Danger Will Robinson!!

There's a wide range of stuff going on here at Lost Horse Ranch.  I've just added toilet bowl seal repair in the rig to my list of fix-it items.  It's not holding water like it should.  The list is long for minor things, but you know they will charge at least an hour for each item.

Here's an example.  On the dash is a drawer your passenger can pull out to hold a computer while cruising down the highway.  It has decided it doesn't like to be closed, except when I come to a stop and it slams shut.  Too bad it doesn't want to STAY there.  I imagine it's just an adjustment issue, but I can't figure out HOW.

Here's one that is NOT my problem, nor would I ever let it be.  This too small rig is pulling a huge heavy trailer with a car and several bicycles attached.  They may not know it, but that trailer is swerving all over the road.  Danger Will Robinson!!!  Luckily I snuck by as far to the left as I could go.

Talk about DANGER, here's one in a small package that's even scarier.  He took my offramp at 20 mph, stopping 100 feet before the stop sign.  He pulled up a tad and stopped again, THREE times.  Thankfully, no one was coming as he inched out into the roadway, turning left and continued at 10 mph across the freeway to the ON RAMP!!!  DANGER Will Robinson!!  He's going back ON the freeway!!!  You can see there is no one coming .... he stopped anyway, just to be sure!!

I suppose I'm a product of the ranch ... we were driving our old World War II Jeep at 5 and 6 years old because the water needed to be changed or the cattle needed to be checked.  Dad screwed a piece of 2x4 on to the pedals so we could reach them.  By the time we got our drivers license at 15, we had been driving 9-10 years!!!  The good news is the car is highly visible so you will see him coming!

With the weather warming up to a fabulous 70 degrees with sunshine, I hiked the perimeter of the ranch looking for critters to photograph.  I found not a single breathing thing.  Someone has cut the wires on the fence leading to the train tracks, but I see no evidence of vehicles.  Only javelina tracks.  

I did find these interesting specimens.  At first I thought they were petrified wood, but there are smaller rocks melted to the back.  Anyone have any ideas?  Lava maybe??  There's not a lot, and it's mostly by the tracks.  

One quick trip yesterday to Hobby Lobby scored 4 yards of fabric for $17.  I have to say that store is HUGE and has so much neat stuff it's hard to walk the aisles.  DANGER Will Robinson!!  I could fill up three baskets full of stuff for the house!!  I got sidetracked several times before finding the fabric I needed for that charity quilt.  

Fabric runs around $10-12 a yard.  I paid $4 ... yup four dollars a yard.  I was a happy camper and resolved to go there more often, but only if I'm wearing blinders.

Here's my thought for the day, right up my alley.  I'm cooking lunch for the girls tomorrow, the Barbacoa Beef I've made twice with great results.  I chickened out on the rice and bought some pre-cooked heat-it-up kind ... it's an experiment!!

I'm also making a no-bake key lime pie for dessert.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!  I need all the help I can get!

Easy Wows!!

WOW!!!  I just stepped out my back door yesterday morning to this fabulous sight.  I probably should have set up my tripod that is currently holding up Jonathan's heat lamp, but instead I just did a hand hold.  Isn't he beautiful?

Jon was happy to stay warm, and easily wowed when I presented him with his latest treat.  Banana bread.  He loves this stuff!!  He would be thrilled enough to talk up a storm if I put a whole one in his house.  I admit, I snitch a piece now and again when I feed him.

The weather straightened up to a bearable 45 degrees in the morning, heating up to a lovely 70 late in the day.  That made for some nice patio sitting.  In the meantime, I have a quick recipe that will wow your friends and family ... if you like tacos that is.

These are poblano peppers.  Throw them on your gas stove (or barbecue) and blacken them nicely.  Place them in that plastic bag you saved from grocery shopping and let them sit for several minutes.  I admit, it's a messy job to scrape the skin off with a knife, but it's worth the trouble.

Take out the seeds and chop into small pieces.  Do not, I repeat do NOT rub your eyes OR your lips at this point.  Apparently all poblanos are not equal, because the last batch I did had no heat at all.  These two were hot mamas!!  Saute them with an onion, then dump in a tablespoon of dry taco seasoning mix.

Next up add your thawed hamburger.  This part took a little longer because mine was not thawed completely!  Sprinkle in the rest of the taco seasoning and cook till done.  How simple was that to get some extra flavoring in your taco meat.

An easy WOW ... these were delicious served up on my most expensive plastic china.  Do NOT save the plastic bag you used in spite of what your mother told you ... throw it away or everything will taste like burned poblanos.

While watching the sun go down, I was rather wowed by this train car, one of thousands that pass by every day.  It interested me enough to do an internet search because I expected it to be some gang affiliation.  Turns out I was wrong.

In 2015 Ugandan Islamists executed 237 civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.  Wow!  And apparently Romeo loves Andrea.  How many people see this every day and have no idea, including me.  Anyway, it was an interesting moment in my day.

I actually spent much of my time on the phone, making appointments for my rig feet repair (wow, that's going to be an ouchy one for my wallet) and retiling of my steps, including the entryway.  I rather imagine those pavers are going to scare me to death, but it's better than having someone fall on such an uneven surface.  In the meantime, I'll be at my sewing machine ....... sewing!!

Too Cold To Play!

With daytime temperatures still in the low 40's, playing outside didn't seem like so much fun.  The alternative was MUCH worse however, staying INSIDE and cleaning.  My original plan to contact the RV Cover Construction Company, failed miserably.  The only phone number on the internet is a personal cell phone which answers with a recorded message.  I waited all day for a return call that never came.

While waiting, what could be MORE fun than cleaning the kitchen floor.  Between my cooking skills and the puppies eight little mud carrying paws, it was WAY past time.  

Here you have my review of the Sharp Steam Pocket Mop, recently purchased on Amazon for $59.  I actually had one of these in my previous life.  One day as I was cleaning the bathroom floor, it exploded, scaring me half to death.  It traveled by air mail, straight to the trash can.

Desperately seeking something better than a wet Swiffer, I found this online with lots of good reviews.  One of the perks of living in Tucson in the vicinity of the new Amazon Distribution Point, is things like this are delivered to your door the very next day.

You fill the little container with distilled water, plug it in and voila!!  You have steam.  They even give you TWO little cleaning pads that attach with velcro.  The heat up time was very quick and I was mopping the floor in no time.  

Obviously not at all my favorite thing to do, but it worked surprisingly well.  You can flip the mop part over and use the other side too.  When done, take it off and throw it in the washing machine.  It's very lightweight, meaning it will travel to my motorhome easily for cleaning the tile floors there.

All in all, this is a winner if it doesn't go bang any time soon.  Truthfully, I think I used regular hard water in the other one, which clogged up the steam vent causing the explosion when I kept mopping.  I should have known better!!

With clean floors which make me feel surprisingly good every time I enter the kitchen area, I went to work on this charity quilt.  Although it looks like snow, those panels are actually fly fishing scenes.  The fabric came from a quilter who had passed away.  That's what will happen to MY stash.  At any rate, this is a quick and easy pattern that I love.  The squares are just small scraps I had laying around.  How cool to finally use them up!

With that done, I'm on to another quilt, but not before taking an afternoon break on the patio.  No that's not wine, but anything from a wine glass makes you feel special.  The weather guessers say it's going to be up to the 70's until next Tuesday when they expect that four letter word, SNOW.  Weather extremes seem to be normal here.

Since I'm having no luck with the RV cover, today I'll try to make an appointment for my rig to get it's legs checked out.  It seems to be listing to one side every time I park and put the jacks down.  Then there's the tile guy I'm looking for, a handyman to crawl under the house for the dryer vent and a plumber to put a tray under the hot water heater in case it leaks.  

Oh the joys of homeownership.  To be honest, it probably would be easier to find these people if I wasn't so cheap, thinking I could do it myself for less money.  Actually, the cheapness comes from living on the ranch where we had to use what we had.  That and my mother going so far as to wash and save every piece of aluminum foil she ever touched, a product of the depression.  So now you know where I get it from!

Art In The Freezer

The little town of Tubac has an interesting and varied history.  It started out over 11,000 years ago in the dense Arizona forests and lakes (really hard to imagine) where the locals hunted mammoths.  The Hohokam took over about 1500 A.D., followed by the Pima and Tohono O'odham who greeted the Spanish.  Lots of fighting occurred in the years that followed  between the Apache (recent migrants) and the Jesuits who were eventually expelled by the Franciscans.

Tubac's most famous was soldier and explorer Captain Juan Bautista de Aza II.  He built the chapel of Santa Gertrudis, the foundations of which still lie in Tubac.  Once all the fighting was over, ranchers and farmers settled the little town.  In 1948 Dale Nichols, a painter and crafter, opened his own art school here, encouraging interest in the world of arts and crafts.  Tada ... the Tubac Art Festival was born.

If you are ever in the area, check out the buildings in town, most of which are made of adobe.  It's a fascinating place unless it's 19 degrees and you are freezing, as we were yesterday.  Looking at art while standing in a freezer ... just what I wanted to do!!  Actually if you were able to stay in the sun, and wore your favorite wool plaid shirt like I did, it wasn't bad.  I think it got all the way up to 42 before we left, a respectable temperature.

The first thing you will notice are the new-to-town painted javelinas.  They are everywhere, each painted differently.

Patty Chance and I met up with RV friends Patti and John from the Phoenix area.  I started out with hot chocolate and a cookie to warm me up as we wandered up and down the streets.

I do think there were fewer vendors this year, but the wares for sale made up for it.  Of course nothing is in my price range, so we just oohed and aaaawed at everything.  One thing you couldn't get past was the smell of kettle corn!!  THIS I could afford.

There actually are lots of stores in town that sell the same art-type things you find in Mexico.  I was looking for something big for my patio wall, but alas did not find the perfect art piece under $100.  I know, I'm cheap!!  If you go here any other time of the year, all of these stores will be open.  It's a fun place to wander around all day.

The art festival continues through the weekend.  If you get tired of walking, you can hitch a ride on the horse drawn trolley.

I would have more pictures for you, but these are ARTISTS who do not appreciate you taking pictures so you can recreate their work cheaper.  It's a no-no ... so I had to slip in one here and there.

This one is super cute.  Wouldn't it look nice in my garden?  There are many of these, both large and small.  Most do not have price tags on them.  If you have to ask, you can't afford it.

Here's a sample of some copper art.  There were so many things I loved, but I've no wall space left in my house.  

And of course more pigs ... or more specifically, javelinas.

Here we are, just about ready to hit the road after walking five miles.  It's easy to do in this cutesy little town.  Of course the things I wanted were in the many thousands of dollars range, so nothing came home with me but my money.  

There was one small exception.  On the East side of town is La Paloma de Tubac, the best place to purchase pottery.  They have a huge selection of both dinner plates, flower pots and outside decorative things.

The variety of pots is amazing.  You want a pottery pig?  They have it.  You want a horse?  They have that too.  Just an amazing array of pottery.

This is what I was after for my back yard.  I just love these decorative pieces for less than half the price up North.

Almost five hours later, we headed back to civilization, passing through the border inspection station. It's our favorite part, checking out the good looking men and the cute puppy dogs!!  

We made one quick stop in Green Valley for a piece of fabric to use in my newest charity quilt.  I'm weighing my options.  Cool art piece or quilting longarm.  Hmmmmmmmm ........

Feels Like Twenty Four!

That's not my age I feel like, that's the temperature outside.  It feels like 24 degrees because it IS 24 degrees.  What the heck happened to lovely warm Arizona??

To make it even MORE fun, we are going to the lovely town of Tubac very early to get a parking spot at the Art Festival.  Guess what!  IT IS TWENTY DEGREES IN TUBAC!  At least if there was some of the beautiful white stuff called snow, it would be pretty.  This will be me when I get out of the Jeep!!

I'm wearing two pairs of socks, two shirts and my heavy jacket.  The good news is we can stay in the car until it warms up a tad.  By 10:00 it should be in the 40's.  Woohoo!!!

I spent most of the day setting up for my next quilt and figuring out a pattern for a charity quilt I volunteered to make.   I'm winging it with this one by just copying one I saw.  We shall see how it goes.

The best part, neighbor Shirley called to see if I wanted to test out her long arm to see if I really wanted to purchase one.  I was on it like a frog on a june bug.  There is no computer screen with a million patterns like this one, just you and the machine.  You can either think as fast as Superman and create your own pattern, or you can follow a pentagraph, basically a picture laid down in the back.

Since my mathematical brain locks up tight when I try to do free motion things, I followed the pentagraph she had laid out.  There's a laser light on the back, you just make it follow the lines.  It was pretty cool.  I did two rows of quilting that came out fairly well.  

Being the math person I am and having grown up pretty poor, I worked the numbers.  If I made ten quilts a year that I quilted myself, assuming I lived at least six more years, I would have it paid for.  I'm not sure I even KNOW 60 people to give the quilts to!!!  I'll end up with rooms full to the brim .... but wouldn't it be fun?

I'm off on a very cold adventure South towards Mexico!!

The Kitty Rule

Now that the Super Bowl is over, the cold weather has landed smack in our laps.  It's down to 31 this morning.  I spent an hour scouring the house looking for blankets and sheets I could wrap up my new cactus with.  It's not the temperatures but the icy frost that does the damage.

In the meantime, here's one of the Chance kitties.  The KITTY RULE comes into effect the instant the kitty lands on your lap.  Meet Miss Snoopy, the sweetest little kitty ever if she allows you to see her.  She doesn't like men much and remains under the bed when strangers come about.  Lucky for me, she likes her Auntie Nancy.

What is the Kitty Rule?  If a kitty lands on your lap, you are not allowed to move.  Whoever else is in the house must wait on you hand and foot so as not to disturb the purring.  I prepared myself to sleep in the recliner at the Chance residence.  This was my view!

She did finally move so I was allowed to get up.  My puppies were none too happy to smell KITTY on my person.  By the way, the PUPPY RULE is always in affect in my house, meaning I'm just not allowed to get up at all.

Our quilting group met yesterday to work on projects we had going.  I finished up the border on this quilt and measured out the backing.  I even picked up another quilt pattern to help make a charity quilt.  Any extra fabric we have goes into quilt making for anyone in need, including foster kids, Veterans and cancer patients.  

This border fabric finally came in the mail, so I finished up this one too.  It's ready to go to a quilter.  Why don't "I" quilt them?  Because it's WAY too tedious and time consuming unless you have your own $20,000 long arm.  I'm pretty sure I'm not going there unless I win the lottery, which I don't play!!

It was a beautiful end to a nice day of friendship.  Those ladies are the best!!

I did make that beef recipe, but was too busy to take pictures.  I'll post the recipe next time I make it, which will be soon because it was delicious!!  In the meantime I'll be uncovering the cactus and covering it up again tonight for the even colder weather to come.  Hopefully this is Mother Nature's last hurrah and we can get back to WARM Arizona!!

AND THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS WIN!!!

Now THAT was a great game of football!!  Let's face it though, many people just watch the game for the commercials.  I was sadly disappointed this year.  Of all the businesses, I thought Walmart had the best ones, and most of those I had already seen.

Can you imagine paying $5.6 million for only 30 seconds and it's a terrible advertisement?  So sad.  They truly need to bring the Budweiser Clydesdales back to football.  Or maybe the Budweiser bullfrogs!!

It looked like San Francisco would take the game when they led by 10 points, but Mahomes came back slowly but surely.  I was truly torn between the two teams.  I wanted them BOTH to win.  

Half time found us at the dinner table with some amazing chicken wings whipped up by Chef Patty.  That put us behind a little in the watching, but no fear, Dan recorded everything while we ate.  Upon our return to the recliners, we skipped though most of the Half Time shenanigans.  I really thought Shakira outshone Jennifer Lopez.  I suppose the men appreciated the crotch shots more than I.

I'm sure it will be party time in Kansas City.  Apparently the 49ers have won the Super Bowl five times, with Kansas City not being in the running since Super Bowl FOUR.  By the way, Mahomes is one of the youngest quarterbacks ever to win, at 24 years of age.  Guess who's getting a big bonus!!

Earlier in the day, I spent another three hours on the computer trying to figure out how to send emails to a Google Group.  After setting up not one, but TWO new email accounts, the Computer Gods smiled down on me and finally sent it off just in time to hotfoot it over to the Chance residence for the kickoff.  

As for today, it's time to cover everything outside that you want to live.  The weather is changing from a wonderful 40 degrees at night to a chilling 22 according to my weather guesser, up to a lovely warm 29 the next night.  I need to find some blankets for my new cactus friends.  

Are You Ready For Some Football?

I't's Super Bowl time!!  I can hear the ladies saying UGH ... REALLY?  I was never a sports fan in the old days.  There was nothing more boring than a baseball game.  Football, I could get through if I had enough food to keep me occupied.

When I was 20-something and trying to eek out a living on Capital Hill in Denver Colorado (the neighborhood known for the most murders) I somehow hooked up with the Denver Broncos to become a tour guide for the visiting teams.  At that time it was the Baltimore Colts.  You cannot imagine being that age around that much muscle and good looks.  I was hooked.

It made it SO much more interesting since I actually KNEW some of the players.

The same thing happened with the San Francisco Giants.  I went on a lark to a ballgame and actually met some of the players.  That was pre-Buster baseball.  Once you know the players and watch them come up from Triple A, you feel like they are family.

So today you will find me sitting on the couch at the Chance residence, scarfing up appetizers like a champ while watching every second of the game.  I really don't care who wins, but wouldn't it be fabulous if Kansas City wins after 50 years of NOT making it to the Super Bowl?

In other news, I landed at B & B Cactus yesterday morning very early to miss the crowds.  A very nice older gentleman picked me up and escorted me around the farm, telling me the name of every single cactus in sight.  I can remember NONE of them.  I would love to have this four foot tall version, but think I would have a hard time getting it in the RV door.

Let me be the first to tell you that cactus is not cheap!!  Good heavens this stuff is pricey.  I must admit they do have to take care of it for 3-4 years before it hits the sales floor, but SHEESH!!  I walked through their little garden first to get some ideas.

I ended up with exactly THREE plants.  Don't ask me the names.  I do know one is whale's tongue.  Where do they get these names?  It took me an hour, but the one tall white one is now planted and I didn't even get stuck ONCE!  That's because the nice gentleman told me how to do it.

The next two will be planted this morning before the game.  Here's the good part.  I no longer require drip irrigation in this section.  I don't even have to water them but maybe a couple times a year.  

The bad part ... it's supposed to be freezing with possible snow the next two days!!  YIKES!!

P.S.  The down side of Capital Hill Denver was that my car was stolen the very first week I was there.  Surprisingly, I got it back, only to have it stolen AGAIN one week later.  It was found stripped down to bare metal the next morning.  Oh how I loved that Pontiac GTO!!!  It had dual quad carburetors and a Hurst shifter on the floor.  That's where I got my race car driving skills which I still practice, although without much success in a Jeep!

SCORPION!!!!!!!

It didn't take long.  You KNOW how much I abhor these guys.  I'm pretty sure the neighbor down the street heard me screaming when I noticed this guy in my rear view mirror as I was combing my hair.  I will never go in there again without looking first.

Yes, he's in a million pieces right now and in the trash.  Here's the REAL scary part.  He's at the very top of a very high ceiling.  I was afraid he would fall down on my head when I went to smash him.  I'm pretty sure that would result in a house sale.

I tried to calm my nerves as the sun came up casting a beautiful yellow glow over the dessert, cactus and palo verde trees to be exact.  I can hear a hooty owl and doves calling in the distance.

The morning was spent waiting around for the moving crew from the furniture store.  My new bed frame was delivered and quickly set up.  I love it ... and now my pillows don't end up on the floor every morning.  They rather stick to the headboard and I actually got some sleep.

As soon as that was done, the Chance family and I headed off to a new-to-us theatre fairly close to the house.  Okay, it's 15 miles, but whose counting!  The movie I really wanted to see was Doolittle.  The recliner seats didn't hurt one bit, once Patty and I figured out how to get them to move.  You can literally lay all the way back and nap if you wish!

Dan bought popcorn and a soda, along with a small popcorn for me.  It cost more dollars than the movie tickets, so it's better if you sneak something in.  I have to admit though .... that popcorn was delicious!!

The movie was cute with crazy good animation of animals the good Doctor lived with.  Wait for it to come out on television.  The next on my list of movies to see is Jumanji with The Rock!!  No, it's not just his muscles ... his movies are usually pretty entertaining.  

Back in the daylight we stopped in at Serial Grillers for our usual cobb salad.  I swear, it's the best salad I've ever had with loads of smoked bacon and ranch dressing.  I don't like ranch dressing, so it's saying something that I love it so much!!

That's it ... a lovely day in sunny Arizona where the temps have been in the 70's.  Oh ... one problem did raise it's ugly head yesterday.  I discovered the dryer vent has become disconnected underneath the house.  Man oh man I'm not looking forward to fixing that.  There's loads of creepy crawlies under there with very little room to maneuver.  I've going to have Patty or Dan stand by with their phone at the ready to call 911 when I have the panic attack I see coming.

In the meantime, I'll try to enjoy this beautiful desert sunset and practice my breathing/meditation/calm exercises so I can gear up for creepy and scary!!