San Luis Rio Colorado

I have to clean my house today. It is getting cluttered and it is starting to bug me. I have clothes on the bed, a bunch of different foot things (meds, wraps, etc.) on the table beside my chair and a bunch of stuff laying around the kitchen. I don’t like it when it gets like that. It is back to work today, but not until 5PM. I am hoping I will get a nap before having to go in. I also have to clean out the fridge and go to the dumpsters.

Mexico was OK. It is a real mexican town unlike Los Algodones which is geared towards the tourist. Everything was spanish, no bilingual. Although half of the town is on the Arizona side of the border. It was a quick in and out. We went in, walked around the block and then back out. I was underwehlmed with the whole thing. Of course I had to be careful walking with my foot and I am paying the price today. It still hurts from the walking yesterday which isn’t a good thing. I took very few pictures and didn’t even bring the real camera in with me. But this is what I got.

This is the fence along the border on the Arizona side. It goes as far as the eye can see. Miles and miles. 

The town of San Luis Rio Colorado, nothing remarkable. Had to snap the picture quickly because Keith was moving out of the photo.

This one building stood out, so I took a photo.

Unfotunately I had a finger in front of the lens and didn’t get the english version of the sign. This was when we were leaving.

This is the very beginning of Route 95. Starts at the border crossing. We parked in the lot just to the right of the sign.

And that is about it. We went back to Yuma for lunch. We were going to go to Penny’s Diner, one of the old style burger joints, but they had some sort of construction going on with a metal grinder going and we decided not to stay. We went across the street to Cracker Barrel instead. Keith had never eaten at CB. So it was new for one of us. My foot was hurting so I didn’t really look around their awesome gift shop. In fact, the only money I spent yesterday was the five bucks for the tip at lunch. Was a cheap trip for me. This is where we almost ate.

Keith did not get his extension, so he has to fly back to the UK next week. He hasn’t decided how long he will be staying, probably until October. He was very disappointed and discouraged. He really wants to become a US citizen, but needs a sponsor. 

It was actually a nice day for the trip. It wasn’t too hot, in the low 90’s and a bit windy. And I got out of town for the day. We have had better trips tho. But at least I can say that I have been there. It wasn’t a bad trip, just not a touristy/shopping kind of trip.

Guess that is about it. I made it into and out of Mexico once again. Now I have to renew my passport. That will require a trip to Parker or Blythe. Thinking Parker so I can hit Walmart at the same time. See what their garden department has. Might find something good like I did last year. 

The latest tales and woes

Just got back from the foot doctor. No fractures, no sprains... I do have bone spurs, but not on the foot that is giving me trouble. Go figure. My plantar fascia are thickening causing some discomfort, add arthritis to that and bursitis, and you have foot pain. Lots of foot pain. The bursitis was caused by being on my feet at work. So the outlook isn't all bad. I got a prescription for a topical anti inflammatory and will start with that tonight. No more pills of any kind for a while. My BP was 138 over 88, pre hypertensive. I believe that is due to all the pills and meds I have taken so far this year. It has been one ailment after another since the beginning of the year. Lots of pain killers, lots of allergy meds, all mess with your body. I also need to loose the pound I gained in the last two weeks since I was there last.

The garden is doing well. I have a whole new batch of seeds that I need to deal with. Strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus, eggplant and more. Warmer weather produce. I'm off to Mexico (San Luis Rio Colorado) with Keith tomorrow, so the seeds will have to wait until Wednesday. I also have some strawberry plants on the way from Maine at some point in the near future. Looking forward to those. I will be putting them in the coir hangers.

I discovered that someone changed the watering schedule on my grapefruit tree in the last couple of weeks from every other day to every five days. WTF!!! If it happens again, I am building a lock box for the water. That way no one can access it but me. That is bull shit.

I did make it to Herbs this morning and got the adapters I needed to put the rest of my plants on auto water. Got those setup and running so everything but the avocado and the big pot on the patio and the aloes are on auto water twice a day five minutes each round. I came home yesterday and my sunflowers were wilted. They were fine before I went to work so I had to get that done ASAP.

I picked a bunch of tomatoes the other day a couple of the larger ones and some cherry tomatoes. I took some to Tom. I had promised him some if they ever produced. They were very good too. :)

It has been warm the last few days. Close to 100 degrees. I did finally break down and turn on my AC last week, but I am still able to open the windows at night and cool the place down. It is back to the 80's for a week or so, then it will really get warm. I will have to get the cool tub set up very soon. I could have used it yesterday.

It is passport renewal time. I need to figure out how to get that done very soon. Looks like it will require a trip to Parker or Blythe. I also have to make a photo for that. I think I still have photo paper. Maybe I can get that done this next week. Not planning on any border crossings after tomorrow.

I am still having health issues besides my foot. This last weekend my left eye got all scratchy and red and has been bothering me. I have been using eye drops and it is improving. I didn't take any allergy meds because of the pain killers I had been taking. I bought an eye wash, but so far haven't had to use it. It seems like I have had one ailment or another since the beginning of the year and I am getting tired of it.

So that is about all I have for today. I'm hoping to have some kool pics from tomorrows adventure. It has been a while since I have done anything fun and I am looking forward to it. I hope I can get a good night's sleep tonight. I will be taking my phone camera and my pocket sized nikon and that is it. It takes excellent pictures and won't draw as much attention as my canon's do. I got lots of comments on the canon when I was in Algodonnes. Don't need the extra attention.

Foot woes

I saw the podiatrist on Monday, it is definitely bone spurs. Haglund's Deformity, the exact same thing I had back in 1986. I had the surgery in 86, and it was a very long and painful recovery. This time surgery will be last resort. Mainly because if I don't work, I don't get paid. Not being able to walk will put me out of work indefinitely since I am on my feet continuously at work. I had a desk job in 86, so I could work. Not so lucky this time. With no other source of income other than my job, this is not an option.

The game plan is anti inflammatories, ice and elevation initially. From there we go to topical anti inflammatories and a walking boot. If that doesn't work, it is surgery. In the meantime I will continue to look for a job where I don't have to stand and walk on concrete floors for 8 plus hours a day. At some point, I should be able to find something. Patience.

The doctor wasn't real happy with my choice of shoes. He says that I need a rigid base. The Telics are about the only thing I can wear right now and they don't have a rigid base. The Teva's would be better, but there is no cushion in them. I need the cushion for the heel on the concrete floor. If we can find a way to manage the pain, I will go back to the Teva's, but I think I am done with any shoe that has a back on it. No more Merrells, nothing. Anything that will compress the back of my foot is out of the question.

Yesterday I went and had the X rays. I am appalled at the degree of unprofessionalism I experienced. The tech was the least professional professional I have ever seen. She was telling me her life story complete with bad language…she talked non stop about herself and her daughter that stabbed her boyfriend. There was absolutely no antibacterial, anti germ wipes, pads or anything in site and none were used. I put my bare feet on the same surface as other people with no wipe down, no covers, nothing. Plus, there were dead crickets on the floors that looked like they hadn’t been cleaned or swept in ages. Ugh! I wonder how often the place is inspected. She even put the right foot marker on the left foot picture….I had to tell her it was wrong. She gave me the CD to give to the doctor at my next appointment. Strange. But I found the images on the disc and copied them to my computer.

These are the pictures of my right foot. I am no pro at this, but I don't see any stress fractures. Doesn't mean they aren't there tho.

They did the left foot and there is a sizeable spur on the top of the heel, but that one doesn't bother me. Although it may eventually.

I finished the Z pack for the cold/allergies on Monday. Now I am waiting for the side effects to subside. It has been a rough start to the year for me. Seems like I have been sick in some form or another since January. Time to start feeling better and get some ambition and motivation. Still sneezing, sniffling and coughing, but I am much better than I was at this time last week. 

Here are the latest garden pics. Some things are doing well, some not so well. The plants that Rob the bread guy gave me and said they were rhubarb are actually beets. I tasted one, definitely beets. 

Marigolds are starting to bloom

First sunflower

All sunflowers have buds

Purple statice is looking good (from seed)

Pots of geraniums, statice, gazanias and marigolds

A baby lemon cuke!

Nasturiums

Almost ready to pick

Pepper plant is finally blooming

Mustard greens, one of my favorites

Lemon cukes

Mixed bag

All in all, the garden is doing well. We'll see how it makes out when it gets over 100 degrees 24/7. I have the kit to hook the hanging planters into the automatic watering, just have to set it up. 

My new 3.0 cubic foot freezer came on Saturday. I got it into place and raised it up on 4x4's to bring it closer to counter height. Now all I have to do is figure out a way to cover the back so I don't have to look at it when I am in the living room. The ideal thing would be to build a counter extension.housing for it, but that would cost money. For now, I think I will try a sheet of poster board. That would at least cover up the aluminum back.

I had to relocate everything on the wire shelf and moved the shelf out to the patio since I didn't like the way it looked here. At some point I need to go thru the cupboards again and get rid of the stuff I don't use. 

I am still sick

I gave up last night and started a z pack. I waited until I got home last night so I would be asleep after I took it. The congestion seems to be looser this morning and I hope it will be gone by the time I finish the antibiotics. It has me sneezing again tho. But if that is what it takes to get rid of the congestion, I can live with it. I’m tired of being sick. Between this cold/sinus thing I have had for about two months and my foot, it is getting pretty old. My appointment for my foot is this coming Monday.

I wore the new Telic shoes the whole shift last night. I had taken my Teva’s just in case, but it was OK. I still hurt when I got home, but mostly just my right foot. The new shoes have a lot more cushion to them. The only problem is, they make my feet sweat. Took me a little while to get used to walking in them too, it is such a different experience. Although my foot is pretty sore this morning. I did it without any pain killers, so I guess that isn’t bad. I really don’t like mixing my drugs whether it be aleve, allergy meds or antibiotics. I did use the topical stuff tho. Might have to apply that a little more often. I am hoping to have more energy once I get rid of whatever it is that I have. 

I ate my first tomato from the garden yesterday. Seems to be a little tough, but it wasn’t completely ripe either. I don’t know what variety it is as that is one of the plants I got from Anna.  They look like a small roma. Not the best eating tomato. Better for cooking. I took my weeding tool and got rid of most of the weeds in the yard. 

I ordered a small freezer online the other day. It is supposed to be here tomorrow. I have been struggling to keep stuff in my fridge freezer when I open the door. I am hoping to be able to freeze some garden stuff and still have enough room for the required summer ice. I am going to try to put it at the end of the counter and use it as extended counter space if it will fit. 

It was finally summer quiet at work. I got nine totes emptied and stocked. I have started doing the milk and eggs and beer a little earlier in the shift too. 8:30 instead of 9. That allows me to relax a little and get a quick smoke break in before I start counting money and doing the paperwork or spend extra time on the coolers if I need to. Last night we were out by 11:20. I worked with Natalie. She is changing her days tho and I won’t be working with her on a regular basis. I am going to miss her. I did not fill all the beer. They had the u boat stacked way over my head, I could barely move it and I wasn’t about to move everything to get the four 12 packs I needed from the bottom. They don’t pay me enough for that.

I need to go collect a neighbors plants that she left on her patio. I have no idea what they are, will find out when I get there. They left yesterday, so I can’t let that go too long. Things dry out way too fast here. I also want to get some more sleep. I haven’t had enough yet. 

I started some more seeds the other day. Eggplant, which is supposed to love the warmer weather, some pepper seeds I had saved, some more strawberry seed since the first ones haven’t done anything yet and the red yucca seeds that I gathered a week or two ago. My cukes are blooming and tomatoes are finally ripening. I pulled the lettuces since they weren’t doing anything. It is already too warm for them. I will have to put up the misters soon since it will be hot. They are predicting a warmer than usual summer. It is going to be interesting since last summer we went three months without going below 100 degrees, including nights. 

I just checked my vacation time online. I have 20 hours, but will wait until I have 40 before I take my vacation. My anniversary date is June 11. I am tossing around the idea of going to CA to see Georgia if she is going to be around. She has invited me and I didn’t get to see her when she was here this winter. She was only here for a couple of days. Would be nice to have a change of scenery. I would love to go East, but I don’t have enough time for that or the money. I am planning on going back at some point for a visit, but it will definitely be in the summer. If I go see Georgia I have a good chance of seeing part of the west coast. Haven’t seen the ocean in ages. Plus, I might get some inspiration to start creating again.

I'm thinking it is going to be too hot to take the trailer out by then. Although I am going to have to take it out some time. I'll probably have to replace the tires tho. I don't know how old they are and they have been sitting in the Arizona sun. I have them covered, but again, I don't know how old they are. At some point I will need to try and get the little generator running. I haven't tried to start that yet. And that too has been sitting in the sun. 

I have been sick - again

I have been sick for at least a week, if not longer. Top it off last night with vomiting, and it was just a perfect week. But I am hungry this morning, so that is a good sign.

We had several days last weekend with gusty winds and dust storms. The palo verde are blooming and my sinuses have been going crazy. My last days off were spent blowing my nose and sleeping. It felt like my head wanted to explode. Went back to work on Wednesday sounding like I had a really bad cold. I managed to make it through the work week tho. Alternating Aleve and sinus meds. I found a topical cream with lidocane in it for my foot and that helps. I still hurt, but not like I did when I was wearing shoes with backs. 

Was a rough day at work yesterday. I didn’t feel good all day and was past ready for 3:30 and the end of my work week. I got close to a dozen totes emptied so that was pretty good. I came home, had a couple of burritos and went to sleep. Then I was up for a couple of hours around midnight and proceeded to get sick. Not sure why. I haven’t taken anything for foot or sinus since Saturday and I certainly don’t mix them. It is one or the other. I didn’t eat anything unusual, so I don’t know what that was all about. I did manage to go back to sleep.

I have been waiting for my tax returns. I did my own taxes for the first time in years and apparently made a mistake. I got a letter this last week adjusting my total (less of course), and then another letter saying that I was possibly eligible for another credit. I need to look at the paperwork and figure out what to do about that, did my work laundry when I got home yesterday so that is already done. I had thought about going to Walmart and looking at freezers, but I’m not sure I am up to that today. Sal’s either. But we’ll see. I may just go back to sleep. I am so sick of being sick! Still blowing my nose and coughing too. 

I’m thinking scrambled eggs and an english muffin for breakfast. Something easy and not too heavy. I’ll get something from the garden for later. Not getting enough fruit and veggies lately. I just don’t eat right with this work schedule. 

There apparently is a job opening at the town hall for a clerk. Not sure I want that job. I’m hesitant to apply since the last job was such a fiasco. People are urging me to apply, I didn’t really want to for the last job either and should have listened to my instincts. It just wasn't a good match for me. I dunno. We’ll see. If I do, it won’t be today. Today is for rest and feeling better. I’m probably going to just sit on the whole job situation until I have a better grasp on whatever is going on with my foot. Figure it out then. 

Today is Schwann's day. I really don’t have room in the freezer, so I need to sort some stuff before I buy anything else. Thinking asparagus and fruit for today. Their cherries are really good. I may get two of them this time. The berry blend is also good. I really do need to get a small freezer I guess. Especially if the garden produces. Ice takes up a lot of space in the summer. Gotta have ice…

Now, for those of you concerned about my being depressed, yes, I am. But I learned long ago that all I have to do is wait a little while and things will change. Yes, there are things I can do to make the changes happen, and I will when the time is right. I'm good. You don't need to worry about me. I have survived a lot worse. I'm not going to do anything crazy. I have dealt with this pretty much all my life and have managed so far. Thank you for your concern. It is appreciated.