Getting warmer

Yesterday was an OK day. Went to the Memorial Day service at the cemetery. It was short and sweet. I took a few pictures with the big camera, but nothing of note. I came back, read for a while and then went to an early dinner at the cafe. I had the fish basket - fish, fries and cole slaw. The cole slaw wasn’t very good. Way too much dressing on it. The fish was ok and the fries were ok. Not enough to bring any home for later. Their quality just isn't consistent there.

I only read one book yesterday.

Gonna be a hot one today. Over 100 according to the forecast, so it will be interesting to see how hot it actually gets. It is always warmer or colder than predicted. Saturday is going to be nasty hot - over 114 degrees. Will be a good day to stay indoors.

I guess today I will go to the post office. Hoping for another check. I also need to go to DG for a few things and want to go to Sal’s. I will take the car since it is multiple stops and I only have so much room to carry stuff on the scooter.

I had a bad night sleeping last night. Was way too warm after the swamp cooler turned off. I had to get up and turn it back on. It was upper 70’s when I walked this morning at 5 AM. Not much of a breeze either. 

Today I need to cook the brussels sprouts, I may marinate them after, and I think I am going to try making some home made plain yogurt. I have a crock pot recipe that I am going to try. Looks easy enough and I have just enough store yogurt to make a starter. I use plain yogurt like it was sour cream. I ordered my bountiful basket for this week and added the salad pack. I will be eating a lot of salad next week. 

Observing Memorial Day - things to do.

I’m actually going to do something today. Lois and Rusty invited me to the Memorial Day service at the cemetery so I am going to that, and there is an early dinner at the cafe around the corner this afternoon. I am planning on going to that too. It has been over a week since I have spent any money, so I guess I can splurge.

Vicki, Bea, and Lois cleaned up the memorial park here yesterday and put some flowers under the sign. 

Photo courtesy of Vicki Turek

I didn’t do much of anything yesterday. I did baby my stomach as it was still upset. I had to eat of course, but I didn’t eat a whole lot. I am hungry this morning, so I guess things are getting back to normal. I wish I were one of those people that could get away with just not eating, but I’m not. 

It was about 74 degrees when I walked this morning. Very nice. We hit 104 yesterday, briefly. We are supposed to be in the 114 vicinity in a few days. I turned the AC back up to 83. 82 was comfortable, so I added one more degree. Save a few pennies.

I ran the swamp cooler about an hour before bed time last night and again, I went right off to sleep. I just have to fill it up some time during the day to make sure it is ready for night. I wish it had six hours on the timer, but I guess four will have to do. I never hear it turn off.

I ate one of the tomatoes that I grew. The outside was tough, but it was tasty. I have a couple more ripening now, then I will prune the plants and see if I can over-summer them. Maybe I can get some more tomatoes in the fall. Today I order some more veggies from the bountiful basket. I have to say, I did eat much better with that stuff in the house, and now I have my dehydrator too so I can process what I can’t eat. It only takes a few days in the Arizona desert to dehydrate anything. I’ll probably get the additional grill pack too. I still have a few things left from the last one, but it should pretty much be gone by Saturday. I downloaded a recipe for roasted zucchini and peppers yesterday and will make that tomorrow since I will be eating out this afternoon.

I may also go to the picnic in the park at 6 tonight sponsored by the town. Might see if Keith is available. He owes me a ride in his convertible.

Just had a tarantula hawk buzzing around the yard, but wasn’t quick enough to get a picture of it. It is this giant flying bug that has a nasty sting that is off the pain scale. It won’t sting you unless you force it to. It lays eggs in live tarantulas. Not too many of those around here so we don’t see the bugs all that often. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula_hawk

I have started bringing my big camera out with me in the mornings since I missed the coyote shots the other day. Hopefully I will get another opportunity.

Missing my other half...

I'm feeling short tempered and irritable this morning. Had a rough night. Ate too much and am paying for it.

I'm bored. Nothing to do and no one to do it with. The story of my life. Thought I had left that behind, but I guess not. I don't ever remember feeling this way when I had Jake in my life, but I do remember many times before and after.

Most of the time I am successful in keeping myself busy. But I am getting tired of reading all the time and not seeing any other humans. It has been days and days since I have seen anyone else other than a quick hello while out walking at 5 AM. The rest of the time I have puttered and read.

Add to that my limited and expensive internet. I can't spend a lot of time online or watch anything, being stuck indoors due to the fact that it is summer in the Sonoran Desert, the place is deserted, and nothing going on anywhere around here and the lack of friends. And zero income, so I can't do anything that will cost money.

I'm basically feeling dissatisfied and cranky. At least my Kindle books are free. I spend most of my time reading because I just can't seem to get myself motivated to create anything. Jewelry, painting, whatever.

I'm envious of the couples that got to spend 30 or more years together - that are getting to grow old together. Jake and I had a good thing and were just gearing up to start another phase in our lives when he died. We only had ten years, we were just getting started. It makes me wonder what I did to deserve being alone most of my life. I am not a bad person and Jake and I had a great relationship. He was my best friend and I was his.

I am grateful for what I have, no question there. But I miss Jake and the life we had together. I miss my best friend.

Home video

I don't have this video shared to the public, not sure if you will be able to see it from here. It isn't very good, but a quick pass through my place and my yard.


https://www.facebook.com/holly.bonville/posts/10207917375184712

If that one doesn't work, try this one....

https://www.facebook.com/holly.bonville/videos/10207917369784577/?l=373641304633991282

Time lapse cactus blossom

I haven't used this camera in a long time. This came out surprisingly well considering. It didn't snap in low light, I will have to change that setting for the next time as we miss most of the actual opening at night. I may also give it an umbrella to block some of the sunshine.

Blossoms

I didn’t do a whole lot yesterday. I did have to turn on the AC as we hit 101 degrees and it is going to get steadily warmer now. I read my requisite two books and didn’t do a whole lot else. I did hop in the cool tub a couple of times, and I couldn’t get to sleep last night so I went out and hopped in again. It worked. I went right off to sleep once I went back in. Cooled me down enough.

I don’t have much to write about this morning so here are a few pics instead.

Took both of these this morning on my way back from my walk. 

Another cactus blossom along my fence.

 

The time lapse camera and the cactus blossom. I still have it taking pics and will let it go a while longer. I don’t think there was enough light to actually get the blossom opening, but I won’t know for sure until later. The cactus are night bloomers. Next time I will have to setup some light.

A couple of grow bench blossoms. One is some sort of gloxinia and the other is my geranium.

Coyote

I keep thinking today is Saturday - but it isn’t. Good thing I have my computer to keep me straightened out.

I got myself showered and dressed and went off to the post office on the scooter. It didn’t take much longer than it would have with the car. The scooter goes a hair slower than the speed limit. It was a nice day for a ride too. With it’s current charge I could probably take at least another trip to the post office, if not two. Nice to know.

The rest of the day was pretty much spent reading.

A little excitement this morning. The neighbors dog was going nuts, and when I looked, there was a coyote just on the other side of my fence. Of course I didn’t have my big camera, but I did have my phone so I did get a picture, just not as good as I would have liked. I actually missed the best shot right out front because I hit the wrong button on the phone. Go figure.

 

So that is four that I have seen in about a week.

Today I am going to set up my time lapse camera and try to get the cactus blossom opening. I haven’t used the camera in ages and need to read the instructions. I also put new batteries in it. Hopefully I will get it.

I didn’t walk this morning because I missed the walking window between daylight and sunrise. TV was so bad last night I crashed early and then of course was up in the wee hours. By the time I got up the second time, it was too late.

I’m probably going to go to CA to see Georgia in the next couple of weeks. Jojoba Hills near Temecula. That is about a half day’s drive from here and is supposed to be quite a bit cooler. She makes silver jewelry. Will be nice to get out and do something and see something new.

I don’t have anything on the agenda for today. I have already started up the tank filter as it is already warm here and I will be using it. I had a hard time cooling down the house last night too. Only managed to get it down to about 76 degrees. I probably could have gotten it cooler if I used the window over the desk, but with the curtain there, it almost isn’t worth the trouble. But I guess I will set that fan back up since it is getting harder to cool the house down. The big fan in front of the sliding door just isn’t working. Can’t get the fan close enough to the door to suck in the cooler air.

Cactus and coyotes

Well, the big fan works on the solar, but not happily. Just not enough juice and too much extension cord and power loss. Oh well, it was worth a try. At least I know if there is a power outage I can run it if I need to. The scooter was fully charged and I am sure I will find something else I can run off the solar. So much energy just waiting to be used.

I got my shower, the water has been fixed, and off I went on a fully charged scooter to Sal’s. I got a sheer curtain to make a cover for the food dehydrator, a pillow sham to make a seat cover for the scooter, a couple of tops and a small mexican style dish. 

I made the cover for the food dryer and got that hung outdoors. Should keep the bugs away. Hopefully. I also put a drawstring on the pillow sham and covered the scooter’s vinyl seat. Arizona and black vinyl…do I need to say more? Not crazy about the green on the blue so I will keep my eyes open for something a little more suitable. It didn’t take long to do.

I want to change the crate on the back of the scooter. I have a rectangular black one that came from the trailer that I would like to use. Will need to figure out how to support it tho.

I have two tomatoes that are getting ripe. Once they have ripened, I am going to prune the plant and try to keep it alive during the summer. I would like to have more tomatoes in the fall. It will be too hot for it to produce during the summer. It is putting out blossoms, but no new fruit now.

   

Saw several cactus blooming this morning. One is just on the other side of my fence, the other is the next street over. My cactus has another bud that will bloom in a few days.

 I don’t have much else to write about this morning. Not much on the agenda for today. I do need to deal with the bananas and some of the other stuff that was in the basket. They are too far gone for me to eat, I prefer mine with some green still on them. These didn’t have any green when I got them, and the stems were gone too, so the ends are all mushy. Gonna blend them up with some french vanilla creamer and make ice cream (of sorts).

I saw another coyote when I was on my way to Sal’s yesterday. He/she was just trotting up the road near the east wash. It ran when it saw me. Probably bunny hunting. That makes three in the last week. Before that I only saw one when I was camped out in the desert. No pictures. I will have to start carrying my little pocket camera. I could have used the phone, but the picture wouldn’t have been any good, it was too far away to get any details.

Keith is currently traveling up the Pacific Coast Highway. I'm envious. I should have gone with him. Oh well. I will make it there some day. His pictures are amazing.

Solar power

Well, I did get a few things done yesterday. The scooter WILL charge via solar from the trailer. Yay! Now I need to see if I can run my big fan indoors on solar. That would save a few pennies. I may even consider setting up a couple of solar panels on the house with a couple of batteries when I get some money again. It isn’t like the northeast where the sun is iffy. Here it is the rain and clouds that are iffy. I didn’t get a complete charge on the scooter since I didn’t really start early enough, but it should be darned close to being full. I will take it out later and see what it reads while it is in use. I am planning on going to Sal’s on the scooter. I can go the back way and avoid the majority of the road construction.

The scooter charging on the trailer solar.

I went ahead and made the air food dryer out of the screens I had bought when I still had Kali Cat. I had used them in the sliding door above her door to keep the buggies out and they have been sitting in the shed since she has been gone, over a year, and I hadn’t found a use for them, so this is perfect. Right now I have it hanging in the living room, but I want to buy a sheer curtain to make an insect cover and then I will hang it outdoors. I will have to find a new spot for my bar harbor bell. It doesn’t ring where it is anyway.

The dryer just completed and then with its first batch of veggies to dry. A whole bunch of celery. The rest I cut and cleaned and put back in the fridge. I am now down to one bunch instead of three.

I may spread the celery out to a second shelf to speed up the drying process once I get it outside.

I chopped up the old celery, a pepper, a small zucchini and the last of my store bought baby bella shrooms and half a white onion and cooked them in the crock pot. I did end up making a cream of celery soup using my stick blender. It was ok. Cream of celery isn’t one of my absolute favorites, but it was a healthy meal although I did have two biscuits with butter with my soup. I did pretty good on the whole eating thing yesterday, my snacks were fresh fruit and I didn’t snack in the morning. I find I need to eat about every three hours, and I have cravings in between. That is the diabetes talking and I have to force myself to resist it. I had the same issue when I was first diagnosed. I just have to healthy eat my way out of that. Eventually, the cravings will stop.

I did not spend any money yesterday. I did have to stop myself from some online shopping a couple of times and not to look at something interesting on FB. I figure the less I know, the less I will want it. So I think I am up to four days without spending anything. Today I hope I get my shopping fix at Sal’s where I am using change from a jar and it doesn’t count. (My rules :) ).

I have been trying to come up with something that I can sell from home that will bring me some money. I have been tossing around custom Vermont Snowflake ornaments. A wooden ornament in the shape of a snowflake with an engraved cactus and Quartzsite 2016 on it. I wonder if I could sell those here? Might be worth enquiring to see what it would cost me to have a small batch made. Hmmm…after a little bit of research, there is a water jet company in Bisbee that might be willing to work with me. Their stuff is metal and since I would be selling in AZ, the product should be made in AZ and metal would be a lot easier to drop in the mail, less likely to break and less expensive packaging. Gonna have to think on it. I need something unique that people would buy. Ornaments are always a decent seller.

I have been for my walk this morning. I didn’t walk for three days and I could feel it. Yesterday was Sunday and I don’t walk on Sunday’s, and Saturday I had to go pick up the bountiful basket. Not sure why I didn’t walk on Friday, I may have overslept and missed the walking window. Anyway, I did the full walk this morning and had to push myself.

Lost water pressure last night. Seems that one of the two wells has a defective controller. Seemed to be back a little while ago, but thought it was back last night and it went again. Good thing it is the off season since it affects the whole town. At least I have a trickle, a lot of people have nothing.

Didn’t run the AC yesterday. I did get warm later in the day and took a quick dip in the tank. Supposed to be a little warmer today and then cooler again tomorrow. Makes for good sleeping. Wish the whole summer would be like this. That would be just ideal.

The sun is almost up high enough to try plugging the fan into the solar. Would be nice if I could run that all day on sunshine. I have some foam pipe insulation that I will use in the window opening. Did the same thing yesterday when I ran the cord out the trailer window. And if the water pressure is back I will grab a shower. 

The elbow and knee still have issues. I don’t think they are going away any time soon. Although the knee is a little better. 

Lots and lots of fresh veggies

This is what I got in my Bountiful Basket and the grill pack.

   

I have already eaten the blackberries and cut and had some of the cantaloup. I had to ask what kind of peppers those were and I have been told they are anaheim peppers. They have a slight bite to them but are not hot. So I have lots of veggies now, no excuse. I need to find something to do with all the celery. I already had some in the fridge. I guess maybe I will throw together a veggie soup in the crock pot. It’s only supposed to be in the 80’s and is quite breezy, so it is a good day for it.

I resurrected the compost bin that Jake and I used in VT. I hate throwing that stuff out and the bunnies will eat some of it. They are pretty fussy tho. The whole watermelon I threw out yesterday is still there under the grapefruit tree. I figure if the critters don’t want it, the tree will get it. Stuff dries out pretty fast here.

Glen and Diane just left. They stopped in to say goodbye. They might be back before fall as they think they may have sold their Oregon place. It is pretty freakin quiet here now. Not many people left, one or two stragglers and the half dozen or so full time residents. No one left to play with.

I have been considering having a box installed from the trailer to the house with an indoor plug. Would be really nice if I could run my fan inside on solar power from outside. Maybe a few other things too. It is there and isn’t being used, and if I could save a few bucks even better. Or I could just run an extension cord. Would have to make sure any cracks or crevices were sealed so nothing could get in and I wouldn’t be loosing cooled air. I guess an extension cord would be the best way to start, I have those and it wouldn’t cost anything.

It wasn’t hot hot yesterday, but I was getting warm near the end of the day so I took a dip in the cool tub while my pizza was in the oven. I have used it almost every day and some days several times. Depends on the temps. And the water is crystal clear now that I have the filter pump working. I keep it covered to keep the bugs and leaves and feathers out. I still have to sweep the patio pretty much every day. I don’t know where all the leaves come from.  Next street over I guess since there are no real trees anywhere around me. And the birds are constantly dropping feathers. I should find something to do with them. Most of them are downy.

Well, I guess it is time I got myself moving. There are several things I want to do like the cleaning, hooking up the scooter to the solar, etc. Oh, and my soup. Maybe a cream of celery soup would be nice. That would get rid of the oldest celery. Maybe I will dry some too. Hmmm….I could make a dryer out of the two adjustable screens I have in the shed. OK, so I have another project. Now I will have to find a place to hang it too.

Lizards

Well, it hit the upper 90’s yesterday and I didn’t turn on the AC, but I think today I will. It was just too warm inside without it.

Anyway, I got the leak fixed on the tank and have discovered that it is also leaking around the pump. I need to chase that down and fix that. It isn’t bad, but enough to keep the bricks wet and that isn’t a good thing here.

I also tried the pump out on the solar power in the shed and it worked just fine. Yay! I can run that every day and it won’t cost me a cent. I like that. Too bad I don’t have enough solar to run the AC. I might have enough to run the big fan tho, just run a cord from the trailer to the house. Worth a try.

I put up another curtain on the patio. In the morning when I like to sit outside with my computer, the sun is right in my eyes. The new curtain blocks that. 

I modified the little solar panel for the fountain, it now has a heavy gauge wire on it’s back to make it easier to secure to things. Right now it is at the top of the wire cactus. I was having a hard time getting it to stay where I wanted it. 

My cactus garden last year and this year. Huge difference. 

I had a pair of lizards hanging around the yard yesterday. I got some pics with my big camera but haven’t downloaded them yet. The last time I saw them they were hanging out under the aloe plant in the cactus garden. And I had to spray for ants on the grow bench. They just pop up anywhere in an instant. They weren’t there when I watered in the morning.

Here are some lizard pics, I actually had my camera out when I saw them.

Still having issues with my elbow. I have stopped sleeping on my left side, but it hasn’t helped much. I have a similar problem with my left knee but thankfully it hasn’t affected my walking. Of course, every time I bang an elbow, it has to be my left one and that happens on a regular basis. Arthritis?

Filter pump and cactus blossoms

Monday I went to the market and got some veggies and a watermelon, then went to the post office to pick up my packages. I figured I might as well do my complete routine and hit DG and Sal’s. I picked up some pots and some soil at DG so I could plant the garlic and green onions that I bought and noticed that my sweet potato had a nice little start on it so I planted that too. I had bought three red pots. Good thing as I used all three. Picked up a few things at Sal's on my way back.

This is the lantern I got at Sal's. I saw an idea online last week and it made me think of it, so when I saw it was still there, I grabbed it. Not sure what I am going to do with it yet, but will figure it out.

My pot was at the post office waiting for me too. I knew it would look nice here. I just love the vivid colors. Just wish it had cost a little less.

My grapefruit tree has a bug of some sort. It is looking pretty bad. I will have to figure it out or get rid of it. I’m getting tired of dealing with it. It only seems to be the new growth. I guess it is time to trim it again. I’m guessing it has leaf miners which means I will have to cut off all the new growth. I could treat it, but I don’t want my birds and bees to get into pesticides.

Unfortunately, I had to go to Herbs this morning. I got the filter pump for the tank, but it wasn't strong enough to lift the water and I needed to put the feed hose in the drain hole on the tank to let gravity help move the water. It has enough power to push the filtered water up and out, so it is actually working pretty well. There is a leak around the new fitting. I have already tried a couple of things to stop the leak, goop, some tape, but so far it hasn't worked. My next attempt will be with rubber bands. It is just a drip, but I don't want it dripping at all. 

I ordered my Bountiful Basket on Monday and I also ordered the grill pack that is supposed to have peppers and mushrooms and other good stuff. I will have more fruit and veggies than I know what to do with, but maybe it will jump start me into clean eating again.

I put together my new standing commercial grade fan (with no instructions, they weren't included), but even tho it works, it is broken. I contacted the seller and they are sending a new motor for it. It moves more air than all the rest of my fans put together. I didn’t really need the AC yesterday with that fan going. When the new motor gets here it should also oscillate. Plus I'm hoping the new motor doesn't smell like oil. Hoping that is just from the damage to the housing.

I'm going to try not to use the AC until the temps hit 100. It was in the 90's yesterday and will be again today and I haven't used the AC for a couple of days. The new fan makes a huge difference. I really would like to keep the electric usage down as much as possible. I am also going to try the filter pump for the tank on solar power. If it doesn't pop the inverter, I should be good. 

Not much on the agenda for today. See if I can get the hose to the pump to stop leaking and try out the solar power. I already walked this morning. Didn't want to, but I did - the whole walk. I'm thinking I am going to need some new walking tunes soon. Getting tired of the old ones.

The second blossom on the cactus is out this morning. There are more buds so I am hoping there will be more in the next couple of weeks.

Almost got some rain late yesterday, but it went around us.

A spa room

I have already showered, dressed and walked. I showered before my walk this morning because I really needed to wash my hair and put on some clean clothes. I don’t know what I am going to do today. Yesterday I did the curtains for the patio. It took a while to do but I am pleased with it. The new drop cloths arrived just as I finished the book I was reading, perfect timing. I got that put up and then went and soaked in my tub. I had worked up quite a sweat working on the cables for the curtains. Up and down the ladder several times, and I had to move stuff around a few times too. I had another quick dip right before I went to bed.

This is the finished product.

  

Georgia says it looks like a spa, so that is what I am going to call that new room - the spa room. Just need something to hang my suit and towels on now.

I need to deal with the garbage, so I will probably take the golf cart out for that. I have cardboard, so it is more than the scooter will handle. I have a real paper book that I started late yesterday, so I will probably finish that up. It is going to be hot the next few days. Planning on a fair amount of tub time. 

I had to replant the cactus babies I got three times. Not sure what is messing with them, but I fixed their wagon...

They should be able to get established now. I would like to get some more rocks, but am not feeling that ambitious. Going to be too warm today. That is a winter project.

Happy Mother's Day

Yesterday I got a fair amount accomplished. I got myself showered and dressed and off to town. I stopped at Herb’s first to get that out of the way. I got the clamps I needed for the curtain cables and the blocks to finish the partial wall. After that I went to the post office and other thrift shop. Spent $6 and got a couple of tops, a pair of kakhi shorts, and a little ceramic container. A couple of the tops I had to take the sparklies off. I like shirts with sparkles on them, but I won’t wear them. Lots of times tho the shirt itself is pretty kool so I will buy it and remove the beads or whatever is on it. After that I went to DG and picked up some stuff I needed.

This is the little pot/container I got for fifty cents…

Got back and got everything unloaded and put away then proceeded to finish up the half wall. I’m pretty happy with it. That is my gravity wall - gravity is what is holding it together. I had to buy four more cinder blocks and five toppers. I went with the red toppers to tie it in a little with the mexican brick on the patio and stairs.

I did get the clamps for the curtain cables but didn’t bother putting them up. I have another drop cloth curtain on the way and I will just do it all at once since it requires a ladder. I think a plant or two would look nice on the shelf behind the fireplace, but maybe some mexican pottery of some sort would be better. We’ll see what Sal’s has tomorrow. I’m sure I will find something.

After that I read for a while and then removed the sparklies from the two shirts and did a load of laundry. I also fiddled with the fountain a bit. Tried bending some copper without it crimping, it was a partial success. Water goes through it. Now I have to get a little more ornamental and decorative. Right now it is just a curved piece of copper tubing. Nothing exciting. So all in all, a productive day for me. I even got the garbage and card board to the dumpsters before I headed to town.

I hate to do it, but I guess I am going to have to bite the bullet. DG is looking for a manager and I am going to apply. I’m not ready to go back to work, especially full time, but I will have to do it at some point in the near future. It is an opportunity I can’t pass up. The manager position isn’t open all that often. Then I could dump all that angst about Herbs and not have to deal with that again. Plus, I can’t live on what I earned at Herbs.  Today’s chore will be to get the online application filled out and submitted. I basically have to retype my resume even tho I have already uploaded it. There is also an assistant manager position, I may apply to that as well. Worse comes to worse, I can always be a cashier. Sigh…beats waitressing tho. I promised myself years and years ago that I would never be a waitress and so far I have kept that promise. If I have to be a cashier I will wait to start working for a while yet. Enjoy my time off while I have it.

It wasn’t hot enough to use the tub yesterday. Close, but not quite. Supposed to get progressively warmer this week into the 100’s so I’m sure I will be using it very soon. I ordered a skimmer so I can keep it clean and picked up a cheap vinyl shower curtain to cover it with. 

I have been doing better with the whole eating thing. But I need to be even more diligent. I’m working on it. All these restaurant breakfasts and lunches aren’t helping tho. I have been invited to another one on Thursday that I will go to. Same restaurant as this morning. But Thursday I think I will walk over for the exercise. It is basically just around the corner. Today I am being picked up. Last time I went there I rode my scooter. It is outside the park so I can’t take the golf cart. The Mountain Quail Cafe reopened yesterday so we are going to try that out for breakfast this morning.

We got a few showers late in the day and I caught the tail end of the rainbow…

Saw this photo online yesterday. I absolutely love it and the feel of the spot. I'm putting the pic up here so I can find it again. I may try to recreate it at some point.

Patio curtains

About the only thing I did yesterday was get the curtain up for the cool tub. I will have to do it over. I couldn’t get the cable tight enough since I didn’t have any cable clamps, but I have larger canvas drop cloths on the way and will wait until they get here to do it. I’m pretty pleased with it tho. It will work just fine. I even have a PVC stick on it to open and close it. The back side will also have a canvas drop cloth curtain as it is right next to the neighbors back door. The side the tub is on has the shed blocking the view from the outside, so that doesn't need a curtain. Plus it lets in the light.

I also need to make a cover for the tub. Not sure with what or how yet. But I will get it figured out.

I rearranged the concrete blocks and have to get a few more plus some toppers to cover the holes. I think I am going to go up one more row on the back one so I will have a spot to put a few things. Maybe a plant or two or some interesting rocks. I did redo the ones where the holes are showing so they don’t show now. This pic is before I did that.

It wasn’t warm enough yesterday to use the tub, only upper 70’s. Today is supposed to be about the same and warm up steadily to the 100’s by Wednesday or Thursday. I will definitely be using it by then.

We did get a bit of rain yesterday. Not a measurable amount tho. Chance of a few showers today. It doesn’t rain very often and we don’t have cloudy days all that much either. When the storms come in off the coast, we usually just get the wind, the actual weather goes northeast.

Today I am thinking of going to the other thrift shop. Sal’s is on their summer schedule and are only open Monday thru Wednesday. The other shop is open Thursday thru Saturday, and they both are only open until 1. I need to get out of the house as I haven’t been out since I went to the post office on Monday. I may go to Herbs to get the stuff I need to finish up this project too. At some point I am going to have to get a few groceries. I used up the last of my mushrooms and peppers yesterday. Not much left in there. Although I would like to get some of the older stuff in the freezer used up. Not much in the way of meat in there, but there are some veggies, some blue cheese and some feta. I could start some sprouts too. 

I guess I need to reseed my little bench garden. It has been way too long and basically nothing has come up but a few little plants. Not sure why. The soil I got at Herbs was kind of moldy when I got it, so maybe that is what the problem is. It also has those little gnats in it. The eggshells have helped with that some, but it hasn’t completely gotten rid of them. I am going to try some cinnamon too. Can’t hurt. I have never had this much trouble gardening in the past. But then again, I haven’t lived in the arid desert in the past either.