WILD THINGS!!

I'm an animal lover from way back ... in fact, I wanted to be a Veterinarian when I grew up, but way back in the dark ages, women weren't allowed.  They couldn't take "those" kinds of college classes, they couldn't wear pants to school and it was either Home Ec or Secretarial classes ... take your pick.  So every time I'm anywhere, I search out local zoos to see what wild things they might have.

I wasn't disappointed yesterday when I found the Sequoia Park Zoo right here in Eureka amid the tall redwoods.  These two otters were playing chase while little kids screamed from a tube in the wall where they could get up close and personal.  Okay, I admit it was me in the tube screaming!!  I could watch their antics for hours!

Chilean Flamingos seem to be everywhere.  They adapt well to captivity and don't seem inclined to fly off.  As usual, there were several disagreements going on between the males over who was too close to their girlfriend.

The girlfriends on the other hand just turned their heads and walked away, keeping an eye on their reflection to be sure they were still the prettiest!!

The grandparents just breathed a big sigh and went back to sleep.

Although very small by San Diego standards, this zoo is amazingly well kept, with nice enclosures for the animals.  There are employees cleaning everywhere, keeping it spotless.  

This is Cheyenne whose broken wing didn't heal correctly so she can't fly.  What a shame this magnificent creature was hurt.  Here's the cool part though!!  You can go into her cage, and although there is a low barrier so you don't get too close, there's no wire or netting between you and her, a distance of maybe 20 feet.  

You've heard of screaming eagles??  That's exactly what she did ... threw her head back and let out several screams.  I tried to get some info from the internet on this behavior but could only come up with either calling to other eagles or helping food move down her gullet.  Either way, she's pretty impressive up close and personal!!

Here's a very well camouflaged little owl.  She's sleeping, as owls do during the day.  Also with a broken wing and unable to fly, she'll spend her life here watching screaming kids go through her territory.  Luckily the kids never did see her!!

Another screamer .... this Crested Screamer just had babies.  In the morning, she was glued to the nest, but housekeeping duties finally allowed us to see the babies as she cleaned the nest area.  The brave guy on the right almost fell out of the nest before mom saved him with a beak grab!!

All around the little zoo are tall redwoods that seem to be in great shape.  They're so big that even when I lay on the ground, I can't get them all in the picture!!  At my age, I have to be careful ... people think I must have died, or at the very least, had a heart attack!!  No, no ... I'm fine, really.  Just taking pictures!

These babies are the stars of the show ... Red Pandas.  The keepers brought bamboo shoots for breakfast, which must be a favorite as this baby licks his lips!!

The weather here is perfect for these guys.  They cannot stand temperatures over 70 degrees, so air conditioning units have been placed in all their cages.

Probably the biggest attraction is The Barnyard.  As you walk around and through the barn, there's lots of creatures big and small.  A real hit with the kids!!

Llamas ... a face only a mother could love, are surrounded by many different kinds of goats.  Everyone was very vocal as they were waiting to be fed.

This big guy was a crackup!!  I've never heard of a Kune Kune pig.  It must mean "eats a lot" because his little legs could hardly carry his weight, let along the three inches of fur all over his body!!  As soon as he heard a door close nearby, he started loudly grunting orders for breakfast!

In every barnyard there are usually honey bees buzzing around.  Here they have attached two hives to the outside of the barn, allowing bees to come from all around, doing what they do best ... making honey.  You can lift a cover inside the barn ... away from stinging bees ... and watch them work the hive.  VERY cool!!

Here's a first ... I've never had a barn without mice.  In fact, recently I've heard about several RV friends who have had many mice visitors.  These guys however, have a permanent home inside the walls of the barn, covered with plexiglass so you can watch them do what they do best ... chew things up and make a mess!!  Whoever thought this one up was a genius!!  I watched this little guy for about 30 minutes!!

There's lots more animals here to see and beautiful grounds to walk around.  Entry fee is $5.75 for seniors and military and well worth it.  This has to be the cleanest zoo I've ever seen.  It's not a "rush around and see everything" zoo ... it's come take a relaxing walk around the big trees and see what creatures we have.  Feeding goes on all day so you have plenty of opportunities to see them eat and ask questions of the keepers.

By now it was time for ME to eat, so I went in their little cafe to see what people food they might have.  It's a pretty extensive menu, but with most places like this, I wasn't expecting much, maybe a greasy corn dog or burger.  I ordered a turkey wrap for $7.95.  WOW!!!  This is one of the best turkey wraps I've ever had!!  I thanked the kitchen staff (who were very appreciative) and got a to-go box for the second half, which was last night's dinner.

So you just never know how cool a small little zoo can be until you experience it.  Check it out ... and while you're at it, there is Sequoia Garden Park next door, along with Sequoia Park, full of amazing big trees and a path you can walk, oohing and aahing all the way!!

In My Dreams .....

I guess the thought that Ferndale was the antique capitol of the North was only in my dreams ... just like me buying the Pink Lady!!  Still, it's a great little town in which to spend the day, especially when it comes to bakery items!!

Right off Hwy 101 South of Eureka, you have to cross the Fernbridge, built in 1911.  It was and remains to this day, the longest functional poured concrete bridge in operation in the world.  It has survived nine floods as it crosses the Eel River just before it reaches the Pacific Ocean.

Just down the road a bit, you will come to the first and most important business in Ferndale.  Humboldt Sweets!!  With a visit from Guy Fieri of Food Network fame, it has become probably the most visited building in town.  Believe me, the reputation is well deserved!!  They do have a few seats if you want a sit down breakfast or lunch, but I got mine to go.

The first thing I saw was mini Strawberry pies ... I scarfed down the strawberry on top before I thought to take a picture.  It was delectable!!  Flakey crust ... a pile of cream cheese on the bottom ... filled to the brim with luscious strawberries and topped with half a cup of whipped cream!!  It disappeared in about 15 seconds!!  Then I saw the cupcakes ... the muffins ... the cinnamon rolls ... OH MY!!!

EVERYTHING looked delicious ... and I couldn't resist.  On the left is a cinnamon-bun-"ends" sweet roll, filled with cream cheese and slathered in lemon curd!!  The smallest of my purchases, the cupcake, has vanilla cake, is filled with lemon curd and topped with lavender buttercream frosting.  It didn't last long either ... I had that one for lunch.  The cinnamon roll I'm saving for breakfast ... AFTER another 2.5 mile run!!

From Ferndale, I headed southwest out of town in search of the ocean, which I found about 5 miles out.  This isn't a popular beach, but it is a beautiful one.  It's not for swimming due to the rough surf, as you can see in the next picture.  Fisherman were giving it a try, looking for the elusive Perch ... they are only allowed to keep 10" and bigger.  Now THAT'S dinner!!

They hadn't caught anything ... the surf kept taking their bait down the coast and on to the sand.  Although everyone seemed to be bundled up, I was in short sleeves and thought the weather perfect!! You could sit here with a nice picnic and a bottle of wine, being basically alone for hours.

Back through Ferndale, most of the stores were closed.  That's what I thought ... it's Friday and you're closed??  The Ferndale Emporium was open however, and chock full of stuff your lady will love.  I picked up a cake cookbook, a casserole cookbook so I can compete with my friend Patty, the Casserole Queen and a set of beautiful green glassware.

I'm starting my dinnerware collection for the Pink Lady!!  I know, in my dreams!!  At the very least, they will make nice wine glasses for my rig.

How could I pass up a cake cookbook with this on the cover!!  What I REALLY like is that all these cakes are made with small six inch pans.  Now if I can just FIND some six inch pans, I'll be in business!!

Peach cream ..... I KNOW I've eaten this in my dreams ... the entire thing at one sitting!!!

There's many more Victorian homes here ... this one being the Gingerbread House Bed and Breakfast.  Who cares if no one makes reservations?  I'd just love to live in one of these beauties!   

Just to be sure I was wrong about the antiques in this area, I drove a little further south to Fortuna.  Nope .... no antiques there either!!

On the way back to Eureka, I took a side street through the small town of Loleta.  This is it ... the entire town!!  It's sad to see the economy in such bad shape ... the only business open is the white building in the middle ... the Bank Of Loleta.  The trains that used to run through here filled with lumber, are only ghosts in the dreams of the residents now.  Life is subsistence at best.

I'm thinking about dinner time now ... another of Guy Fieri's shows was done here at the Brick and Fire Bistro on F Street, east of Hwy 101.  It's very small, seating maybe 20 people, but they have a HUGE brick pizza oven.  It's not all about the pizza however.  I sat at the bar right in front of the oven's gorgeous fire, watching the kitchen staff and Chef prepare everything fresh, including my Italian Mac 'n Cheese .......

I got an order to go so I could enjoy it back at the rig.  I hate taking up an entire table by myself in such a busy establishment.   WOW!!!  Best I've ever eaten!!  The tomatoes, kalamata olives and cheese topped off rigatoni in a wonderful creamy sauce full of spinach and onions.  I'm definitely going back to try their pizza later next week!!

Now that I've eaten all that terribly fattening stuff, even if it was in two sittings, I have to go run off at least SOME of the calories!!  Later on I'll walk through forests of big trees and check out the zoo.  Did you know Eureka had a zoo??

The Ladies of Eureka!!

No matter how I try to darken my bedroom windows, the puppies just know when light breaks the trees, which happens pretty early here ... like 4:45!!  Since it's still very cool at that time of the morning, I donned my running gear and did 30 laps around the parking lot.  Two and a half miles later, I was starving!!  A nice quiet breakfast (no one around here gets up until 9) from my lunch stash was followed by a trip to the grocery store to find breakfast material.

Since I read so much about William Carson, lumber magnate, my first stop of the day was his mansion.  Built in 1885, it is the most photographed example of Queen Anne style Victorian architecture in the U.S.  The pictures don't do it justice!!  The woodwork on this house is more than spectacular.  Bring a pair of binoculars to be amazed at the detail.

Why do you need binoculars you ask?  Because the house is owned by the Ingomar Club, purchased in the early 1950's.  Here's the kicker ... it's a private club organized to maintain the home in it's grandeur.  That's good, right??  But they are the only ones allowed to enjoy the grandeur they are maintaining.  They do allow bridge groups to meet, occasionally have weddings,  pool parties and Easter Brunch (semi formal attire required), who knows at what cost, but no one else is allowed inside.  What a shame!!

You can click on this picture to enlarge it and see some of the amazing detail!!  Apparently Mr. Carson had this home built to keep over 100 of his employees working during a downturn in the lumber business.  

Here's two terrible images I downloaded from the internet, just to give you an idea of the inside hallway and magnificent staircase with stained glass windows.

In 1885 William and Sarah Carson built the Pink Lady right across the street, for their son John Milton's wedding present.  Another amazing example of workmanship, you can get a little closer to this beautiful lady.

What I wouldn't give to live here.  I think I must have lived in the 1800's because I love the houses, clothes and horse drawn buggies so much!!

You too can be the proud owner of an historical landmark and not let anyone see inside!!  The Pink Lady is for sale at a measly $1,087,000.  Yessiree ... she's available, including a huge back yard, completely landscaped, along with a carriage house that would make a great quilt shop!!  I'd give up RV'ing forever if I could swing THIS property and spend the rest of my life furnishing it!!  Eureka would be happy too, since I would keep their local economy going with paint and repairs!!  Where's my Prince Charming when I need him??

There are many more "ladies" around the area ... by that I mean houses.  Yes, there are some of those other kinds of ladies too ... I saw at least four walking in Old Town.  All of the "Victorian" ladies seem to be Bed and Breakfast establishments.  See?  I could write off everything as a business!!!

As you drive around Eureka, there are many MANY murals, but few places to park for pictures.  This is the back of the Cultural Arts Center ... an amazing piece of artwork!!

You can even find murals down the alleys!!  Just take a slow drive up and down all the streets to see a wonderful array of art on the walls!!

There's more to see and do here than I have time for, but I'll do my best and pack in as much action as I can!!  Today I head to Ferndale ... antique capitol of the North!!

EUREKA!!! I'm in Eureka!!

I knew I was in for a long haul yesterday ... which now seems lightyears ago ... so I got up with the chickens and was on the road by 6:30 am.  Wouldn't you know it finally decided to rain in California. Not only is it a good thing for water, but it was a good thing for me and the puppies to have cool weather the entire trip.  Not so good for my once clean rig.  Sacramento traffic wasn't bad at all as I crossed the Sacramento River on another great adventure!!

I was maybe 50 miles down the road when I thought I made my first big mistake.  Did you ever wonder how things could look so much different in person than they do on that map??  I had asked my Mentor Mr. Chance if Hwy 16 North was okay for motorhomes (he's been on every road there is in California), to which his reply was YES.  Apparently he thought I said motorCYCLES!!  The scenery was beautiful, but the road kind of narrow.  Funny ... it looked GREAT on my map!!

About the time I came to the REALLY narrow and winding sections, I was sure I had taken a wrong turn.  This CAN'T be a road he would send me on.  Somehow it did seem vaguely familiar though ... from our old motorcycle days!!!  It was the shortest route on my GPS however, so I just kept trucking along ..... at 35 mph ... in spite of the shocked expression on people's faces at seeing a huge motorhome on their road!!

The scenery was spectacular ... this image right out of my point and shoot ... with no traffic whatsoever.  I didn't pass a single car ... which had me pretty worried until I finally hit Hwy 20 West to Clear Lake.

Heading around the lake, traffic was heavy due to road construction, but at least there WAS traffic.  From here on I'm rather familiar with the road, allowing my fingers to let go of their death grip on the steering wheel!!

Willits was a wonderful site to see ... at least I know I'm on the right road.  I played dodge the chunks of wood from the logging trucks, scoring a perfect ZERO!!

I made it through the big trees, taking up both lanes of course.  I'm not taking any chances of losing a mirror or awning!!

At long last, 6-1/2 hours later, I found the Elks Lodge in Eureka.  With no pull-thru's here, I was going to have to back up.  The nice gentleman next door didn't have any confidence in my skills ... he came out immediately to move his vehicle out of the way.  There were three empty spaces, so I thought it best to take the one in the middle.  When I asked him to spot me, he was more than happy to help!  I like RV people!!  I have 50 amp full hookups for 8 days.  That should give me plenty of time to experience all that Eureka has to offer, including Victorian Ferndale, my REAL reason for spending time here!!

While the puppies kept watch, I went inside the Elks Lodge for a great fish dinner, complete with clam chowder!!  Luckily I sat at a table with another couple parked across from me who happened to be from Auburn.  They knew all about Hwy 16!!!

I crashed on the couch about 8:30 I think ... it's kind of a blur!!  It's perfectly quiet and a wonderful cool 55 degrees.  Time for a morning run before my days adventure!

Not An Oven ... A CONVECTION Oven!!!

My little town was set for another hot day yesterday as I loaded up the remaining necessities in the rig in 76 degree temperatures, the coolest of the night!!  Once on the road, the wind came up just enough to make the truckers and I slow down to a little under 55.  By the time I got to Cal Expo in Sacramento, it was 95 degrees and blowing like my convection oven!!

I'm definitely Nervous Nellie when it comes to taking off on my own to places I haven't been before.  The adrenaline was still rushing as I pulled in to Cal Expo and came to a screeching halt.  Wrong
entrance!!

Mr. Old-Man-Grump at the gate wouldn't open the side gate so I could go in and turn around easily.  Instead, I had to skinny through the car gate and try to immediately make a U-turn.  Obviously he doesn't know the "no-back-up" rule!!   I'm sure I had all of 1" to spare, even though I turned the wheel as tight as possible!!  Thank goodness the RV Park people are nicer, including the Manager Miss Kitty who was snoozing on the counter.

Surprise!!!  This isn't my rig, but it IS a Phaeton from Texas parked right next to me in a mostly empty park!!

I decided to at least get two hours driving behind me, leaving probably a long 7 hour drive today til I arrive in Eureka, my first jumping off spot!!

I spent a couple of hours on the computer looking at maps of my destinations while both air conditioners were running.  The puppies finally cooled down before taking a quick walk outside to come face to face with two huge Huskys!!   I picked Jessie up just in time to keep her from being lunch!!

Believe it or not, it rained most of the night.  At least there's SOME water coming down in California ... in JUNE??   It's a muggy but cool 66 degrees.  I'm off early this morning ... see you in Eureka!!

And I'm O F F !!!!

Another great adventure awaits as I get ready to exit the oven of the Central Valley.  It was 106 degrees in the shade at my house yesterday!!  I can't wait to get to cooler country!!

I still have some packing to do, and even with all my lists, I'll probably forget something.  That's okay however ... there's always a Walmart nearby!!  I think everything is in order and if not, the housekeeper, the realtor and the alarm company can call me!!!

Hoping I see you down the road .........

A Frantic Last Day!!

My to-do list is getting longer and longer ... which is a BAD thing since it's the last day before I head out.  I thought I had everything under control so I could just sit back and relax!!  It was a balmy 74 degrees last night as the central valley oven begins the summer baking of it's occupants.  Time to get out of Dodge!!

I have to get busy cleaning the jacks on the rig, emptying and refilling the water tank, along with washing the front half, now covered with dirt.  I worked on the sprinklers most of the day yesterday, with a few more adjustments to be made today.

I discovered this morning that my porch light is full of cobwebs and dead critters, so I'll have to get that cleaned out before it blows a bulb.  Then it's off to get the documents signed for the Ranch sale, pick up my mail and some packages, then last minute groceries before collapsing on the couch.  My best laid plans for a relaxing pre-takeoff day never seem to work out!!

And I STILL haven't packed clothes or food!!  YIKES!!!  I better get busy!!!

Going Crazy!!

It's been graduation time around central California, which means lots of crazed kids driving adults even crazier!!  Between their not-so-good driving skills and exceptional sneak-out-at-night skills, it's amazing they made it to San Francisco State like my friend's grandson.

Graduations sure aren't what they used to be.  First off, you can't get in without a ticket and the chairs are the smallest most uncomfortable possible.  The speeches were way too long and boring, beginning with the first teacher to take the stand, and no one told the audience to have a little respect and be quiet so we could hear.  By the time they walked up on the stage to get that piece of paper, it was dark.  There were no pictures taken of the graduates receiving their diplomas ... apparently they chose a "live stream" instead.  I hope those parents have a photographic memory!!

The planned party afterwards was a bust ... with only two pizza parlors in town, they had a little trouble serving hundreds of pizzas and everyone else folded up the sidewalks before the ceremonies were over.  The good news is over 1000 kids actually graduated!!

I don't know what happened to the last month, but it has gone by in a flash.  I'm frantically trying to get things fixed before departure day.  All of a sudden I have big brown spots in my lawn where the sprinklers aren't working, light bulbs that are burned out, ranch paperwork that needs to be signed and I had to make a trip to the local Environmental Health Department for septic and well information.  You can probably guess how that went!!

First they told me I had to fill out a request that they would review before giving it to County Counsel  for approval.  Are you kidding me??  To get a copy of the septic system on my property, County Counsel has to approve??  I don't think so .... maybe I should speak with your supervisor!!  Someone has definitely given her some bad information.  I worked in and around that Department for 22 years so I KNOW she is misinformed.

I went to their office and in ten minutes had a copy of everything in the file from soup to nuts.  That came to 4 pieces of paper ... we purchased it in 1954 when there were no regulations on the books.  Remember those wonderful times??  Now you can't even build a dog house without a permit!!

I still haven't washed the rig, set up the housekeeper or packed my clothes.  Hopefully I'll get something done today.  The oven of the central valley is heating up pretty quickly now, with three digit temperatures expected most of the week.  Time to head to high country!!

There's Always A New Scam ...

I don't know about you, but I've been getting more and more cell phone calls from scam artists, even though I'm on the National Do Not Call List.  Yesterday was a first however, when I heard these three little letters ...

I R S

Those words Internal Revenue Service always send a chill down my spine.  I don't know why because I don't cheat on my taxes.  It's like the Gestapo or SS Troops are after you ... they're just going to torture you and take everything you own!!

The call went something like this:   The IRS has filed lawsuit against you.  Call this number immediately!!  206-801-5201  (Click ... they hung up)

The number posted on my phone's screen said it was 86500009132000863.  That's a phone number I didn't quite recognize!!!  So today's post is just to AGAIN warn everyone that these guys are out there doing everything they possibly can to separate you from your hard earned cash.  Do not ... I repeat DO NOT call these idiots.  If IRS wanted to contact you, they would not do it by phone!!  They don't file lawsuits anyway, they just impound your bank account!!

The dead giveaway is always language.  It's file "A" lawsuit, you dummy!!!  I didn't call the number, but I WILL report them today ... not that it will do any good.  Maybe I will call after all and run a scam on them!!  That's always fun and entertaining for an hour or so!!

I did discover something however that has slowed some of the calls.  I've been receiving them from Arizona, Washington, New York ... all over the U.S.  So here's what I do on my iPhone ... you can add that number to your contact list ... I put them under the name Scammer 1, 2, etc ... then scroll down to the bottom and there's a key that says BLOCK THIS NUMBER.  I've been receiving less and less calls.

It's a shame that we have to resort to this, but I don't need to know all about Medicare's health plans, I'm already informed.  I did call these guys back to tell them NOT to call me and the recording said I was number 38 in line.  WOW ... 38 people were in line to possibly get scammed and buy something they didn't need!!   I know my Jeep extended warranty expired and obviously I chose not to renew it at your ridiculous prices, I'm not a Contractor any more since I let my license expire, so I don't need YOUR insurance and I certainly don't need any Viagra!!!

In fact, don't do business with ANY of these people over the phone ... just HANG UP!!   There's a million of them out there trying to loosen YOUR purse strings!!  Course you could always try to sell THEM something, like the pile of manure in my back yard ... you know, just for fun!!!  I take MasterCard and VISA!!!!

Bingo On A Full Moon!!!

There's many words that shouldn't go together in the same sentence ... Bingo and full moon are three of them!!  It was Magic Kingdom time last night and I dutifully headed out to my position of Kingdom Cashier, not giving it a second thought.  That was a mistake!!  I was unprepared!!

Arriving at the palace, I spotted a big crowd of peasants at the drawbridge gate, so I quietly tiptoed down the ramp to the dungeon door, which happened to be open as the Libation Chief packed away cases and cases of mead.  It's 3:30 and I have an hour to chase down the Keeper Of The Vault so I can access my supplies.

When the door was finally opened at 4:30 pm, the crowd rushed the castle ramparts and literally ran full speed to the tables, grabbing chairs and space, which has been at a premium lately with so many new players.  We should have seen that as a sign, but instead, we merrily welcomed everyone to our little station.  Little did we know what was to come!!

I admit, most people are VERY nice, but there is always one .... you know??  Here's how it works ... they get to pick their cards, I go through their stack and count everything, calling out each game (and the number of games) to the Lawyer, who rings it up on the cash register and takes the money.  She's been doing this for three weeks now, since we wanted her to have lots of practice before I left.  

The first sign of tension came when one of the peasants started yelling out what she had, along with the normal 100+ decibels from conversation down the line.  The Lawyer asked her to please be quiet so she could hear me ... which got her nose out of joint VERY quickly!!  In short order, she became a raving maniac ... I kid you not ... and we almost had to call in the guards!!  

With her gone, there was lots of pushing and pulling as the people a little further down the line fought for a chance to grab the card they KNOW is going to win!!  Pretty soon another peasant came up, jumped in the middle of the line and started complaining about how her mom didn't get all her tickets, nor the dobber she paid for, as she waived her receipt in my face.  As I explained to her, we cannot give her more tickets nor another dobber, since her mother was standing there as we counted them all out.  She began to get louder and louder, topped off with belligerent!!  

Here's the deal ... they think if they get loud enough, we'll give them what they want.  The old cowgirl wasn't born yesterday and knows a scam when she sees one.  Since her mother was the ONLY person to buy that color of marker, we both knew she DID receive it (we might not have remembered if she had waited a little longer).  Come on folks, it's a dollar!!  You're trying to bully me into giving you a dollar!!!  I bet that works for her a lot!

We ignored her and she flounced off, only to jump one of the guards and complain some more!!  It was then that I remembered ... it's a FULL MOON!!  Not only are all the crazies out, but they have invaded the Magic Kingdom!!  We all laughed ... kind of a maniacal scream actually, and finished out the night!!  WHEW!!!  I'm glad THAT'S over!!!  Hopefully it won't happen for another year so we can recover from the onslaught!!

I'm sanitizing the water tank today ... wish me luck, since that didn't work out too well last time, although my concrete driveway is VERY clean and sanitized!!  The rig is in need of another wash, battery check, oil check, trani fluid check ..... I better go find my list!!

Old Cowgirls!!

I want to be Constance when I grow up!!  Her philosophy and mine go hand in hand ... just keep on truckin' !!!  I think that's why I love this RV crowd so much ... they don't let any grass grow under their feet.  The best way to stay young is to keep moving as much as possible, sometimes when you don't even want to.

That's what I did yesterday when I ran another 3.25 miles.  I tried to come up with several reasons NOT to get outside and get my heart rate up ... like maybe my foot hurts, it's too cold, I'm tired because I didn't sleep well ... all the usual stuff like it's too sunny, it's too windy, it's too hot!!!  In the end, once I'm on the road, I feel better, except for my sore legs and side ache from eating too much spicy food!!  I didn't even feel my black and blue foot, bruised from the trunk falling on it.

It's hard to get a mindset and get it done ..... but in the end, even though I ran a circle in front of my house for the last quarter mile, I always feel like I really accomplished something ... and I can breathe so much better!!  In spite of the discomfort, I always feel better ... the best part of course is when you get to stop!!!

Next on my list of accomplishments will be this Cowboy Cupcake.  This is EXACTLY why I have to run!!!  Not only do I make them, I eat them!!  Pretty cute ... a potato chip and gum drop!!

The countdown begins today for this old cowgirl ... the ranch cleanup is done and I meet with the realtor this Thursday.  That's a big load off my mind ... now I can concentrate on getting my housesitter set up, along with packing the last few items, and of course the food!!  Unfortunately I have to wash the rig one more time, if it's not too sunny, or too windy, or too hot, or .............!!!  It won't be long till this old gal hits the trail again!!