Let's Recap .....

I'm happy to report I'm still alive and kicking in this oppressive heat.  I've never known it to be like this in the seven years I've been here.  I talked to my neighbor yesterday who said it's the worst year he's ever seen also.  Things ebb and flow ... I'm not sure which one this is, but I hope it quits soon!!

Let's recap:

I've been here seven days and I was stung by a wasp that I'm apparently allergic to, had an overheating episode, had to fix one big sprinkler and three drip line breaks, found out I need a new roof, my truck AC is on the fritz, I can't quilt because my machine is in the repair shop, yet another sprinkler broke, my sliding glass door lock is busted and it's been 102-106 every day.  That about sums it up!  Makes you want to go hide under the covers!!

I finally repaired the front broken line and made a trip to Ace Hardware to get the parts for the geyser in the back yard.  They didn't have exactly what I needed and they insisted this NEW part would work.  I didn't think it would, but the guy was insistent.  It didn't work.  I have to make another trip this morning.

Another VERY nice looking guy helped me with the door lock.  I asked him if I could rent him out for a couple hours to get it fixed.  I pay very well!  He declined, so I came home and took it apart myself.  At least as far as I could, because that top screw is stripped and won't come out.  

My Go-To Handyman Dan is out of town, so maybe today, with the help of some YouTube videos, I'll drill it out myself.  This oughta be fun, yes?  I already have a blood blister on my thumb from this project!

On the way back home with two bags of groceries, I ran into this.  I think I've mentioned, I live BETWEEN the tracks.  There are two lines that parallel each other here, and our houses are in the middle.  Supposedly, they can only block the road for ten minutes.  

I was back about 20 cars, and made sure to leave room if I wanted to turn around.  It dawned on me that even if I did, there would be just as many cars on the far side, not allowing me to get to my turnoff road anyway ..... so I sat.  And sat some more, praying my AC would keep running.  (I have an appointment to get it fixed this week).

No kidding ..... 25 minutes later I was the third car in line and STILL waiting!  Even the Sheriff's vehicle turned around.  I love trains, or this might have been a deal breaker.  It's a good thing I didn't buy any ice cream!!

Finally back home, I found I couldn't fix the sprinkler geyser, so I just watched the birds in the yard.  Poor things are standing in the shade panting.  The quail have the right idea, they are digging holes in the damp lawn.  The finch ... I counted 21 in the shade next to my patio.  

I spent the rest of the 104 degree afternoon watching the Calgary Stampede.  Going out in this heat is not an option.  The overnight low was 84.  

At long last I received the first estimate on the roof.  Here's a picture of the place where it is leaking at the back corner.  Nice of them to pull up that shingle, yes?  This company is the one intent on ripping off my insurance company.  Normally I wouldn't care, since no insurance company EVER has done me right.

I checked the paperwork and I have a 20 year roof that is 18 years old.  With the crazy weather here, I wouldn't expect it to last the full 20 years.  But scamming the insurance company by running the price up, and telling me don't worry ... they will take care of EVERYTHING ... is NOT how I do business.  I expect a fair price for the job, not one ridiculously high just because there is an insurance claim.  

$19,000 is the price, $21,000 if I want the patio cover done also.  I expected something in the $15,000 range, and $10,000 would have made me happy.  This from the car salesman, by the way.  I'm getting two more bids, maybe more, mostly because I'm an honest person ... and this is a scam.  Besides that, the insurance company will either cancel me or double the cost for next year.

Do you ever go to bed at night thinking about exactly what you would like to say to someone?  Sometimes I just can't turn it off.  I spent probably two hours last night telling the car salesman what I thought.  

BIG SIGH ...... BIG!!!  My brain is completely overworked and I'm HOT ... and not in a good way!!  Maybe a stop at Cold Stone for the biggest cup of ice cream they have will help!!  Yup ... I'm SURE it will help ... and it's only a couple of miles away!!!

How Exciting!

Sometimes life throws things at you just to see if you can handle it.  It's called Nancy's Luck.  Once in a blue moon, it's GOOD.  Most times, not so much, but it makes for good stories to tell I guess.

The low Wednesday night was 82.  The low last night was 82.  I see a pattern here.  If you're going to do anything at all, it better be in the early morning hours, at least that's what I've noticed the birds do.  Look here ... a female (I think) cardinal.  Isn't she a beauty?

After digging around in the drip line hole and not getting a fix, I showered and headed out to drop off my quilting machine.  In spite of their big mistake of scheduling it for MAY instead of JULY, I put on a happy face.

It's a 40 minute drive.  20 minutes in when it was 8:30 am and 102 degrees, my air conditioning quit.  Big sigh .. BIG!!  How exciting!!!  Just my luck ... I'm going to die of heat stroke before I even get there.  There's no opening the windows to cool off, so I hit the inside air only button.  By the time I got there I looked like a drowned rat.  

This is how big my machine is.  Mr. Grumpy unloaded it from the back seat while she-who-made-the-mistake took my information.  That's when "those" words came from Mr. Grumpy's mouth.  Where's the computer?  

You didn't TELL me to bring the computer ... you said bring the machine!  Don't YOU have a computer?  I'm looking at a VERY hot drive back because it's now 108 degrees in Green Valley, and you want me to drive ANOTHER round trip?  

Weirdly enough, when I started my truck up again after maybe 15 minutes, the air came back on.  I prayed all the way home.  I loaded up the computer, along with an ice chest and five bottles of water.  It was 113 in my truck when I headed back.  Surprisingly the AC came on and stayed on the entire trip.  That has been added to my next week appointment at the Repair Shop for an oil and fuel filter change. $$$$

As for the roof ... the second guy showed up with a completely different angle.  This is not him.  He was a young kid who mistakenly told me he used to be a car salesman in town.  Oh yeah ... an HONEST guy I'm sure.  

Here's how it works down here ... you call, they send out a guy to take lots of pictures ... he goes back to the business and in 3 or 4 days you'll receive something via email.  This company's angle is insurance.  They take all the pictures they need to prove the roof needs to be completely replaced.  I imagine if they do that, my insurance will triple, yes?  Gosh, how much more exciting can it get??

He told me the roof needed to be completely replaced.  I'm sure that's the truth from the car salesman, right?

I finally found the paperwork that shows this roof is 19 years old.  It's a 20 year roof, so I guess the car salesman is probably right.  There's going to be a BIG expense in my near future, especially when he showed me how he could lift up an entire row of shingles with one finger, in more than one spot.

Cooper did his best to make me feel better.  The ball is back in the game.  Not only did he catch it mid air, but he rolled it back and forth for an hour.  

How can you not smile at this face!!  Due to his lack of front teeth, it rolls crooked now, but that's okay!!

When dinnertime rolled around, I wasn't very motivated.  Honestly, when you are hot all day long, it takes it out of you.  Although electricity in Arizona is much cheaper than California, they have raised their prices along with everyone else, just because they can.

I grabbed that huge pork loin I had and cut it into steaks, putting most of it in the freezer.  I have to admit, this went down quite nicely.  

Not to be outdone by yesterday, THIS morning brought it's own kind of excitement.  I can hear you laughing.  I would laugh too if it wasn't me that had to fix this.  See this nice geyser in the early morning Arizona sun?  I knew when I heard it, that was NOT a good sound.

I took one look, turned the water off and walked away.  More of Nancy's Luck has arrived.  The entire center of the sprinkler head is gone.  Big sigh.  Yet another MAN job to be tackled.  How NOT so exciting!!

 

Loudest Coyote EVER!!

Well THAT was a fun night!!  You know I LOVE the critters ... except the creepy crawly ones.  My visitor last night however ... I hope he doesn't come around often!!   It could be he was standing right outside my window, but I've never heard a coyote so LOUD in my life.  He was louder than the train that was going by!  I'm hoping I caught him on my critter cam, but I won't know until later this morning. 

Lucky you, you haven't been inundated with videos because it hasn't been working correctly.  One day I got zero pictures, the next I got all DAYTIME videos of the birds.  

It's 4:30 and a lovely 71 degrees.  I have to admit, the weather around here can be suspenseful.  It's going to hike up to 105 today, and for the next THREE days, then it's going to rain.  Yessirree ... they are predicting 104 degrees with rain for four days in a row.  Won't THAT be exciting!  I've never heard of such a thing, so you can bet I'll be out with my camera!!

The 4th of July camera didn't fare so well.  The fireworks were 8-10 miles away I'm guessing, and didn't go on long enough for me to figure out the camera settings.

These were the backyard "pros" showing off, not the commercial variety.  I'm surprised more fingers are not lost ... or more fires started!  I have to admit though, it was MUCH quieter than at my house in California.

I spent the morning on the patio admiring my bird population.  Rather hard to see them in this picture, but there are about 30 thrashers and finch in this tree, including TWO cardinals.  I was sure I took pictures of them, but so far haven't found them on my camera card.  By noon, they have all found a shady spot to hang out and I don't see them the rest of the day.

This guy was having brunch on whatever he dug up next to the sprinkler.  He came back again and again, so it must have been quite tasty.  I love their orange eyes.

At long last, the doorbell rang.  I have yet another "MAN" problem to take care of.  The facia board on one side of the garage is rotten to the core.  Along with that comes the leak I had in the ceiling last monsoon.  Not a big leak, but big enough to cause me angst.

We thought the wind was so bad, it just blew water under the shingles, but since this guy was here for the first problem, I asked him to look at the second.  It was the same old story.  He took 30 pictures and proceeded to show me just how BAD my entire roof was.  It definitely needs COMPLETE replacement.  

Big sigh.  Where's Prince Charming when I need him?  I hate dealing with this stuff because you never know if they are telling you the truth.  Let's be honest ... they are mostly lying.  It's not fun being a woman when it comes to house repair.

Honestly, I didn't see that much wrong with the pictures.  It was rather interesting to see that when the roof was repaired before I bought it, they just went up and NAILED the shingles down.  WHAT?  I didn't know you could do that! 

The leak comes from the little valley between the skylight/dormer roof and the actual roof ... where it ties in.  I asked him for an estimate to repair that and the facia, and another estimate to reroof the entire house. That was just a ruse by me to keep him from walking away because I really have no intention of doing the entire thing.  By the way, he was talking $15,000 for a reroof because they use ONLY THE BEST products.  

When he left I called another roofer for another estimate.  If nothing else, I guess I'll have to learn how to do roof repairs, because I'm determined NOT to get taken for a money-ride on the you-need-a-new-roof train.  Today I'll check my paperwork that has the old roof guarantee.  I think it said I have at least 5 more years. 

By the time he left, it was really too hot outside to do anything.  I did grab my shovel and head out the front door (in the shade) because I spotted (yet again) some ground that was way too wet for the amount of water it was supposed to be getting.

You guessed it ... another leaky line.  This time it's the BIG drip line, and is going to take some work to repair.  I finally gave up because it was just too hot.

I'm up early this morning so I can get stuff done before heading off to Green Valley with my quilting machine.  It's Quilt Doctor time!  I've done a little sewing to get the backings ready for NINE quilts waiting in the closet.  

I would just LOVE to spend a little time at my favorite fabric store over there, but the next roofer is coming at 11:00 today, so I have to be back.  Lucky for me, they will deliver my machine back to my house and hook it up.  That's because I know the secret words ... the Repair Manager lives not far from me!!

Sidewalk Eggs

High in Tucson yesterday ... 112.  High where I live in the foothills ... it depends on which thermometer you look at.  It ran from 105 to 108 in the shade.  The blowing winds made it the perfect convection oven feel for the entire day.  That breeze can suck the moisture right out of you!

Thus began another day of drinking bottle after bottle of water.  Not that I was thirsty, I was just trying to stay upright.  I have to say Bob's recommendation to put a little salt in the water was spot on.  After maybe three hours, I could not believe the difference in how I felt mentally.  I was really beginning to wonder when I left the water faucet on and all of Jonathan's food on the table instead of in his cage.  I will definitely be using that trick for the rest of the month here in HOT Arizona.

When I first stepped out the door, it was 79 degrees.  Perfect digging weather to find that last leaking drip line.  It took awhile since I had to dig with a spoon almost two feet to find the end.  There were too many other lines to cut in half if I used the shovel. What looks like a stick, is yet another drip line.

Done at last, I headed straight to a cold shower to cool off.  

When you're locked up inside because of the heat, it's hard to entertain yourself and keep busy.  There's a small group of us that are amused by the daily celebrations that are announced ... you know, National Flag Day or National Pork Ribs Day.  You would be amazed at some of the things people come up with.  Here's one.

It was National Fry An Egg On The Sidewalk Day.  No kidding ... some people have too much time on their hands.  I've no idea where this actually came from, but obviously it was Arizona's way to celebrate summer.  I decided to give it a try.  And YES, this was AFTER I started drinking the lightly salted water.

This is my patio.  120 degrees on the concrete.  It was NOT hot enough to fry an egg, but it did instantly break the yolk and evaporate the white.

One hour later ... there you have it ... scrambled eggs.  I've no doubt you've waited your entire life to find out if this is a true fact or not.  Now you can rest your mind ... yes, you can cook eggs on the sidewalk in Arizona in the summer ... and it's not even been the hottest day yet.

My list of honey-do's has increased yet again.  This is my sliding glass door handle, side view.  Yes, that is a bungee cord holding the lever down.  It finally gave up the ghost and will not STAY down, meaning the door cannot be locked.  Yes I have the Stick of Safety along the bottom rail to help keep out the riff raff, but I guess I'll have to find a replacement lock on my first trip to town, hopefully tomorrow.

Time to celebrate America and our gorgeous flag.  What better way than with the Colonel's best ever fried chicken.  I did think about just laying out a rack of ribs on the sidewalk.  They probably would have been done faster than in the smoker.  

Patty made a fabulous potato salad, along with a cherry cheesecake dessert that we ate with gusto.  Maybe there's a National Cherry Cheesecake Day I could celebrate.  

Back home in the convection oven of Arizona, the explosions began in earnest.  I got out my camera, but the celebrations were too far away.  I watched about six different shows around the valley with probably only two being legit.  

I did get a few pictures (this one is not mine) that I will try to work with today.  I'll post them tomorrow if I got anything worthwhile.

In the meantime, I'll be celebrating National Graham Cracker Day and National Bikini Day.  I've eaten WAY too many graham crackers over the years to be wearing a Bikini without blinding someone, so don't look for any pictures of THAT!!  It's also National Apple Turnover Day ... now THAT sounds much more palatable.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

 BOOM ... BANG ... YAY!!!!!  The Fourth rings a little differently in Arizona.  It's probably the only time of year people get outside and practice with their firearms.  You don't need fireworks here, just big guns.  I have no problem with that, but I AM laying pretty low in the house so I don't get hit with stray bullets.  To be honest, I'm too cheap to throw away that much money on ammunition.  

Yessirree ... these aren't your normal little neighborhood street fireworks, these are the big guys coming from back yards down in the valley.  They even blotted out the train horns.

Tonight I'll go for some outside pictures from the patio.  I doubt there will be the big show from the golf course across the valley, but I'm going to be looking just in case.  So Happy Fourth of July!!!  I'm glad to still be here to celebrate it.  We can use a little more PATRIOTISM in this country.

I tried the salt in the water route yesterday as recommended by Bob.  He was right.  I felt SO much better, more like myself.  The sting is back down to normal 1" size and isn't itching NEAR as bad.  I think I'll live another day and not turn into Wasp Woman after all.  That might have been fun!

The previous sunset left a nice afterglow, but it was still too hot to go outside.  At 108 degrees most the day, it's good to just watch rodeo and force yourself to drink water.  

The almost full moon came up quite nicely .....

But I didn't have the gumption to stand outside and take pictures, so here's a cheater from the last full moon.  I'm surprised as I look back at all of these images over the years, that they look exactly the same.  The moon doesn't change its features at all.

This mornings sunrise was slightly better, with a few clouds beginning to come around.  It's monsoon season in about two weeks.  My To-Do list is long.  First up, I put in a call to a roofer who is going to show up on Wednesday to check my garage facia board and give me a price on gutters.  It seems gutters aren't popular in Arizona, but they sure would help keep things from rotting.  

I have to admit, Mother Nature's critters are pretty smart too.  They only come out in the cool morning air.  Cool as in 79 degrees!!  There was a huge lizard ... about 12 inches long on the other wall, but as soon as I walked by the window, he was gone.  This guy is about 6 inches long.  

I was outside long enough to fill in the hole by the sprinkler and find yet another drip line that is leaking.  That will be dug up this morning.  I even counted SEVEN blades of grass that have turned GREEN!  Woohoo!!  Green grass is cooler and a little easier on Coopers feet.

I'm not the only hot one around here.  By noon my patio was the location of a flash mob.  There were seven baby thrashers (least I think that's what they are) hanging out in the shade, panting with their beaks open, trying to keep cool.  They dug in the dirt at the edge of the concrete, then parked up close to the house.  They are barely five inches from beak to tail.  Cute little poop machines.

I am celebrating today over at the Chance house, after which I'll be on the patio with my camera to see if I can catch any fireworks.  In the meantime, Cooper and I had a ten minute game of retrieve the ball.  He seems to be doing very well and Momma is a happy camper!!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

The Dangers Of Overheating

It sucks getting old.  I've never had to spend so much time contemplating WHY I don't feel like I did 20 years ago, or why I can't do the things I used to do.  

As we all know, I did NOT go by Wellton, which is why the feedlot never appeared.  I admit, I spent the entire time driving out of Quartzsite thinking the road was exactly the same as leaving Yuma.  So why would I think that?  I'm pretty sure I drove way too many miles in each day.  I was trying to beat the extreme heat that arrived yesterday.  Overnight low 81, high 104 to 108.  I admit, I was exhausted.

Add to that my lack of heat tolerance.  I never gave it that much thought until now.  Fifteen years ago I got a good case of heat exhaustion.  No biggie, I got over it, but my heat tolerance has gone down to zero.  Even though I drink at least eight bottles of water every day, I've let myself get overheated.  It's interesting how that affects your thought process.  No wonder people die in the desert.  The wasp sting that made my head hurt so bad that morning didn't help either.

At any rate, I'll be taking it easy for the entire week.  Oh wait ... I already broke that rule.  This $100 sprinkler that I had installed two years ago, broke.  It wasn't working at all.  I told Dan I would dig it up, if he could help me replace it.  This ground is so rocky and full of drip irrigation lines, I had to dig it out with a big spoon.  No kidding ... it took me some time. 

Rainbirds are SO much easier to adjust!  We staked it out and it's working great, but I have yet to fill in the hole.  Maybe today.  Why do I even bother with a lawn?  Although it doesn't look like it, there's quite a downward slope to the yard.  It would not be easy to build a deck or pour concrete.  No grass means more dirt and dust, so I'm trying to keep this little section alive.

After unloading the fridge and freezer from the RV, I quickly realized I had once again overheated myself. It's time to wise up and slow down.  Jon's perch (above his head) fell off, so I scrounged up two big washers and screwed it back to the cage.  He was a happy camper.  

Cooper got a haircut also, as I slugged down water bottle after water bottle.   No, I'm not so wasteful as to keep buying water, I wash and reuse the bottles several time before throwing them away.  He doesn't hold still very well, and obviously I'm not Picasso with the clippers, but he's much cooler now.  He's also happier since he finally got ONE ball back to play with.  He seems to be doing very well.

Next up, taking my quilting machine off the frame and loading it in the truck for a trip to the doctor.   It's making a terrible grating grinding noise and requires assistance.  I made the appointment for July, but they put MAY on the calendar.  BIG mistake.  We went round and round until they finally agreed if I brought it in, they would repair it and deliver it back to me.  Although I won't be dropping it off until later in the week, at least it's in the truck.

As for my paper wasp sting, it is finally changing color ... more pink than red, and it doesn't itch near as much.  It's weird though ... it has left my skin feeling bumpy and scaly.  Maybe I'm becoming WaspWoman!!  That just might come in handy!!

Now to figure out what is walking across my driveway all night long setting off the alarm.  Most everything around here is nocturnal, but hearing the alarm go off is unusual.  I'll be setting up the game camera out there to see who is visiting.

Not Dead Yet .....

Welcome to Arizona ... the land of creepy crawlies and things that sting and bite.  Apparently I'm allergic to those gigantic paper wasps.  I'm probably lucky I thought to take a Benadryl, or this might cover my entire back.  

It has swollen up nicely and turned a lovely shade of reddish pink in spite of all the meds I've taken.  Just to make it even MORE fun, it's now itching like nothing I've ever experienced.  I could scrape the skin right off my back.  

This not-so-sexy off shoulder look was my all day apparel to try and keep nothing from touching it.  This morning it's even a tad bit bigger, but not as red.  Hopefully that means it's on the mend.

 I decided since it was nice and cool, I should check out why the lawn is dead.  Not that that is unusual for my garden area, but it has never been this bad.  Apparently I didn't set the controls to run long enough.  Add to that the broken pipe that Dan discovered, and all my plants ... even the cactus ... are dying.  What?  Cactus dying in the desert?

I went in and out my sliding glass door several times before I spotted it.  Another one of those wasps flying around the patio.  I followed him .... to find THIS!!  Just as I looked up, that bugger took off after me.  It's good to know that I can still run fast!!  THIS time I beat him to the door.  Nah nah nah na na!!!  You're DEAD!!

I grabbed my almost empty can of spray and soaked them.  It was raining wasps.  This nest is about four inches across ... the biggest one I've seen.  I counted fourteen dead corpses.  I guess I better look UP instead of DOWN when going outside.

I got the system set up at last, replacing all the drips that were plugged up, then turned on the sprinklers.  Rats!!  Those are broken too.  Gosh, this is the worst it's ever been!  I fixed two before it just got too hot to be outside.  It seems this wasp sting is messing with my temperature gauge.  Even when I got the house down to 78 degrees, I just couldn't get cool.  So much for being outside.

I spent a few hours on the couch resting up while smearing everything I could think of on my bite.  That high dollar tube of Benadryl had no affect whatsoever.  

Let's see what the game camera captured ... just trying to keep my mind off the itching.  I guess the water trough inlet got plugged up so there hasn't been water for awhile.  Dan fixed it just before I got here, so the critters are just finding out it's full again.  This guy didn't drink however ... he probably smelled us humans  and ran off ... or maybe the sound of the camera.

In case you have Dish Network and are interested ... it's Cowboy Christmas time.  The Reno Rodeo (now over) starts the main rodeo season where the most money can be made from the biggest rodeos.  It's Christmas for the cowboys.  Those guys are driving and flying back and forth trying to catch all of the big paydays they can in order to quality for the National Finals.

I tried to just sit and watch, but you know that's not me.  I can't stand mess and disorder.  I started putting stuff away and organizing things, which led straight to the living room.  I moved all the old furniture out ... only a snooker/poker table and a huge recliner ... and began to arrange the NEW GORGEOUS furniture from Jan and Bill Mains.  Yup this is my style ... has been all my life.  There's still more to do, but I got too hot to continue.  All that vacuuming was just too much!!

While I worked, Mr. Cooper slept.  I was pretty worried about him on the way down since his breath was flower-wilting.  I was thinking something might be rotten in his mouth.  After several hours of water, along with a couple of treats, he's much better.  Just the results of all that scary traveling, causing a sick tummy.  Thank goodness because my bank account is empty at the moment.

And so another day comes along ... thank you Lord I'm not dead yet from that wasp sting ... and I've got a broken pipeline to dig up before it reaches 103 degrees.  It's going to be a hot week, from 103 to 106 for the next ten days.  Good grief ... will someone write Mother Nature and ask her to please turn the heat off??

NAILED!!!!!

 And we are OFF!!  Apparently I am past the time of playing in the noonday sun.  Good grief ... 102 degrees in Quartzsite feels like 117.  The morning low of 79 didn't help at all in my attempt to dump my tanks.  You've gotta love those gauges.  I know I have at least 35 gallons of water, but it says I have less than 10.  In spite of dumping all three tanks, they all show 3/4 full.  Funny ... the gauges in my Phaeton worked perfectly!!

So here we are ... I was out of dodge by 6:15 and on the road to Wellton.  It's still there Elva, though I missed the feedlot completely.  All of a sudden, the roads went to pot.  Good grief ... they are the worst I've ever driven on between Bouse and Tonopah.  I was down to 40 mph most of the way because the big trucks were out in full force going 70 in the fast lane, which of course was as smooth as a baby's butt.  

Finally ... a chance to pull over in Gila Bend.  The kids have been shaken, not stirred, and are pretty tired after only 1/3 of the way.   It's even hotter now, and I even went so far as to turn the AC off going uphill.  

Random shadow picture.  I don't know where this came from since I didn't take it.  It just showed up on my phone!  Looks like I'm about to get nailed by a snake.  Maybe I was and didn't know it!

We cruised right along until I noticed too much shifting.  RATS!!  I forgot to hit the tow haul button.  Previously if I hit it while moving, I got a check engine light, so I hit my hazards and pulled over quickly, just long enough to stop, hit the switch and go again.  I'm going to have that tattooed on the back of my hand so I don't forget.

This is my favorite section of the highway ... the first saguaros growing up the hillside.  Did I mention it's HOT?

At long last I'm home, after navigating some really bad construction through half of Tucson.  Alas, I made the worst backup parking job I've ever done.  Oh I got it in under the cover, but too far back before I unhooked.  I'll have to hook up and move it to keep the rear camera out of the torrential monsoon rains.

Wait ... what's this?  Is that a bag of frozen peas on my shoulder?  Why yes .... yes it is.  I stowed the kids in the house with the AC on high while I hooked up the electrical cord.  I raised the cover and stuck it in, only to see three wasps come out.  I dropped it and ran, but I was chased down like a ballistic missile.

No kidding ... this blankety blank NAILED me big time!  It truly felt like someone stabbing me with a knife.  I can't even begin to tell you how bad that hurt.  I've been stung a lot in my long years, but nothing like this.  This instantly grew to 2" across and RED as can be with shooting pains.

I ran to the bathroom and took a Benadryl just to be safe.  By then I was getting pains in my head and stomach cramps.  What the heck???

Here's what these little, or rather BIG buggers look like.  I've seen them around here before since they are so big.  They run from 1" to 1-1/2" long.  

Just look at that stinger!!!  I was instantly MAD AS A HORNET!!  

I ran inside, got my trusty can of wasp spray and went to town.  I killed six before I gave up and went back inside.  Later I went to check the outlet to get it plugged in, and they had just barely started making a nest.  

I called Nurse Patty just in case I died on the spot, but the Benadryl seemed to help.  Being the wonderful people they are, they invited me over for a pizza dinner.  By the time I got home, I was a wreck.  My shoulder still hurt, so the peas came out while I watched a little rodeo.

This morning the red spot has increased to about 3 inches around and is quite swollen.   It's starting to itch like crazy of course, which means I probably won't die, even if I did feel like it yesterday.  I still have the headache and now my entire shoulder is sore, but it looks like I will live.  

That's a good thing because I have to unload the rig today.  Most of that stuff cannot stay in the heat.  But before I do ANYTHING, I'm going on a great white hunter trip around the entire house with my trusty can of wasp spray.