Breakfast Of Champions!!

I've been craving ice cream all week.  Luckily, that required a stop at the grocery store, which was further than I wanted to venture.  Colonel Sanders lives about a mile away as the crow flies, so I substituted chicken for the cold stuff.  What's better than leftover chicken?  Having it for breakfast of course!!

Much as I wanted to continue playing with Cooper, there were more mechanical things to garner my attention.  Seems to me motorhomes and the RV'ing lifestyle is ALL about mechanical stuff.  I grabbed my handy dandy hand saw and proceeded to cut the perch for Jonathan.  The problem was hand cutting those notches the exact same direction in both ends.  With no vise in sight, I wedged the dowel between the chair back and my leg.  I'm proud to say that after three tries in the 110 degree rig,  absolutely ROASTING, I was finally able to get it set with no blood.  EUREKA!!!

Next, thanks to reader Mister Ed, I remembered to check the water filter.  I've no idea when it was changed last and I'm sure the puppies would appreciate good water.  The bird, like me, has to have bottled water.  Changes in the quality of their water can kill them.  

I quickly discovered the filter I thought I had, turned out to be for the refrigerator's water dispenser.  After looking everywhere at least twice, I finally discovered one hiding under the kitchen sink.  I unlocked the container and pulled the filter out.  It looked just fine, but I tossed it anyway.  There is the occasion when I boil potatoes or pasta, and stomach issues I can do without.  One more check mark on my list ... done!!

Next up, another one of those scary mechanical jobs ... checking the air in the tires.  This scares me more than the pressure washer.  Many years ago in the construction business, a kid (employee) tried to remove a tire from a rock hauler by over inflating it.  The tire blew up, breaking both his arms.  As far as I'm concerned, checking and adding air has multiple risks and dangers.

I drug out my big compressor, plugged it in and turned it on, jumping back just in case it exploded.  All the tires were close to normal, so I didn't have to add much air.  It took quite a while, since I didn't leave the nozzle attached for very long at a time.  It's hard to drive with two broken arms.  With that done, I breathed a HUGE sign of relief as I hauled it back to the garage.

The worst is over ... on to cleaning the jacks, which always give me grief.  On the recommendation of Nick Russell and his Gypsy Journal RV blog, I tried to locate some Strikehold.  It's not to be found in my area and I didn't want to order something that wouldn't arrive before I departed.  Instead, I crawled underneath, scrubbed them with a kitchen sponge and wiped them clean.  They retracted in 45 seconds.  I think that's a record!!

This is another VERY early morning, as I don my apron and head for the last Elks RV Park pancake breakfast.  Now it's just a matter of remembering everything I need to take before I'm off to the wild blue yonder!!

No lottery winnings this morning, but Congratulations, I qualified for a Fingerhut Credit Card, without even applying.  You know, the one where you pay $300 for an item costing $95 everywhere else???  YAY for me!!!!

BBQ In A Box

While wandering around the house yesterday trying to remember everything I needed to take, I spotted my new Q1000 barbecue sitting on the patio.  YIKES!!  I can't forget THAT!  Sometimes I should just sit and watch television instead.

I unhooked the little propane tank, actually remembering there was a little cover for the valve.  Trouble is, I couldn't find it.  The little yellow strap was there, but the cover was gone.  That's when I remembered cleaning up and throwing it away.  Gosh darn it!!!!!  I thought it was from the little tank, not my bbq!!

That's also when I realized the entire inside is covered in grease and crud.  I did a quick clean, brushing most of it into the little pan underneath, which I totally forgot about as I placed the really nice fitting cover over the top.  Of course the only box I had to put it in was a little small ... don't want grease all over the motorhome bay, you know ...  I stuffed it in.

That's when I realized I had forgotten to take the nasty grease-filled pan OUT and throw it away.  But NOT before it spilled on the bottom of the box.  Good grief!!!  I un-stuck the bbq legs, scraped and bloodied my knuckles, took the pan out and replaced everything back in the box.  It fit nicely in my only open bay area.  When I checked on it later, I noticed grease along the entire bottom of the box.  (Big sigh)  Now to find ANOTHER piece of cardboard to put UNDER the box.

Since I was on a roll, even if it was DOWNHILL, I trotted off to Harbor Freight (gotta love 'em) to pick up some allen wrenches.  $8.99 and I was in business.

I fixed the hose attachment on the power washer and drug everything out to the porch.  I vaguely remember something about letting the water flow through before turning it on, but nothing came out the hose.  It's that mechanical thing again!!  I reread the directions three times before giving it another shot.  Finally ... water came out the end of the wand, so I stood as far away as I could and flipped the "ON" switch.  

YAY!!!  It's working .... or maybe not.  It would start spraying, then stop.  I know from experience when you hear a motor screaming, it's not a good sign.  I turned it off.  After three times, just when I was ready to give up, it started working.  I'm guessing there was still air in the lines or something, because it began to purr like a kitten as I aimed the wand at the ceiling.  YAY!!!

Just so you know, pointing a powerful spray of water at the ceiling instantly removes all the spider webs and bug carcasses, whereupon they immediately land on your head!!  In two seconds I was a wet buggy mess!!  Pretty soon I got the hang of it and cleaned away years of dirt and bugs.  SUCCESS!!  Sort of anyway ... by the time I was done, I needed to turn the power washer on myself.  

Honestly I didn't do that great of a job, but it's better than it was!!  I'm taping the instruction manual to the back of the unit, just in case I forget by next time.  On a side note, do you know how hard it is to get wet spider webs and dead bugs out of curly hair???

Since I received notification this morning that I won the MILLION EURO LOTTERY and now have financing from some foreign bank for that yacht I've been eyeing, I can probably afford to hire a full time maintenance man.  Experienced, mechanically-inclined applicants, please apply within.  

On Being Mechanically Inclined .....

It's men's work.  They're good at it ... mostly anyway.  I do mechanical things when I absolutely have to, but I'm always afraid something will blow up or catch fire.  Such was the case yesterday.  Not that it DID blow up ... I couldn't even get it to turn ON.

I started out by sanitizing my rig's water tank.  After doing this for four years, I finally figured out if I take the pressure regulator off the end of the hose and turn the handle to "tank fill", I can get enough water OUT of the hose to allow for almost all of the two cups of bleach required to make the water safe to drink, before attaching to the facet and filling the tank.  Not that I drink the water, because I don't .... I use bottled water.

At any rate, that was a successful venture, in spite of the 6:00 am hour.  Next up, another spider conquest, this one falling a little short.  When outside on my porch, I noticed the spiders have taken over my entryway, along with lots of mud wasps.  Time to drag out my never-used power washer.

One of the reasons it's never been used is that I'm afraid of it.  High pressure anything can hurt you and I just haven't gotten up enough nerve to give it a shot.  After all, this is MAN'S work.  I know most of the time you wish they weren't around, so if you could just send one over to my house for a few hours a month, I'd appreciate it!!

I got the book out to make sure I was hooking it up correctly, thinking I would wear my motorcycle helmet for protection before flipping the switch, but I ran into a little trouble.  I hooked up the first hose to the faucet, but couldn't quite get it to attach to the unit.  When I hooked up the SECOND hose, thinking something was wrong with the first one, I got the same results.  Time to read the directions.  

It said something about tightening the connection with an allen wrench.  At least I knew what that was, so I took the connection off, to discover I had it on backwards, which is why the hose wouldn't work.  It was then I learned how it SHOULD be attached and spent the next two hours looking for an allen wrench.  I know I had some around here somewhere, but they have all disappeared, as tools seem to do.

Time is getting short.  Today I'll head to Harbor Freight so I can get the wrench and wash down the porch.   Maybe I'll pick up some knee pads and body armor, just in case this washer doesn't work according to the directions.  You can never be too careful when you're not mechanically inclined!!

There should be classes you can take to learn about things mechanical for those of us who are handicapped in that area.  Better yet, all those wives who could use a break might corral their husbands once a month for on-call help to us single gals.   I get mechanical help and you get shopping freedom!!  It's a WIN-WIN situation!!  

Next up, cutting a perch long enough for Jonathan's new cage.  Cutting is the easy part ... it's making those slots in each end to fit over the cage wire that's going to be a problem.  More mechanical stuff ... always more mechanical stuff!!

Just Say NO .......... To Salesmen!!

Lately, I've seen a lot of talk on social media about salesmen.  If their lips are moving, they're lying ... that sort of thing.  Unfortunately, in my experience, that has been the truth.  It's bad enough that nowadays every third phone call I get is from someone selling SOMETHING ... but when they come to your door, it's another story entirely.

Yesterday, it was a salesman .... woman actually ... from a security service.  Since she was driving one of their vehicles and had on a uniform of sorts (terribly ill fitting, I might add), I opened the door.  That was my mistake.

She went directly into her sales pitch.  She has many, MANY ... emphasis on MANY ... years of experience in the military, specializing in security.  I thanked her for her service.  Without hesitation, she explained to me her mission was to be sure everyone's house was secure ... with HER company's system.

I already have a system ... a VERY good one, installed by my longtime neighbor, friend and security company owner of 35 years.  "Oh I know EXACTLY what you have, but I also know about all the BURGLARIES that have been happening right here in your neighborhood!!"   Really??  That's funny ... I know all my neighbors and no one has had a break-in, and how could you know what system I have?

It was then she put the icing on the cake.  My "friend" she said, (who was also HER close friend) didn't really know what he was doing.  He wasn't into SECURITY, he just installed wiring, and a lot of times he didn't write down what he should, bringing into question many of his installations.  That was it for me!!  You come to MY house to sell me on an upgrade by insulting my friend who just passed away?????  OH H&LL NO!!!

Now I know people need to work ... they need to make a living, and some choose to be salesmen.  I'm very sorry for that choice.  Even my Dad was a salesman after the ranch tanked ... he was in Real Estate at first.  Trouble was, he told the truth about that 200 acres that wouldn't support 20 cows, let alone the 150 the owner was telling everyone.  His career ended rather quickly and he moved over to Farm Bureau insurance, where he thrived because he was so honest with people.

The thing is, I was put off by her SCARE tactics alone, not to mention being totally offended when she insulted my friend.  I said no, then I said no again and finally I said NO NO NO!!!  Okay she said, I'm just trying to save you.  If you choose not to be safe and secure, I understand completely.  It took all my strength not to punch her in the mouth!!

I stewed about that for an hour or so, then went outside and washed the rig to get rid of some of the aggression.  It's all pretty now and made me smile!!  Since today is clean-the-house day, my least favorite thing to do in the entire world .... I'll be able to work off any residual bad feelings.  The good news is I doubt she'll be back!!

Dogs and DOGS!!

I'm a little worried about my Cooper Boy.  In an effort to keep in better shape ... at least I'm trying ... I purchased two eight pound hand weights.  I used to work with these in an exercise class I took years ago and decided to give it another shot.  They're perfect for the motorhome.  Problem was, as soon as I brought them in the house, Cooper starting barking.

No matter where I put them, he just wouldn't let it go.  I finally laid them on the floor for him to see they weren't his "ball".  I thought maybe the smell of the vinyl coating resembled his favorite toys.  Not so!  He immediately ran over, wrapped his little teeth around one and tried to lift it up.  HEY!!  That's NOT a toy!!  He didn't get it ... literally ... because it was too heavy for him to lift.  He gave me THAT look.  After a second and third try, I put them out of sight.  I guess it does rather resemble his REAL toy!!  Silly dog!!

Not a great picture, but to get his mind off the orange toy, I took my best pair of clippers to him.  With temperatures still on the rise, it's just too hot for poodle hair.  It worked .... he forgot all about the toys and was magically cooler when he went outside!

Since finding this ad on Facebook, I copied and pasted it to every possible location I could on social media.  I see this ALL the time!!  People running their animals on the hot pavement or just walking them downtown on concrete sidewalks at mid day.  It's HOT people ..... if you can't walk barefoot on that sidewalk or across the road, NEITHER CAN YOUR PET!!!  PLEASE PLEASE leave them home on hot days!!!  End of soapbox.

While passing time before the Magic Kingdom of Bingo, I finished binding this quilt.  I really didn't want to get another one started, but I couldn't help myself.  It seemed like a monumental task .... to cut out 744 different sized rectangles from 5-1/2 yards of fabric.  Amazingly, in no time at all I was done .... with ONE fabric.  There are 12 more pieces to be cut into stacks and stacks of small rectangles before the sewing can begin.  I may have just gotten myself in over my head!!

In the meantime, Bingo carries on, but nowhere near normal!!  There's something called hot ball.  You pay $1 and get a stamp on your hand.  They draw a number.  If you win ANY Bingo with that particular number, you win an additional pot, sometimes as high as $1100.  Last night was the beginning of TWO hot balls.  As always, there are a couple of people who are never happy ... who live a miserable life and are permanently grumpy ... and just happen to be volunteers.  

In no time at all there was yelling and arguing over how the money collected was to be divided.  People threatened to quit ... commit harry carrey ... and amazingly, lost all their brain function in an instant!  Their hearing completely disappeared too!  It's funny how that works!!  At any rate, when cooler heads finally prevailed, they saw the error of their ways, at least for the time being.  I'm hoping they all come back next week, since that was my last night on the infernal machine for the summer.

As a going away treat, I had their foot long DOG ... cooked to perfection (meaning burnt) with a toasted bun!!  Gotta LOVE those kitchen gals ... they really know how to do a DOG up right!!

In a couple of hours, poor Miss Jessie has to go to the Vet to get updated on her shots.  Every year they have her record of rabies shots WRONG!  So for the third year in a row, I will try to get them to make corrections.  I promise to keep my brain functioning and my ears open!!  I'm hoping they finally do the same.  

BIG @$$ SPIDER!!!

Many of you may not have heard about the size of spiders we grow here in central California.  They are HUGE!!!  You also may not be familiar with the Big @$$ Spider of SyFy fame.  Much worse than B-Grade Westerns, the Science Fiction Channel has some GREAT movies with this beauty as the star.  I know, I'm weird ... I'm a big fan of Creature Features because they provide such big laughs!!

You may THINK it's science fiction, but this beast has been living underneath my motorhome for the past couple of months.  She successfully tied all four wheels to the concrete with the stickiest webs I've ever seen.  I'm sure I never would have been able to move the rig forward, they were just too strong.  The problem is in trying to remove them so I can get back on the road.

What we have around here are black widows.  Big, ugly, poisonous, nasty black widows, dozens and dozens who only come out of hiding at night.  This stick holds the web from just one wheel, including all it's mealy bug dinners, waiting to be eaten.  YUCK!!  This just gives me the creeps!!  When you walk by, the webs stick to your legs and you can't shake them loose.

Not wanting to become dinner, I finally got the idea to use my long cleaning wand with a fluffy duster on the end.  It worked .... until a whole tribe of babies that I could barely see, crawled up my hand.  Believe me, I could FEEL them!!  I was dancing around like I was barefoot on hot coals!!  Then I happened to bend down on one knee and saw the undercarriage!  What a SHOCK!!  That girl had the entire underneath covered in webs.  Well RATS!!  It took three more dusters that ended up tightly wrapped with webs, just like her dinner.  

Now laying on my side to reach underneath, I sprayed my Ortho bug/spider killer juice on the entire underside, not to mention the wheel wells and tires.  Since I didn't really SEE big @$$ spider in person, I'm sure she's still there.  No doubt more webs will appear overnight, but hopefully I put a big dent in their production.  I know I squashed many of her babies.  She'll probably attack my house tonight, covering the entire outside in webs so I can't escape.  I'm doomed!!

I also have an overactive imagination!!  Now to finish cleaning the INSIDE of the rig, ridding IT of spider webs and their favorite dinner ... flies.  Next up .... washing the outside, then a quick respray of "not-on-my-rig" bug juice.  I'll also spray the garage and outside the entire house.  This Ortho 12 month spray works really well!!  

If you don't hear from me in a day or two, it means I ran out of juice and I'm in trouble!!  Please call the Pest Control Service, the Army, the Navy and the National Guard!!!

Speaking of SCAMS!!

Have you noticed just how many scams are out there?  Maybe it's just a sign of the times, with internet and cell phone service making contact so quickly available.  I've had my email address for many years and it only has to get into the wrong hands just once, to become inundated with scammers trying to separate you from your hard earned money.  Here's just a few I've received in the last week.

YOU QUALIFIED!!   Congratulations, you've just been qualified for a $50,000 loan, interest free for 90 days.  Just fill out this application and you're on your way to purchasing your life's DREAM!!

YOU WON!!!   $100,000 will be deposited into your account TODAY!!  In order to collect this amazing cash prize, please send your account number and social security number for processing.

WITHDRAWAL!!  The $17,000.00 withdrawal you authorized has been deducted from your account.

TRANSFER APPROVED!!  Please verify your bank account number and current information in order to allow this transfer into your account.

TRANSFER APPROVED!!  Please verify your bank account number and current information if you did NOT authorize this transfer OUT of your account.

INHERITANCE!!  Please contact our office with your bank account number so we may process your inheritance immediately.

NEIGHBORHOOD ALERT!!  A pedophile has just moved into your neighborhood.  Please verify your personal information so we can keep you informed.

ATTENTION ATTENTION!!  IRS has just issued a warrant for your arrest for non-payment of taxes.  Please verify your bank account number so we can protect your assets.

FREE SOLAR INSTALLATION!!  You've been approved by a US government program to receive solar panels for free!!  Just fill out this application, along with your credit card number and code for secured verification.

I get these silly emails every day, not to mention all the phone calls I receive.  The Withdrawal one caught my attention enough that I immediately checked my accounts.  Never ... and I mean NEVER click on any of these scams.  At the County where I worked, our system was set up to notify us when emails were opened (clicked on) by the recipient.  That meant we knew it was a good email address.  I've no idea if these guys can do the same, but I'm not taking any chances.

The neighborhood alert got my attention also, but I still didn't click on it.  If any of these were real, there are other ways to verify the information .... like calling your bank or doing your own internet search.  Unfortunately, that still doesn't keep the wolves at bay, as evidenced by THE BED transaction.

There's lots of bad people out there ... don't let them get their sticky fingers in your pocket.  ALWAYS be wary and vigilant and NEVER click on any emails unless you know the sender.

As for the phone calls, the "KBNX - You're ON THE AIR" response seems to be working rather well!!  I just LOVE it when they hesitate just before they hang up!!

THE BED!!!

Truth is, if you pass a bed along to someone else, you also pass along all the dust mites, pet hair and tons of skin cells along with it, even though I always use a mattress cover.  Nice thought, right?  This isn't a picture of my mattress and box springs ..... mine was blue.  Posturpedic blue and in excellent condition, since rarely did anyone ever sleep on it.

That's why, in my effort to downsize, I decided to donate THE BED to LOVE Inc (Love in the Name of Christ), who work to provide things for people in need.  The flip side is good .... I get a rather large tax deduction instead of hauling it to the dump where it will take fifty years to disintegrate.  

After three weeks of them not being able to pick up THE BED, I decided to haul it to the recipient myself.  It's been hanging out in my guest bathroom (to keep the dogs away) and I'd really like to get back the use of the facilities.  When my girlfriend from Sacramento stopped by, my first request was to help me load it into my truck.  Easy peasy ....

When LOVE Inc gave me the delivery address, I hesitated not once, but twice.  It's in a bad part of town ... no surprise.  I requested an early morning delivery time because I suspected any bad guys would be sound asleep.  I was right!!

After pounding on the apartment door for five minutes, someone finally opened it ... someone who weighed in at probably 450 pounds and was having a hard time getting up off the floor.  When I asked for Sandra, who knew the bed was to arrive at this time, they said she too was asleep.  Well get her up please, THE BED is here.

I untied all my knots that thankfully held THE BED tight to the truck bed and waited as Sandra finally filled the door frame.  I tried not to judge ... really I did, but I don't think this bed will support these people.  No matter ... we began unloading, as she instructed them to lean it up against the apartment building .... OUTSIDE.  Outside??

A fourth individual who had no family resemblance whatsoever, came to the door and said I was their new BEST friend.  I felt a little better until he asked Sandra what she was going to do with THAT??  It will NEVER fit in here!  She told him to hush up, in language I won't repeat.  At this point, even if I DID have second thoughts about THE BED, there was no way I was going to try and get it loaded back on my truck.  My life is worth more to me.

As I drove away, I had the distinct feeling that the bed would never make it into the tiny apartment.  In fact, I'm almost positive it will simply garner them a few bucks when sold to someone else.  I'm not happy about that at all because 1) it's a really nice bed in great condition and 2) I'm trying to do a nice thing here, to no avail.  I tried to look on the bright side ... maybe someone in need will eventually get to sleep on the THE BED.  I waved goodbye in the rear view mirror as they all went inside and shut the door, leaving THE BED propped up against the outside wall.

Monday, I'll report my delivery and request my donation letter.  Guests are finally allowed to use the bathroom.



 

Buyer Beware!!!

As you know, I visited Tombstone Arizona last winter and actually spent quite a bit of time looking for property there.  I'm just an Old West kind of cowgirl who would love living in an 1800's house, sitting on the porch watching the world go by .... at least when I wasn't quilting.

There were LOTS of places for sale, although if you've been there, many are run down and in need of repair, not to mention they are very small, one or two bedrooms with one bathroom.  They didn't have much in the way of belongings in the old days, so houses were strictly functional .... a bed, a kitchen and maybe a parlor.

Nevertheless, I drove up and down the streets looking.  I also have been keeping an eye on realty sites and have noticed a distinct increase in properties for sale.  As a Property Tax Manager for eleven years, that rang a tiny bell in the back of my head.  Like in past California days, it seems everyone is bailing out of Tombstone.

Time to check with the locals and see what's up.  This is a picture of Allen Street, closed off into a walking mall for the tourists and gunslinger shows.  Little do people know what lies beneath their feet.  This town arose from the dirt extracted by miners ... and a lot of it came from UNDER the town.  That made it unsafe to drive heavy vehicles down Allen Street, so they closed it off.

The next road over, Toughnut Street, is beginning to have the same problems ... sinkholes.

They have tried everything possible, from throwing timbers down the holes, to filling them with sand and gravel, but nothing seems to work.  The holes just continue to suck up anything dumped in.  The idea of filling them with concrete came up, but that is a VERY expensive proposition, one the townspeople and business owners cannot afford.  The solution to getting the required money, is to raise the property tax ... a LOT!!  As they try to figure out how to fix the dangerous problem, we may find Toughnut Street also becoming a walking mall.

So what about the houses located there?  Yeah, that was my question also.  It seems that behind the Rose Tree (you may remember that from my blog) they've already had cave-ins.  That makes buying a house there a pretty dicey adventure.

To make matters even worse, apparently the School District has overspent dramatically ... over a million dollars more than they had in their bank ... because the County Office kept telling them they were in the black.  In our County, it was my job to set the tax rates based on the school's projected budget and distribute it to them throughout the year after collection.  It's not rocket science, or I wouldn't have been doing it!!

Every time the school district ran out of money, the bank would put more in ... on their line of credit.    Apparently no one figured out actually WHERE the money was coming from until a few months ago.  To correct the situation, a General Obligation bond will be placed on the tax rolls at an exorbitant rate.  The people of Tombstone are leaving in droves!!  Seems this ghost town will again become a ghost town due to property tax.

Add to that the City Council has been trying to overshadow the County Chamber and spend the bedroom tax on THEIR pet projects.   They even increased the tax so they could have more to spend .... except they got caught and had to reverse the increase in tax.   All this means the little Old West town of Tombstone is in turmoil.

Depending on the location, now may be the time to buy.  Prices are in the toilet as people race to sell out and divest themselves of a money pit.  On the other hand, it might just end up being a quiet little place to winter, assuming of course you don't disappear into the mine shafts below.  The key words here are BUYER BEWARE!!

The Countdown Begins

It's time to start the countdown to take off and hopefully a little respite from the hot weather.  103 yesterday at my house and it's predicted to be up to 105 today.  I've found the coolest place to be is laying on the grass with Cooper in the back yard.  With all the water I've been pouring on it, it's very refreshing!!

One of my RV friends Rex sent this little cartoon to me.  Yes Rex, that is exactly how it feels.  I'm so excited to have another one complete, especially if it turns out nice!!  Sometimes it's like "nope" ... this one is being donated!!  You really do put your life into these quilts while they are in process.  I can almost tell you what television program I was watching while I was sewing each one!!  The good news is I can just whip out another pattern and start on the next of 35 I still have in my closet waiting to be brought to light!!

On the other hand, THIS one was a definite donation until I saw the quilting.  It instantly became a keeper.  The trick is to sew the binding very   S  L  O  W   so it takes a long time to finish!!  Now I'm looking for a way to display them ... a ladder-like contraption.  

I spent most of the day making sure all my BIG payments were made ... mostly insurance and DMV stuff so I don't get in trouble while on the road.  I actually keep a list and check them off.  With company coming for the night, I tried to come up with something for dinner ... but failed.  Applebees it is.  

The biggest challenge was trying to get rid of the queen bed that's been haunting my guest bathroom for the last month.  It was a good place to keep it away from the dogs while I waited for the donation people to pick it up, only they never showed.  I finally told them "I" would haul it to their storage facility, only they wouldn't tell me where that was ... I might try to dump off more stuff.  

Finally, with a little help from my girlfriend, we got it loaded into my truck.  This morning I'll tie it down and deliver it to the recipient of the bed myself.  I really AM trying to downsize!!

With that done, I'll start on the motorhome.  First up, disengage the multiple families of spiders that have almost permanently glued my rig to the concrete, followed by lots of bug spray!!  Once I finish cleaning the front section, the loading process will begin, not that I have a lot to load.   Since I own two of everything, I never take much OUT.  

I'm not looking forward to cleaning the fridge, but that's on the list also.  That leaves giving it a bath and giving the Jeep a once-over.  I'm a short-timer now ... and I can feel the stress creeping in.

You've Got Mail .....

The temperatures are rising in California.  At 102 yesterday, it was sweltering.  Yes, I could turn on my air conditioning and face a $500 PGE bill, but instead I choose to suffer, brood and complain as sweat drips off my chin in spite of the not one, but TWO fans in my living room - kitchen area.  I'm just too cheap I suppose.  I'd rather spend that money on fuel!!

The trick is to never go outside after 10:00, but I had too many things to do.  I received a "You've Got Mail" text in the morning ... no, not THAT kind of mail.  I shy away from LOVE at AOL and E-Harmony.  The text I received was from the UPS store saying the big box I was expecting had arrived.  By the way, thank you to everyone for all those birthday cards ... I guess I should get my mail a little more often.

I was thrilled to see the big box ... finally a bird cage worthy of Jonathan's stature!  It should be, it cost me a small fortune!  Made entirely of aluminum, it all slides together ... nary a bolt or screw in sight.  THIS is a quality, million dollar home equivalent for Jonathan!!

I was so excited to see the actual size, thinking it just might fit in the motorhome, that as soon as I had it together, I braved the heat and lugged it outside.  Did I mention it was heavy??  Were it two inches narrower, it would fit perfectly, but it's close enough to perfect!!  It has a slight overhang on the front, but a thin sheet of plywood cut to fit and placed underneath for support will give me my table back!!

Now to secure it to the counter.   I could nail it down, but that wouldn't do much for the resale value, so I'm going to put that shelf liner stuff under and over the plywood to lessen slippage.  Then I'll bungee a block of wood to the table in front of the cage just while traveling.  That should keep it in place nicely.  I can't wait for Jon to try out his new house!!  By the time I was done, you would think I had jumped in the shower.  I'm SURE it was 130 degrees inside!!

On the way home from getting mail and a haircut, I stopped in to pick up three quilts that were just completed.  Remember this one?  Not the most exciting .... until I saw her quilting!!

This gal's machine cost something like $25,000 .... and it's worth every penny!!  Her quilting brings these pieces of fabric to life.  This is the pattern we chose with waves and bubbles to match the fish, which she adjusts on her machine to fit perfectly.  She took it to her quilters meeting to show off and immediately received nine more to quilt with the same pattern.  Pictures don't do it justice!!

While it's cool this morning ... 75 at 5:00 am ... I'll finish cleaning the motorhome and start packing.  It's time to drag out all those lists and post them around the house so I don't forget something!  I have company coming this evening, an Elks meeting (somehow I became an Auditor) and a queen sized bed to load in my truck for delivery tomorrow morning to a family who sleeps on the floor.  Since it's NOT in a good part of town, I'm looking for volunteers to ride shotgun!!

Scratching Those Itches!

I spent a lot of time scratching itches yesterday ... sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't!!  A couple more of those little bites showed up, and as it turns out, tea tree oil isn't the cure-all after all.

I spent a good deal of the morning scratching the puppies backs ... something they love and think I don't do enough of!!  As the temperature rose quickly to 90 degrees by 10:00, they passed out under the ceiling fan.

I was trying to scratch my hitch itch, it being the end of May and I'm still stuck in River City.  With my recall appointment now firmly in place, I'm just biding my time until lift off day.  In the meantime, I'm making list after list of things to get done in the next few weeks.

When it was finally time for scratching that Bingo itch, I left for the Magic Kingdom where Prince Charming bought me a coke at the bar.  It's always good strategy to meet ahead and unite in the face of angry peasants.  A huge glass of wine would probably have made it better when the infernal machine decided to "spring" one on me.  

All my help disappeared into the woodwork.  That happens often.  Once they get around the maddening crowds, they suddenly disappear, never to return.  Maybe they met THEIR Prince Charming, but for whatever reason, we never see them again.  The Castle Lawyer has been on vacation and hopefully will return TODAY!!

That meant I was alone in counting and running the black box at breakneck speed, when it spit out a "received on account" instead of a "pay out"!!  The more I tried to correct it, the deeper I sunk into the quicksand, to the faint giggles of the infernal machine.  Finally, at night's end when my brain was kicked in gear by the thought of staying until it was correct, it dawned on me how to fix it.  I balanced!!  One more night in the books as I scratched those now SIX little bumps!!

I've got a busy day today ... pick up mail, pick up quilts, lunch with a friend and either wash the RV or sanitize the water tank.  Neither of those labor-related tasks float my boat, but are necessary to get me out of the heat of the Central Valley, expected to be in the 100's this week and up to 105 on Friday.  THAT has made my hitch VERY itchy.