Shiny Wheels and Rid-A-Rat!!

Another beautiful Arizona sunrise yesterday morning brightened my spirits until I realized the thermometer was in the 30's.  Just the thought of that makes me cold.  It's a trade-off however .... it's pouring down rain where I come from, with creeks on the verge of flooding.  At least it's warm and beautiful here from noon till bedtime!!

When you drive into this small subdivision on a really narrow one way road, you would think there's no way possible two huge RV's would fit, let alone be able to turn around.  Dan Chance and his not-so-little tractor in the picture have made this the perfect little RV park.  

I promised a picture of my shiny wheels from our stop along the highway, and here they are.  The before picture ..........

And the after.  Quite a big difference, don't you think??

The back ones are even better.  Now all I have to do is wax them to help keep the shine alive.  She's about as pretty as she can be, washed and waxed (including the roof), except for that little bit of dust we picked up in Quartzsite!!

Being parked in the desert brings it's own type of problems.  There are critters here, one of which you really DON'T want to encounter.  Pack rats .... lots of them!!  Dan does a lot to rid his property of them, including a service that keeps them at bay, and placing rat traps around the outside of the house.  Mr. Cooper almost got his nose taken off before I realized what it was.  

In an effort to keep them out of his RV and his tractor engine, a favorite hidden, protected spot among the wires which apparently taste delicious, he has tried lots of devices to keep them away.  Flashing lights laid down on the ground around anything you want to protect is supposed to be the answer.  But what do you do when you go to Quartzsite or other desert parks??  

Rid-A-Rat!!  I know, I thought the same thing, but if it works, who cares what it's called. Chuck has come up with a pretty simple device ... a plastic box holds two batteries that make a light flash.  It has two very good magnets to hold it to the underside of your rig on whichever end your engine is located.  

I installed mine last night, but every time I go to check and see how it's working, Dan's motion sensor light comes on.  Hopefully it will keep those pesky critters away.  If you sign up, Chuck will even send you an email reminder to replace the batteries.

I'm not supposed to show you this picture of Miss Missy on the table, because she hasn't learned all the rules yet, but she's working on it.  She is the latest member of the Chance family, adopted up in Idaho this last summer.  Although she hides under the recliner when underway, she has become a really good RV traveler!!

I spent the rest of the day going through drawers and throwing away junk.  It's amazing how much can accumulate in such a short period of time.  My plan had been to rest up from the long drive, but that didn't happen.  After the trip to Ace Hardware for Rid-a-Rat, we stopped in at the post office to be sure I could receive my mail, picked up groceries and then had to play with the puppies.  They can be really persistent!!  

Chef Patty created a yummy stir fry dinner, after which I collapsed on the couch.  Today I will gather up all my unfinished quilts, along with a list of requirements and head off to the quilt shops for fabric.  I'm pretty sure it will be the first of MANY trips!!