Up and back without any problems. Should be an OK trip up there with Ody and Firefly. I have to really think about getting a backup camera for Ody since I won’t be able to see Firefly at all when she is hooked up. But since it is such a short drive and I won’t be needing it for a while, will put that off for now. Maybe I can rig something up with my wireless camera and iPad for Tuesday. I think I have everything I need to make a temporary system. Will play around with that tomorrow and see if I can make something work.

Went to Frank’s Family Restaurant at the country club for an all you can eat fish fry for dinner last night. Howard had a commitment so it was just me and Barbara. It was a long day. I spent over three hours driving. The car gets about 26mpg, that was mixed driving…highway, town and the camping area.

This morning, since Barbara is still sick, Howard and I went to the Colorado River Balloon Festival. We are left about quarter to six so we could see them setup and go up. We might go see the fireworks and the balloon glow tonight. There is also a holiday bazaar today that Barbara will be going to too. Going to be a full day. I am hoping to get a nap in there somewhere because I didn’t sleep well and have been up since 3:30.

The balloon festival was fun. I took a ton of pics. Here are a couple of highlights...

The rest of them are here....

https://picasaweb.google.com/118406578374225960662/ColoradoRiverBalloonFestival112214

Road trip!

I'm headed off to Quartzsite today to get a feel for the place. Will be driving Firefly. This will be our actual first outing. Pretty ambitious for a first test trip.

It is going to feel good to get out and about on my own for a change. Hoping for an uneventful trip.

Details...

I am up early this morning. Again, it is 48 degrees out. I’m a little warmer this morning, but may start up the heater for a little while, but my fingers and nose aren’t cold yet. I could move it to the bathroom and warm that up before I get my shower. Since I am keeping that door closed to keep KC out, it gets cold in there. Although, she hasn’t had any more accidents, and her litter box clumps are larger again, I may try opening that up. She likes to sleep in the shower.

Got in a decent walk after finally locating Kali Cat yesterday. I took my eyes off her briefly and she disappeared. I finally found her about an hour later, after circling the yard a bunch of times, I’m pretty sure she went over the wall. I guess that means she is feeling a lot better. No more unsupervised outings for her. I would hate to loose her. The not knowing what happened to her would drive me crazy, and I would miss her terribly. 

Anyway, we did go to Mexico yesterday. That was an experience. You park in a lot on the border and walk in. 

That’s it…no identity check or anything. There was lots and lots of shopping, Everyone there is trying to sell you something. There are dentists, optometrists, doctors, most US educated, cash services at a lot less money than is charged in the states. Also pharmacies and street vendors. Even beggars. They hawk their wares. A lot of them speak fair english - enough to make a deal.

I bartered for a tablecloth that I liked. I had seen one in a photo and really liked the bright festive colors and kept my eyes open for one. I liked the 96 inch rectangle (picnic table size), and the first place I actually looked, they wanted $40 and would only come down as far as $25. I tried a few other places as well, and the last one, where I actually bought it, I managed to get her down to $20. So I have my bright Mexican table cloth. I also bought a metal cactus, a hair clip (which is actually kind of junky, but is made of metal and not plastic), and some jewelry which is going to be an xmas gift for someone…maybe. :) I did over pay for the jewelry, but it was my first barter and I learned from that one. They don’t like to make change and offer other products instead. I got a nice silver bracelet instead of my change back. If I ever go again, I will be more prepared with smaller bills, and have a better idea of what to expect.

We had lunch in an open air cantina type place. People roam the tables selling their wares as well. Barbara bought some baskets while we were having lunch, and that is where I got the hair clip. I also got a little carved fish.

Speaking of fish, there was a bottle opener there that was made of silver and abalone. It was jointed so that it flowed. I really liked it, but thought they were asking too much for it. I just looked online, and even tho it was more than I wanted to spend and didn’t buy one, it was actually a good deal. Oh well.

This is similar to the ones I was looking at yesterday, but not quite as nice. They are jointed and flow nicely.

Leaving Mexico was a little harder than going in. That is when we needed our passports. I went thru that part just fine, but I got randomly selected to go thru the additional check point. Barbara and Howard did not and had to wait for me. My bags went thru the X-ray machine and there was something in there they didn’t like and asked what drugs were in the bag. Not sure if it was my trusty bag of almonds or my little tin of Vermints. But I got thru that just fine too. The whole thing was a real experience.  I doubt that I will go again, but if I do, I will have a better idea of what to expect.

Barbara is still sick and was a real trooper, so we didn’t do all the shops. I could have continued a little longer, but she had had enough. 

Today Howard and I are going to get the wiring and security cables figured out for Firefly’s towing. I have all the hardware to hook her up, but need the cables to run the lights, and the security cable. We priced them at an RV store the other day and the wiring harness was $90 and the security cables were $65. We can make them for a lot less. Plus, the scooter carrier arrived yesterday and I need to make sure that I need an adapter for the back hitch on Firefly and get that as well, along with another locking hitch pin.

Yuma has been a very expensive stop for me. But, by staying with friends, I have also saved a ton of money. Especially since I have been here a whole month. It has saved me the cost of a campground and dinner every night, plus water, electricity, etc. I really appreciate their generosity. I have gotten a lot accomplished since I have been here. 

I will be leaving without my scooter. I haven’t even received a shipping notice on it. I just sent them another email. I did hear from them a week ago and they were supposed to update me on the status within 24 to 48 hours, I haven’t heard a word. The rack for it came yesterday, but I am not going to assemble it until the delivery of the scooter is confirmed. If I do end up canceling the scooter somehow, I will send the rack back and I won’t be able to do that if it is assembled. They have until it is time to pay the credit card bill, then, if I still haven’t gotten a confirmation, I will start a claim with the credit card company. The customer service with these people is just horrible, and I will make sure everyone knows. At least now that I have a car, I can come back for the scooter. It will be a three hour round trip. A day trip. 

Today is laundry day. It is really nice having a washer and dryer available. I will have to do another small load before I leave, and I would also like to do the cover blanket on the bed and my bathrobe before I leave too. Start out with nice clean stuff. I’m sure there is a laundromat of some sort in Q, but I might as well start out clean. Will give me time to figure things out.

I might drive up to Quartzsite tomorrow to scope things out, get a PO box, and see if I can make contact with a friend or two. Plus, it will give me an idea of the route, some time to get used to the new car, and I might even find a campsite while I am there. I still need to get my pass too.

Los Algodones, Mexico

Here are the photos from today's trip to Mexico. I had fun. Had my first shrimp taco, bartered, and enjoyed the afternoon.

https://plus.google.com/photos/118406578374225960662/albums/6083571609136895377

My walk this morning was delayed, Kali Cat decided to go over the wall and I couldn't find her. No more unsupervised outings for her! Once I finally located her, I got in my walk...about a mile and a half. I kept it short because I knew I would be walking this afternoon.

All in all, a good day. :)

Productive day

Well, a full day yesterday. I got in my walk, did just a hair over two miles. Stopped and bought myself some dates on the way back. Once I rested a few minutes from my walk, I got started on emptying out the tool box on the back of Ody and getting that removed. Done. Wasn’t as bad as I though it was going to be. I got most everything relocated and put the two milk crates aside with a few things to go in the car. Got the phone call about the car while I was working on the tool box. 

Off we went to pick up Firefly. On the way there, Howard spotted a tarantula in the middle of the road. We stopped and took some pics, and held up traffic so it could get across safely. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be, I was more curious and impressed than scared. :) It isn’t very fast, kind of just lumbers along. 

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10204006370812047&l=6774628333373078809  This is a short video of him crossing the road.

Got Firefly, and off we went to the insurance company a few miles away. That actually worked out quite well. I picked that one because it was near the car and it is  a good thing, I had to sign papers and they were supposed to look at the car. Well, Ruby, my new agent, was out for the day. They could’t find my folder…I was not impressed by the whole procedure, but it got done.  They didn’t bother to go out and look at the car. Go figure. Then to motor vehicle which was also within a mile or so. Got the thing registered and I even got a brand new title while I was right there. I have never gotten a title the same time I registered. I have always had to wait weeks for it to come in the mail. I have a pretty Arizona plate.

We drove back the back way since it was really my first time driving her. Went to a couple of places looking for a wiring harness and security cables I will need to tow her with, but they were very expensive and Howard thinks he can make them for a lot less. So that is what we are going to do.

Got Firefly back and into the yard, she barely fit, and wouldn’t have if I hadn’t removed the tool box. 

I may pull Ody ahead, but the tree is right by the door, so the dead branches on the tree will have to come down before I do that. I don’t want them rubbing on her hood. Got the stuff I had set aside into the back of Firefly, discovered the back doesn’t lock and the blower for the heat and air doesn’t work. We are going to see if we can get those fixed before I leave. The heat works, just no blower. Maybe it is just a fuse.

Kinda strange driving a standard after all these years. I can’t remember the last time I owned a standard. I only stalled it once when I was backing up.

Today we are going to Mexico. That will be interesting. Howard has his carving class this morning, so we won’t be going until afternoon. That will give me time to walk, it won’t be as far as yesterday because we will be walking this afternoon. I don’t want to end up with aching hips like I did last week. Saturday is the local balloon festival. I am hoping for some good photos. And I want to spend some time on Firefly and see if I can get the stuff that doesn’t work fixed. She is a beater, mainly for getting from point A to point B, so not everything has to work. But I am hoping I can get it all working anyway.  I am going to have to get a hitch adapter for the back of the car so the scooter rack will go on. Plus another locking hitch pin for the scooter rack too. 

I’m pretty sure the scooter isn’t going to be here by the time I leave. :( I will have to come back and get it after it is delivered. Although, I am just about ready to contact the credit card company and make a complaint and try to get my money back. I really do want the scooter, it’s purpose has changed since I bought Firefly, but I plan on using it. Plus,  have already ordered the rack for it. I am going to sell the bicycle. It is way too heavy to lift up on the back of Ody, and I really don’t want to hurt myself. And I don't ride it.

I need to get a steering wheel cover, it is very slippery and I have small hands. Plus I want to get a couple of cheapie seat covers for the front seats. Spend a few minutes figuring out the stereo and the anti theft device. I also want to figure out how to open the top. There isn’t any AC, so I really need to get the fan working. I was getting quite warm driving back yesterday in the sunshine. A little extra air movement will help. Howard says Pep Boys will have what I need.

It is cold this morning. 48 degrees. Only 58 inside here. I just got out my electric heater, but am waiting to get it going because I just turned on the hot water heater for my shower. I don’t know if I can run both at the same time. 

Well, I guess that is about it for this morning. Hopefully, I will have lots of pictures later from Mexico. It will most likely be my only foray on foreign soil.

Feeling the urge to roll

Yesterday did not go the way I had expected, or the way I wanted. I did go with Barbara to her doctor’s appointment, she said we would be gone an hour. Over four hours later, we finally made it back. I had gone too long without eating, and wasn’t feeling well and was very cranky.  Add to that the fact that her driving style makes me very nervous…I was ready to crash for a while after eating to regulate my blood sugar. All we did was go to Walmart. Did some grocery shopping and had some photos printed. That was a learning experience in itself. I had never had photos printed off an SD card before, so it was a learning experience for both of us. Anyway, I started to get the shakes while we were still in the store. Thankfully, I picked up something I could snack on quickly to help prevent a full blown event.

I did not get the tool box emptied. I did not get much of anything done. We got back around 1:30, then left for the Golden Corral for an early dinner around three. I did get to close my eyes and relax for about a half hour.  More errands after dinner, then back to get my antenna back up since I had to take it down during the storm, and tune in the TV for DWTS. It is on at 7 here instead of 8. I managed to stay awake during Castle last night, but missed a whole section of DWTS. Oh well. It happens…on a regular basis. 

I have insurance on the tracker. What a go round that was. I called my agent in VT, but since the car is being registered here, he couldn’t do it. Not licensed in AZ. I had to find a local agency, and that took about an hour on the phone to do. BUT, I can’t get the car registered until the agent actually sees the car in person. So I will have to drive it to the insurance agency without a registration and plates. Once that is done, I can get it registered. Getting it registered in VT would have been even more difficult as the VIN would have to be verified by a law enforcement agency. 

The Golden Corral is an all you can eat buffet. I was bad, very bad. I even had dessert…something I haven't had in a very long time. I had fried foods too. But it was fun, and I need to walk this morning and be very good for a few days to compensate. It is very difficult eating with others, because I can’t have the carbs that most people eat. Drives up my blood sugar and A1C. I think that is half the problem with my last reading. I have had so many meals provided by my hosts, and almost all of them are carb laden.

I have been invited for Thanksgiving by both Barbara and Howard, but if all goes well with KC on Monday, I am going to head for Q on Tuesday. I am ready to move on. I hadn’t planned on spending a whole month here, and I am feeling the urge to move on. I had only planned on being here a week, two at the most, and here I am going into my fourth week. They have been wonderful about it, but I’m definitely ready to hit the road. Although I am not looking forward to towing, I have to learn sometime and it should be an easy drive from here to Quartzsite. There will be Thanksgiving events going on in Q if I am up to socializing.

I do have to walk this morning, I haven’t for two days now. Add to that the meal I ate last night…just gotta do it. Then, if they haven’t made plans for the day, I am going to work on that tool box. I’m hoping that I can get the car situation finalized today or tomorrow…how long does it take for a check to clear?

Just transferred some money into my debit account and while I was doing that, the check for the car posted. So maybe I will get it today. :) That would be nice. Finally.  Yay. :)

Kali Cat seems to be better. Fewer trips to the litter box, larger clumps again. Her supplements should be here tomorrow or so, get her started on those. Maybe we can prevent recurrence. 

Well, I guess it is time to get myself moving. Get in an early walk. Shooting for at least a mile. Running out of new ground to cover tho. Not sure what direction I will head in this morning. It is starting to get boring, and all the concrete is bad on my legs and hips. So far I have managed not to take any pain killers, so all is good.

My first dust storm

I’m all sniffly and congested this morning from yesterday’s dust storm. My first experience with a southwest dust storm and I am grateful I was in a sheltered area. Ody was pelted with leaves and dust, and whatever else was blowing around all day. It sounded like rain. She made it through just fine, but the ground is covered in leaves from the huge ficus next door. Ficus trees out here are just that - trees. This thing is about the size of an old oak and has little fruits on it. The leaves are very similar to what we are used to seeing. Green and shiny. Between the birds and the dust, Ody will have to have a bath before we leave. I would like to have her professionally done, but I don’t know how much that will cost and will wait until I hit Q I guess. They will come to me. 

It was cool here yesterday. I got showered and dressed around noon time, ended up having to get out my slippers and a sweatshirt. I eventually took the sweatshirt off, but kept the slippers on. I even wore my flannel last night and for the first time, closed all the windows and vents. It is 50 degrees this morning.

I won’t be getting a walk today. Howard is going to his carving class this morning and Barbara has a doctors appointment, so I will be going with her to that. She is planning on stopping at Walmart, and wants to go to the Quartermaster’s to get the latest Yuma info guides. After that, I will come back and clean out the tool box in the back, and get that removed. Has to be done sometime and today is supposed to be the coolest day of the week. It is going to start warming up again. In amongst all of that, I need to call and get the new car insured so I can get it registered when we pick it up. It will have Arizona plates. 

Did I mention that my new ring lost a stone? I am so disappointed. I am hoping that I can fix it somehow. Put something else in to fill the gap. Would cost too much to have it repaired. I will have to see what I have for damaged rings in my jewelry box and see what I can do.

Kali Cat’s pain shot has finally worn off. She is back to her normal aloof self. No more head butting and loving. It was nice while it lasted. But she is sleeping with me at night again. I guess it has cooled off enough for that. At least for now. Her box had a combination of little clumps and big clumps yesterday, but she doesn’t seem to be going in as often, which is a good sign. There is still a chance that she might not come back from the vet with me. I try not to think about that, is just makes me cry. I know it is coming, and there is nothing I can do about it, or make it any easier to deal with. It is going to hurt - a lot. But hopefully, it won’t be next week. There is a vet in Q, I already checked. Only a couple miles from where we will be camped, and the car will make a hug difference if we have to go. I don’t mind spending the money on her, but my funds are limited, so I have to be careful. I did not let her out yesterday, it was just too nasty out.

I spent the majority of the day indoors reading after I got my chores done, then went and had dinner with Howard and Barbara again. I really appreciate them letting me stay here. They have been extremely helpful and generous. Won’t let me do anything, not even the dishes (which I love). 

I may end up leaving here without the scooter. But now that I have the car, and will have the rack for the scooter, I can come back for it.  It is only an hour and a half to Q, and could be a day trip. And I wouldn’t have to break camp. I just ordered the rack for the scooter. Should be here this week.

Oh! Good news! Howard’s biopsy came back negative! Yay! Looks like they got it all. I’m so happy about that. If his next one comes back the same, they will get to go home to VT in the spring. They stayed here this year because of the medical issues. I’m still thinking I will head to Wisconsin for the summer, the northern climates. It is much closer than driving all the way back to VT, and I will get to spend some time with Mike and Judy. I’m looking forward to that. 

Wind and wheels

Crazy, full day yesterday. I did my two miles, plus, in the morning. Walked the canal and around the block..the big block. It wasn’t too bad, but 2.35 miles was pushing it. It was getting boring even tho it was partly new territory. 

When I got back, Howard came out and suggested we go to the Yuma Date Festival and then the Mexican swap meet.

I had called about the car so we could go look at it in the afternoon, and was waiting for a call back. Got that while we were at the swap meet. Between walking the festival and the swap meet, I must have done over three miles yesterday and I was starting to hurt. 

The swap meet was ok, basically the same things we saw at the last one. I didn’t buy anything at either the festival or the meet. The festival was small, but nice. Just about the right size in my opinion. In and out in under an hour, got the feel of it. There were vendors, live music, and lots of food. It wasn’t any bigger than our Friday Night Live in IP. The date farm around the corner had better prices, so I will get my dates there. Let me know if you want some, as I will be leaving in a week.

We went and looked at the car again at two. I tried to talk him down on price, but he wasn’t the least bit flexible. So I paid him the full asking price, got a bill of sale, and will call and get it insured tomorrow and will go register and pick up the car when my check clears. Probably Monday or Tuesday. That way it will be completely legal when I take it out on the road.

This is the car…Her name is Firefly. 

I’m not crazy about the color, but as Ellen says, it will be easy to find in a parking lot. :) It has great tires, a new battery, comes complete with everything I need to tow it with. It is a soft top, so I can take the top off if I want, but it is a pain in the ass to do. We used to have one of these, and we would take the top off on occasion. It is small enough that I could leave the top off and throw a tarp over it for a night or two. It has a trailer hitch so I can get a scooter rack and put that on the back.  And I have to say, I can’t wait to get it. I will be so happy to have wheels again and not have to rely on someone else, or only get to see things within walking distance. It even comes with a pioneer stereo - bonus! Now I need to get the rack to put on the hitch in the back to haul the scooter.

Tomorrow’s project is to empty the tool box on the back of Ody and get that removed. Maybe relocate most of what is in there, and I will have to get rid of some stuff. Some of it can go in the car itself. I will also need to get at least one more locking hitch pin and another bike lock to lock the scooter to the rack. I have straps, so I don’t need to get those, and I also have three keyed alike locks to fasten the tow bar on the front of the car. The guy removed his locks so I will need to take those with me when I pick up the car. Just got those dug out and lubed up with WD40. They are from the trailer. I am glad I kept them. Less I have to buy and locks aren’t cheap any more.

Crazy weather this morning. Basically, the first bad weather day since I have been here. We have gusty winds, blowing dust, leaves blowing off trees, and Ody is rocking in the wind. I’m glad I decided to take the day off from walking since it is Sunday and all. Would not be pleasant walking out there today. Especially along the canal, it is all that fine, clay type soil, and is very dry and dusty. If this is what it is like in a sheltered spot, I am not looking forward to a dust storm out in the open. Everything inside is already covered in fine dust. It reminds me of a nor’ easter but with dirt instead of snow.

A short video here... https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10203989718115740&l=3339000803007579871  But you don't really get the effect of the dust in your mouth and the rig rocking from side to side and things banging and clanging. The yellow haze is the dust in the air.

I really need to clean today. Kali Cat has litter scattered everywhere, it smells like a cat box in here. I also need to get some new pee pads because the two that I have are dirty and are bugging me.

She is eating again and acting a little more normal. Still a lot of trips to the litter box. She had small clumps in the morning, but they seemed to get larger as the day went on. I haven’t looked to see how her night was yet. Hoping for large clumps.

Well, I guess that is about all I have for today. With this weather, it doesn’t look like we will be doing much. Glad we got to go out yesterday. Maybe I will crock pot a beef stew today. It isn’t supposed to get much above 70. Use my crock pot before I don’t have electricity any more. Guess I should glue the feet back on first tho. :)