Just Hanging With The Deer ..... Beep

It was a rather beautiful sunrise yesterday as it finally cooled off to a lovely 98 degrees.  Believe it or not, it's actually 76 outside as I type.  The doors are open and my fans a'rolling.

Miss Jessie however, is still fast asleep on the couch.  She is such a sweet girl, not at all your typical Jack Russell.  She's fifteen going on three the way she jumps for treats!

My first look every morning is to the dove nest.  Yesterday I spied with my little eye THREE eyes!  There are TWO babies along with mom instead of just one.  During the day, Mom goes out for longer and longer breaks while the kids test the limits of the nest building by perching on the very edge.

So far they have been able to hang in there.  Dove's are terrible at nest building, using too few sticks that are way too big.  I'm sure they will be flying away soon!!

Around noon I had another visitor.  Another beauty of the desert.  It's so weird to me because I've only seen deer in the high mountains or on the coast.  It never even crossed my mind that there might be deer in the desert!!  Magnificent ones at that.  This one is much lighter in color than the last few.

BEEP ... beep ... clip ... (shhhh).  At long last I got up the nerve to clip the wires for the CO2 detector.  I wish I had taken some kind of electrician class somewhere along the way.  It sure seems like it would come in handy.  I called Lazydays to see if the tow hitch wiring had come in and added a monitor to the list.  

Yes the parts came in, but now I can't get an appointment to have it fixed until Wednesday.  I should have just done THAT work myself!  My buddy Zach said they had these in stock.  We shall see!!  I also think I could find one at Camping World, but they aren't exactly my favorite store.

I made one last exciting trip to town to find lithium AA batteries.  I've got a new project I'll tell you about tomorrow.  So far it's resulted in pricks, sticks and pokes, along with debris caught up in my hair.  Sounds fun, right?

The sun was weird as it set in the sky amid white/grey clouds.  It almost looks like smoke!

WAIT!! ............ there was another critter at the water station!!!!  It's just so different in the desert this year.  I've never seen so many birds of all kinds, nor so many deer in the years I've been here.  It's an epic year for the animals.  Right up my alley!

I HATE IT WHEN I DO THAT!

Finally tired of the beep beep, I decided to order a new alarm from online and replace it myself.  I pulled it out and took a picture to be sure I would get the same kind and size.  On to Amazon I went through the jungle of "similar", but nothing like this one.

After searching for several minutes, I FOUND IT!!  I clicked the button to place my order.  That's when I saw in big letters SHIPS IN 1 OR 2 MONTHS.  Uh no, that's not acceptable.  I checked Walmart because their ad said they had them too.

Luckily I checked the reviews also because most said it was already one year old when they received it.  With the same price of $75 as Amazon, that too was a no-go.  At this point my plan is to purchase one from Lazydays and install it myself, STILL saving about $75.00 ... hopefully!!  And so all night long, I am serenaded by beep beep beep!

Back inside the house, it is truly sad how a piece of furniture can become the highlight of your day.  Bill and Patsy of http://patsyischillin.blogspot.com have a very similar coffee table where the top lifts up.  I truly needed the storage space for all that puppy stuff .... a quick place to hide their toys.  

It was delivered yesterday and I love it!!  Now when company comes over, I just HIDE all the junk!!

All the while you KNOW I'm looking out the windows.  Who should appear but one of my beauties looking for a cool drink of water.  At 102 outside, the water isn't exactly chilly, but he drank it dry before munching down on the trees, then wandering off up the hill.

Soon after, disaster happened!!  I could kick myself twenty times.  I never need to get in these drawers in the rig, mostly because they are impossible to get to if the slide is in, so I don't put much in them.  THIS time I required entrance.

I pulled the drawer out as far as possible, but it wasn't far enough.  I needed to move the slide out.  I pushed the drawer in and went up front to hit the button.  CRACK!!!  NOOOOOOOO!!  The drawer barely caught on the edge of the slide.  

Not only did it break the side of the drawer but it bent the track it rides in.  I HATE IT WHEN I DO STUFF LIKE THAT!!!  Hoping it wasn't too terrible, I of course called Dan to the rescue.  I just knew he would have wood glue and clamps.  A few tiny nails later, she's all fixed up ... except for the bent rail.  If I can't bend it back, I'll have to find a new one.  I should probably just glue this drawer SHUT!!

We spent the evening outside in the cool 97 degree temperature checking out Granddaughter Laila's new horse.  Pictures will have to come at a later time.  He's a beauty to be sure.

Then it was off to Serial Grillers for the best salad on the planet.  Basically it's a Chef salad with the best ranch dressing ever, and I hate ranch dressing.  Sadly, there were only four people dining in.  I just don't see how restaurants are going to be able to stay in business!

This amazing sunset came from the night before.  It looked like silk was draped across the sky.  There have been more clouds and an amazing lightning show on the way home last night, but all on the wrong side of the house for me to get pictures.  We oohed and aaahhed the entire way.  A perfect end to the day.

Trying To Be Resourceful

In case you were wondering, yes, the beep beep beep continues.  I decided to rummage through my toolboxes and see if I could find the magic screwdriver to remove those screws on the beeping machine.  I was hoping it would eventually die, but that doesn't appear to be happening!!

At long last, and with much force, I was able to remove the screws.   Hey .... there are only two wires and they used the same connectors I used on the drip irrigation system.  I think I can DO this!!  I'm pretty sure that will save me $75 ... if I can find the right monitor, which shouldn't be a problem.  Yay ... I'm actually being resourceful!

I even spent a good part of the day fixing up my REPAIR book.  Should I ever decide to sell this beast, it's a very good feature to have.  Dan says it's what sold his rig.  I bought the binder and dividers and gathered up all my papers.

Oops ... while scrounging in the drawers, I found the FIRST binder I made for the exact same reason. Half my work was already done!!  I have kept every receipt from warranty and repair work (surprisingly there are not many) AND all the maintenance invoices.  100% of the credit for making this book goes to Dan Chance.

With the book done, I figured I should be a little more resourceful and start cooking more of my own meals.  Try as I might to find the required kitchen utensils, I had come up with nothing.  Time to hit the internet for a restaurant supply store.  It was deep in the heart of Tucson, but I didn't have anything else to do.

The store was practically empty.  I wandered through the trash cans, kitchen wash stations and shelves full of glassware looking for just one small pot.  Here is what I discovered about this restaurant supply business.  Literally EVERYTHING comes from China.  

Update:  I really can't say everything came from China, but everything I picked up did.

I've been to China not once, but TWICE.  We were taken to lots of silk and jade factories, but never once did we see anyone making pots.  So here's my final stash.  One small pot for egg boiling, $5.97. Mini pie pans for 11 cents each, just to see if I can beat Walmart's price of 50 cents.  

I even got a wok ... made in the USA ... and a magnetic knife holder to keep my knives out of the silverware drawer.  The entire pile came to under $50.  It was NOT a good thing to realize that it SEEMED practically everything used in the restaurant kitchens of America are made in China.  I'm hoping this really isn't true.  There must be American manufacturers somewhere.

Back to looking out the glass door ... the hummingbird feeders are inundated with customers.  It looks like the new crop of babies have all taken flight.  These guys are tiny!!!

In the end, I did not use one single kitchen item I purchased when making dinner.  What I HAD was a box of soon-to-be spoiled mushrooms.  Although I didn't have ALL the ingredients, I tried to be resourceful in making this chicken marsala.  

It actually turned out quite tasty, alongside some squash with cheese and thyme.  Everything tastes better with cheese!!  Notice it's placed upon my $25 plastic plates, now available at TJ Maxx for $2.  You may remember that day I was trying to use up $100 at Williams Sonoma and needed a body guard to get to the Jeep.

So that was my rather boring day, although I did spend some time in the sewing room.  I was so happy to start a new project until I went to put the first piece up on my board, only to discover I still had an entire quilt with 88 pieces that needed to be sewn together first.

In the meantime, there were more critters that posed for me.  Pictures tomorrow!!

Breakfast of Champions!!

I needed extra fortification yesterday.  For me, there's nothing worse than sitting inside all day long.  It means I hit the fridge .... oh maybe 50 times in a four hour period.  Not that I'm hungry even one tiny bit, but eating has become my second favorite pastime!!

So it was pizza for breakfast.  It has all the food groups, right?  To make it better, I only had ONE piece, heated up in my convection oven.

Every time I went outside, I felt exactly like that piece of pizza.  I think it only got up to 105 or so, but the convection oven winds turned into an air fryer extraordinaire!  Although still very white, I'm now extremely well done!!

That was made all better when Jack came back with a cottontail buddy who shared the water station.  Speaking of which, I've been having trouble with it not coming on in the afternoon to refill it for the nighttime critters.

I checked out all the wiring before finally being exasperated enough to read the directions.  Silly me, I thought when I set the interval to 7, that meant it would run 7 days a week.  Turns out it means it will turn on every 7th day.  When I changed it to ONE, it magically worked.  Now it will turn on every ONE day, or in other words EVERY day!!  Yay!  Another conquest!!

While all that was going on and sweat was dripping down my nose, I spotted the changing of the guard at the morning dove nest.

I raced inside and grabbed my camera.  YES!!!  I finally got a picture of the baby!!  Mom, or dad as the case may be, didn't smother him this time, but let hime take a look at the world.

Then the newly arrived parent started feeding him!  I think I took 30 pictures.  This is the best one. They really aren't that far away, but there are lots of branches between them and me.

Maybe I should have lunch too!!  This is the absolute last picture you will ever see of a grilled cheese sandwich for me.  I do love them SO much, but that bread just kills me every time!!

Speaking of critter food ... remember this picture of the wandering jew that was dying in the front due to some little rat eating the wires?  Well once fixed and water added, it grew exceedingly fast.  I mean those little green leaves were six inches tall in just a couple of days.  I was so excited!!

Until yesterday when I went outside and discovered THIS!  Wait ... where are my plants?  WHAT THE?  Yes, you are right.  Those darn bunnies jumped up there and ATE MY PLANT, those little buggers!!  I guess I will have to cage it, if it even grows back.  They took it right down to the roots!!

So it's 80 degrees out with some overcast skies.  We just might get a smidgen of rain like yesterday.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!  In the meantime, I've got two things on my list.  A screwdriver that will take those weird screws out of the detector so I can disconnect it and a new bunny-proof plant, if there is such a thing!!  In the meantime, I'm putting a chain and lock on my fridge.

Beep Beep .... Beep!!

Spring has sprung in the desert with all the babies being born.  The number of quail and dove are through the roof.  By the time summer gets here, it's the teenage years where everyone grows up.  Here's the latest and greatest model of the beep beep beep roadrunner.  Look at that tail!!

I love to watch roadrunners scurry across the desert floor with their tails whipping up and down.  I'm NOT a fan of their diet however.  They can eat all the bugs they want, but leave the baby birds alone.

I caught him yesterday eyeing the dove nest in my palm tree.  When I looked up, what should I see but momma feeding a baby.  In all the years they have nested there, I have NEVER seen a baby.  Sadly she covered him up immediately and I didn't get any pictures!  RATS!!

In other news, the dash air on my rig was fixed, but parts to replace the hitch wiring did not come in.  Turns out, according to the radio, yesterday was almost a record setting day for heat.  No kidding ... it was 110 on my patio, 110 in my car and 115 in the rig.  How do I know that?  I couldn't get ahold of anyone, so I drove down to see what was happening.

I have become really good friends with the gal who runs the cashier/scheduling office.  I COULD have sent Zach a text message had I not accidentally erased his number.  I hate it when I do that!  Honestly, I thought it would magically appear like all those scam calls, but not this time!!

With parts not in and my rig sitting outside in the sun, completely closed up, he suggested I could take her home.  Even if the parts came in today, it wouldn't be fixed until Monday.  They brought her to the front and I went inside.   

OMG it was HOT!  I grabbed the fridge door handle to see if it was still on and I actually burned my hand from the heat, like grabbing a hot pot off the stove.  YIKES!!!  I hooked up quickly, turned on the overhead fans and headed off home.

The good news is the dash air blasted away the entire time ..... COLD.  YAY!!!  The other good news is at this point my bill is only $300 which I don't even have to pay until the work is complete.  In the meantime, I heard a very loud BEEP.

Really?  It's the CO2 monitor.  Good grief ... it must be because it's been completely closed up.  I hit the button.  BEEP!!  It beeped all the way home.  Once parked back in her cave and having cooled down a tad, I decided see why the monitor was continually irritating me with a beep so loud I could hear it INSIDE my house.

I grabbed a flashlight and laid down on the floor to read what it said.  Two green flashes followed by two red flashes and BEEP ..... means it has expired ... died from Covid 19 I'm sure.  Sadly, it continues to tell me it's dead with BEEP BEEP BEEP!!

I finally got Zach's number and sent him a message that it needed to be replaced.  No problem he said, he thought they kept those in stock.  Let's hope so.  Until then, I've got at last three days of BEEP left before it can be fixed.  I may just have to get out my screwdriver and side cutters!

In the meantime, I'll be locked in the house with my AC running 24/7.  This is the prediction for the week.  Someone forgot to tell Arizona that this is monsoon season ..... time for all that rain!!!  The radio predicted 111 today, so I should be happy it may only get to 108!!  

I think I'll park my patio chair INSIDE so I can look out at the water station all day.  The outside temp at 5 am was 81.  It's a good day to be socially distant!!

I Spy With My Little Eye .....

Ever play that game when you were a kid on a long trip, squished down on the floorboards of that old Buick, trying not to get whacked for making too much noise?  That was me.  Those six hour trips to Grandma's house in Kernville were long and BORING!

When we were allowed to raise our heads, we played the I Spy game.  Last week, I spied with my little eye THIS amazing treat.  I think it must be the best 50 cents I ever spent.  Walmart finally has something tasty!!

When I spotted the girl putting them up, I rushed over and grabbed not one, not even two ... but SIX!!!!  They freeze exceptionally well.

As you can see on my special six inch dish ware, this three inch piece of lusciousness goes even better with four tablespoons of homemade ice cream.  What could be better?  Perfect portions too!  I'm not kidding, this is the best pecan pie and the flakiest crust.  The apple?  Meh ...  However, the pumpkin was pretty tasty too.  I'm going back today for more!!

Every morning before I let the puppies out, I try to spy with my little eye, anything in the back yard that might bite, spray or otherwise make them too stinky to come BACK in the house.  Yesterday I spotted this lovely creature.  

This is a giant mesquite bug.  The red markings on his legs are barely visible but very cool.  What a strange creature!!  I shooed him on his way with my trusty broom.

Back inside just as the sun came up, I happened to spy THIS little guy.  This is the concrete wall jumping bunny.  Who knew they were so athletic?  He jumped up on top of a three foot wall, then down into the yard to snack on grass.  I didn't mind one little bit.  

I've caught him in here several times, but this was the first time I was able to snag pictures.  He came clear up on the patio.  Another mystery solved about just WHAT my puppies are smelling when they start tracking something now invisible in my yard.

In no time, he jumped back over the fence and headed to the water station, that little empty space in the middle of this picture.  This shows about how far away it is from my back step.  

That makes it pretty easy to get shots like THIS!  I spy with my little eye something tall and spiky!  Isn't he just fabulous?  He looks like he's been in a tussle or two, having lost the fight for the ladies along with some of the hair on his neck.  Gosh, I'd pick him in a hot second!!

I'm hoping to hear from Lazydays today.  They got the parts in yesterday to completely rewire my tow vehicle light hookup.  I'm hoping that solves my no-brake-lights problem on the Jeep.

The good news is that finally, thanks to FOUR phone calls about my missed garbage pickup, those two huge bags of stinky trash stored in my back yard are now gone, or at least in the finally-emptied bin.  Those of course attracted many new little things for me to spy with my little eye and a shovel, forget the broom.

For breakfast this morning, I'm channeling Marie Antoinette ... let them eat cake ... or pecan pie as the case may be.  Maybe that will give me enough energy to get outside in the 104 degree weather.

RV Repairs .... Whoopee!!!

Anyone who owns an RV knows it's pretty much the same as a boat.  A big hole you throw money into.  I have to admit however, that I haven't had it too bad.  When I bought my rig, I purchased an extended warranty (thanks to the advice from Mr. Chance) that covered that air conditioner that blew up and the pipe that came loose under the shower, as well also a few other minor things.

The only other major problem I had was a leak on my slide, mostly because the slide topper had basically melted so water was running THROUGH the fabric and down the side of the slide on the inside.  That was a lovely $800 repair.  All of those fixes were completed at La Mesa RV.

I called them about the dash air and they said no.  I called RWC, a freightliner repair shop and THEY said no.  I called Lazydays, who said bring her in!!  That's when I met Zack.  What a great service guy!!

Lucky for me, the person with the 9:00 appointment didn't show up, meaning I got in early.  The list is short ... fix the door handle, fix the water draining into the freezer on the household fridge, replace the wiring from the rig to the Jeep plug and feed the dash air some freon.

The outcome was predictable.  They do not work on household refrigerator/freezers.  No surprise.  The door handle just needed to be completely lubed ... no charge.  The dash air has already been fixed ... YAY ... and the wiring ordered for the plug will arrive today.

About that wiring ... way back in 2012 or 2013, I followed the Westerfields up a too steep incline, causing the hitch to cut the wiring harness in half.  Our repair has lasted at least seven years.  Not bad!!  But now all that tape we put on is coming off and exposing the wires.  Time for a complete redo.

So far, I have to say I wholeheartedly recommend this shop.  It's so easy to get in .. all their service guys are right in a line with the service desk easily accessible.  Not only that, but they agreed to keep it plugged in the entire time it was in the shop.  Possibly it was easy because it's hotter than you now what, with few customers this time of year.

Back home, even though I got several heat advisories, I headed out front to figure out why this pot and everything along the house was not getting water.  I really didn't want to dig up the entire drip system.  

Suddenly it hit me.  This entire station is not working.  I gingerly lifted up the big box that covers the valves ... no use getting stung by a scorpion for nothing!!

Well that was easy ... look ... the wiring isn't even attached.  I have a feeling SOMEONE has been in there chewing on things.  Of course I could find not one single wire nut in the house for a fix.  I DID find a box of thingies in the rig where you could splice two ends together.  Let's try it.

How shocked was I when I hit the manual valve and the water began to pour out!!  I can't believe I fixed that myself and it WORKS!!  I'm not really sure for how long, because none of those wires look very good.  So I carefully covered it up again, being sure to pile rocks around the edges to keep critters out.  Maybe this little purple wandering jew plant will survive after all.

In the afternoon, just because we deserved a treat, Miss Patty and I headed out to Screamers for some ice cream.  I didn't see this particular sign, I just pulled it from the internet.  Anyway, they have lots of choices like bacon and bourbon.  I was so tempted to try it, but they were not giving out samples, so I opted for the coffee toffee.  What could be better than big pieces of candy mixed in with ice cream?

It was a very nice stressless day thanks to Zack, ending up with another gorgeous sunset.  

I expect, or maybe HOPE, my rig will be ready late today or possibly tomorrow.  I've no idea what the cost will be ... like most shops, their repair rate is $149.00 an hour.  Don't you wish YOU made that much?

I'm LATE!!!!

I'm a planner.  If I have some place to go, I start getting ready the day before because I just CANNOT be late.  I wish I didn't care because it keeps me up at night.  THIS time however, I slept like a rock because I got my days mixed up.  Somehow Sunday and Monday just disappeared.  TODAY, and I'm not even a little bit ready, I take the rig in to get the dash air fixed.

I'm feeling rather bad because I'm being a traitor and going to Lazy Days instead of La Mesa.  It's not my choice ... they are the only ones who said they would fix it.

That means this will be a quicky ... a shortened version of what I had thought to write.  First off, I got Speedway mixed up with Broadway.  Speedway has my favorite Quilt Shop, so it's an easy mistake for me.  The Toro Loco taco shop is on Broadway and Pantano!!

I had only three things on my list.  Dog food ..... got it ..... a small pot to boil eggs in and tacos.  It's hard to shop when you leave your phone at home and can't find stores with kitchen supplies.  Nor can you take photos of the second set of tacos you purchased after waiting in the parking lot for 30 minutes.

They open at 11:00 in case you go there.  Upon arrival back home, the first thing I did was grab my camera!!  THIS is the grilled chicken corn taco.  It's about five inches across, small by most taco standards.  It's grilled chicken, grilled sweet corn, BACON and a spicy sauce to die for.  Just a little bit of heat.  You just have to try it.

Just to balance out the day, I picked up one carne asada and one barbacoa, each with different sauces. These will be lunch and dinner today!!

Besides the dog food, I grabbed one little package of Cooper's yellow Kong squeaky balls.  I couldn't figure out what he was barking about.  In no time, my purse was on the floor.

Surprise Cooper ... I snuck them out and into the bread box when he wasn't looking.  He was having none of it.  He was absolutely SURE there was a ball in my purse.  He literally dug everything out on the floor, then looked at me like WHERE DID YOU PUT THEM!!!

It was 105 in Tucson when I left and 101 when I arrived home.  Lucky for us, a small storm came through and cooled things off a tad.  We LOVE it when THAT happens.

So I'm off to get organized, cleaned up and close up the rig, getting ready to take off.  Of course I have to hook up the Jeep too because apparently it's an all day affair.  Wish me luck!!

Chased By A Lizard!!!

I do love the monsoons.  I call to them every day, but alas, it's doing no good.  I got a heat warning on my phone early this morning.  We're looking at over 100 degrees for the next five days.  YIKES!!  I was SO looking forward to rain!!

Rather than stay inside, Nurse Patty and I took a trip to deep in the heart of Tucson, meaning about a 45 minute drive, to friend Pat's house.  Her beautiful granddaughter Leilani was visiting, for which Nurse Patty had purchased some dress wear.

I hit the garage door opener to access the Jeep, and what should I see but a little creature sitting nearby.  I walked over to see what it was.  He ran into the corner.  Hey little guy ... you need to get back outside.  He was not the least bit obliging!!

I picked up my broom and tried to shoo him towards the door.  He instantly swelled up, lifted himself up really high on all four feet and waved his tail at me like a rattlesnake!  I kid you not, he became VERY aggressive!!  Suddenly he made a rush for my feet!

OMG!!!!  I ran backwards, almost tripping over myself!!  You little RAT!!  I swept him onto the concrete apron, which I think was a little hot from the sun.  He picked up two feet and kept his body very high off the ground.

I swept him again into the shade of the motorhome.  He stopped only long enough to flip his tail even more.   Once getting his bearings, he buried himself underneath the rocks at the edge of the concrete.  Good ... now I won't run over your tiny self.  Make note of his tail colors.

Patty and I had a great time watching Lailani sing and dance before heading even deeper into the heart of Tucson for a new Taco Shop called Toro Loco on Speedway and Pantano.  If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend it.  Those were absolutely beyond-a-doubt the best tacos I've ever had in my life.  

So much so that we just sucked them down SANS pictures.  How did that happen??  Awwww so sad .... now I have to go back (possibly today) to get some more, just to show you what they looked like.  Seriously good tacos with roasted corn!!

Next stop ... Ashley Furniture to see if they had a table I was looking for ... but that's a story for another day.

Back home and stuffed to the gills, I didn't even eat dinner.  I played with the puppies on the floor until bed time.  After having that little meet and greet with the rattlesnake the last time I was here, I now never let the dogs out without thoroughly checking the back yard first.

I grabbed my huge mag light that shines clear to the railroad tracks and went to check.  Look what I found?  ANOTHER gecko ... a western banded gecko to be exact.  Okay, I admit, I would never know what it was except I belong to a group of wildlife experts where I posted the picture.

If I don't look, you can't see me.  I never did get a picture of his face.  Notice the tail?  It's been regenerated with a different pattern.  That's why they wave their tail in the air.  A roadrunner or bird will grab the tail, which will immediately fall off and the gecko lives another day.  How weird is that??  I left this little guy, about 4 inches long, to eat the bugs falling down from my BUGLESS yellow back porch light bulb.

These beauties seem to be after the same bugs.  They congregate on my back patio to eat everything they can find.  That works just fine for me!!  I'm especially not fond of doing the crazy dance like last night ... you know, when you can FEEL that bug crawling in your hair but you can't get it out???

Yeah, that was me for about fifteen minutes while I picked out pieces of him.  YUCK!!

A spectacular sunset ensued, made all the better by my newest patio lights.  They do seem to keep at least some of the bugs away from the door!!

In the meantime, I'll be doing my very best RAIN dance while eating some more tacos!!!

Busy Day At The Watering Hole

You might think I spend my entire day staring out the window.  You would be pretty much right.  When you've got lots of critters in the desert coming for a drink, it's hard to get anything done.

The first visitor was this beauty.  From far away (and I was very far away), they look just plain drab brown.  They blend in with the desert sand nicely.

I really can't get close to these guys at all since they are so very wary.  Up close with my telephoto lens however, you can see the different colors, patches of white and even orange.  They keep my back yard bug free!

Then there is THIS view ... my summer favorite.  There are a few houses dotting the landscape, but they are probably 2 miles away, so not really visible.  This is where I park my chair.

There were even more orioles in the early morning cool, if 80 degrees is cool.  I actually watched them come up on my back steps and snag all the bugs that died trying to fly into my yellow bugless back porch light.

When I saw a bunny rabbit jump straight up and race off, I knew SOMETHING was coming.  I waited until I saw movement way back in the scrub brush.  Sure enough, here came another gorgeous deer.  A mule deer to be exact.  His beautiful rack of horns are still covered with velvet.

Boy that water tastes good!!!  He would drink, then lick his lips to get every drop.  Although not really scared of anything, he did keep a watchful eye.  He completely drained my water basin.

Next he moved up a few paces and drained the small container that also has water for the birds.  He was a thirsty guy!!  I watched and waited.  In a few minutes, he sauntered off into the desert, nibbling on trees as he went.  It's a good thing cameras went digital.  I think I took 50 pictures!!

AND THEN ... who should appear but Jack!!  I snuck out the back door and turned on the water to refill the tank.  Now THIS guy was VERY wary.  He would take one step and listen for literally two minutes before taking one more step ... and listening again.  It was a good fifteen minutes before he got down to the water.  That's probably why he's still alive!!

The rest of the day I did a little sewing in between looking out the windows.  I spent quite a bit of time looking for stuff in the rig where I was cool as a cucumber!!  Not overheated one little bit!!  I'll tell you what I found tomorrow because now, it's prime water-station-watching time!!