Merry Christmas

I'm still in Vegas.  I fly home tomorrow night.  I'm ready to get home.  That's the thing with being retired for me, there is nothing I need to take a vacation from.

I always forget how much walking I need to do here to get around.  I'm less sore today but I was miserable yesterday.  I also brought too much with me to carry to and from the airport.  The good thing about that is that it has kept me from buying anything else to have to lug home on the plane.

Next time I will drive.  There are pros and cons to each way to get here, flying or driving.  With the weather along I40 tomorrow I'm glad I'm not driving in it.  However there is more freedom to go places if I drive and I don't have to carry everything at once when I drive.  I'm coming back in March to meet up with friends here.

With my spread out family, celebrating Christmas on the actual day is not a big deal to us.  I'll go up and see Mom this weekend.  We don't give presents anymore as if either of us want anything we just go get it.  Vegas doesn't even seem that Christmasy this year.  So my primary hope for myself tomorrow is that traveling is easy and not crowded.

May you all have a good day tomorrow whatever you celebrate.

Flamingos at the Flamingo Casino

Another favorite place in Vegas is the habitat behind the Flamingo.  It is starting to spit rain.  Oh, got the koi in a swim by in the picture as well.

Celebrate

Today is my birthday.  I'm in Vegas.  I'm just about to go find some breakfast.  I have no deep thoughts or I sights from the perch of being 65.  Vegas is losing some of the glitz for me though.  Today I will wander around the strip and see what changes have happened since I was here last.  Maybe both Vegas and I are losing some of the energy and vigor of the past.

Shadowmen washing the roof

Getting the motorhome washed today.

Belated Happy Thanksgiving

I am now moved down to the Valley (Phoenix metro) and this year started living in the same park as Jim and Sandie Dixon.  It is good to have friends close by.  This year I have been having a bit of mixed feelings around not feeling a center, or home.  Probably because while I'm in the same area I've lived in for 3 years, within a few mile radius, this is a new park for me.  I don't want to go back to my summer location, but here doesn't feel quite 'right'.  That feeling is getting less as I spend time here and walk around for exercise in the park while meeting and talking to those who are outside.  I'm starting to think I need to really explore the idea of a more permanent base camp.  Not sure what that looks like right now.  It is more a direction to look into for a long while.

Bosley is happy being back where it is warm(er).  He naps in the windshield area again.  He seems content enough living his life in the motorhome.  I wish he was more able to tolerate a harness so I could take him outside.  He laid forlornly on the floor and didn't move for almost 12 hrs. last time I put a harness on him.

My immediate goals for now are to continue to comb through my possessions and winnow them down.  Also I am still trying to get into cooking for myself, healthy if possible, foods that are less carbohydrate filled.  It is not easy for me.  I hope to cut up a potato and put it in the air fryer to see how 'roasted' veggies might work.  If that works, next up will be a sweet potato.  Along with it I'll have a pork chop.  I'm getting good at pork chops in my small skillet, and for breakfast bacon and eggs in the same skillet.  I do know 'how' to cook.  Finding things I 'will' cook is the problem.

I went on Medicare today, December 1.  I turn 65 later this month.  I have Medigap Plan G insurance as well as Plan D prescription.  I will contact Mayo soon to make appointments I've put off while I was on insurance they didn't recognize.  I made it through the year and a half between COBRA insurance and Medicare using the Affordable Care Act subsidized insurance, but I didn't want to fall into the abyss of finding doctors and networked care unless something major happened.  Mexico for my one prescription and ignore the small aches and pains.  In January I will find out if that was a good long term plan or not  

Chapel of the Holy Cross

Part 2

I stopped by the Chapel of the Holy Cross to light candles.  Several of my online friends are having health challenges.  I decided that all I can do from here is light candles at the Chapel while sending healing prayers their way.

This is especially for you George.

Day trip to Sedona to light candles

I decided to take a day trip to Sedona today.

Baby its cold inside

I knew my external propane tank was getting low.  Sure enough around 4 am I woke up to realize the furnace fan was running but it wasn't very warm outside of my down comforter.  I crawled out and verified that it was blowing cold air and so I pulled on layers of clothes and turned on lights.  I decided not to call my neighbor who is my propane guy until 6 as I wasn't that cold yet.  Mom had given me her small electric heater just yesterday and it was out in the car.  That is also where my down jacket was since I hadn't fully unloaded the car when I got home yesterday.  Muttering, I went out and got those along with the heavy duty extension cord from an outside bin.  

Once heat was coming from something I checked temperatures.  40*F outside and 56*F inside.  I fixed coffee and some instant oatmeal and called my neighbor at 6 am.  He came over with a full tank within 5 min and now it is again warm in here.  I gave him extra money for the quick response.  The guys here really do spoil me.

Bosley cat still isnt sure why we are up out of bed so early.

I am alive

Currently I am in a free room at Harrah's casino outside of Phoenix.  I made a run to Algodones for a last batch of medicine.  I went through Quartzsite on the way (sort of) and visited friends who are already camped at La Posa South for the season.  I was surprised how mamy rigs are already set up there.

I enjoyed Moab last month.  Mostly I just stayed around the campground and walked around town so there wasn't much to post about.  The evenings were spent sitting talking with the friends from online who had met up for the week there.

I have gotten lucky in that my name came up on the wait list I put my name on last year and soon I will move into another 'resort' RV park down in the valley.  It has the usual amenities of laundry room, pool, community room and such.  I will move down at the end of November.  Bonus is that friends already live there.

Top priority for the rest of the week is to send off for the permit to use the shelter at La Posa South for Bloggerfest in January.  Several of the Canadian folks won't make it down this year.  I will be there for whoever shows up.

I think this catches up most of what has been going on.

Camping in Moab

Survived the first night.  I'm having more fun so far.

Part 2

Here is another picture from the Petrified Forest.  It may be in the Painted Desert part, I'm unclear about that.  This is after it had just rained in that area.

Once I got up to I40 I pretty much just drove on to the Route 66 Casino.  The loop that Sandie had suggested started with the Wolf Sanctuary but it was closed on Mondays so I postponed the entire loop. Later I tried to do a blog post but the size of the pictures stopped that again.  I didn't want to pull out the computer and hot spot in the parking lot of the casino, so my intention was to find a New Mexico State Park with showers and  cell signal for the second night.  That first night I slept in the car in the casino parking lot.  I've done this before and I have so far never had an issue.  I just plan such that I enter the car after dark, and leave before daylight.

Around daybreak the next morning I left the casino and went to the Flying J gas station on the east side of town.  I get a discount on Pilot and Flying J gas, so I try to stop there if there is a station any place on my trip.  They usually have decent coffee as well.  While there I was trying to figure out where I wanted to go next.  I decided to follow the Turquoise Trail as I've wondered for years what the signs were talking about. It is a state highway that runs from Albuquerque to Sanata Fe.  I stopped at the ranger station on the south end of the route and had a nice conversation with the ranger there.  She made some suggestions on places to stop, including a thrift store that sounded interesting.

The thrift store was not interesting to me at all, it turned out.  I am a thrift store junkie, but this one didn't cut it.  In fact, nothing on the route seemed very interesting to me.  Madrid, a usual highlight(?) of quirky art shops and restaurants just seemed like a crowded, junky town.  Nothing seemed to tick any boxes with me on the entire drive up to Santa Fe via this Trail.  I found a Taco Bell once into Santa Fe and felt a bit better after eating. 

Next box to tick was to find a place to camp for the night.  I chose Hyde Memorial State Park as it is just outside of Santa Fe.  The reviews were outstanding.  Google Maps took me through downtown Santa Fe to get there.  I would not want to take an RV on that route.  I later found no good direct route that did not include narrow busy streets on the way to go in or out of the park.  The park is in the middle of Santa Fe  National Forest, which makes it a great get away for the town folks.  For me, it didn't work well as there was zero cell signal and no showers, or any water that I saw.  The vault toilet was clean, and the site was nice, but I was in a grumpy mood so just crawled into the car and slept for many hours.

The next morning I decided to head up to Los Alamos and Bandelier National Monument. In Los Alamos I enjoyed a tour through the Bradbury Science Museum, but there isn't much that I could find in the town otherwise.  tI looked like a cool place to live, but not any touristy places.  I had been to Bandelier about 10 years ago.  My Golden Geezer pass came into play again, so it was free for me to enter.  I got over heated in the sun on the walkway, so headed back.  It is a cool place that has cliff dwellings that people can actually go up ladders to visit inside.  I did a lot more of that 10 years ago.  Here is a picture that you have to zoom in to see the people.

I decided I was too grumpy and tired to do any more site seeing.  I headed for home.  I'm concerned that I am becoming too jaded to enjoy running around like this.  I live in an area that folks come from far away and spend big bucks to have a weekend to enjoy.  Amazing scenery is part of my daily life.  I even have a herd of elk that I am almost on a first name basis with here around the small RV park where I live.  What other folks find exceptional doesn't look any different to me that what I see out my window.

I am starting to wonder if  I need to see a doctor again.  I go on Medicare in December so I will get everything checked out.  I think this jaded/hazy mood can be a sign my thyroid medicine needs to be adjusted.  I truly hope I'm not this old and grumpy permanently.


 On a related note, I leave Wednesday morning for a week in Moab, again sleeping in the car.  This will be a meetup of on-line friends from a forum I hang out on.  I was asking myself a lot of deep questions when I got home (in between naps...).  I decided that the reason I hang with these folks, and the reason I need to push myself off the couch and go, is that I need to hang with folks so many years younger than I am to keep from being that grumpy old person.  The forum keeps me a bit in the loop of what 30-50 yo folks are doing and reading and thinking about.  I'm hoping I can absorb some of their  energy that seems to have left my life currently.  I won't try to keep up on hikes, and may just hang at the campground or go off by myself .  Last year I put my back out after a short hike in Arches National Park.  I will most likely put it out again this year.  I'm hoping I can hang for most of the week anyway.

Wow, this got long.  Hopefully I'll post more often so it isn't such a wall of text.  I do need to figure out a way to do the posts with pictures from my phone again.  I'll have to find a smaller resolution to use.  Testing will commence in a beautiful area of the world at least.

After trip review

I was (am?) in the end of summer spinning in circles.  I feel like doing Something but it isn't time to move to the Valley yet.  My trip down where I visited Jim and Sandie, on the excuse I came down to buy coffee, helped.  I decided to take a trip East.  On my trips there are places that I keep thinking "I should stop and check that out sometime".    Since the weather is cooling off now seemed like a good time.  Sandie gave some excellent suggestions of places I didn't even know about.

I left last Monday.  Unfortunately the Wolf Sanctuary is closed on Mondays.  Ok, I'll stop there on the way home.  I took the long way towards Albuquerque, heading on the back State Highways to check out a couple of free campgrounds I found on Freecampsites.net on the way.  First up was going back to the Fish and Wildlife campground at Concho Lake.  I decided to go through Snowflake rather than Show Low as it looked like it was a more direct route.  It was, right up until the sign said that that State Highway 277 ended.  Turned out, after a McDonalds stop to confer with Sandie via text and much staring at Google Maps, that a road does indeed head on out, it just isn't 277.  Snowflake is larger that I thought, so it was a detour that showed me new things.  The campground at Concho Lake is ok for smaller rigs, as in vans or tents.  The lake is almost not a lake anymore.  The boat ramp ends in weeds, far from the receding water line.  No pictures as I couldn't figure out how to take one that wasn't a bit depressing given the state of the lake.

On to Petrified Forest.  I stopped at the museum/gift shop/campground located before the actual entrance to the park.

The campground looked fine for larger rigs.  The reviews at Freecampsites.net mention NOT to try to camp if you aren't self contained.  The on-site manager gets almost psycho on folks who think they might just car camp.  Electricity is available for an extra charge, again according to the reviews. 

Also mentioned are the several cars parked outside that all have flat tires.  Apparently it is to make the place look popular.  Until the condition of the vehicle is noticed it works.

On to the actual park.  I got in free with my Golden Geezer pass.  As I was walking the loop behind the south Visitor Center I noticed a very large dark cloud in the distance.  The workers were packing their tools and leaving.  I, of course, decided that there were probably some dramatic pictures to be had from the higher points ahead on the trail.

About this point I made some realizations.  Not about safety.  I realized that I am not an exceptional photographer.  I also realized that there are many, many bloggers who have given wonderful trip reports with pictures that eclipse anything I choose to do about anywhere I might visit.  So, no iconic pictures from this, or probably most other, parks or public gatherings places.  I also realized that with the approaching rain this would not be an in depth visit, but I live close enough to come back pretty much anytime I want.  With that, I got back in the car (after buying a nice top in the gift shop...) and drove through the rain to the other end.

This picture shows the storm back in the middle of the park that I drove through.  It also shows that not a lot of folks were visiting that day.












I need to get moving today, so I'll do the short version of the rest of the trip tomorrow.

I Tried

I tried to give an update on the trip I'm currently on but I failed doing it on my phone.  I'll set up my computer later and give it another go.  I'm in Albuquerque right now contemplating options on where to go next.

Temps are dropping!

I am waking up.  I went down to the Valley yesterday since I was very bored.  My "excuse" was that I need coffee, in a week or so, and I drink coffee I buy at Costco.  So, I needed to drive 75 miles one-way to get a can.  Yeah, I was bored.  I get into trouble when I'm bored.  So, I figured it was the lesser of a couple of evils. 

While I was down there I stopped in and visited with Jim and Sandie Dixon.  Jim is looking almost back to normal, although he is too skinny.  He is talking about going fishing again now, once it cools down, so he is almost back to his old self.  He is amazing.  Sandie is not called the group's Social Director for nothing.  While talking about how I want to get out and see some of the things there are to see in the Phoenix area this winter, she started asking where I want to go.  The upshot is that she is now tasked with figuring out the logistics for her and I (and Jim if he wants to join us) to tour around Phoenix and surrounding towns.  My small red car is easier to get into places and park than Jim's big truck so after November 1 when I move back down there it is all systems Go!

I have been waffling on what I want to do for a trip during the rest of September and October.  I have a trip to Moab scheduled with an expensive (relative to my usual mode) campground reservation for me and the car the last week of September.  I also want to get back to the area around Albuquerque and Santa Fe that I drove through this summer on my trip.  Sandie has the first couple of days of my trip East penciled out.  My job is to get my act together and get on the road and learn to travel slowly and stop and see the areas I'm traveling through.  I was going to cancel the Moab trip.  It will be a lot to do to do both.  At any rate, my current to-do list is to be ready to head somewhere by Monday.  Laundry and packing the car are the main items.  My neighbor will take care of Bosley (he like Bosley more than he likes me which works for me...).  I'll also clean the place since someone other than Bosley and I will be here.

The sorting and getting rid of stuff continues.  I took a load of EMPTY storage totes up to Mike this week.  The small storage unit is mostly filled with these empty totes.  I plan to be out of the small unit by the time I leave for the Valley.  I have an on-going box of stuff to donate, and I am even trashing some things.  One of the (sob!) things today is a couple of 8" floppy disks that are Digital Research CP/M x86 disks.  I think they might be worth something.  To someone.  But I don't want to take the time to research.  I may donate them, actually, now that I ponder it.  Maybe someone will buy them.  Earlier this week several disks of various types of media with Windows 95, 98, Office 2000, and a lot of Dell computer setup disks hit the trash.  I used to be a Dell service tech, so a lot of work disks also were trashed.  Progress?

I made a comment to someone on an online forum I read, forgetting that the link to this blog is in my signature line.  He responded that he had spent time reading the blog.  I always find my heart stops for a split second when my worlds collide like that.  It had me going back yet again to read some of my past entries.  It also had me re-reading some comments.  The folks who have commented here are greatly appreciated and I'm amazed at some who seem to stick with me even when I am (usually) boring.

Sandie Dixon is going to 'help' me work through a project to go to National Monuments and take photos and make blog posts.  I may have some interesting things to blog about.  I'm sure she will keep me 'encouraged' so I don't get too bored in the next year.

Problem solved, sort of

Apparently my new phone takes pictures that are too big to post via email.  I'll play with the settings on the camera and work on it from that end.  Thanks for checking in and letting me know who saw what.

Testing

Reading the cryptic help forum, it may be that my picture was too big.  This is a test to see if that is the problem.

Nosy neighbors

 Another of the herd of elk who hang around the park.  I heard the clicking sound of her hooves on the wooden planks of my "patio" here and this is what I saw outside my door.  Luckily(?) the elk are fairly tame here.  I do give the occasional male a wide berth because males of all species can be unpredictable.

I tried to post this from my email as I usually do.  It was returned as mailbox full.  I will have to see what is going on with my blogger account.  Now I am scrambling for an editor as many of you have done.  Is Live Writer working again?

Projects

I have ordered new tires for the Mazda and they will be put on tomorrow.  Then to schedule an oil change and air filters changed as well.  A good clean out and it will be ready for whatever my next trip turns out to be.  In answer to a question in the comments, I travel in the Mazda and only move the motorhome betwwen my summer and winter spots.

The motorhome has a few this and thats to be taken care of.  A couple of drawers need to be repaired and a cable looked after.  Mechanical stuff on it was done last year.

The rest of the projects involve sorting and getting rid of stuff and having what I use where I use it.  Ongoing project with no end in sight.

I bought a spiralizer this week and I've gotten some veggies to play with.  Cooking may be featured here again.  Depends on how it turns out.  Friends in MN also gave me a vacuum seal a meal so I can put leftovers into the freezer.  The plan is less commercial fast food in my diet and more home made fast food.

The baby blanket I'm knitting is slowly getting finished.  Pictures once it is presented to the Mom to be.

Summer winds down.  Will someone please tell the temperatures it is time to cool down?

Wait, its August already?

The trip up to MN for Phyllis' service was delightfully uneventfull.  The service was nice and the lunch afterwards was good.  Local folks were asked to bring a dessert that either started with Phyllis or that it was known to be a favorite of hers.  Phyllis liked to have desert with every meal so there were lots of offerings.

On the way home I spent a few days visiting family in MO.  It was nice to have time to just visit.

Once I got home it occurred to me that it is time to finish up all the projects I had planned for this summer.  Luckily there are over 2 months until it is time to head back down to the Valley.  To say I'm behind schedule is an understatement.  I still spend most mornings just sitting with Bosley cat and drinking coffee and knitting.  I am making a baby present that needs to get finished this week so it can get to the baby shower in time.

Mom and I changed cell phone providers this week and we are getting used to new phones.  This post will be a test to see how this phone works to make blog postings.

Heading East

I am watching the start of a nice sunrise at a rest area in Colorado. I'm heading to MN via family in MO. I've spent the night driving and napping in various rest areas. Kansas should be interesting on little sleep.

Sent from my Huawei Mobile

Phyllis Lundeen

Phyllis was referred to in this blog as Favorite Neighbor.  I try not to 'out' people who don't blog as they may not want to be known online.  This picture was from when I visited her at the rehab center where she was staying when I was up in MN in May.

Phyllis passed last week.  She was, I believe, 93.  During our visit she patted me and told me "You are still ours, you still belong to us."  Back when we both lived in Mesa, her as a snowbird, she always treated me as family.  Her son and daughter in law have followed suit, and included Mom once she moved into the same park.  On Tuesday I will again drive up to MN to attend her memorial service.  Mom is sending cookies to add to the meal served after the service.  I've been informed I will be sitting with the family.  I will be saying goodby to a good friend.

Rod Ivers, who we lost a few years ago, used to really enjoy taking Phyllis and I out for dinner when the two of them were living down here in AZ as snowbirds.  I still miss him and I miss the fun of trying different restaurants with him and Phyllis.  I remember he specifically bought a small step stool to help Phyllis, who was shorter than I even, climb into his 4 door Jeep Wrangler.  It is the simple things like that I miss.

In a twist of fate, Phyllis' memorial service is the same day as Norma Randle's Celebration of Life up in Canada.  I will be thinking of all of them, as Croft and Norma used to park right behind Phyllis' mobile home at the park in Mesa and we were all intertwined in various adventures as the winter snowbird seasons progressed.

Once was lost but now is found

My phone, that is.  I spent last night down in the Valley, and had fun visiting friends and shopping and spending the night at the casino, free for the room but very not free once I gambled.   I got a call while on the way home this afternoon, which I safely answered, and it was Mom's doctor calling my number (backup contact) by mistake.  I knew I had the phone at that point.  I stopped and got water at the water kiosk as I came through town.  Once I unloaded the car I started to call Mom to verify that the doctor had called her.  No phone.

A neighbor called my phone while I listened in the car and in the RV.  Silence.  I drove back to the strip mall where I got water, no broken phone where I had parked.  I asked in the closest stores.  No one had turned it in.  I did get lots of sympathy.  I honestly could not remember if I had locked the car while at the water kiosk, and the phone was on the seat in the busy parking lot.

I drove to Mom's house to let her know I was unable to be reached via my phone.  I called Consumer Cellular from her phone as we are both on the same account.  The customer service rep was very sympathetic and suspended my account so that it could be reactivated if I found the phone.  He also arranged to send me a new sim card as I have a couple of older phones I can use until I figure out what I want long term.

Once that was done, I started thinking about what all I had lost.  All the pictures from my trips, all the many pictures of the elk around here.  My games, since I don't log into facebook to keep track of my progress anyplace other than my phone.  I've played some of them for 3 years.  I don't buy any extras or pay any money for the games.  Google Play has no record of any of my credit cards, good for a lost phone but no way to track ownership.  sigh.

I used to work on computers.  I know how hardware can just stop working, get lost or stolen or just break.  I preach backups, constantly.  I just don't listen myself. 

I also started thinking about the financial websites I have set up to remember my logins from my phone, as well as two email accounts of my own and also Mom's.  The phone was locked, but I used to run around with computer hackers.  I know that nothing is un-hackable.

I came home and started changing passwords from my computer.  Once site wasn't playing nice.  I started looking for my other laptop to log in to see if I'd changed the password or not. I turned around and saw my phone on the counter, black phone on a black stove cover.

I will still change many passwords.  I may even start logging my games into facebook.  I will definitely back up the pictures, and continue to do so on a regular basis.

And, I may fix myself a drink.

Summertime

This older cow elk is almost the park pet. We have a herd of between 6 to 8 cows and a couple of juvenile bucks that graze around the neighborhood. Yesterday I saw 3 babies with the herd of cows. This cow seems to be old and on her own.

Sent from my Huawei Mobile

Picture for Al in Bayfield

I'm in MN and saw a local solution(?) to the squirrel in the feeders war.
Sent from my Huawei Mobile

I'm in MN

Mom and I got to my Aunt's place. There are a couple of stories, but I don't want to go into it right now. Forgetting about the second hour of time change when looking at radar and planning to out run a storm by less than an hour makes for an exciting trip.

I got into my friends' place about an hour ago and am soon to be fed. I'll stay here for a few days and then go back to MO and visit more with family before heading back to AZ.

Sent from my Huawei Mobile

Plans and Progress

It is a cold, rainy day here.  I have the furnace cranked up.  This is better than 100* days.  Mom and I are heading back East at the end of this week.  Mom is already packed.  I'm getting there.  A neighbor is going to feed Bosley.  I have a couple of cases of his food already here, and I got 7 gallons of filtered water from the water kiosk today.  He should be good to go.  I also have a newly opened box of litter for the fancy automatic litter box.  I'm clearing and cleaning the motor home.  Laundry was done yesterday, hand laundry is drying as I type.  What few important or valuable (to me) things I have are being put into the storage unit while I'm gone.

The progress is that the car will be packed with 'good stuff' to take to younger cousins.  A nice set of dishes that are too big to use in the RV, some of my smaller professional clothes, a few art supplies I'll never get around to using going to one of my cousins who is showing a lot of art talent.  It is a start, and a cut deeper into my stuff in storage.  A younger friend here asked why I'm spending so much time getting going through my stuff and getting rid of things rather than doing 'fun' stuff with my time.  I guess the answer is that this is what I feel I need to do right now.  A bunch of fancy skin care stuff I haven't used since I quit working hit the trash last week.  Other expired things are following suit.  It feels like progress.

Breaking Radio Silence

I'm up in my summer spot.  I was immediately knocked to my knees with allergies for the first time in my life.  I blew my nose non-stop for 2 weeks and it took me awhile to get over all the allergy medicine I took trying to control the symptoms.  I have never had to take any of that stuff before.  Anyway, then I had to get back to doing all the stuff that I had not been doing for 3 weeks.  I'm almost back to what passes for normal for me.

I'm doing this post from Blogger rather than email (my preferred way since Live Journal died) as I'm going to have to do some major renovation of my blog.  Photobucket has locked me out of being able to deleted the pictures down to the number they allow in a free account.  I'm going to upload the pictures from May of 2009, when I learned how to insert pictures, until I started using Live Journal which put the pictures in the post without the Photobucket middle man.  Most folks started reading after Live Journal, but my Honduras pictures will have to be re-inserted.  I have the pictures, I just have to get them back into the blog.

It is difficult for me to go back and read my blog.  I have a lot of less than optimal lifestyle decisions going on in there.  I ended up ok, but boy, was it painful at times.  I guess that is the good/bad of having a blog for over 10 years.  I need to get the pictures thing sorted  before June 1 when the pictures become blurred unless I pay them ransom.

Necessity is the Mother

Mom is down to help me move my motorhome up to my summer spot. In preparation for the move, I have been taking a lot of the clutter out of the motorhome and putting it into storage. When it came time to make coffee for Mom I not only didn't have the smaller coffee maker, I didn't have any of the large tumbler's my coffee maker requires. Shown is my solution to get a regular cup up high enough to not splash all over while the coffee drips into the mug. I normally use that plastic tub to catch drips when I first take the tumbler out from under the basket. Multipurpose. And I hadn't even had my own coffee yet.

We both went to LensCrafters yesterday and got eye exams and ordered new glasses. They will be in sometime next week, and we will make a trip back down to get them. We have also eaten at a couple of restaurants along the way. I won't need a large meal for a few days

Once I get going I'll start the prep to move the RV up the road and Mom will follow me in her car. My car is already up there. Then I can settle in for the summer.

Norma

Norma Randle July 27, 1942 - March 24, 2019

That was copied from Croft's blog where he announced that his life partner, Norma, died yesterday.  I really have no words to express how I feel.  Norma and Croft came into my life during a time when I was pretty lost.  Norma scooped me up and made me feel like family.  Her no nonsense attitude was just what I needed on a regular basis.  I was hoping that I would see them this summer, planning on seeing if I could come to them if they were again not coming down here to AZ.  I have a lot of questions I want to ask her about everything from fashion for my over-60 self to deeper life questions.

Please keep Croft and the rest of Norma's family in you thoughts.

I seem to have lost my blog voice

I think of things I'd like to write about, but I stop before I get to a computer or the phone to actually write and post.  Maybe I've met too many people in real life who read my blog.  This isn't just some writing I lob into the blogosphere with no repercussions any more.  I think about some who I feel will judge me.  Then again, I don't tend to spend much time worrying about folks that don't think I measure up, so I don't know why that would be a factor.  I go through low energy times during transition, and this is definitely a time of transition.  I'm in the process of having the Class A worked on tomorrow, and then on the 1st I'll move to my spot in Payson.

It seems that a lot of people I know, or relatives of close friends, are having major health issues.  Every time I turn around it seems that I'm hearing of someone who has just been diagnosed with cancer or other health issues.  I keep these folks in my thoughts, and so far the ones I've heard about lately are on an upward swing.  Then my friend Mike calls me and his younger brother has just been diagnosed with brain cancer.  Mike lost his best friend to brain cancer about the time I was going through my breast cancer operation and radiation.  After awhile it becomes a lot to process.

Norma, of Croft and Norma, is going through radiation.  I keep her in my thoughts.  Jim Dixon seems to have finally gotten his issues straightened out.  I became worried about him when he wouldn't even eat ice cream.  I need to check that he actually has finished the container that I know was in their freezer.  Favorite Neighbor, who is in her 90's, just had major surgery, and has another surgery this Thursday.  So far she is doing well.  Hopefully this will fix the issues that were starting to paralyze her, ongoing issues from the fall she took a few years ago.

I'm looking forward to being camped in my spot in Payson with all getting back right in my world.  In good news Mom feels better than she has in over a year.  Today is her 88th birthday.  I'll take all the good news I can get.

Tom Mix Monument

I'm heading down to tour Biosphere 2. The Tom Mix Memorial is on Hwy 79 south of Florence, AZ. I've never been this way before and decided it was worth a stop. It is overcast, and a storm is expected tonight or tomorrow. Everything is green from the previous rains. It is good to get out for a day.

Sent from my Huawei Mobile

Snow on the Superstitions

Update

Mom lost power around 6:45pm last night  She had had an earlier emergency text that it might happen, so had turned up her thermostat so it was warm in her apartment.  I monitored the outage map and by 10pm it no longer showed the outage.  She called this morning and said the electricity had come on about twenty minutes before 10.  She is fine, other than just the shear amount of snow outside her window.  She said the line of cars in the parking lot looks like just one long snowbank.  The folks trying to clear the walks yesterday while it was still snowing broke their snowblower, and there are none left to rent in town.  All the roads in and out of Payson are closed due to snow.  Hopefully this will all melt over the next 2 days or so.  The temperature hovers around freezing, so it should warm up some soon.

I'm fine.  Still a dreay, drizzly day outside.  I'm warm and dry.  Bosley is fine as long as he gets fed.

Winter Storm

Payson is getting burried in snow.  Mom is fine as long as the electricity doesn't go out.  We talk every couple of hours.  It is still snowing heavily and the folks shoveling the walk are just throwing the snow up onto the cars.  No place else to put it for now, and I'm sure the idea is that it will melt soon.  Here's hoping.

Steady rain all day here in the Valley.  Some standing water around me, but I don't have to go anyplace and in the motor home I'm a couple of foot above the deck.  I had a propane delivery yesterday in preparation for the storm, and I have my generator if I lose electricity.  My batteries would keep the led lights on for this evening anyway, and most other stuff runs on propane.  I'm fine for the duration.

Dreary, Rainy

We are getting a lot of rain in the desert this winter.  I hope it translates into less danger of forest fires next summer.  Mom called this morning and said they have about 8" of snow in Payson.  I told her I won't be up to visit this week after all. 

I am a few days into doing the Whole 30 elimination diet again.  So far so good.  I am planning on cooking more this time, and so far I am.  One thing that will help me actually do all 30 days is that I just found out from the Whole 30 website that Walmart has a section of their Great Value frozen meals that are Whole 30 compliant.  Coconut Curry Chicken is one variety.  I'll go over and pick some up once the rain lets up.

I already have my Federal and AZ Income Tax refunds.  Today I'll allocate them to the bills and see how I'm set up for the next year as far as traveling and such.  I have my spot in the same park in Payson reserved starting April 1.  I want to go to West Yellowstone again and also visit around other parts of MT.  I will take the car and not the motor home as I feel better able to negotiate the places I like to go in the car.  I may have issues if I want to camp in some RV parks, though.  I think there is enough National Forest up there I should be able to find places to camp.  It will help that my friend is a ranger up there.  She can interpret the maps for me.  :)

Posting from my email again.  No real pictures this time.  The weather hasn't cooperated for me to get out and about much.  Hoping for some sunshine before I leave for Payson in 6 weeks or so.  I had penciled in to go down around Tucson at the end of this week to do some touristing, but weather may postpone that as well.

Work In Progress

This is the sweater I'm working on now. We stuffed it to try to show it better, but I'm not sure you came tell much. I am working top down, and it has set in sleeves. I am almost to where I will separate the sleeves from the body. I took it off the needles in order to try it on so I can make adjustments if necessary. I think it will be a pretty sweater once it is finished.

Sent from my Huawei Mobile

No Words

This had been a difficult week for some of us in BloggerLand.  I know of 3 bloggers who have died this week, two of which I had followed their lives for a few years now.

Tioga George

I don't know when I first found him but his son was still alive.  That whole, left the moment his last cancer checkup was finished and headed out for the unknown nomad life, made an impression on me.  It took me a few years, but I followed his example.  Up to and including the cancer part as it turns out.

Sherry lost her David 

That one breaks my heart for them.  As a loner with a long list of failed romantic relationships I can only watch from the sidelines of long term marriages such as theirs.  Cancer took him.  I have no words

One thing that being a part of the blogger world has taught me.  I can no longer ever wonder Why Me??? when negative things happen.  I only think most days of just how blessed I am.  As I was pondering this post I looked out and the Fire Rescue paramedics were next door and took my neighbor away.  He seemed awake and not on any IV's or anything.  I don't know my neighbor, or any of the story.  I do know that when I hear a siren or see the paramedics I know that someone is having a much worse day than I am. 

Posting more, and answering comments

One after effect of Bloggerfest is that I'm going to attempt to post more often (I've said that before) and mostly I want to show respect for those who comment on my blog and answer as many comments as I can.  I went back and responded to those who commented on my last post.

I am taking February off from much of anything except getting my life sorted and spending time with Bosley, my cat.  I need the down time and he needs the attention.  I'm going through things and getting rid of stuff.  I'm down to items that I still like but just don't use anymore.  3 pair of cowboy boots are in the pile to donate now.  They were bought before my feet went up a size in shoes.  Some of my shoes are ones that I used to wear to work when I needed to dress more formally than I do now.  If those shoes fit I'm keeping them for now.  Progress, not perfection.

I'm also going through my knitting notions.  I never have, and hope to never need to, used double pointed needles to knit in the round.  I use circular needles and I use Magic Loop method to knit smaller circumferences such as sleeves and hats.  I have a knitting friend here who does prefer the double point needle method, so I'm giving all my sets to her.  It seems that every time I dig into my supplies I find another set.  Remember, I said I never used them.  sigh.

I have other stuff locally I want to do this month.  Seems every time I leave an area at the end of the season I think of all the things I had planned to do while in that location.  This is the month.

Bloggerfest rumors

I posted most of this as a comment to Kathy in the previous post.  There are some who insist that Bloggerfest is over, not needed, dead, just stop.  It is boring, the circle introductions are tacky, etc.  My reponse:

 I am keeping in mind that those who has been saying that Bloggerfest has 'run its course' have access to a welcoming Happy Hour EVERY DAY.  Bloggerfest is for those of us who don't have that.  I think that more than one gathering is a good idea, so everyone gets the sense of community that they need.  This particular gathering is for those who aren't maybe as rigged in as the Canadian group.  It also is a way for the Canadians to meet some of the rest of the bloggers. 

I said that I will be there with the signs next year.  If I sit there drinking my coffee looking out at the mountains all alone, well, I would still call it a good day.

I believe it is for the people who put energy into putting it on to decide if it is worth their time to continue.  The reports of Bloggerfest's death are greatly exaggerated.  If no one else shows up next year so be it.  I'm not attempting to compete with the Canadian gatherings, either the Canadian pot luck in town or the Happy Hours.

I extend my sincere thanks to Rick Rousseau for getting everyone and their blog accounted for in his blog entry.  I will make the time to add all of them to my sidebar.  That is the type of detail that I am not good at.

In short, I appreciate all the help that Rick and George have extended over the past few years helping make Bloggerfest a success.  I will be there again next year.  I hope to see everyone there.

Virus-free. www.avg.com

Y'all come on down

We are here.

Sent from my Huawei Mobile

New signs for Bloggerfest

A friend took on making new signs for Bloggerfest as a project today. They have turned out much better than I could have done. This one will be placed at the turn off to the Ramada/shelter house in La Posa South on Saturday. Hope to see as many of you as possible.

Sent from my Huawei Mobile

Bloggerfest!!! and testing

I'm testing to see how an email posting to the blog from my computer works.  I usually email pictures from my phone.  The latest issues with Live Writer means I may get creative

I'll post this now and see what it does. 

Virus-free. www.avg.com

Sweater is finished.

It ends up fitting better than I thought it would. It is comfortable. The neck opening is way too big, showing how off my guage was. That is where I started the sweater, so difficult to just go back and fix. I'm pondering how to close it up a bit.

Sandie took the picture. I gave up taking my own after the last picture I posted of my knitting was so difficult to see. No head as I'm discussing this on another forum and in general those folks try to have some annonimity.

Sent from my Huawei Mobile