Work in Progress

This is the sweater that I wanted to finish by the end of November. It is a work in progress still. I learned a few new techniques, including knitting it from the top down. I'm to the easy part now, just knit until the body is long enough.

I went to lunch with Sandie and Jim Dixon yesterday as an early celebration for my birthday, no one I would want to celebrate with more than them.

I have low key plans for the rest of the week. I'll spend my birthday on Sunday working a jigsaw saw puzzle, continuing a family tradition with the puzzles. I haven't worked them regularly for several years. We'll see how it goes. I bought a couple from the thrift store my Aunt and Mom and I went to when we were back in Missouri. I will head up to Mom's on Christmas day for a couple of hours. In between will be house cleaning and laundry and hopefully finishing the sweater.

I spent the night out at the local Harrah's in a free room they comp'ed me. I'm going to take a shower in the large glass shower, drink another cup of coffee and head home. My urge to travel has been quenched for the time being, and it was easier than heading up to Vegas.

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Place Holder?

After I haven’t posted in awhile I feel like I need to make a really good, interesting post with a cool picture.  I have not been inspired.  I decided I’d let anyone who is curious know I am still alive.

I’m back down in the Valley.  It definitely got too cold up in the Payson area for me and for the motor home.  It is none too warm in the Valley, either.  Other than catching up with snowbird friends and eating out occasionally, I’m not doing much.  I am knitting a sweater that isn’t going particularly well.  I may end up frogging it back and reknitting it.  Or, I may just wear it anyway.  At any rate, I am not finished with it yet so I will make the decision when it is finished and I put it on.

Wildlife

This guy walked between my motorhome and my neighbor's carport. The herd hangs out in the neighborhood, but this is the closest I've seen any of them. I was sitting on my dash looking out the windshield.

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Hiking the Highline Trail

Beautiful but cool morning.

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Finished

The boomerang shawl is finished. It took longer than I intended because I dropped some stiches and had to pull it back to fix the error correctly. I will send it off tomorrow to my friend in MN.

I've been working on the motorhome. There is now an external propane tank next to the motorhome so it can be taken and filled by itself rather than having to drive the motorhome out every time I need propane. The outside shower in the back bin developed a leak and filled the bin with water. It is more or less fixed now. At least it no longer leaks I am attempting to drill a hole in a cabinet door to route the propane hose for my Mr Heater propane heater so I don't stumble over the open door like I did all last winter. Something isn't quite right with the drill (the operator?) And it has been a few years since I actually did much of this type of work. I'll get there. Jim Dixon is still back East so I have to muddle through doing it myself.

Life updates... The trip back East was hard on me. My right leg and hip start hurting now when I drive long distances. I had already committed to the Moab trip right after I got back so I decided to go even though I wasn't quite recovered from the previous trip. I ended up putting my back out after the hike and coming home early. All this points to the fact that I need to get into shape to live the lifestyle I want. I have rejoined a gym, and just going through the motions on the machines shows me how much I need to get some core strength back.

Mom did fine on the trip, better than I did. For the first time she didn't say that was her last trip once we got home. Most likely we will head back to see the family again in the spring. Hopefully we are finished with funerals for now.

Boseley was not happy to be left behind while I traveled even though the neighbor who took care of him did a good job. I have made the decision that I will take the motorhome to Quartzsite in January rather than just the car. That way Bosley will be with me. That is easier on both of us. Working on details as to how to get both vehicles there as I still don't have a way to tow the Mazda.

I'm sure there was more, but this is enough for now.

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Another view from Arches

Landscape Arch was the correct answer, however New Hampshire and New York City we're close (sort of). A group I follow on an online forum planned this weekend gathering awhile ago and I decided to join them. Exploring is more fun for me sometimes when there is a loose group to hang with. One of the guys wanted to do some hiking in Arches National Park and invited me along. It was fun.

A longer post about life in general once I'm on my computer rather than the phone

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Guess where I am

Three guesses and the first two don't count.

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Moab

I'm in Moab for the weekend. I'll catch up on life here soon. For now I'm off to walk and take pictures. Why? Because I live in the Southwest and have these awesome places close by, a fact that I am just realizing.

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Life in Progress

The bike is back in the storage unit again for now, albeit nearer the front this time.  I ran down to Algodonez, Mexico last Thursday to get my first prescription.  I’m officially an Arizona retired stereotype now.    I let my prescription for my thyroid medicine run out by not remembering that the last refill needed to be done before the end of last month.  I’ll start the Mexican drugs after I run out of what I have.  I’m not expecting any issues.

After that I’ve started getting ready for Mom and I to drive to MO again, and head up to visit our friends in MN as well.  We are taking my car.  I needed to get a lot of details sorted (the medicine was only one of them) and we leave tomorrow morning.  I’m mostly packed, and if there is a break in the light rain soon I’ll put my stuff in the trunk.  Some of Mom’s stuff is already in the back seat.  We are taking coolers, sandwiches, water and Cokes.  Bosley will be watched over and fed by a neighbor.  I have plenty of food for him in the house to cover the time I’ll be away.  He won’t like it that I’m gone.  He is supposed to be my primary focus at all times, as far as he is concerned.

I’ll try to post from the road.   I don’t expect a lot of tourist stuff to happen, but who knows.  We really don’t have a schedule.

Wednesday Progress

I’ve been knitting on the shawl, and I’m about half finished.  I am at the end of the first skein, and it looks like it will take two skeins of this yarn to get the shawl to the size I want.

For those who care, if you click on the picture it is not fuzzy in the full size version.  I’m not sure what the issue is with the thumbnail version in the actual blog text.

In my quest to go through the things in my storage unit, this is the week I took the bicycle out and set it up to ride. 

It was buried under ‘stuff’. 

The bicycle itself is now good to go, but my body is not.  I can make it a very short distance before my knees let me know it is time to stop.  I’ll ride a bit every evening or so to see if I can build up to enough distance to make it worthwhile to keep the bike.  This is the second bike I’ve bought as an adult and then not ridden.  I would really like to make a go of it this time.

I have downloaded some apps to my smartphone that I’m enjoying.  Daily Art is fun, especially as Turtle Lady is an artist and there is a chance we will make it to an art museum if/when she makes it out here in January.  Maybe I can be conversant (slightly) by then.

I also downloaded Grasshopper, which is a beginners app to learn javascript (a programming language).  It is fun so far (2 days in) and gives me something to do when I am just sitting on the couch.

I’m cleaning the car and starting the packing for our trip back East to MO and MN next week.  I do a bit each day so that by the time we leave I hope to not leave anything important behind.