Sore fingers

I worked on the basket most of the day. But it is kind of slow going because my fingers are very sore. I have wrapped them in bandaids just so I can work on the basket. 

Last night I treated them with witch hazel, it is supposed to help. They don’t feel that bad this morning, but I’m sure the minute I pick up the needle, I will be hurting again. More bandaids. Taking the day off from coiling won’t help, it takes several days for my fingers to recover. I did make some progress tho. This is where I stopped last night..

When I get to the base, I think I am going to edge it in white to represent snow. Haven’t figured out what I am going to use as a base for the base yet. Maybe a candle base for a battery operated candle…Not that it will show thru the basket…Gonna have to think on that.

Today I need to go to the post office, try to find a microwave for my glass work, take my book back to the library, and I might try Love’s wifi to see if I can get this computer updated finally. If that doesn’t work, I will have to bite the bullet and use my pay per gig. The glass kit is supposed to be delivered today, and I would like to be able to try it out. But I won’t be able to unless I find a microwave. If I had been thinking when I ordered the kit, Salvation Army was open until 1, but I didn’t realize what day it was and missed my chance to go there. They don’t open again until Monday. There are two other thrift shops in town, but I don’t know their hours. I will check while I am out today. 

Got a nice thunderstorm yesterday. My rain gauge says a half inch, but others are saying 1 inch. It was enough to get the washes running. And I really didn’t have to walk this morning, but I wanted to check for storm damage in the park. The temperature dropped from 106 to 77 in less than an hour. But that was mostly while it was still raining. So I really couldn’t get out much to enjoy it. 52% humidity this morning, made for a rough walk. The temps were around 80.

Here are some photos from this morning's sunrise...

The setting moon. Tonight is the Blue Moon

The scooter got wet so I had to dry that off. And since it looked like we would be getting more rain, I just moved it. I still need to make a cover for the vinyl seat, the towel that I had on it got really wet. I need to make the cover with something a little lighter. I will move the scooter back to it’s spot later and put it ’s cover on this time.

Today I get to read my electric meter and pay that bill. I’m dreading it. One more month of heat, and then it should start cooling off. Looking forward to that. Then I might be able to work out in the shed on some other projects. Get a little more exercise, get a job, get Ody sold, etc.

Possible thundershowers later

Was a hard walk this morning. The temps were pushing 90 and the humidity was about 42%. I haven’t stopped sweating yet. Of course I am still outside. 

Lots of clouds and maybe a thunderstorm later today. We had a few drops of rain yesterday - very few. We haven’t been hit hard by the monsoons yet. I haven’t seen a wash running. I hear some of the more outlying ones have, but not the ones surrounding the park.

I got started on my pine needle tree. But my fingers haven’t recovered from the last basket. I will have to put on band aids today. I have a split in my right index finger, but want to continue working on the tree.

Chatted with my friend Linda on messenger yesterday and asked about her making a fused glass star for the tree. But then I got to wondering about an inexpensive kiln..so I went looking. I found a beginners kit with everything you need to get started for less than a hundred bucks. It is a microwave kiln. Now I just need to find a used, cheap microwave. Apparently you can’t use the microwave for food after using the kiln in it. I have a spot I can put it on the patio. I’m thinking I will try to make some glass ornaments and my own tree topper for the coiled tree. It is using a lot of needles and I will have to find some more soon. I just realized that if I make a base for it, it will be an actual basket, just inverted. Hmmmm….I will need something xmasy as a surprise when you lift the tree.

This is what I have done so far. I had to stop because my fingers hurt.

So I am going to get to fuse glass at home, and teach myself. I wasn’t too impressed by the instructor at the rock club when I took that class. I might have to buy a couple of tools, better than the ones that come in the kit, but will start with those. I ordered the kit, the book, and extra glass bits. I might end up having to sell the tree. If I do, it won’t be cheap.

I started checking my blood sugar again yesterday. It isn’t off the scales. A little high, but not enough to have to go see a doctor. I did better with my eating yesterday too. I believe it is a boredom thing.

Oh, and my glasses are great. They do exactly what I want them to do. I can see what I am working on in my hands and when I glance up at the TV, I can see that too. Yay. Finally. I’m going to have to wait to order the sunglasses. I’m going to get the same frames because they fit well without any tweaking. The suns will be bifocal too. I might actually be able to see the dash now.

Another night of about three hours of sleep. I tried going to the chair around 2:30, but I just can’t get comfortable in that one like I could in the old one. For one thing, it doesn’t go back far enough. When I get some money, I will have to replace it. Something smaller, like I had in VT. I’ll have to go to Yuma for that. I haven’t been motivated enough to go much of anywhere.

Anyway, that is about it for me. It is going to be another indoor day. Hot, humid, and quiet. Hope to get quite a bit more done on the tree. Nothing else on the agenda. I will have to go out tomorrow and hit the post office, but I’m not expecting much of anything. Maybe some more charms for the last basket, but there isn’t any rush on that. Pam is going to see if she has another owl base for me.

Hmmm…just had to spray some ants on the patio again. Time to get vigilant again.

Scooter ride and free squash

It is still dark at 5 AM. My walks are getting closer to 5:30 now. And it is warm this morning, 90 something degrees. 

Yesterday was an unremarkable day. I read online that the food bank had a surplus of squash and lettuce, so I made myself get showered and go get some. Since it is virtually around the corner, I took the scooter. Had a little human interaction, and came back. The rest of the day was either reading or napping. 

Since I am spending so little time outside these days there are no photos, no wildlife. I tossed out a few of the outside lettuce leaves that were starting to go bad to the bunnies, but there wasn’t one in sight. I haven’t put out carrots for a few days because they haven’t been there waiting for them. They must be getting plenty of natural food.

Nothing on the agenda for today. My walk, and then I think I will start my xmas tree. I have to find the rings I have in the shed to use as a base. Plus something to use as a size gauge a little bigger than I have been using. I might end up having to use my curved needle when I get to the smaller top rows. This one will be plain, no beads or ornamentation. If I do more, I will probably figure out how to add some colored beads. I googled coiled needle xmas trees and came up with nothing. Since the bracelets have been a fail so far, maybe the trees will be something I can make a few bucks on.

I want to start a basket spreadsheet with photos and notes and record each of my baskets. Since I will be selling or giving most of them away. Plus it would be nice to have a visual record of my progress.

My to do list is pretty short these days. One of the things on it is to put turn tables in the spice cupboard. It is a corner cupboard with three shelves and I can’t reach anything that isn’t right in the front. I already have the bases, just need to find someone that will cut the rounds for me. The baskets in the lower cupboard are working out pretty good. I don’t have to get down on my hands and knees to find stuff anymore.  Now I have to figure out what to do about the pantry cupboards. The canned goods are heavy and the cheap shelves are bowing and I have a hard time finding stuff that isn’t at the front. I got drawer slides, so it might be as simple as cutting pieces for those shelves too. 

Well, it is getting light, I need to get my walk in.

New glasses and updates

I got my vacuuming and dusting done and cut up both the melon and watermelon so I could take the garbage to the dumpster on my way out. 

Went to the hardware store and dropped off my application. The won’t be hiring until September or October, but I said I was available any time and would take any position they have part time or full time. Talked to the owner briefly. From there I went to the library and got my new card. Tried to update my laptop, but the download was just too big. I was there about an hour and a half to two hours, and got my phone updated and all but two apps on the iPad updated along with downloading all the new free books from Amazon that I have been reserving since the last time I downloaded books. There were quite a few. I found a JD Robb book I hadn’t read yet, so signed that out. I’m in the process of reading that, got it started while I was at the library.

I then went to Salvation Army. Didn’t get much, another tank top, some spatter screens and a candle holder. Then I decided to try McDonald’s free wifi and since it was lunch time, I also got a burger and fries. It wasn’t much faster than the library, so I didn’t get my computer updated or the other two apps on the iPad. Very frustrating. I am going to try Love’s next. Pilot charges for theirs. I may have to give in and use my pay per gig. I don’t want to, but the updates need to be done at some point.

While I was at DG I got a call about Ody. So I headed home and went and got Ody and brought her back to the empty lot next door. The people were coming from Parker. She started up first try. I fired up the generator and got the inside cooled down. They looked at her, but I don’t think she was what they were looking for. I figured since I had her out I would take her for a drive. I did the route that circled the whole town, so she got about five miles under her belt yesterday. The next time I take her out I will gas her up. I’m getting better at backing her in to her spot. There is a brick wall I have to watch out for, and the mirrors only allow you to see so much.

Got her tucked back into her kool cover and headed back to the house. By this time it was close to 3PM, and I was done for the day. I read some of my book, but had to put it down. I was too tired to read. Watched a little TV, snoozed, watched some more TV…and then bed around 10:30.

I did get my new glasses. I think they are going to work for me. I used them to watch TV last night, and could still see what was in my hands. I won’t know for sure until I start a new basket. 

That about wrapped up my day for yesterday. I didn’t get much at DG, the usual, peanut butter, coffee, creamer….no extras. Oh I did grab a couple of extension cords and got one at Sal’s too. It seems you never have enough of those. I needed one for a fan that I want to use instead of the swamp cooler. That doesn’t help much when the humidity is up.

I have nothing on the agenda for today. I am going to read my book, and when that one is done, will read another. Tomorrow I will start another basket. Not sure what yet. Maybe an attempt at a christmas tree for myself. If that works out, I will have to look for a mini string of lights for it. White of course.

I’m dreading the next electric bill. I will read my meter on Thursday. It is going to hurt. I have enough in the bank for one or two more electric bills unless I can get Ody sold. I should start asking for the money that I loaned out. I need it now. 

Very quiet in Mountain View Resort

Yesterday was very quiet. Got my shower and then settled in to work on my basket. I played several movies throughout the day to  keep me entertained. Weekend TV is absolutely horrible. 

I have to say that I am starting to get lonely. With everyone gone, there isn’t anyone to visit with, even briefly, to break up the day. Today I am going to work on the basket some more, maybe finish it up, and tomorrow I will go out. Hoping my new glasses will be at the post office, hit the library for my card, maybe the market and definitely the Salvation Army or maybe one of the other thrift shops for a change. I might even take my iPad and get that updated either at the library or McDonalds (free wifi).

Most of the time I don’t mind being on my own, I have gotten used to it, but I have also gotten used to seeing live people on a daily basis. Reminds me of Island Pond where everyone had their own life and I was alone most of the time. But it is temporary. I’m sure this winter I will be wishing for some time on my own.

We are going thru another warm up. Topped out at 108 yesterday and it is supposed to get warmer with the humidity coming back Tuesday or Wednesday. Too hot to get out and do anything. And I am feeling like I want to get out and do something. It is warm out here on the patio this morning. No open windows today.

Oh, I sent an email to that camper company. We’ll see if they answer. 

This is the progress I made on the basket yesterday.

I passed the point where I wanted to put the beads in, wasn’t quite sure how to do it. I do want to get them in tho, and will place them somewhere else before it is finished. This one has a couple of spots I’m not too happy with, but I will eventually forget about them.

I had one of those nights last night where I kept waking up. I hate those. I haven’t taken any Simply Sleep for a couple of nights, guess I will have to tonight. I will eventually get back into the habit of sleeping I hope. I was doing pretty good while I was on the road, but not so much since I have been here. Or, I was doing pretty good while I had some money in the bank…

I reposted the ad for Ody yesterday. Put it on FB again and asked people to share. I will have to start taking her out with a for sale sign on her. She isn’t so big that I can’t use her for some errands and she will get exposure that way. But I will wait until things start picking up.

The highway in CA where the bridge washed out last week is opened again. It is down to one lane each way, but I won’t have to go that far and it shouldn’t affect any driving I might do. Blythe is before the bridge.

My walks are getting a little later each morning. I had been going out at 5, but now it is up to 5:15. Soon it will be 5:30, and so on. It has to be light enough to see, and early enough that I don’t have the sun.

So far, no ants. Yay.

Basket progress

Good morning.

Not much to write about today. I worked on my basket most of the day. I made some progress. This is where I am at this morning…

I’m hoping to reach the point where I try adding the beads today. I don’t have anything on the agenda except getting a shower and maybe vacuuming and dusting. The dust is pretty thick in there.

I got to open the windows this morning and get some fresh air inside. Mornings cool enough to do that are rare this time of year. I did spray Home Defense all around the house , patio and shed yesterday. I’m starting to relax a little on the bug front, but still find myself checking for them. 

I ended up making tomato juice with the four huge tomatoes that I got in my bountiful basket. Salad for lunch and a spicy sausage, sliced baked potato with parmesan and turnip greens for dinner. Grapes for dessert. More salad today, I have barely made a dent in the huge bag of mixed lettuce. I imagine the bunnies will be getting some of it. The only reason I had the turnip greens instead of salad is because I had taken them out of the freezer the day before and I needed to use them since they were already thawed.

I just listed Ody on craigslist again this morning. I need to get serious about getting her sold. You can see the listing here…

http://yuma.craigslist.org/rvs/5139829621.html

I really do want to get another rig to replace her. Something small and towable. I saw these online yesterday and really liked them. Not so much the color but the size and the interchangeability. It is very light and easy to tow.  http://camper.littlethings.com/modular-tiny-camper/?utm_source=cozy&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=houses  Don’t know how much they cost tho. Maybe since I live in Q, the largest snowbird location in the states, I can work out some sort of deal with them. Maybe I will become a sales person…worth checking in to.

My bifocals have shipped and are supposed to hit the post office on Monday. I will be glad to get them. Was swapping glasses again last night because there was a program on TV I wanted to see. I ended up putting the basket down to watch the TV. I could have gotten another couple of rounds done.

I want to get the job application filled out and back to Herb’s Monday morning. Gotta get some money coming in.

Started a new basket

I barely made it to the breakfast on time yesterday, but they hadn’t started eating yet. It was fun. It feels good to be included in stuff. It is so different here than IP. One of the reasons I decided to put down roots here.

Anyway, I read on FB that the food bank had lots of fresh produce, so I went over. I hadn’t been this month. I got a huge bag of mixed leaf lettuce, a huge bag of baby spinach and a huge bag of cole slaw mix. I cooked most of the spinach, it was four pots full. That is now in the freezer. I ate salad twice yesterday and will do so again today. I made up a tomato salad again with the second box of cherry tomatoes from my basket, still have the large tomatoes to deal with. I might cook them. I love stewed tomatoes. 

The pears are finally gone. :) The fruit salad did the trick. Otherwise they would still be sitting there. Today I will make another fruit salad with the melon I got yesterday. I had catfish with my salad last night. There were only three pieces left so I cooked all three and will have the last of it for lunch today. Good to get that out of the freezer. I don’t care much for the fish out here. Can’t get haddock which is my favorite.

After I got done dealing with the food bank produce, it was lunch time. I had lunch and then took a nap. The last couple of nights I have slept without my Simply Sleep. Last night I was up several times in the night, so I hope to get a nap again today.

I started a new basket yesterday. Got a fair amount done in a couple of hours. These are the materials I am working with…

This is what I have gotten done so far…..

Made it thru another day without ants. Yay. But this morning after I got back from my walk I went to go inside and was startled by this…

Seems to be my week for bugs. I’m going to spray the heavy duty stuff this morning because now I am totally creeped out and paranoid. I don’t want anything around that is worse. So far they have been harmless, but I know for a fact that there are things that bite and sting out here. Some people have the professionals come once a month to treat the properties. It costs $25 a month. If I had some income, I would consider it. But I’m pretty handy and the gallon of spray is only $14, so I guess I will just do it myself. 

I don’t have anything on the agenda for today except my new basket. I’m going to try to work some glass beads into it. I’m also using a different stitch. I might try a couple more before I’m done too. Each basket is a learning experience and an experiment. Some come out better than others.

I ordered some southwest charms on eBay last night. I got howling coyotes, cactus, roadrunners and suns. I’m hoping to use a coyote and a sun on this basket. I can add those any time after they get here as they will be on the outside. That leaves me with one more resin base from Pam. It is another rock painting like the blue one I did, but a bit smaller. I want to try some small baskets too. I have three specific projects in mind as gifts, all experimental of course.

I took the scooter to breakfast yesterday. I rode it around the park a couple times after because it was looking like it needed a charge. Then I hooked it up and charged it. It takes a while for it to get a full charge and I try to run it down as much as possible before I plug it in.

There is a chance that the people on B Street might sell their electric golf cart. I am definitely interested. It needs some work, but what used vehicle doesn’t. That would give me something to do. 

Well, I guess it is time I break out the insecticide. Then a shower and back to my latest basket. I’m going to try not to let Keith’s issues bug me. Just not sure what is going on in his head. I can’t be any more honest with him than I have already been, and if friendship isn’t enough….well…that is his problem. Sigh….I hate drama.

No ants.

I made it thru the day without ants! Yay! Although I am a bit paranoid now. I’m looking everywhere all the time. I did buy a gallon of the Home Defense stuff I was told to get and tried to get Spectrum, but the local hardware store didn’t have it. I picked up a job app while I was there and will get that filled out and taken back in the next day or so. I will spray around the outside of the house again as soon as I can’t smell the DG stuff. Probably a few days. That stuff is supposed to last about six weeks. It sure does work fast tho.

I made a fruit salad with the rest of the pears that came in my Bountiful Basket last week, I wasn’t eating them, so needed to deal with them. I’m not a big fan of pears. Don’t like the texture. Today I will have to deal with the tomatoes I got in my basket. They all ripened at the same time. The corn on the cob got cooked, but I only ate two of the four ears, the other two I tossed. It was horrible. That is the disadvantage of the basket, you get stuff you don’t normally use or want. I will be glad when the farmers market comes back. I like choosing my veggies for the week, and I can do it every week instead of every two weeks.

I tried one of the little DG microwave single serving cups of red beans and rice. It was pretty good. I had that for dinner with a tomato salad with feta. Fruit salad for desert. There weren’t any chemicals in it, just dehydrated food. I will buy that again. Easy meal. Cheap too, $1 each.

I got some more shorts at Sal’s, but I have gained enough weight that I can get them on, but they are tight. Just like the rest of my clothes. I have two pair of shorts that are comfy, well three, but it is too warm to wear the camo shorts. I was hoping to get at least one more pair of comfy shorts. I may have to switch to skirts soon. Hmmmm….might be cooler. I also got yet another black t-shirt, a purple jacket and a rust/orange long sleeve t-shirt. A ceramic garlic grater to use as a soap dish in the bathroom. I had been looking for a soap dish since I moved in. It looks nice. 

I picked up a bag of popping corn at DG to hopefully help with the snack cravings. I know corn is high in carbs, but the popcorn without condiments is relatively low cal and fat free. I’m just about out of almonds and won’t be going to Blythe until they get the highway situation straightened out.

By the time I got everything done, it was almost lunch time, so I had lunch and settled in with a book. That is what I did yesterday afternoon along with checking for ants every hour or so. 

Rusty, across the street, brought over some cut wood scraps from his workshop. I can use them as bases for baskets. I need to drill them and decorate or paint them, but they were free. :)

Breakfast at 7:30 this morning at Carol’s on B Street. I need to shower and dress before then. It is also hair wash day so I will need a few extra minutes.

I may start a new basket today (I know, I said that yesterday too). Another one of the southwest tiles. Thinking red and white. We’ll see. My colors are limited. At some point I need to see what Pam has for resin bases. Hers are already drilled.

I really don’t have much to write about. The humidity has dropped and the temps have gone up. It is amazing how much better 105 degrees feels than 100 with 42% humidity. I even took the scooter out mid afternoon to get rid of the garbage since I am now extra cautious due to the ant issues. It was nice walking this morning, about 77 degrees. Very comfortable.

I have decided that I am going to allow some of my favorite foods back into my diet. When I try to stick to the diet I have cravings, no will power, and feel guilty every time I eat anything. Not a lot, but enough to hopefully rid myself of the guilt and cravings. I am not loosing any weight with the way things are going and it is time to modify that. Plus, I don’t like feeling guilty all the time. I just have to remember moderation. I will still stay away from sweets and most carbs like bread, chips, etc. But it won’t kill me to have them once in a while.  I walk a minimum of 1.25 miles five days a week, sometimes more depending on the watering schedule, and when Glenn and Diane get back, might up that since I will be able to walk elsewhere. But having to walk the park every morning has been good. The responsibility of keeping an eye on the irrigation systems gets me out of the house when I would most likely blow it off. 

Ants! In the house!

Yesterday turned out to be a not so fun day. I had a major ant problem. The first batch I dealt with was in the kitchen. The sink, counters, etc. I ended up having to pull the stove out because I saw a couple go behind there and this is what I found. It was so nasty I didn’t even want to touch it, but I got it done.

I had some trouble pulling the stove out and discovered that it had caught on the linoleum. You can see the spot in the upper left corner. So I cut that piece out and will have to be careful when I pull it out the next time. I considered cutting the whole section out, but didn’t. This is what it looked like when I finished. I had to do the sides of the stove too, don’t think they had ever been cleaned. Thankfully there were no  ants behind the stove. But they were in the toaster oven on the counter.

I wrapped this up about six and went with burritos for dinner because by then I didn’t feel like cooking. While I was having my dinner, I happened to glance up at the wall and this is what I saw…

   

The little bastards were everywhere! all along that corner, up the ceiling, half way across the front windows. I sprayed them with the spray I had left and then went and bought four more cans. The stuff from DG kills them on contact, so I had a mess to clean up. That took a couple of hours. I found them outside as well and sprayed those and all the way around the house. It was disgusting. My house is clean and this just really threw me. I’m going to buy some heavy duty stuff this morning. Apparently this is a common problem around here.

I think this is where they came in, there were still some live ones in here… Ugh...

This morning I am going to Herbs and buy some Home Defense and some Spectrum. It is a two stage process and should last a while. Apparently this stuff takes care of all the other nasty crawlies too. Who knows how long it has been since the place has been treated. It has been empty quite a while and the people that lived here were old and I guess they didn’t do much.

Before I started with the ants, I read two books got a morning nap and an afternoon nap. Not much else to do when you aren’t creating. I did end up having to take a second shower after I finished up with the ants. I had been bitten by several, and I had phantom ants. I’m still a little itchy this morning, but so far, no ants. 

So today I will be going out. To Herbs for insecticide and to fill out a job application. Then the post office, DG and Salvation Army. My weekly outing. Don't need much in the way of groceries, trying to use up what I have in the freezer and cupboards. I did get a load of laundry washed, dried and put away by 9:30 yesterday. One of the books was pretty short, the other average. I might finally get back to the library for my card and finish downloading the updates on the laptop. We’ll see how I feel when I get everything else done.

I’m finding myself looking everywhere for the ants. Indoors and out. So far, so good. Lois across the street says it has been years since this place has been treated, which is probably why I got them. Any residual insecticide is probably gone by now. This is my first year here and is a learning experience. As much of a pain in the ass that it was, it could have been worse. Could have been something much more nasty. And I didn’t have to drop everything and get ready for work. I had the time to deal with it. 

Thinking of starting a new basket today. Now that I have been working on them on a daily basis, reading feels like I am wasting my time. I am hoping to get enough made that I can put one or two up for sale. Pine needles aren’t cheap, and I will be needing more soon. Plus, I would like to order the thread. The whole spectrum. I'm hoping my fingers have recovered enough.

New glasses

Not much to write about this morning. I did get a pair of bifocals ordered online. I went thru the whole process on glasses.com, and by the time I hit the check out, I decided it was more than I wanted to spend for a basic pair of glasses without any extra features. So I went looking for alternatives and found 39dollar glasses. Got the exact same thing ordered from them for fifty bucks less, including shipping. I’m hoping they solve my hand work/TV problem. I can see the TV without my glasses, but can see it a lot better with.

That is about all I accomplished yesterday. I never got out of my walking clothes, and spent the day reading. I read two books. Didn’t see anyone or go anywhere. Today is going to be similar, except you can add a load of laundry to that. Tomorrow I want to start a new basket. I took some time out of my reading and got my nails cut and filed, my toenails polished, including some new super glue on my broken one. That lasted about two weeks, so I should be good for another two weeks now.

I won’t be going very far until traffic settles some. Q seems to be the spot where all the highway traffic detours, and I hear people are driving like idiots. I don’t need anything bad enough to get out and deal with that. I can order the stuff online that I can’t buy here in town. I know my way around town well enough now to be able to stay off the main roads for the most part too.

It is pretty quiet here without Keith and Vicki. But I have spent so much time alone in my life, that it isn’t too distressing. What I don’t care for is being stuck indoors all day. But that will be over in another six or eight weeks. At least I don’t have to shovel, and if I want to drive, I can.

I have had moments when I miss both Jake and Kali Cat enough that it hurts. But that is nothing new. Just keep myself busy. 

The humidity is supposed to drop off and the temps going above 105 again. I like the cooler temps, but the humidity that seems to come along with them this time of year makes them just as hard to deal with as 115 degrees. Again, just keep myself busy. More baskets. I have had a couple of new ideas I might try out. Plus, on the next one I want to do a different stitch and maybe add some beads. I wanted to add beads to the last one, but couldn’t quite figure it out. I will watch the tutorial I downloaded the other day before I start a new basket.

The new facebook shopping cart app, ECWID, only allows 10 products in my catalog. I guess I will have to pick and choose what I want to feature. I can make as many changes as I want, just can't go over ten products.

It's done

Morning.

It’s done! Finally finished this basket. Yay. Going to take a couple of days off because my fingers are sore. Although I am feeling motivated to start another.

This is the finished product. It looks a little out of shape, but that will be fixed when I preserve it with the beeswax.

I even had time to clean up my mess, vacuum, etc., before I had to get ready to go to dinner. Was a good crowd, about 19 of us.

It rained quite hard while we were there. Some of the dust an pollen finally got rinsed off my car. It was getting difficult to see what color it was. I really need to spend a few minutes on it and put a coat of polish on it. I really should have stuck to my original plan to have just an appetizer but I ordered a taco salad. How hard is it to screw that up? Well, they managed. It was terrible. I only ate about half of it, and I dropped $12. That is the last restaurant I am going to for a while. It just isn't’ worth the money.

Was just getting ready to go out and walk this morning and it started raining. I think it rained about 10 minutes, but I waited about a half hour. This is what the sky looked like when I did get out this morning…

That was taken with my phone, so the photo doesn’t do it justice, but you get the idea. Arizona has some pretty impressive sunrises and sunsets.

Not sure what I am going to do today. I will probably read. Give my fingers a break. I am feeling creative tho…maybe I will bead something.

You have probably seen it on the news already, but a bridge on I10 collapsed from the flood waters in California yesterday. I10 is the main route to anywhere from here and that wasn’t all that far from here. I need to see if there is an alternate route to Blythe from Q if that is how California bridges hold up. I would rather go back roads anyway. That highway makes me nervous on the best of days. Lots of accidents on that road. Looking at the map, it looks like there is an alternate route that sort of runs parallel to the highway. I might check that out. It would be a little longer, but it wouldn’t be the highway. And no big trucks.

I guess that is about all I have this morning. I am going to see about getting my glasses ordered. I need to measure my current ones to see what size I need and find my prescription.

Ants again!

Dealing with ants again this morning. Back to the smaller ones. This time I didn’t bother with the borax, I just used the spray. I will have to get some more. Ugh.

I got the two gigantic sweet potatoes  prepped and cooked. I got eight individual servings out of them and got them bagged and in the freezer. Washed and dried the blueberries and got them into the freezer. Cleaned and cooked the collard greens and saved a few for a stir fry that I had last night. I didn’t actually get to work on the basket until about 1. There were limes in my BB, so I am putting them in my water. Gives it a nice touch. I have eaten two of the eight pears. I don’t like pears, but I paid for them, so I am going to eat them. Trying to get them gone before I move on to the better stuff. I may make a fruit salad to use up the rest of them.

There was a guy on FB looking for tree work so I had him come and trim the grapefruit. It is about half the size it was yesterday morning. They cut out all the suckers and dead stuff and did a first pass towards reshaping it. When it almost died, it ruined the shape. I can’t say that it looks better, but I’m hoping it feels better.

Before....

After...

I sacrificed the two fruit that were on the tree in hopes that next year it will actually produce.

I made a stir fry with collards, okra, onion and shrimp. Seasoned with garlic, sea salt and chipotle pepper. It was good. I did much better with eating clean yesterday. It helps to have fresh fruit and veggies in the house. For lunch I had a salad with a boiled egg. The problem with the stir fry is that the house still smells like stir fry this morning. I guess I am going to have to spray, too humid and warm to open the windows.

We did get a few bursts of rain, thunder and lightening. But no measurable rain. Since the weather was messing with the TV signal I popped in a couple of movies. I watched After Earth first, I liked that one and will have to watch it again when I can actually see the TV without the window reflections, and then I watched Immortals. Didn’t like that one so much. Greek mythology, lots of murder and mayhem. I’m not much into mythology.

I need to get a new pair of glasses. I need a pair of bifocals so I can see what I’m working on and see the TV too. I kept switching glasses, even had on two pair at some point, but it isn’t easy and doesn’t work for me. I’m going to try ordering a cheap pair online. They are only for hand work and being able to see the TV so they don’t need to be pretty or expensive. I don’t like my progressive lenses, but they are fine for being out and about. I just don’t use the progressive part.

I’m hoping to finish up this basket today. Then I will take a couple of days off because my fingers are sore.

I’m probably going to go to the dinner this afternoon. It has been changed to Silly Al’s which is right here in town. I will probably just get an appetizer to keep the cost and the calories down. I’m basically down to my cash. I have to get on the stick and get Ody sold. Spoke to one of my neighbors this morning and he says that I should apply for the cashier’s job at Herb’s Hardware. They will be hiring in the fall. I can do that. It would be seasonal. I would have the summer off.

I downloaded three youtube tutorials on different basket stitches. I need to learn a new one, this one is getting old. Plus one on adding beads. I wanted to do that with this one, but didn’t quite know how. By downloading them I can watch them any time without using up my gigs.

Fruits and veggies

It has been a busy morning so far. I have a table covered with fruit and veggies that I picked up at 6:30 this morning. I will be spending some time on those today. I got blueberries, cherries, grapes, pears, and more for fruit and sweet potatoes, corn, okra and more for veggies. The sweet potatoes are huge so I am going to cook them and cut them up and freeze them. I will probably freeze most of the blueberries too. That will keep me busy for a while.

Since I didn’t walk this morning I took a ride around the park to make sure there wasn’t any damage from yesterday’s winds. It rained all around us, but we didn’t get enough to even mention. 

I went to the post office, the hardware store for a replacement hose for the shower, and to the market for bunny carrots. I picked up a few other things while I was there too. Then I came back and did some more work on the basket. I am hoping to wrap this one up by some time tomorrow. It is looking pretty good. I need to figure out how to put some more beads in/on it, and I am going to finish it up with another blue.

I went across the street this morning to see Rusty about a couple of scroll work basket bases. Also to see what he had for discards he wanted to get rid of. I only have two resin bases left. He said he would see what he could do. He does beautiful scroll work.

I have someone coming to look at my grapefruit tree to see about pruning it. It is technically the wrong season, but it isn’t producing (other than the two it has) anyway, and it does need some attention. He is on his way now, and after that I have a table full of produce that has to be dealt with. Then more basket work.

Solar cooking via 12 volts

We have some storms in the forecast for the next day or so and a flash flood warning for the washes. This morning it is hot and humid. Humid enough to smell the water in the air. Smells like it does when the watering systems are on. I had to look and make sure something hadn’t sprung a leak somewhere. 

Yesterday I got the leak fixed on G street, and went back and checked on it later and checked it again this morning. I also had to tweak the bubbler heads for the grapefruit tree, I think the water pressure is down. The system on the north oleanders sounds like it has a lot of air in the pipes when it is going. 

Speaking of leaks, I need to buy a new hand held shower this morning, the cheap one I picked up at Family Dollar has sprung a leak - again. This one I can’t fix, has to be replaced. The only other thing I need to do is go to the post office. Tomorrow at 7 AM I pick up my Bountiful Basket.

Spent most of yesterday working on the blue basket. I did throw together a chili and put it out in the shed on the 12v crock pot and cooked dinner with solar power. It worked. I had to keep checking it as the breaker tripped a couple of times, but that is probably because it was so hot. Nice to know I can cook dinner without using electricity.

Vicki left yesterday and is on a plane to Maryland at the moment. She will be back in a month or so. Keith will be back mid September. Going to be strange without both of them. I have gotten used to having them around. 

Eating out...again

I spent a good part of the day working on the new basket. I don’t know what it is going to look like, but I did make some progress. I have quite a bit more done than this picture shows...

I had to put it down and get changed because Vicki wanted to go get something to eat. We went to Quizno’s about half way between here and Blythe. It is a truck stop counter but at least they had a place to sit. We also hit several of the other truck stops on the way back because she was looking for a neck pillow for the flight tomorrow. I bought a 12v crock pot at one of the truck stops. I had been wanting one and I am going to try it out today. I will be cooking in the shed, but that is ok, it will keep the heat out of the house. I’m hoping my solar generator can handle it. If not, I will try the inverter. It is 1.5 quart, the same size is my electric one. Not sure what I am going to try in it tho, something without meat initially. Just in case. I also found a couple of 100% cotton bandanas. It is almost impossible to find the good ones these days. I needed something to keep the sweat out of my eyes when I am working outside. I bought a black one and a red one.

I had to fix the watering timer on G street this morning. Someone had turned it off because it was leaking, but no one told me. Good thing I am somewhat intelligent, I figured it out. I took it apart and put some teflon tape on it, but I really had to crank on it to stop it from dripping. I will go back and check it again in a little while. This is when the scooter comes in handy. I won’t have to walk as I have already done a mile and a half this morning. Plus it is already warm. Oh, and there was a toad in the timer hole. He was freaking out because I was in there working. I had to help him out. He didn’t go far, went and hid a foot or so away. My guess is that he will be back in there when I go back. I finally went and checked out the tool shed this morning. I was looking for rubber washers because the ones I have don’t quite fit. Didn’t find any, but now I know what is available for next time.

I have had to chase the feral black cat out of my yard quite a bit in the last week or so. Poor thing has lost most of it’s tail. I haven’t seen the other two lately. They live under the empty place next door. I had to fish a whole slice of bread out of the bird bath. Not sure who put it in there, but my guess is the black bird. He likes to dunk his/her food. Haven’t seen much of my lizards the last week or so. I had to spray for ants and I hope it didn’t hurt them. That is why I try to avoid using chemicals, but it had to be done. First I had the tiny red ants, and when I finally got rid of those, the big red ants moved in. Those I had to spray.

I figured since last night was the last time I would be eating out for a while that I would make it a good one. Had a 5 inch sub, a bag of chips and some really weak iced black tea. Then we went to DQ and got ice creams. I got a small Blizzard. It was very good. I can’t remember the last time I had ice cream. It isn’t on my list of acceptable foods. Neither was the sub or the chips. Then, last night Bea stopped by and told me they are going to Sizzler in Blythe on Sunday. I think I am going to pass on that. I weighed myself yesterday and I have gained three pounds. If I am gaining weight that means my blood sugar is having issues too. Time to curtail that. Bea tells me that I will have neighbors in the lot next door in a few weeks. The one that my patio faces, so I will have to look at whatever rig they park there. I really like having both places on either side of me empty. Oh well. 

I thought about ordering the kindle fire yesterday, but after looking a little closer, the only way to get the $60 off was to order $35 worth of accessories. That wasn’t much of a deal to me. I didn’t bother to look at anything else. I figured all their so called “deals” had similar requirements. I will order one some other time. Besides, the 32 gig were already sold out. I didn’t order anything, not even the leaf vac, although I will have to soon, the patio is covered again and the leaves would make good mulch for the grapefruit tree.

Vicki just dropped off the last of her perishables including a couple packages of rice cakes. I was down to my last few and you can’t buy them in Q in the off season. Those will get me through until the next time I go to a real grocery store. And I just spotted one of the tiny lizards, so I know there is at least one around. I haven’t checked the fountain for any fatalities.

Quiet days

Yesterday was a quiet day.  I did get to the post office and the Salvation Army. I had several packages at the post office including my new thread for my baskets. At the Salvation Army I picked up a cast iron griddle, a wooden base I may make into a basket and an orange doily. I’m working orange into the bedroom. I had picked up a pure silk pillow cover there a couple months back, it was orange. I had originally planned to use it to cover the footstool, but it was in mint condition and I couldn’t bring myself to cut it up. So it is my ornamental pillow on the bed. The mexican blanket I have on the window has orange in it too, and the storage box I got last week is orange. I also got an onion keeper and a wire photo stand. Though it would make a good basket stand. Not sure what I will do with the doily, but will figure something out.

I did make the second bracelet yesterday, but it was a fail. I am not happy with it at all. I’ll keep it and use it as a what not to do for future work. Since my blue thread came, I decided to start the next basket, but that got slowed down because I couldn’t get the needle thru the holes drilled in the base. I had to redrill all the holes in that one and the other one that was similar. I tried a smaller needle, but that didn’t work either. But I did finally get it started.

I did order the Bountiful Basket plus the southern hospitality package. I pick it up Saturday at 7AM. I should have plenty of fruits and veggies then. I will put off any grocery shopping until I see what is in the basket. I’m hoping to get back to clean eating now that everyone is gone and there won’t be any eating out for a while.

This morning I put the wind up timer on Lorna and Bob’s palm trees, I will have to go back and make sure it did turn off, but it seemed to be working fine when I was there. I also checked Vicki’s palms again and they are getting water so I don’t have to do anything there. She is leaving tomorrow and I have to go get her indoor palm this morning. I am going to palm sit while she is gone. I’m hoping it can live on the patio and that it isn’t too hot for it out here. My anti static bags were in my po box, so I made up some credit card covers for her. They should keep any of her cards with the RFID chip in them from getting scanned. I only needed two. I was hoping they would make it before she left.

Today is Amazon Prime day. I have to decide if I want to order my kindle now and save $60. I also want to get a leaf vac/mulcher for the patio. I am sick of sweeping up leaves. I could use them as mulch for the grapefruit tree. I have until the end of the day to decide. 

The rest of the day will be basket coiling as it is too hot to be outside. Yesterday topped out at 112, and it is only supposed to get warmer.

Reading and snoozing

Not much to write about this morning. Yesterday was a wasted day. I slept and read alternately thru the day. The temps are back up over 110 degrees, so I didn’t spend much time outdoors. Didn’t go anywhere or do anything. It was also an eating day. Just one of those days where whatever I ate just didn’t satisfy the craving so I kept eating even tho I wasn't hungry. About the only productive things I did yesterday was sweep the leaves off the patio (they are back) and keep the sink dish free.

I guess today I will shower and dress early, do a load of laundry and head to town to the post office. I don’t really need to go to DG, so it will just be the post office and Salvation Army. I also have to decide if I am going to order a bountiful basket or not. I have until 10 tonight to decide.

I guess I will start either a new basket or the new bracelet today. I am still waiting for the blue thread for the two bases that are predominantly blue. I have one more base that is red and green and one more plain wooden base. I’m thinking of making a fruit basket for the table with the second plain wooden base. But I need the black thread for that and I ordered that the same time I ordered the blue.

Another eight weeks or so and it should start cooling down. More outdoor time. Also things should start picking up in town. By Thanksgiving there will be a lot more to do around here. I’m hoping to spend more time at the rock club and do their monthly tailgater (craft show). I now have tables and a decent car I can use. Plus, I would like to do some hiking. Maybe I can get Keith in on that. I bet he hasn’t been to Crystal Hill or climbed Q Mountain. There is also Palm Canyon. All of which I have done, but would like to do again.

I will also try container gardening again and see if I can get some trumpet vine and desert willow started again. I managed to get them both started, but they didn’t survive the heat. I need to find someone to come prune my grapefruit tree as well. A professional. Someone who knows what they are doing. It has grown a lot and has a lot of dead stuff too. It is getting too big and needs to be tamed.

A very expensive burger

Not much to write about this morning. I read in the morning and then got ready to go to Parker to Stroke’s Steak House for lunch. They all went for the prime rib, but I haven’t had a prime rib that I have been happy with so I had a burger and fries. I think I should have looked at the menu a little closer, it cost me $15 for a burger, fries and an iced tea, add the tip to that and a twenty dollar bill was completely shot. Pretty pricey for a burger and fries. Wasn’t even a great burger, it was just OK. Sigh….

Got back around 3:30 and the day was shot. I finished the book I had started in the morning and then watched a little TV. I had a hell of a job getting to sleep last night. I got up several times, and finally gave up and had some oatmeal and went to the recliner. I managed to get about four hours there. I’m tired this morning. The heat is on it’s way back in, it was mid 80’s when I got up, so no open windows this morning.

Had a hell of a job getting online this morning. It was acting like I was out of data, but it said I still had some. I added the new plan anyway after rebooting everything several times, and I finally connected.

More ants, big ones this time. I used the borax, but there were so many of them, using the cracks in the patio, that I ended up spraying them as well. I have to sweep up another huge batch of leaves this morning too.

Not sure what I am going to do today. I could get showered and dressed and do my weekly shopping rounds, but I don’t think I feel like it. I could also start a new bracelet or basket, but will probably end up reading and napping. Just feels like one of those kind of days. One good thing about yesterday and the restaurant, is that they had free wifi and I finally got all my apps update on my phone. 

Shed time

Spent some time in the shed yesterday finishing up the bracelet blanks. I prepped another one (punched holes and tumbled) so I can try another coiled bracelet. This one is thiner and lighter with only one set of holes going down the middle, and there will be no corners. It will be a bangle. Probably won’t start that until tomorrow. I did not get to look for my arrowheads. I really need to get in the shed and do some organizing, it is a mess, per usual. At least I can find my tools now that I have the tool chest. Although I am always opening the wrong drawer. I should label the drawers.

Got both the bracelet and the basket preserved with the beeswax. My oven worked just fine. I vacuumed and then settled in with a book. Hadn’t read for several days.

Vicki texted me yesterday saying her palm trees weren’t getting any water, and I looked this morning when they were scheduled to water. Sure enough, no water. These palms are on tiny feeds and they have probably been crushed by roots. I will need to get a couple of hoses, a splitter and a timer for them until Glenn and Diane get back and can take care of it. Will get that setup sometime this week. 

Going to another floating restaurant this afternoon. They want us to ride with them. Guess that means I will have to make another trip to Parker unless I can get them to stop at Walmart so I can get what I need. I know exactly what I need and where it is, so maybe they will be amenable.

We topped out at 104 degrees yesterday. I did get to open the windows and turn on the fans about 2:30 this morning. It has to be cooler or the same temp outside as it is inside before I do that. My AC is set at 80 degrees. I have already closed up for the day. But it is still comfortable out as long as I’m not in the sun.

Having a problem with ants. Little red ones on the patio, larger ones in the cat food for the birds. This morning I have the larger ones on the patio. They are after something that wasn’t there last night. I don’t eat out here, so I have no idea what they are after. I just hosed them down, and they are back already. 

I need to deal with the garbage this morning, that means a scooter ride. Other than that, I don’t have anything but dinner on the agenda for today. Tomorrow I will do my weekly rounds, post office, market and Salvation Army. I may also start the new bracelet tomorrow. If the new one comes out nice, I will post it for sale. The first one I will keep. I also need to spend some time on my shopping cart. I have had absolutely no sales and need to weed some of the more common stuff out.

Finished basket and an experimental bracelet

Was a full day yesterday. Spent a couple of hours working in the shed rolling some bracelet blanks, looking for my arrow heads (didn’t find them) and settling on shells to finish up the basket. I drilled the holes in the shells and then punched holes in a copper band for my next project and tossed it into the tumbler to polish it up. Can’t do it after. Then I showered and dressed and rode to town with Vicki. We went to the thrift shop where I bought three music CD’s, and DG where I picked up a few things I needed. When we got back, I finished up the basket. Here it is….

It still needs to be waxed, and am hoping to get that done today. Once that was done, I took a little break and then got started on my new project. Spent the rest of the day on that.

Started with this….

And the finished product…. If I make these to sell, they aren't going to be cheap. This one took about ten hours.

That is a piece of float copper (glacial deposits) from Michigan. The bracelet isn’t quite what I expected, but I am not unhappy with it. I want to get it waxed today along with the last basket so I can wear the bracelet tomorrow. My first one will not be gifted or sold. I need to tweak the next one a little, make some changes to its construction. It is quite heavy, so I might use a smaller piece of copper. I had wanted to do a bangle so I wouldn’t have corners, but that piece of copper wasn’t long enough I will have to stretch the next one a little more. I need to find my engraving pen so I can mark the inside.

Tomorrow we are all (A Street) going to another floating restaurant in Parker for dinner. I am going to have to start saying no to meals out pretty soon. Vicki wanted an omelette yesterday so we went to the Stagecoach for lunch. That was 12 bucks. I imagine tomorrow will be more. Currently none of the money I have been spending is getting replaced, so I am going to have to stop.

Another beautiful morning. 73 degrees. Almost felt cold. And here I was calling Keith a wuss. He has been here longer so is much more tolerant of the heat than the cold.

I probably won’t start another basket today. I want to spend some more time making bracelet blanks while it is cooler. I also need to plug in the crock pot so I can wax the bracelet and the basket. It will take a while for the beeswax to melt. I need to take another look for the arrow heads, they are there somewhere, several different sizes. Got those at the trade blanket last winter. They are with some other stuff, and it will be interesting to see if there is anything I can use. They might be in a cardboard box instead of a tote. I will be turning on the oven for the first time today as the latest basket won’t fit in the toaster oven. I’m hoping it works. :)

I also need to vacuum up the pine needle pieces that have gotten spread over the floors. It is time to vacuum anyway. Other than that, I don’t have much on the agenda. I do quite well keeping myself busy. For the most part, always have. I might take a day or two for reading. It has been a few days. I think the last book was on Monday. Or start another bracelet, I have some ideas on how to make it better.

I got my IP cam out the other day and set that up by the sliding doors. But I am thinking I might mount it at the back end of the patio so I can see the whole patio and the back door. It will be under cover and we don’t get the weather that the northeast gets, so it should be fine. Especially with the patio being enclosed. The only problem with that is I will have to run an extension cord because I never got the new outlets installed. I will have to have that done if I get a golf cart, unless I turn it solar, which is what I am considering doing. But I have to get Ody sold first before I can even think about that.

Almost done

Spent most of the day yesterday on my basket after it got warm out. We topped out at 100, the lowest it has been for a while. I did get ambitious and cleaned out the fountain, it hadn’t been fountaining the last week or so. Unfortunately, we had a fatality. I found a dead lizard in the base when I removed the top. Poor thing. I don’t know what kind of lizards they are. Arizona has thirty or so different kinds and I couldn't find mine in the list. I pumped out all the water, cleaned up the algae and reemed out the tubing. Works much better now. Eventually I will redesign the fountain. I still have all the glass globes from the dining area light fixture and some copper tubing. I might even make some leaves and do several level drop fountain. Will have to figure out how to mount the globes. That will be a cooler weather project, along with cleaning walls and cupboards.

The basket is virtually done. I need to trim it out a little. Do something with the handle. But this is what I got done yesterday.

I want to do something at the base of the handle and put some color on the top of the handle. Shells maybe? Dunno yet.

76 degrees walking at 5 AM. So nice compared to the 87 I have gotten accustomed to. Two more months of heat, and then it should start cooling down and the town will start getting active again. We seem to have a new batch of baby bunnies. Have been seeing more and more of the little ones. They are so cute. 

I don’t have anything on the agenda for today. I might go to the one remaining market and see if they have any edible produce. The fridge is looking kind of empty. Then again, I should use up some of what is in the freezer. I certainly won’t starve. I did boil some eggs yesterday to have for a quick lunch. I still have lettuce, peppers and mushrooms. But I need to do something with the mushrooms before they go bad. I think I have one tomato left too. So I guess I’m good for another couple of days. I have a little watermelon left and strawberries in the freezer. Plus some canned stuff. I also have some meatballs in the freezer, so maybe I will make a tomato sauce in the crock pot.

I swept up the leaves on the patio again yesterday and this morning it looks like I never did it. I don’t even have any trees. Just the grapefruit and it isn’t shedding. They blow in from the other streets. I guess I am going to have to start looking at leaf vacs. It is frustrating and I hate having them all over the patio.