The Doctor's Office

I was up at my normal o-dark-thirty so I could get things taken care of and arrive on time for my car's doctor appointment.  As usual when I'm in a hurry, things happen.  I ran straight into the coffee table from the living room that is temporarily residing in the hallway.  OUCH!  Another big bump on my leg.

I discovered I don't have many pictures of my Jeep, and I didn't take any because I knew I had plenty.  Isn't that how it goes?  So here's one from when I got a nail in the tire on the Oregon Coast.

Just like your regular HUMAN doctor, the car doctors always seem to run late.  I however, was ten minutes early.  People were mingling and there wasn't a mask in sight as I limped up to the desk.  No one was home.  At last the Supervisor came to get the info and the keys for my baby.  I went inside.

Ten minutes later, they came and asked me where the keys were.   Ummmm I gave them to you?  Another ten minutes passed and I watched it drive by to the shop area.  So much for the first half hour.

She needed two recall computer updates, neither taking any time at all.  One was for the passenger air bag and the other for something in the computer that tells you the smog system is not working.  I knew that wasn't legit because I just got it smogged and it passed with flying colors.

The only other thing they had to do was change the oil.  But wait .... we're giving you special service today.  We will rotate the tires, check the air filters and everything else they can for FREE!!  YAY!!  and it will only take ONE HOUR before you are on your way.

Then the wait began.  Thankfully, they had coffee and a waiting room.  I sat for TWO HOURS playing games on my phone.  Thank goodness I had battery enough to last that long.  People came and went at the busy parts counter located in the same waiting room.

I was thinking they would show up at any time and tell me I needed a new air filter.  They ALWAYS tell me that.  I was ready for them though because I had just changed the filter myself.

They use the latest technology here ... they welcome you with a text message, then send you three more saying if you need anything, just text them back.  Having now waited 2-1/2 hours for that one hour service, I sent a message.

At long last, three hours later, he came with the paperwork to pay for the oil change at $55.25.  I looked at the list of work done.  Computer update .2 hours.  Second computer update .5 hours.  Oil change.  Check tire pressure .25 hours, but no charge.  What happened to the filter check?  Greasing whatever they grease?  And rotating the tires?  Nada!

So it took them three hours to do one hour's worth of work.  I didn't say one word.  I paid the $55 and left, happy I won't have to go back for about a year!!  On the drive out, I went past Jiffy Lube, thinking maybe they weren't so bad after all.

The rest of the day involved boring stuff like washing all the sheets that exist in my house and trying to match up colors.  They are like socks ..... they never match up.  I have only three sets of sheet, but enough pillowcases for an army.

While heading out to the rig, I remembered to tell Dan about the water troughs I have.  There are four actually, which I was going to add to the trailer, with one being dropped off at my house.  Not sure if it will become a planter or a swimming pool!!  Maybe even a goldfish pond.

Might as well move them up to the concrete while I'm outside.  That was a mistake.  We have these things here called stinging nettles.  Touch one and you will now how they got their name.  I of course brushed up against one because I was wearing shorts.  YIKES!!!  Just the slightest touch and it burns like crazy!!

I ran back inside, jumped in the bathtub shoes and all and ran lots of cold soapy water down my legs. It worked ... the burning stopped.  My legs sure are taking a beating!!!

This morning I await the carpet cleaners while I wash and dry my wet tennis shoes!!  Maybe he'll be cute and SINGLE!!

Wanted: Train Engineer

There's a new Engineer position that has just opened up with Union Pacific.  Many of you may not have heard of our little oddity here in California called the Tehachapi Loop.  The trains needed a way to climb up the very steep mountain and get over the top to the Mohave desert heading East.

The Loop was built by Southern Pacific Railroad in 1874, rising at a 2% grade.  Any train over 4,000 feet in length, passes over itself.  As many as 40 trains a day pass through here.  The story of how this was built using Chinese labor, is amazing.

Union Pacific now controls the loop.  Why are they looking for a new Engineer?  (Not really)  Because the last one derailed a portion of the train yesterday.  There are special Engineers that operate these trains over the loop.  That's all they do, take trains over this short section, then give the reins back to the regular Engineers.

As you can imagine, there is a perfect speed to go so the train doesn't fall over on it's side ... like here.  I haven't heard if they know exactly why the train derailed.  It could have been the trucks, the sets of wheels under each car.  It's my understanding they are not actually attached to the cars so they can be easily replaced.  

It happened in the middle of the night.  The lead engine and the following six cars (at least that's the count so far) derailed as it entered tunnel 9.  No one was injured.  Three of the cars were car carriers, but no word if they were full or empty.  Of the three remaining cars, although first reports said they were full of grain, two were actually empty and one full of petroleum.  They say nothing spilled out or leaked.

I sent this picture to Mr, Chance yesterday as it came up saying "recent Tehachapi train derailment", but I don't think that was THIS time after all.  The description they have given doesn't seem to match this Bakersfield news picture.  My apologies to Mr. Chance.  At any rate, I think trains are going to be late for awhile.

Since it was Mother's Day, I got a hankering for pancakes.  I've no idea why, since this is NOT my favorite breakfast food.  I balked initially when all I could find was sugar free syrup.  Finally, in the last second before putting everything away, I saw the word Maple.  

Way back when, I ended up in Vermont with the Westerfields, who took me to the maple syrup store extraordinaire.  We ate some maple ice cream and I got a lesson in different grades of maple syrup.  I of course got the sweetest one they had.  That's long gone, replaced by this Costco version that isn't even CLOSE.  Still, it was good on my from-scratch pancakes.  

Yes, I did give a thought to opening up that giant bag of Krusteaz Mix left over from the RV rally.  I would have had to fix pancakes every day for the next year.  These pretty much had no taste, but they sure looked good!!

I'm off to take my Jeep to the doctor.  I have a feeling it's going to be a long waiting-room kind of day.  

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

To all the mothers out there that put up with all of us kids, Happy Mother's Day.  I've only done it for eleven years with my two puppy kids and I can't tell you how often I've pulled my hair out in clumps.  I hope you have a great day in spite of what's going on all around us.

I know some won't agree with me, but here's my take on things presently.  Whether you want to call the virus the flu, or the Wuflu, or Covid 19, it is not the plague that is going to kill half the people on earth.  We are not on lockdown so it will pass over us like a dark cloud and only pick on those outside the house.  We are staying inside to keep the numbers of people catching it from overloading the hospitals until medical supplies could be stacked up.  

That has happened, or so the local nurses and doctors have told me.  With some exceptions, hospitals are even closing down sections because of the lack of virus patients.  We have so many ventilators now they are giving (or maybe selling) them to other countries.  I think it's time to come out from under the covers and get on with life as several States are now doing.  

Yes I will at some point probably catch the flu.  So will you.  It's not going away any time soon.  Like any of the other illnesses we have had in this country over the last 200 years, it will eventually die out.  If you want to stay home and wait for a vaccine, I'm all for it.  For me, it's not worth giving up all my freedom.

So to that end, I've spent the last week doing nothing that I normally do.  I've been cleaning and cleaning.  I think I've cleaned places I haven't seen in ten years.  I've filled my garbage bin to the tippy top and stacked things alongside for the next round of pickups.

In so doing, I've found some pictures I've been missing.  Here's Captain Hook, a little blurry since it's a picture of a picture, along with the crocodile I pulled along behind me with a piece of wire around my waist.  That's a hay hook in my right hand.  What a fun day THAT was.  I'm pretty sure we got absolutely NOTHING done all day.  Yup that's a government office for you!!

I think I must be akin to a pack rat.  I can't believe all the junk I found stashed here and there, not to mention the dirt on the living room floor.  I cleaned everything out of the room for the deep carpet cleaning that was supposed to happen yesterday.  They cancelled.  It is currently Cooper's bowling alley for throwing the ball (bottom center next to the dirt).  They promised me they would show up Tuesday.

Although a tad late, here's the last full moon.  It seems that every full moon now has a name of some sort, but I can't recall what this one was.  The pink moon?  Cotton candy?  The names escapes me.  At any rate, it was spectacular.

Today I'm getting the Jeep ready for a doctor's checkup.  Apparently there is not one but TWO recalls on my toad, as well as she needs an oil change.  That's going to be $70 at the dealership.  Jiffy Lube here is known for not doing any work at all while still charging you.  No use taking any chances.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!  I hope you have a wonderful day!

Run For The Border ... Again!

I don't know why I didn't learn my lesson the first time.  Or even the time before that.  Hope springs eternal I guess.  What is that saying about doing the same thing but hoping for different results?  Insanity?

Thankfully cooler minds have prevailed and things are opening up around here quite nicely.  I was even surprised to find a little town where NOTHING had shut down.  I should have known because it's a farming town.  By the way, did you know that anything related to farming is exempt from all this "stuff"?

Businesses were open, fields were being planted everywhere and people were even hugging.  How could that be?  I parked around back and went in the fabric store, not wanting to get anyone in trouble.  This shop would be closed down forever if they had not remained open.  That would be two families with no means of support, and this is just one tiny town.  I'm hoping all the other small towns across the nation did the same thing.

At any rate, I picked up the backing for three quilts.  The googly eyes are for a Halloween one I finished six months ago.  I'm a little behind with my sewing.  Why oh why I picked a Halloween quilt, I'll never know.

I'm hoping they don't raise their prices due to the "pandemic", but I see huge increases in everything in the near future.  Somebody is going to have to pay through the nose with millions on unemployment and the cost will just be passed on to us.  In case you were wondering, the fabric, batting and quilting for a queen sized quilt cost me around $380, a little less if I shop Joanns Fabrics. I won't be making any more that size any time soon.

On the way out, after shedding a tear over my credit card, I spotted the Border.  The steering wheel turned without any help from me.  I mean really, just watch one of their commercials and you KNOW  it's going to be the best Mexican food you ever ate!!

This is a NO CONTACT meal, except someone had to make it up and put it in the box.  I did not see glove one in the kitchen.  When I asked if they took cash, he said yes.  I dumped it in the plastic container he was holding.  I wondered if they sprayed it with something before touching it.

He handed me the pepsi with gloved hand.  Then out popped the black tray with my box on it.  I couldn't help but touch the tray trying to get the box in my car.  I rather imagine many others have touched the same tray.

So here it is folks ... the $5 Crispy Chalupa Box.  The burrito ..... folded over so there was four layers of lovely hard tortilla surrounding a quarter cup of beans, along with a tablespoon of something resembling hamburger, all smothered in the most gorgeous orange sticky stuff.  Hmmmm just like the last one I got.  Hasn't changed a bit.

Next up .... Chalupa!!  Although I thought it was a crispy one with the taco shell inside, I was wrong. However, I did get my daily dose of vitamins from the lettuce and tomatoes.  Not bad once you get past the thick doughy shell part.  I scarfed up the insides.

I saved the best part for dinner, the regular taco.  At least these have real cheese, or maybe real cheese product.  By the way, the Pepsi was the most watered down one I think I've ever tasted.  I know it's fixable because we have the same products at the Elks Lodge.  The amount of syrup is adjustable.  Maybe Taco Bell is saving money.

Lastly, what the heck is this???  At first I thought fried pig skin.  Nope, I can smell cinnamon.  Ohhhhh these are ..... what do you call those things at the fair?  Churros!!  I chomped my way through about four before tossing the rest.  I have to admit they certainly give you a LOT of these.

Yup ... just as good as the last time.  I don't know what happened between now and my college years when I dined there often, but I'm pretty sure that's the last time I will stop in.  I have deleted all Taco Bells from my GPS unit.

In other good news, OUR little town is opening up also.  There were lots of soft openings Friday with businesses now being open every day.  Interestingly enough, almost everyone out and about was a cowboy or farmer.  Some were paying attention to social distancing, but most were giving out hugs.  We shall see if they all die in two weeks.

From now on, instead of supporting the big franchises, I'll be eating out at local small diners in the hopes everyone else does the same and they can recover from this crazy shut-down.  Get your wallets ready ..... I think it's going to get expensive to live in the U.S.

For you husbands, boyfriends, sons, daughters and every other kind of family member, remember it's Mother's Day tomorrow!!  

OPEN ... OPEN ... OPEN .........

Sometimes it's nice to strut like a peacock with his tail feathers fluttering over a job well done.  That doesn't happen to me much since I'm not so mechanically inclined.  However, yesterday I strutted around for the puppies since there's no one else in the house to impress.

I haven't been able to open two of my garage doors with any of my three openers.  I changed the batteries, I cleaned the little light thing at the bottom, I did everything I could think of.  Finally I ordered not one, but TWO new door openers.

Then came the extremely difficult task of programming them to MY doors.  This is NOT my garage by the way.  It's WAY too clean and too white.  Anyway, I climbed in the back of my truck and followed my YouTube directions to the tee.  Push the learn button ...... push the remote button.  The light flashes and VOILA! the door opens.  YAY!!!

I did that with each door opener, matching up the remote buttons and WE HAVE LIFTOFF!!  My doors open open open!!  No wonder those garage door repairmen get the big bucks!!

On to my next big project.  Return the bag-o-lettuce to Walmart.  I ordered this salad on the 5th.  I opened it on the 6th.

This is what it looked like.  Honestly, if "I" had read the package label and saw that this romaine came from Salinas where ebola, or zika or some other nasty disease on lettuce comes from, I would definitely NOT have picked up this bag.  The record for Salinas lettuce at this point is pretty much in the toilet.  Oh wait .... e-coli!  I think that's what the last one was.  To be honest, I'll probably save the fuel and dig through the bag for the good pieces.

Obviously Amazon and Walmart are making a killing during this time.  Everyone is ordering everything from them, taxing their facilities.  I ordered three things that were to come all at once.  Instead, each one has come individually packaged, days apart.  No big deal, there was nothing I needed immediately anyway.

I was a little concerned when I saw THIS box, so I took pictures just in case, not really having any idea what might lie crushed within.  Luckily it was just a new backpack to haul around my camera.  My other one died a difficult and painful death.

Can you find me in this image?  Pressure Luck cookbook author Jeff ran a contest for his brand spanking new IntantPot recipe book, hot off the presses.  I pre-ordered one since I liked most everything he cooked.  Unfortunately, I did not win the grand prize ... what else but a wooden cookbook holder.  So sad.  Maybe next time.  Our consolation prize was a huge picture he posted of every entry.  It was a nice diversion.

I'm happy to say all the restaurants and businesses in Tombstone are now open for your dining pleasure.  I'm so happy to see them back at it and hope the tourists head on out to enjoy some sunshine.  Yeah it's a little hot at 100+, but they have a nice tree-shaded park and lots of seating along the street.

Businesses around here are closing down completely, as in not ever opening up again.  I imagine there's going to be only Applebees left in my part of the country for dining in.  Quilt stores are also closing right and left.  Sadly, that craft is going to be a thing of the past before long.  Sniff sniff!!

Good luck if you're in Oregon because it now looks like they are going to stay shut down until all of this is completely over, like maybe some time in October.  By then they won't have much left to govern since most of their businesses rely on tourism.  Although Washington was with them for a time (we're in this together to the end) they have now decided to branch out leaving Oregon to their own devices.  

I can't wait to see the results of this five years down the road.  One more interesting tidbit.  Governor Newsom of California apparently did NOT win Orange County in his election.  He has authorized every other County to begin opening up, but refuses to let Orange County open anything, not even the beaches.  

Come on Newsom ..... OPEN   OPEN   OPEN !!!!!!

Another Exciting Day In QuarantineLand

Oh my goodness ... if I have to sit on my butt for one more day I'm going to scream.  Mostly because my butt and back hurt so bad from sitting.  Just to try and help the situation, I took Cooper outside for a walk.  Not much of a walk really, since every two feet he has to mark his territory.  Lots of dogs roam loose in my neighborhood causing havoc when Jessie and Cooper see them out the window.

I finished up this little Civil War quilt just in time to begin anew on the "Duck" quilt.  In other exciting "quilt" news, I called my only local store, willing to beg to be let in for fabric purchase.  I've three huge quilts with NO backing.

It's a funny thing about this quarantine ... everyone is just trying NOT to lose their business.  Many people here do not have money nor food to feed their children.  They were thrilled I wanted to come by for something like 20 yards of fabric.  I'll be meeting up with them very soon.

Probably the most exciting time of the day, I drove all the way to the Post Office with my little yellow overflow card.  No one was wearing masks, but we all kept our distance.  In spite of the plastic hanging down, everyone touched everything, including the counter, the credit card machine and the plastic.  I mean really, can you just imagine how many people touched every piece of mail you get?  I wonder if people are remembering to sanitize the envelopes?

Anyway, I received this surprise ... a big box from FMCA.  It pays to be President!!  Not really, although it said I could keep these things for myself, I will be giving them away to new members, if we ever HAVE new members again.  There's two very nice mugs, a blue blanket that folds up into a package, two name tag holders (very nice ones) and a zipper bag.  Actually, the bag may work out nicely for carrying chocolate sauce to the ice cream social.  Just more stuff to carry in my rig.

At this point, I have more weight from FMCA rally stuff in the rig than I do MY stuff.  

My next problem reared it's ugly head again ... insurance.  Of COURSE because I added the Jeep to the motorhome policy, my pickup truck is now fighting for survival all alone with Safeco insurance.  They almost doubled the rate.  I kid you not, with me only driving it about 1,000 miles a year, the price went from $700 to $1300.  It's a 2005 model.  

No problem thought I, I will just add it to my Arizona policy.  Honestly, they nail you at every corner.  THAT will raise my HOUSE insurance $400.  No kidding .... if I move the truck to Arizona, I will save $700, but my house insurance will go up $400.  WHY?   How can they do that legally?  They are penalizing me for not having a vehicle attached to my house.

I've really been dragging my feet about officially becoming an Arizona resident with the procurement of a drivers license, but I guess I have no choice.  Insurance companies just RIP YOU OFF!!!

To make me feel better, I'm going shopping downtown.  Many of our merchants need to feed their families, so those of us who can are heading out to spend some money.  Unfortunately, many have not received their stimulus check.  No I won't need bail money, because around here healthy people are DONE with staying home.  Unlike SOME cities who are arresting citizens for trying to keep food on the table, our Police Department has a heart.

By the way, in the interest of the truth, there was only one mask-related incident here.  The second accident was caused by the kid who moved his mask in order to talk on his phone, causing him to crash into another car and run off the road.  That's definitely a no-no!!  

Getting Things Done ... Finally!!

The first order of the day was to pick up my Walmart order.  I really don't like shopping for groceries at Walmart.  Although their frozen items are good, their fruits and vegetables don't last more than a day or two.  I placed my order online and headed to pick it up at 7:00 am.

There was only one other car waiting.  YAY!!  When the gal came out of the building, I clocked her at 25 feet per minute.  I was hoping she made it before she passed out.  With her mask firmly in place, she couldn't really breathe.

Do they make you wear the mask?  Yes she said, all day long.  It's very hot and I can't breathe.  Out of curiosity, I asked if they had warned her of breathing in too much carbon dioxide coming out of her lungs.  Her answer was no.  Did they tell you to wash and disinfect it every night?  Her answer was no, but she did wipe a little hand sanitizer on the inside of her mask at night.  Okay then!!

Next problem, they did not have, nor did they offer bags.  If you wish, you can stay in your vehicle with the windows rolled up while they put everything in the back seat.  I got out, grabbed MY bags, put everything inside and closed the door.  

The dangers of shopping online are many.  Since I don't do this often at all, I just picked out what looked like the item I needed.  Take hotdogs for example.  The print is small on a computer screen.   I ended up with a package of 16.  Do you know how long it's going to take me to eat 16 hot dogs?  

Considering they aren't really good for you, they will probably last two months, but at about thirty cents each, they are a pretty cheap dinner!! 

The bag-o-salad I got had an expiration date of two days ago.  Guess I'll be returning THAT!

Lucky me, I spent the next three hours trying to straighten out my supplementary health insurance bill.  The cost goes up every year at this time.  It would be a simple transaction if they actually sent the coupon book to me, but every year FOR NINE YEARS, they have not done so.  I have to call and ask for a duplicate in order to know what the heck I'm supposed to pay.  It only makes it worse that I go to the doctor MAYBE once a year.

Next on the list, I'm pretty sure the last time I had the Jeep washed was June.  There are not any car washes close to me in Tucson.  Lucky for the locals here, the car wash actually opened a few days ago.  

No cash can be accepted and you have to swipe your own credit card.  Wasn't I surprised that my $8.00 car wash was now $16.00.  Talk about a rip off ... this is a drive through.  They didn't even wash the windshield like they normally do.  How nice of the car washes to take advantage of the people under these circumstances by doubling their price while doing half the work!!  

I was even less happy when I got home and the Jeep was still filthy dirty with not one bug having been washed off the windshield.  Lesson learned.  Although the inside was not that bad, I spent an hour with a can of spray cleaning the dust off.  I'll drag out my vacuum cleaner today.

In the meantime, my arm continued to swell up and itch like crazy.  Now the bite mark is about two inches around, red and very swollen.  Yes I tried Windex, but unlike my Big Fat Greek Wedding, it did not work.  At long last, thanks to Bill Richards advice, I took a benadryl.  It's better this morning, but I still feel like a huge chunk of flesh is going to fall off my arm, like a man-eating virus of some kind!!

Here is this morning's public service announcement.  Please remember NOT to wear your mask when driving.  There have been two accidents (nope, sorry for the misinformation, there was only ONE) here from people getting lightheaded and passing out while driving down the road.  Remember to wash and sanitize your mask EVERY day!  Wiping hand sanitizer on the inside does not count.

It's Time To Break Out!!

Here we have what's been trying to kill my pups and I for the last week.  These guys are about a quarter inch long, some bigger, and just don't want to go away.  Although there are considerably fewer since I poured bleach down all their holes, they are still hard at it rebuilding their nest.

I have a grocery pick-up appointment at Walmart this morning.  No one else does that around here and you have to wear a mask everywhere else, which as you know, this one refuses to do.  My plan is to hit the gas station first.  Five gallons should do it!

OR I can call the County who I'm told will come eradicate them, although I doubt they will be answering the phone.  Around here, you get paid to stay home if you wish.  Of course EVERYONE wishes to stay home with pay.

Just a side note, my arm now sports a big one inch across red swollen blotch that itches like crazy.  I tried cortisone cream with no success.

I did finally get the horse trailer cleaned out, so here are some pictures for the Chance family.  This is the inside dressing room/bedroom area with a swing out three tier saddle rack on the left.  This is also where I put my mini fridge when I was out camping.

Don't raise up quickly because you might come in contact with the roof.  Here's the sleeping quarters, a nice big queen size bed.  It even has places to hang our clothes!!  Yes my dogs slept up there with me.  It's kind of cool to wake up in here when you're out in the middle of nowhere forest.

Lastly, the biggest space is allocated to the horses.  This will hold three, loaded on a slant instead of facing forward.  The windows are covered with screens for when it's hot and you drop the three outside doors for airflow.  It also doubles as a bathroom if you can't find a gas station while on the road.  Hey, the horses use it too!!  

Thankfully my little kid seems to be okay after his ant bite.  Honestly, he's rather tender when it comes to things like that and shows more expression than any dog I've had.  I'm happy to see him smiling again.

In other news. Arizona is opening hair salons this Friday, along with dine-in restaurants on Monday.  YOU GO ARIZONA!!  On the other hand, OUR governor who has his OWN hair stylist at his HOUSE chooses to open hair salons along with gyms three to four months from now.  

Instead, he's decided to open SCHOOLS first!!  Let the kids and teachers have the first shot at the second wave of flu.  Wait ... aren't schools closed for the summer anyway?  He will also let toy, furniture and clothing manufacturers open, along with childcare facilities.   Of course we STILL have no idea when that might happen.  He's so happy in his role being large and in charge, that I doubt it will be any time soon.

Retail businesses like clothing stores will open some time later for curbside pickup only.  Why can we go to Walmart and Target to buy clothes NOW, but we can't go to a CLOTHING store??  The last allowed to open will be hair and nail salons, gyms, movie theaters and sports events.  

It's time to break out and get back to business!  In this entire County of 277,700 people, we have had three deaths (coming from a cruise ship), all occurring months ago and all with severe underlying medical issues.  Don't get me wrong, if you are the least bit worried, you can definitely stay home as long as you wish.  Grocery pickup will always be available and soon you will be able to purchase masks and gloves through Amazon.  They say there will be a vaccine in maybe a year.

If it doesn't open back up very soon here, in spite of the 105 degree weather, I'm pretty sure I'll be heading back to Arizona.

BRING ON THE FIRE HOSE!!

When is a fire not a fire?  No, I didn't burn my house down with my cooking, but I'd like to take a stab at burning my entire back yard.  I think we talked about this once before.  This entire county is built on top of ant hills.  When you purchase property, there is small print ... VERY small print ... that tells you that little known fact.

Normally, they are just those little sugar ants which are no big deal.  Yesterday we had an event of epic proportions which cancelled my travel plans and today I go to WAR!!

Like a little 6 year old, I thought it would be funny to cover up the three big openings into this ant nest with grass.  I mean completely cover it up.  Within two hours, there wasn't a single blade of grass to be seen.  Wow ... industrious little buggers.

So what would a little kid do?  I covered them up completely with sand and tamped it down nicely.  Maybe they will go away.  Sadly, that didn't happen.  I guess I just made them mad.  My first line of defense was the can of ant spray.  An ENTIRE can.

Two hours went by and they were back at it, not caring a wit that the sand was soaked in poison.  I finally left them alone.  BIG mistake!!

At about 12:00 I let the puppies outside.  In a few seconds, even though he didn't go anywhere near the ant hill, Cooper had his leg in the air and was literally crying.  I raced over thinking he must have been stung by a wasp.  They sometimes lay in wait in the grass.

I checked his foot and grabbed a bag of ice.  In fifteen minutes he was no better, so I went digging in his foot.  There was one of those HUGE ants, about a quarter inch long.   I dug it out and smashed it on the couch, but not before another one on his fur BIT ME!!

Cooper could not be consoled.  He refused to put his foot down and wouldn't lay down so I could ice it some more.  I finally had to carry him for about thirty minutes before sitting down.  By then, my arm was screaming because someone was sticking a sharp knife deep into the tissue.  Good heavens ... is this what Cooper is feeling?  I almost cried.

I laid him on my stomach and held him tight as his foot twitched.  Another hour and he fell asleep.  TWO hours later as the screaming pain in my arm began to recede, Cooper finally woke up and tried to walk.  At last he put his foot down and walked over to get his ball.  My sweet little boy was okay.

I on the other hand, have a huge red welt on my arm that still feels like there's a knife in there.  I'm thinking those must be fire ants.

This morning, the war begins.  Since I don't have any gasoline, my weapon of choice, I'm going for bleach.  I'm not sure it's going to work, but I'll try anything.  I would call the County, but they are of course, closed down.  If the bleach doesn't work, I'll go buy a gas can.  I'm not letting my kids gets bit again!!

So much for my foray into the outside world.  I spent the rest of the evening finishing up this lap quilt.  Gee ... only NINE more quilts to go!!

I'm heading for my cowboy boots and my bottle of bleach.  Wish me luck!!

By the way, I'm curious.  Are alcohol and marijuana essential in your neck of the woods?  Funny that those businesses were never shut down.  Just wondering.

Another Exciting Day At Home ... Woohoo!!

My plans to get out were waylaid yesterday by a number of things.  My weeds are in desperate need of spraying before they take over my house and yard completely.  Yes, that's the job of the gardeners, but alas, I don't know how to say ROUNDUP in Spanish, or HEY you're supposed to pull those weeds.  I did do a lot of pointing, but it didn't help.  I ended up doing it myself by hand.

One thing you cannot do is spray when there is a breeze.  Lucky for us, there has been a nice cool breeze every morning and most of the day, meaning most of my weeds await.

Instead, I'm trying to clean out every room in the house.  I started with the smallest of course.  You literally could not walk through this room for the piles of junk.  I really tried not to play musical chairs with the "stuff" and disposed of everything I could.  

I even cleaned out one entire shelf where I stashed my hoarding load of paper towels, all six rolls.  I was so proud until I realized my crock pot was sitting on the kitchen counter.  It lives where the rolls were residing.  I spent another thirty minutes trying to fit everything in.

Really, this staying home stuff is NOT fun.  So in other news, have you realized that we used to watch the completely impartial news (like Walter Cronkite for example) and then make our own decisions?  Now it seems they give us THEIR opinion of the news and we are supposed to believe every word without question.  Here's an example of their handiwork.

The image on the right is from the New York Post talking about Jacksonville Beach in Florida, a trustworthy newspaper, right?  The image on the left is from Newsbreak.com discussing Los Angeles.  Which one do you think is correct?  I guess it doesn't matter if you don't tell the truth with pictures, which are exactly the same one.  I just get a kick out of stuff like this.

There was some very good news however, when I balanced my checkbook.  Being an accountant, I really have to do that once in awhile.  Every April I get a cost of living raise in my retirement check.  It's one of the benefits of having worked for the County for 25 years.  

Of course they did away with that for anyone who was hired after me.  If you came onboard after something like 1980, you get nothing, making it hard to live on your unchanging income as prices skyrocket.  I'm a very lucky girl and I know it.  That extra $150 a month will come in handy.

I did get out long enough to see the farmers in this area planting crops like sweet potatoes and tomatoes, so at least there will be food on our tables.  I see some Governors are trying to keep their states locked down for another month so they can get more federal money.  It's sad there is always an agenda.  

Anyone seen a politician with unkempt hair lately??  They opened up Veterinarian offices and pet store dog grooming here.  Woohoo!!  Maybe we can talk them into haircuts.

So for dinner I finished off the first rack of ribs.  The Sheriff has about a dozen 30 gallon steel cans with holes cut in the top and sides.  He skewers the ribs and places them inside the barrel with mesquite chunks of charcoal burning at the very bottom.  It's a sight to see the smoke rolling up out of all those barrels at once.  The end result is divine.

And so another day has passed.  I hope y'all are not going crazy being locked up.  Congrats to everyone brave enough to fight and to those who are opening up their restaurants.  By the way, Tombstone has said they will be open for business starting this week.  If you're in the neighborhood, give them a shout out.

FREEDOM ... FREEDOM AT LAST!!!

Don't those words just sound wonderful?   I could go for a little of that freedom right now.  To that end, many people from our little County went to protest at the Capital this last week.  Notice there are no masks.  I bet there was lots of herd immunity going on there, which is exactly what needs to happen according to the Doctors.

Had I known about it, I probably would have attended.  Interestingly enough, there is a rumor going around ... well possibly, maybe, could be not a rumor, but I can't tell you who, what, where or when ... that our County will be opening up this coming week.  It's about time.  

As people have noted, the Governor has every single hair in place.  He's certainly getting haircuts.  His wife?  She has perfect hair AND fingernails ... so someone is working on her also.  Funny how there is that double standard.  I can do it but you can't!!  So we shall see what happens.

In the meantime, with no Elks Lodge Magic Kingdom going on, I am rather stuck at home.  I've tried cleaning out rooms, but always seem to get stuck back on the couch.  I have SO much junk that is really good stuff, I don't want to just throw it away.  Probably the worst problem with staying inside is the resulting zero motivation.

So I've spent the last couple of days working on the binding for this quilt.  In spite of my attempt to use a color other than black, which is terribly difficult to see, I always end up with black.  It's looks nicer ... makes a nice crisp edge.  Sounds like I'm baking a pie.  Anyway, this one is in the bag.  

In the afternoon, I raced off to my quilter's house to pick up two more to bind and dropped off two for her to quilt.  That brought to my attention my latest problem.

My truck's air conditioning works when I first start the engine.  It even works for the next ten minutes.  Then it stops completely and blows out HOT air.  When I stop and turn the key off, then start it again ... voila ... cold air for another ten minutes.  What the heck?  I'm not looking forward to a $500 repair bill.

The best part of the day soon arrived.  With no Elks Lodge happenings, they are running short of money.  All, as in 100% of the Bingo money, must be spent on charities.  The Lodge is run on income from the bar and restaurant.  With everything closed down, they still have bills to pay, but no income. Can you imagine how many businesses are having the same problem?

Let there be ribs!!!  So the Sheriff joined up with some of the crew to make barbecued ribs for sale at the back door.  $15.00 for a huge slab of ribs (only half of which are shown here), along with cowboy beans, cole slaw and cornbread.  Not a bad deal, yeah?

I bought four meals (trying to help out the lodge) and took two over to my girlfriend who won the burger.  I took the other two home and will eat on them for the next two days.  Win Win!!!!

So that may be all you see on the blog for the next two days ..... RIBS!!  Not really, I'm going out on a foray today to see what I can find.  Then I will again be locked down as I trim bushes and spray weeds in the back yard.  OH THE FUN!!!

The Price of Fuel

Happy May First!!  Actually, it's day 50 for me, not that I've been counting.  This happened way back at day twelve, which is why I made that cake.   As of today, I can't see OR hear!!  I guess it's time for another chocolate cake!!

Have YOU taken advantage of the low rates for fuel?  I know, I know, we're supposed to stay home, but you can still drive around all you want.  You are not forced to stay inside, which I of course am not doing.  

Here's a little tidbit I discovered yesterday.  We're talking gas here, not diesel.  I fueled up my Jeep for a measly $22.00.  How could that be?  It usually costs me $60.  That's because the fuel prices in California are higher than almost everywhere, except maybe Pennsylvania.  It's CALIFORNIA.  It's all the taxes you have to pay!!

Guess what?  Turns out, although our tax is higher than most, it's not California so much after all.  It's the gas moguls.  Granted, tax here is 79.6 cents added on to every gallon, far as I can tell.  That means at the station I go to in Livingston, the actual fuel cost is $1.10 per gallon.  That's what the big gas companies are making right now.

Previously, I've paid the highest prices in the entire valley, averaging $4.00 a gallon (including tax).  That means the actual fuel price was $3.20 per gallon.  WHAT?  Isn't it the same gas?  So who is making all the money here??  

Turns out California requires additives be put in the fuel to reduce pollution.  So THAT must be the reason we have high fuel prices, right?  But wait .....

Just for comparison, Arizona's tax is 50 cents a gallon LESS according to what I found on the internet.  So Arizona's gas should be REALLY cheap.  Nope it's $1.80-$1.90 a gallon where I fuel up.  The SAME PRICE as here where I paid $1.89 a gallon.  How can that be?  California fuel the same price as Arizona?  Where's my gas cans.  I'm filling them all up!!

Here's another interesting tidbit ... even though NO ONE has been driving to the store every day or cruising the highways and byways, I got an air quality alert this morning.  Just when I need to be outside pruning up the gardens because the gardeners don't seem to understand that's part of their job.  I'll be lying in wait the next time they show up.

I have to admit, the weather couldn't be better, 50 degree nights with 70 degree days.  That gives Cooper and I plenty of time outside to chase the ball, even if we can't breathe.

I think I'll go for a drive this afternoon, just because I want to be able to say I can fuel up again for $1.89 a gallon.  I don't think I've seen prices that low since I was in high school!!!

One last tidbit ... I'm still fighting with DMV over so many things, but I did get a notice in the mail that my drivers license has been extended until September.  Oh good .. I'll be back in Arizona then!!