Summer is here

It is 100 degrees at 7:55 AM. Gonna be another hot one. The night didn’t cool down enough for me to open the windows and turn on the fans. In spite of that, I slept. Almost 7 hours with only one bathroom break. I ended up taking three Simply Sleep tablets. I tried two a week or so ago without any results so last night I thought I would up it a little. I will do the same tonight. I have to get myself back into the habit of sleeping.

I did’t do much yesterday. We hit 108 degrees around 2 or 2:30. That seems to be when it is the hottest. Will be interesting to see what today is.

I read two books. Didn’t work on my basket, but hope to today. I also put together some business cards for a friend, got them approved by her, and ordered. That took up some time. 

Yet another neighbor has asked that I water their trees while they are gone this summer. I think I should start charging and treat it like a job.

Not much else to write about. Going with Vicki to Blythe on Tuesday. She’s getting her hair done and then we will pick up some groceries. I will be completely out of fresh stuff by then. Still working on the watermelon and strawberries I picked up the last time. I need to cut up the rest of the watermelon today. The strawberries are in the freezer. Hoping I get another good deal on the strawberries like I did the last time. I got two big boxes for $8.

Tuna and salad for lunch yesterday. This is the first time in many, many years that I have opened a can of tuna and not had a cat at my feet waiting for the juice. Felt kind of strange. It will be salads again today. I had the leftover hamburger soup for dinner. I did quite well with my eating yesterday.

I gave up and brought the ice maker in this morning. It is too big to fit under the cabinet on the counter so it is sitting on the dining are table. I really didn’t want to bring it in, but I need ice, and it was too warm to turn it on for the night last night. 

Here are some pictures I uploaded yesterday.  https://plus.google.com/photos/118406578374225960662/albums/6154829100390565377  There are a couple with the lizard in the fountain. :)

Already tired of being stuck indoors.

It has only been a week and I am already tired of being stuck inside. It is going to be a long summer. If I had the money, I would take off for a while. But I don’t, so I can’t. I wouldn’t have to go far, just out of the desert. Sigh….

Another horrible night. I may have to turn the AC lower. I ordered a new set of sheets, 600 count, we’ll see if that helps. The sheets I have now are OK, but not top quality. I get too warm too fast. I can’t believe how much a set of cotton sheets cost. I could only afford to order one set. 

My thermometer topped out at 107 briefly yesterday. It may have been in the sun at the time, but I did see 105 for a while. And it gets hotter. The temperature doesn’t drop much until the sun goes down. It was still 99 degrees at 7 PM. I took my small tarp over and put it up so the rear tire won’t be in the sun. It isn’t perfect, but at least I don’t have to go thru the hassle of putting the tire covers and sun shields up every time I use the car. I will have to move the car to another location at the beginning of July, but am grateful to have the spot for now. I really have to come up with a solution so I can keep it in my own yard.

I got the bubble foil out of Ody yesterday and covered two of the west windows with it. The one in the living room and the one in the bedroom.

The singles breakfast was OK. Again, expensive. With tip almost $13. There weren’t a lot of people, about six plus me and Vicki. All old. Like, very old. Two men, the rest women. Vicki said they would be old and she was right. I doubt we will go back. Might try again in the fall when there are more people. After that we went to the post office and to buy some water. My sun tea is much better with bought water than filtered water from the tap. And that was about it. The rest of the day I read. Went outside for a smoke a few times, but the heat was nasty. 

I think I might work on my basket today. I do have to put together a business card for Pam, the lady that teaches the basket making. She liked my cards and the only way for her to order them is to use my account, so I have to put it together because my account is just that, my account and it has my credit card info, etc.

I’m not walking this morning. The sun is already up and I am just not in the mood to force myself. I am going to use the stepper today instead. There are no rounds today and we drove the park yesterday when we got back, so I’m good. I could take the scooter out later just to check things out, as long as I don’t have to walk in the heat. I'm tired and a bit cranky and restless.

The lizard was back at the fountain yesterday at 10:30. That is about the same time I saw it the other day, so I am going to try to get a picture if it comes back today.

One of the new batch of willow seeds is up and I have three trumpet vine seedlings. Hopefully there will be more of both. I finally have pots and tags for them so I can transplant them and keep them straight. Hoping to have enough to plant and several to give away when the time comes. Lots of blossoms on my tomato plant, but no baby tomatoes yet.

102 degrees, just the beginning...

We topped out at 102 yesterday. I didn’t spend much time outside after my walk. I got in a morning nap of an hour or so, then put a hamburger soup in the crock pot, made a salad for my lunch for the next couple of days and chopped up half the watermelon. Then I had to take the garbage to the dumpster, so I got the scooter out and did that. I parked the scooter in the enclosed patio area and haven't put it's cover on making it easier to use. Maybe I will actually use it.

I read two books in the afternoon. I guess I am going to have to find something more productive to do in the afternoons until I start working. I have the basket I started that needs to be finished, and materials for a couple more. Plus, I still want to try my hand at watercolor painting. I have all of that stuff in my closet so I won’t have to go hunting for it if I feel inspired.

It was way too hot to work in the shed, so no bracelet blanks again yesterday. The forecast for the next ten days or so is HOT. I am so not looking forward to the real summer heat. But I guess I need to experience it at least once. 

Another divided night. About three hours in bed, up for a couple and then two more in the chair. Better than nothing, but it gets me up too late to get everything in in the morning. This is the singles breakfast morning and I need to be ready to go by 8:45. I can’t do it all in two hours. I'm hungry!

Very little to write about this morning

It looks like I will be writing later in the morning for a while. It is getting hot early now and I need to get my walk in before it gets too hot. The minute the sun comes up, so does the heat. This morning I was out by 6:30 and it was still too late. Will try to be earlier tomorrow.

Yesterday was pretty quiet. Read a book, puttered around. Was too warm to work in the shed so I didn’t get any copper milled. I did get the other half of the living room window covered with paper and I put up the red sarong to cover the window.. I also potted up the two desert willows that had true leaves and then I put the shade cloth up for the car. It doesn’t cover it all, but is better than nothing. The passenger rear tire gets sun at the end of the day. I guess I will have to cover that tire, but one is better than four.

I slept four hours, then was up for a few hours, then got another hour or so in the chair. I feel like I could use some more. I may just do that after I finish this.

I don’t have much to write about. We hit 99 degrees yesterday, each day is supposed to get progressively warmer. Then hopefully a cool off for a week or so.

Yet another dream.

I think I managed almost six hours last night. The worst of it was at the top of the night. Was better later. I had another one of my Jake dreams. If anyone ever had any doubt that I loved him, all they have to do is experience one of my dreams. This one was a little different, he actually proposed to me, we married, THEN he disappeared. I was thrilled with the proposal and marriage, and then the devastation when he left. Each and every one of these dreams are different, yet exactly the same. At least I was better off financially in my dream...

Anyway, yesterday I got quite a bit done early Tried on the clothes that I had here, then did my walk, and off to town I went. I stopped at the hardware store and got a blank cover for the phone outlet in the bedroom. It was just an ugly hole in the wall. I got a door stop for the bathroom door. Since I hang clothes on the back, it is constantly in the way. It now has a kick stand to keep it against the wall. I got sick of bumping into it every time I turned around.

DG for giggles, and got some nail polish for my toes, some plastic baskets for outside. Then the Salvation Army. Got an iron for $3, and three beige tops, one of them should work with the pants. I also picked up a microwave steamer. I have practically furnished the house from Sal’s. Definitely my work wardrobe.

Got the kick stand for the door and the outlet plate installed, two loads of laundry because I didn’t want to wash the red skirt I got Sunday at the other thrift shop with the beige tops, and a few other piddly chores. So all in all, it was a productive day even tho I was done by noon. Not sure today will be as productive.

Oh, one other thing I did was screw the fans in the bedroom and living room to the window sills. Tired of having to move them when I open and close the windows. They are spaced so all I have to do is open or close the window and I don’t have to touch the fans. That also got rid of that ugly black cord stretched across the living room window holding the fan in place. :) Now I have to cover the other side of the window so the sun isn’t in my eyes when I sit down to watch the news at night.

I think I am going to make up some bracelet blanks. I will cut several pieces of different widths and then press them. Then they will be ready for any inspiration I might have. I have a whole list of things on my To Do list. I will get to them eventually. I have also started a list for when it is too hot to be outside. Cleaning this place is at the top of that list. I want to do a spring cleaning, from top to bottom. I should have done it before I moved in, but it didn’t get done. One of my other items is to try and make a slip cover for the recliner. I also want to make covers for the outside chairs. I’m tired of putting the towel back in place 20 times a day. I haven’t found material for them yet tho. I have been looking. 

Vicki and I are planning on going to a singles breakfast at the cafe on Friday. Most of the singles have left for the summer, but maybe there will be someone to do something with. At least the ice will be broken for future events.

I still like my house, very much. I look around a couple times a day and think how lucky I am and how much I like it. :) It is the nicest place I have lived in in a long time. It is plenty big for me, and not too much to handle. It’s in good shape and I don’t have to do much to it.  It is a nice feeling.

Well, if I am going to be out walking by 7, I need to get moving. 

It was a quiet day

It was a very slow start yesterday. I finally managed to get in the shower around 10:30. By then I had done a bunch of stuff including making a marinated tomato and cucumber salad to go with my steak for dinner. The longer it sits, the better it is. I grilled the steak and have enough left for lunch today. It was OK. I had put it in the freezer with low cal/fat free italian dressing, but that doesn’t work as well as the regular stuff. Different flavor too. I think I will splurge on the calories and use the real stuff from now on for marinating. The light stuff is good enough for salads, but I use mostly olive oil on my salads now anyway.

I worked on two more copper bracelets yesterday. A little narrower than the one from the day before. These two are textured. Still having soldering issues, so I guess I will keep working at it. I tried coloring the two new ones with alcohol ink but didn’t like the ink so I removed it. They are just plain textured bracelets now. 

In this pic I still had some ink to get off them, and they are paired with the one I made the day before.

I read a book, and went across the road for cake last night. I didn’t have the cake, but visited for a little while. I wasn’t really into it since I was running on about three hours sleep, and my back has started hurting again. But Vicki insisted. I did not go to the thing in the park, it was too warm to be out in the sun. I did move my car to the next street over to a vacant cover. One of the neighbors offered it to me until their renters come back. It doesn’t block all the sun, but does pretty well until late in the day. I think I will still have to cover two tires, but that is better than four tires and all the windows.

There are no watering rounds today. About the only thing I have on the agenda is to go to the Salvation Army and see if I can find a top for the beige pin stripe pants I got last week. Although I should probably try them on first…OK, they fit. So does the black skirt I grabbed the other day at the other thrift shop. But the tan blouse I got one of the arm seams is ripped out. It didn’t really fit me anyway. So I definitely need to find something to go with the pants. 

Last night I got about six hours sleep with only one interruption. Lets hope this is a trend.  I had taken some Aleve for my back, maybe that helped.

A couple of recipes I want to try.

Kate's Black Bean Brownies Sweetened With Medjool Dates

By Garden Gate 

Medjool dates are the only sweetener used in these black bean brownies. This is a decadently fudgy and chocolaty brownie which does not taste at all like black beans or dates. You'll be addicted for life.

• 2cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained (canned is fine)
• 1cup medjool dates, pitted (about 20 large dates)
• 3tablespoons oil or 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1⁄2teaspoon baking soda
• 1tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄4-1⁄2cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3extra-large eggs

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Generously grease 8" by 8" baking pan.
2. In food processor, place dates, 2 cups black beans, and oil or butter and puree until smooth.
3. Add baking soda, vanilla, and 1/4 cup cocoa powder and puree until completely smooth.
4. Taste and add additional cocoa powder, one tablespoon at a time, pureeing and taste testing after each addition, as desired. Taste testing is necessary because dates often vary in sweetness. (I use 1/2 cup cocoa powder because I prefer my brownies to taste like dark chocolate.) Mixture should taste deeply fudgy and chocolaty and not taste like black beans, dates, or overly sweet. Mixture should taste like rich dark chocolate but not bitter. Allow food processor to blend for 3 to 5 minutes without stop to emulsify.
5. Pour batter into deep bowl. Add eggs and combine with electric mixer.
6. Pour batter into greased baking pan. Bake until slightly firm on top and edges pull away from the sides of the pan for 30 minutes.
7. Allow to cool slightly and cut into 6 pieces. Eat while warm. Store in refrigerator or freeze. Brownies are still delicious when they are eaten slightly cold.

__________________________________

Another holiday

Not much to write about. I cut a piece of copper tubing and made a plain copper bangle for myself. Am considering doing another today. Not sure if I will use the same size tubing or one size smaller. I tried soldering with the copper solder again, but it was a fail. Ended going with the lead free silver colored solder. Not sure what the problem is, but I guess I will figure it out at some point. If I make one today, I want to try texturing with the rolling mill.

Went to the store with Vicki yesterday. I bought some water to make some sun tea with. I have made it with filtered water here, but I didn’t like it. Not sure if it is the water or the brand of tea bags. Thought I would start with the water first.

So I went outside this morning because Vicki pulled up, while I was out there, thought of something I wanted to do, and by the time I made it back to the computer, it is completely gone. :) I did get fresh hummer juice made, a cup of coffee to cool for iced coffee and the sun tea transferred from its maker jug to the fridge jug. I hate it when I do that. That is why I keep about a dozen lists on my phone, but I didn’t have it with me, so whatever it was didn’t get put on the list.

There is a big memorial day event going on in the park this afternoon, but it is going to be close to 100 degrees by then, so I guess I am not going. 

Looking into the singles group here in Q. See what that is all about. I don’t want a full time relationship, but would like to have someone to do stuff with. My recent date isn’t that person. But at least I have my first date out of the way now.

It was another very bad night for sleeping. I got about three hours total, so a late start this morning. Again. I’m skipping my rounds for today. It is a holiday and it is also a street that gets watered twice in a week. I will make sure it gets done whatever day is next. It is already too hot to be out walking.  Of course, the lack of sleep is making me cranky too.

So I guess I will get myself moving, try to remember what it was I wanted to do, and see if I can get another bracelet done. Should go a little faster this morning since I have already done one with the new tools. And I know I can’t use the copper solder, so I won’t waste that time either. I guess I am going to have to take a class on soldering. Sigh….

Better today

What a frustrating morning yesterday was. Straight Talk was having website issues which compounded my issues. After about four hours, I finally got it all fixed. But I had better things I could have been doing with that time. On the whole, I am happy with my Straight Talk service, but my phone has exceeded it's data limit for the month already and I ran out of data on the mifi device. With the phone being throttled, it was virtually impossible to add data to my device. 

Anyway, got my walk, came back and dealt with the internet, and since half the day was already wasted, decided to read. I read two books yesterday. Obviously not long ones. 

Keith picked up the movie American Sniper on DVD while he was out and about this week and brought it over and we watched it last night. It wasn’t what I expected, and to be honest, I don’t think it was everything that it was made out to be. It was more of a documentary than a movie and we had a hard time understanding a lot of the talking, and I just don’t think it was that great. There are a lot of other people out there that have been and are heroes. Just because he survived and died on home soil, it became a movie.

I don’t have much on the agenda for today. I need to do my rounds, and then I am thinking I might make myself a copper bracelet. I bought some large copper tubing a few weeks back and I am getting the creative urge again. A neighbor brought me some smaller copper tubing this week too. Free copper is a good thing. :) Nothing scheduled for tomorrow either. They are predicting 106 degrees by Friday which means it will be warmer than that by five or ten degrees. I’m going to make sure I have everything I need before it gets that warm so I won’t have to go out.

BTW, if you are at all interested in seeing Keith’s tandem jump you can see the video here… https://youtu.be/y7OEIJewUmk

My tomato plants have blossoms. I hope they survive the heat. I really should have gotten them planted in February, but I had too much going on. If they don’t produce this year, I will start earlier next year.

Well, I guess that is about it for me. I need to get out and get my rounds done before the clouds disperse and the sun comes out.

Ody has a new summer home

Got my walk already, done my daily news reading and have sent out some necessary emails. Now I can settle for a few minutes. I still need a shower and clean clothes tho. Wanted to get the walk in before it warmed up too much.

I did end up going with Vicki to Parker yesterday. She came down and begged. I bought some fruit and veggies, found some nice red cotton duck to cover the footstool cushion with and bought some red thread so that I will have it when I am ready to start the chair slipcover. The last stuff I sewed I had to use white thread and it isn’t very pretty. Red material and thick white thread.

After we got back, I had a light lunch, salads, and then settled in for a nap. My lack of sleep is catching up to me. I fell asleep at 12:30 ish and didn’t wake up until almost 4. And since there was nothing on TV last night, I went to bed around 8, it wasn’t even dark yet, and slept until 12:30. Was up until 3:30 and then slept until almost 6AM. I said I needed it. I want to try and get more sleep this weekend. Then maybe I can get my sleep schedule back on track. I still feel like I could sleep if I settled somewhere for a few minutes.

I got a call from Arizona Western College yesterday. I guess they implemented a new hiring system and haven't filled the job and it is going to be reposted. I will need to resubmit the application, this time online, and hopefully it will work out. I was quite pleased to hear from her.

The neighbors across the street came over and told me that one of the residents had offered to let me use their large kool cover to store Ody for the summer. I got her moved before my nap. She is now under cover and only gets a little bit of sun on her nose during the day and is under cover when the monsoons arrive. One less thing to worry about. She had been sitting in the full sun all day. That isn’t good for her.

Keith survived his jump. He said he loved it and that he screamed like a banshee. Better him than me. I think I am going to ask him to help chase down the leak in the fresh water tank. Maybe I can get that fixed and then finally do the floors.

Before Vicki came and asked me to go with her, I moved the solar panel for the fountain and buried the cable. I was tired of seeing it on the branch and the cable just hanging there. I it is now at the base of the shade sail and away from my little garden. I also raked the rock away from the patio and put the 5 gallons of gravel up against the end of the patio and filled that in. Then raked the pea gravel back and put a couple of paving blocks in as steps to that end of the patio. 

This morning I want to move the scrap lumber for the chiminea out of the garden cart. I really could have used the cart when I did the fountain, but it was full of wood. Ended up using a small tarp and dragging it along the ground. I think I am going to stack it over by the fence and cover it with the small tarp. That way it will be handy and not that visible.

And then I might sleep again. I really feel like I could. The only other thing I need to do is go to the post office before 4 and get a shower at some point. 

We have been having beautiful weather, upper 70’s and 80’s with a nice breeze. The last two mornings that I walked it was nice and cool. Perfect for walking. I still have my windows open today. Usually the house is all closed up by now.

I really need to get some sleep

I am tired already, have been up since 1:30 and now that it is getting light, I’m ready to go back to sleep. But that will have to wait. I think I will make my appointed round and walk and then come back and sleep if I can.

Yesterday I puttered. Did the website update I needed to do, vacuumed, showered and walked. I rode with Vicki to Blythe since she was taking the dog to the vet. I only bought a couple of things at the grocery store, some blanched peanuts and some dried fruit. That was my expenditure for the day. I did order a new ironing board cover and will toss the old one. It didn’t come clean when I washed it. Or I may use it as a pad under the new one. We’ll see how good the pad is when it gets here. Vicki is headed to Walmart in Parker this morning but I decided not to go. Good thing since I think I will be taking a morning nap. Keith is jumping out of an airplane this morning. The guy is nuts...

I finally made a decision about Ody and reregistered her on the VT DMV website. It was the path of least resistance, and now I will be able to use her if I choose to do so. I already paid the insurance for the year, so she is good until March next year. 

Since I was up so early and had a burst of energy, I made a fresh batch of hummer juice, a fruit salad, a corn and bean salad, and cooked up some quinoa for easy meal prep. Trying to get back to clean eating. It is much easier if I already have the stuff in the fridge. This morning’s fruit salad doesn’t have a lot in it. Mostly pineapple and peaches and some dried cranberries. I still have a half watermelon that needs to be cut up too. I was good when I went to the store the other day, no sweets and no chips of any kind. Not that I wasn’t tempted.

I think I am going to go buy some water to make my sun tea with. I have used filtered water, but didn’t care for it. The water here isn’t very good. I may also go back to 50% water juice mix I was drinking last fall and winter. That worked pretty well.

I guess Keith and I might do a ghost town next week. I downloaded the list this morning and need to figure out where we want to go. I want to get in as much sight seeing as I can before I have to start working, and he will be taking off for a while soon too. Plus he has to go back to the UK in October for a while - it’s a visa thing.

Anyway, I guess that is about it for this morning. Gonna get dressed and do my walk, it is cloudy and cool right now, so it will be perfect. Oh, I saw a dead scorpion in the road yesterday, and had a tarantula hawk (a big assed wasp thing) walking around on the patio yesterday. I’m thinking I might have to call the pest control people. Plus I still have ants on the patio even after sweeping and putting down borax. But we will see.

Changing your address is a real pain in the butt.

Was a pretty quiet day yesterday. I went to check Doreen’s mail, hit the regular post office and DG. Then of course, the last stop the Salvation Army. Spent two bucks. Got another pair of dressy light colored pants and an ironing board. The cover on the board is pretty nasty, but I found one on eBay for about eight bucks. I will actually have to try it out when it gets here. Now I supposed I need a full size iron. There were several under five bucks at Sal’s. I will take another look next week when they open again.

I had some lunch and took a very long nap. Not exactly sure how long, but I needed it. I had been in a funny mood all day and when I saw what the date was, I knew why. Exactly six years ago yesterday Jake was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. It was the day that changed our lives forever. 

Still having trouble with my debit card and change of address. They sent mail to my street address, and of course, it was returned because it didn’t have a PO Box on it. I have sent several documents for proof of ID, but since I don’t get utility bills here, I’m having trouble coming up with something they will accept. My debit card has been frozen. I had the same issue with my PayPal account a little while back. Changing your address is a real pain in the ass.

I don’t have much on the agenda for today. Vicki has to take Coco to the vet, I’m going to ride along so she can go in the grocery store. It is too hot to leave the dog in the car and you can’t take them into the store, so this is the best solution. I will stay with the dog while she goes in and gets what she needs, then vice versa. I don’t need much, just almonds and dates. They are much less expensive there.

Love my new radio. I put it up on top of the cabinet over the TV. It operates with a remote and doesn’t have any buttons, so that it the perfect spot for it. Up out of the way. I hooked in my ipod (thank you again Darrel!) and listened to my own music for the day. This morning I ordered some headphones for the iPod, going to try walking to tunes and see if that takes some of the boredom out of it. People have been doing that for ages, I haven’t tried it yet.

Today’s watering is on A street, an easy check since it is my street. But I need to get out there before the water on the surface dries up. That is the best way to make sure each tree is getting water. And I have to update one of the websites I maintain. That shouldn't take too long.

Oatman Arizona and London Bridge, Lake Havasu

Yesterday was a good day. We left a little after 8 in the morning and got back around 8 last night. We headed straight to Oatman where we saw the burros and walked around, took pictures and had lunch. Then we headed for Lake Havasu and London Bridge (the real London Bridge) and hung out there for a while. A lot of walking, a lot of photos. Then we went to the Blue Water Casino in Parker for dinner. 

It was a comfortable day, Keith was a perfect gentleman. He deferred all decision making to me, did all the driving and was a good tour guide. I did get a couple of pictures of him. They aren’t the greatest, but better than nothing.

I’m tired this morning. I slept about four and half hours and have been up since 3:30. Have been dealing with the photos since about 4:30. They give me a hard time and I am starting to get cranky. But am uploading them now. I thought after a full day yesterday that I might sleep last night, but nope. Same old shit. Starting my day out tired per usual.

Here is the link for the rest of the photos.  https://plus.google.com/photos/118406578374225960662/albums/6150564848642031857

Might be another day trip in the near future. Maybe a ghost town. Have to do some research.

Road trip

A very quiet day here yesterday. I vacuumed and washed the kitchen and bathroom floors, cut up half my watermelon and puttered for a little while. The rest of the day I read. Started and finished one book and got about half way thru another. Fell asleep in the chair reading last night. Hoping it was some quality sleep since I only got about five hours last night.

Today is road trip day. Off to Oatman to see the wild burros. Hoping to get a lot of photos, taking both cameras. This is also my first day out since Kali Cat got really sick. It will be nice. Looking forward to seeing more of Arizona. Supposed to be a nice day topping out in the mid 80’s and of course, it will be cooler in Oatman.

Today I start my duties as summer park monitor. Only one street to check this morning.  Tuesday is nothing, then Wednesday is this street again. I won’t have to go far. :) Glenn and Diane left yesterday. They offered to let me park my car in their car port. I am going to do it. That will keep it out of the worst of the summer sun and hopefully I won’t have to dress and undress it every tie I use it. They are down to the end on the next street over, a little walk, but not bad. I just hope I won’t have to use the car in the worst of the summer heat, it will be a long walk in 120 and 130 degree temps. I could scooter down tho.

By just having the seed block and carrots out, it is much more peaceful here with the birds. Lot fewer and less fighting. Plus I don’t have the chore of feeding every morning. Generally a lot less noisy too. I think I will continue with the seed block until it becomes a problem. I did have a quail fight here yesterday. Or I am assuming it was a fight. I think it was two males, will have to look and see if the females have a different pattern. The quail are so much fun to watch and listen to. I still haven’t seen a road runner. Did you know that roadrunners were carnivores? I didn’t know that until recently. I guess they love raw hamburger.

The fountain is working much better with the extra water under it. :) I just have to figure out how to keep the hole from getting blocked so it doesn’t over flow and drains back into the bucket. The birds have a tendency to leave droppings and it clogs up the works. Maybe a screen of some sort. 

I finally got the manual downloaded for my washing machine. There is no cleanable lint filter. It has one, but nothing I can get to. I guess I will have to run an empty washer every once in a while. Doing a smaller load doesn’t help. I rewashed my towels and stuff that I had washed with the new flannel sheet and added vinegar as suggested and that helped get rid of the fuzz from the sheet. Might be something I have to do on a regular basis. If I had a dryer, it wouldn’t be a problem. The dryer would get rid of the lint for me. But I don’t. I may at some point get one tho. Another one like the little one I had in IP. It was slow, but it did a good job and didn’t need any special wiring. I could keep it outdoors here. I would need to save up for that.

Fountain has been rebuilt

Not much to write about this morning. I walked, did laundry, and finally got the new container under the fountain. It now has a five gallon tub under it instead of a one gallon bucket. The only thing I'm not happy about is that the green tub shows thru the translucent top, but I guess I will have to live with it. Seems to be working just fine.

Vicki and I rescued two broken cacti. We each put one in our yard, and then we both got a baby Argentine Cactus from another neighbor. I had originally put my tall cactus on the driveway side of the fence, but decided I didn't want it there so I moved it. It is now behind the fountain to the left a little. It isn't in the above photo tho.

Nothing on the agenda for today. I'm tired. Only four hours sleep last night and the night before and who knows how many other nights. This is getting so very old. I have forgotten what it is like to sleep a whole night. I think I am going to get myself showered and dressed and go for my walk and then try a nap. It is Sunday after all, the day of rest.

Cool and rainy all day

It was an unusual day here yesterday. It rained off and on all day, a nice soft soaking rain and if we did make it out of the 50’s it wasn’t by much. 

Rode the park with Glenn, he showed me where all the timers were and gave me my instructions. I start my new duties on Monday, so I will have to start walking daily or take the scooter. The only day that doesn’t water is Tuesday, so if I go anywhere for an over night, it would have to be on a Monday.

I sat and read all day. Had on a sweatshirt and my tall slippers all day and a blanket in my lap. Wasn’t a good day to do much of anything else. Vicki made ham and beans so I didn’t even have to cook last night. I love it when I don’t have to cook. 

Going to Oatman on Monday with a friend, about 2.5 hours from here, to see the wild burrows and an authentic western mining town. I plan to take both cameras and to take a lot of pictures. It will feel good to be taking some photos again. It has been a while.

Everything smells so nice and fresh this morning. The sun is out, the birds aren’t happy. I ran out of seed yesterday, so there was no feeding this morning. I took down both feeders, brought them in and cleaned them up and am prepping them to become solar lights. The third one is gonna become a bird house. I might work on those today. Can’t do the bird house until I get my little saw unless I want to cut wood by hand, and I don’t want to do that. But the two solar lights I can do. I also swapped their lids to mix up the colors some.

I got four hours sleep last night and then I was up. I think I managed another hour in the chair. I really wish I could get some sleep. 

Thinking about cooking up the last of my gulf shrimp tonight. I will boil them outdoors with my butane cooker so I don’t stink up the house. Need to make a side dish, thinking beans and quinoa instead of black beans and rice. The last time I cooked quinoa I never got around to using it and the birds got most of it. Will have to do better this time, that stuff isn’t cheap.

A quickie this morning

Just a quickie this morning as I have to be ready by 8:30 to ride the park with Glenn and see what my summer duties are.

Lunch at the floating dock was nice. I would like to go back sometime. Good burger. I put a bunch of pics on FB.

I bought a cheapie boom box at Walmart yesterday thinking I could hook it up to my good speakers, but no, have you ever seen one without a headphone jack?! This one doesn’t have one. :( Will make a good workshop radio. I discovered Q has it’s own oldies station too. 

I spent quite a while online looking for a Sony radio that would work, but their new boom boxes are coming with cassette recorders! WTF! Cassettes have been obsolete for years! I would never use it. I have always wanted a Bose radio system, so I broke down and ordered one. It isn’t cheap but should last forever. What is money for if you can’t get what you want? I will make payments on it and try to sell some stuff to make the payments.

Finally got the hooks on the back of the shed.

I finally got the chairs and the ladder hung on the back of the shed. Spent some time moving stuff around in the shed and can finally see the floor and the work bench again. I took a couple of sections of Kali Cat’s crate and hung them on the wall so I can hang stuff on the wall that had no hooks. I pretty much spent the morning out there until it got too warm to stay outside. I did not find the dremel. And I don’t remember selling it either. Guess I am going to have to get another. I was hoping I wasn’t going to have to spend the money. 

I lost some time in the afternoon working on a certificate for someone. I have done these before on the windows computer, but this is the first I have done on the mac and it was a learning experience. Took a while, but I got it done. I was getting ready to give up and power up the windows machine when I got it figured out. 

I read in the afternoon. Never heard from the woman about the interview. :( I’m very disappointed about that.

I don’t have a thing on my agenda for the day. I did my errands and laundry on Monday. About the only thing I should do is get the scooter out and take the garbage to the dumpster. Now that I don’t have a litter box to deal with, I don’t have to do it as often. I do have a couple of cardboard boxes in the car I should take care of, but to use that, I would have to undress the car, and I am not doing that just to take the garbage out. I do have a whole list of things on my to do list, it is a running list. I remove stuff as I do it and add stuff as I think of it. 

It is supposed to cool down the next couple of days, to the 70’s on Saturday, and then it warms up again. It is going to be really hot by the end of next week. They are predicting 103 degrees, which means it will be warmer here. 

Another bad night sleeping. I get about two hours, then I am up for a couple of hours. When I go back to bed, I have a hard time getting to sleep and when I do sleep, it is one of those partial sleeps where your mind keeps going and you have all those weird dreams. I have to say, I’m tired.

Here are the pictures I took of the house the other day…. https://plus.google.com/photos/118406578374225960662/albums/6148363469832153361

Kali Cat is home where she belongs finally.

It has been a month, four weeks, since Kali Cat left. I finally got her ashes yesterday. I cried. Off and on all day, and could still cry if I let myself. I do miss her, and it makes me miss Jake more too. I got her ashes transferred to her urn, and she is sitting with Jake now in the bedroom where I can see them any time I want. 

Was a hot day yesterday, I think we topped out at 100 degrees. I didn't get much done besides errands and laundry. George stopped by to see about the two outlets I want installed and I will finally get those done. 

I took the 40lb bag of bird seed back to the store. I hadn't opened it and since I have decided to stop feeding the birds, didn't want to open it. I bought a couple of boxes of scrap lumber so I finally have something to burn in the chiminea. I will get that christened some time in the next week or so. Just need a cool night now. My garden cart is currently a fire wood holder, need to find a place to store the wood. And the bucket I got for the fountain is a kindling holder. Again, need to find something to keep that in too. 

Got carrots for the bunnies and stuff to put in a salad for myself. Going to try to get back to clean eating and maybe loose some more weight if I can. Plus I need to get my A1C lowered. I'm sure it has crept up in the last few months. Stopped at Sal's and picked up a couple more pair of long pants and a couple of tops for work or interviews. Got it all washed and dried, but need to press everything now. 

It is already hot and it is only 7:30. I think I will step today instead of walk. It is cooler indoors already. I'm really going to try to get those hooks up on the back of the shed, but we will see how ambitious I am once I get showered and dressed. It may be an indoor day.

Haven't heard anything about the job interview, yet. Still hoping.

A quiet Mother's Day

A quiet day at home for most of the day. I got my walk and then started a new basket. I worked on the basket and shot the birds with water when they got obnoxious. I have decided once the bird food is gone, there will be no more. There are too many of them, they are pigs and make too much noise all day long. There is also no variety and isn't worth the expense. I will move the hummer feeder over and hang one of my chimes on the other hook and give the bunnies carrots. The birds won't touch those.

Dinner at the Stagecoach Restaurant went well. I had fish and chips - no salad. This time I spent less than $20 and that included the tip. Got another restaurant experience coming up on Thursday at the Roadrunner Floating Bar & Grill in Parker.

Today I pick up Kali Cat's ashes. I will be happy to have her home where she belongs. I also need to go to the post office and go buy some bunny carrots. After that, I will pick off a couple of small projects here.

This is the basket I started yesterday. I have no idea what it will look like when I am finished, but remember, this is only the second one I have made.

I'm not crazy over pine needle baskets, but I wanted to learn and have the supplies, so I will make a few more during the summer while I am stuck indoors.

Happy Mother's Day

I got somewhat motivated early yesterday and got myself showered, dressed and out for a walk. Before that, I dusted and vacuumed and straightened up a bit. After I showered, I finally tried on the clothes that I bought. Most of them fit. The one pair of pants that I wanted to wear to the interview doesn’t fit, but the other two are ok. All the shirts fit although the expensive red one is a little tight. I may go and see if I can find another light colored pair of pants tomorrow. I need to iron a few of the pieces, at least for the interview. I miss having a clothes dryer. Hanging stuff on the line doesn’t get the wrinkles out.

I didn’t do a whole lot the rest of the day. I read, napped, got rid of my garbage and cardboard. I also finally got Ody started up and running and ran the generator for a while. Supposed to do that once a month and it has been several months since it has been done. That wasn’t difficult, just time consuming.

Vicki and I went to Silly Al’s for salad and pizza last night. Unfortunately my salad had a fly in it. One of those tiny ones. When I went to shoo it away, it crawled down into my salad. Ugh. They took the salad off the bill. The pizza was ok, but again, very expensive. So far, I haven’t been impressed by any of the restaurants here in Q. Going to the Stagecoach this afternoon with a bunch of ladies for Mother’s Day. Eating out is expensive and I haven’t found a meal worth what I have paid yet. 

Tomorrow I will attempt for a second time to pick up Kali Cat’s ashes. I have a few small projects I want to get done today, like the hooks for the chairs on the back of the shed and hanging the ladder on the back of the house. I have to sweep the patio yet again. Seems like every time I sweep, we get a big wind and there are leaves all over the place again. Not even from my tree. There aren’t a lot of trees with leaves, so I don’t know where they are coming from. But they all end up on my patio. I’m still getting used to having walls on the patio. But so far, I am happy with it. A lot more privacy. 

I may have to stop feeding the birds. I am getting sick of the flocks of birds that are here all day long. Mostly doves. Plus there are a lot of baby birds and the noise is constant. I will have to think on that some more. I don’t mind the little birds, but the doves are pigs and obnoxious. I even have a pigeon now. Maybe I will stop chasing off the cat from next door and let nature take it’s course. That should thin them out a little. 

Will be interesting to see what my future has in store for me. I’m finally learning that nothing is permanent and nothing stays the same. I have even had the thought of putting the place up for sale and moving on, but it is way too soon for that. I need to spend at least a year here if not more before I make that decision. Besides, at this point, I wouldn’t get my money back. Need to make a little profit when I sell. 

Snake has a home

I finally got myself out and about yesterday, got my hooks for the back of the shed, went to the post office and picked up my packages, then went to the vet to pick up Kali Cat’s ashes, and they have gone to summer hours and were closed! Now I have to wait until Monday. :( I’m not happy about that. I have already waited four weeks to bring her home. But I will just have to deal with it. I continued to Dollar General from there, and then home to put stuff away. UPS delivered my new towel rack for the bathroom and my folding tables while I was out, so I dealt with those too. 

I got the towel rack hung. It freed up a whole shelf in the bathroom cupboard and also gave me a spot to hang my clothes when I take them off at night. I’m pretty pleased with it. I had just gotten the sheetrock anchors for it while I was out earlier in the day. I spent the afternoon reading. Was nice to have a quiet afternoon.

I had a burst of energy this morning and have already done my vacuuming and dusting. I also found a permanent home for the wooden snake that I have been moving from spot to spot since I got him. None of the spots seemed right, but I am also tired of moving him around. I put him in his new home this morning and I won’t have to move him again.

I have a whole list of things to do, but am not sure how much I will get done today. They are mostly smaller projects except for re doing the fountain. I’m not feeling particularly motivated today. I may just start a new basket. After I walk of course. 

A whole new room

Once again I’m getting a very late start this morning. Had another one of those nights. I even took some Benadryl before I went to bed and woke up within two hours all stuffed up! The wind has been blowing, so there is a lot of  dust and pollen in the air. 

Got lots of little projects done yesterday. Got the car cleaned and polished, got the watering system setup next door, got the safety handle installed outside the shower, lock on the sliding door, and got the patio put back together after the guys that installed the shade cloth left. I actually have the solar motion light installed with screws instead of held up with bungees. :) It is directly over the driveway end door on the patio where it will be useful. Although I am rarely out after dark. I also moved the outdoor thermometer sensor since it was now indoors (sort of), and found a new spot for the regular thermometer. Lots of little stuff done. Seems like every time I cross something off my list, I add something new, sometimes several things. 

I took the bottom part of the cat crate and hung it on the wall over the outside work bench. That gives me a couple of skinny shelves and a place to hang stuff over the bench. Finally got the signs from C&C hung, they are right beside the back door over the ice maker. I had some trouble finding a spot for the solar chandelier after the cloth went up. It needed to be where it got sunshine, but close enough to light some of the patio. I found a spot on the very end outside the cloth by the gate. It doesn’t do a whole lot for the patio, but at least it is back up. 

Today I need to run errands. I want to get some hooks for the back of the shed and the back of the building so I can get the ladder hung up and off the ground and get the folding chairs hung up and out of the shed. They are taking up too much space in there. Still trying to get that organized, but there has been so much else going on I haven’t managed to do it. 

I also need to go to the post office, Dollar General, and pick up Kali Cat’s ashes and bring her home finally. The hardware store closes at 1 and the vet at noon, so I have a little time to work with. Then I might take the rest of the day off. There has been so much going on. I haven’t been eating well this week and it has been affecting the way I feel. I need to get back to clean eating. Stop eating processed foods. It is just that they taste so good and are easy to fix. I’m not getting enough fresh fruits and veggies. Between that and not getting my walks in, and not sleeping, I’m feeling pretty crappy. But it is something I can do something about. 

As for the job, I don’t know much about what I would be doing. I only went by the ad, and everything it asked for, I could do. Here is the ad…

Sounded good to me. Got my fingers crossed. 

Well, I need to get myself moving so I can get stuff done before these places close for the week. Hopefully the extra set of nesting patio tables will be at the post office. I have one section of wall inside the patio that is nekkid and needs plants. Plus the larger of the three is going to become a printer stand in the living room. The stand I have the printer on now is too big for the room and it has to go.

Application submitted.

That application, and resume event screwed up my whole day yesterday. I lost the whole  morning getting that done and delivered. I took the application over and hand delivered it, and when I got there, discovered the woman I had been in contact with works in the Parker office. The local gal faxed it to her for me. I got a call around noon, and she will be calling me next week to set up an interview. I’m excited about that, looks like it would be a good job, and initially it is only part time.  Plus, it is within scooter distance, and I could even walk if I felt motivated. If I got the job, I would have to drive to Parker every day for the first week, then after that, I would be on my own here in Quartzsite. I have already proven I can work unsupervised. I’m trying not to get too excited about this, but that would beat a job in a convenience or dollar store. Might even have bennies. Would be really nice to have a little money coming in for a change.

I stopped at Sal’s on the way back from the post office and bought three pair of pants, four tops, a white shirt for scooter riding and a stainless steel colander. I spent $14 and hopefully have a few nice work clothes.  I should be able to pull something together from that for the interview at least. And if I get the job, see what the expected wardrobe is and adapt to that. I only had jeans and shorts, nothing for a job outside the home. 

Got a nap in the afternoon. I did not get the car polished, and didn’t get the watering system set up a couple places down so I don’t have to haul water all summer. 

Oh, once I finally got the external drive straightened out I backed up a bunch of stuff from this computer that had never been backed up. That took a while. But I am happy to have it done.

I got my laundry done and an extra load with the new work clothes. I need to try them on, make sure they don’t need anything and press a couple of pieces. But I have a few days, so I don’t have to do that today. 

I haven’t heard from the shade cloth guy. I hope he is planning on being here today. That is what I have been working towards. I want to have that done. Never heard back from the electrician I called on Monday morning. I guess the job is too small for him. I will find someone else to put in two outlets outside.

This morning I want to do the two things I didn’t get done yesterday - waxing the car and setting up the watering system on my neighbors plants. I got the hose and splitter at KMart the other day. Herb’s if open until 1 if I need anything else. 

My sleep is really suffering. I am up multiple times in the night and I am only getting about four hours max. I’m tired. Tonight I am going to take a sleep aid, see if that helps. If not, tomorrow, damn the BP, I will take some Benadryl. That always helped me sleep. I can’t imagine my lack of sleep is good for the blood pressure either. 

It is cool this morning, lower 60’s. Good sleeping weather. Too bad I don’t sleep. Only supposed to be in the 80’s today and cooler again tonight. Our 80’s are the equivalent of your humid 70’s. It is bearable and almost nice. Once it hits 90, then it starts to get uncomfortable.

Last night I went to Pam and Ralph’s for tacos. Met another person I had seen online. Brought home five bases for baskets, some chili and some refried beans. I never turn down free food. :)

Well, time to get showered and dressed. I need to be ready if the shade cloth guy shows, and I also want to get some stuff done (like the car) while it is still cool.