I'm Easily Entertained!

I bet you're wondering WHY I need chainsaw-on-a-stick help.  I will just admit there is something very satisfying about sawing down a branch that is trying to tear up your RV cover.  This tree grows wild ... and FAST!!  I have to trim it up every time I get here.

This is my all time favorite tool to use just for that purpose.  So when it's 8:30 at night and you hear the screeching of wood on metal, you run into the garage and grab this baby.  Yes it's windy.  Yes it's dark.  That didn't bode well for my chainsaw skills.  I know the proper way to cut a branch, but sometimes when it twists and turns when falling, your saw gets caught up before you can blink an eye.

RATS!!  The branch dropped down and trapped the chain.  Early yesterday morning I spent over an hour trying to free my baby from the tree.  It's okay, those four big puncture wounds on my arm will heal up eventually, and the loss of blood was less than a quart.  

Sadly, now the chain needs to be tightened and I've not a clue.  Yet another challenge for my little brain.  Thankfully a wonderful reader posted how to adjust it, so hopefully I'll be back in business soon.

One last project before it's too hot.  I purchased this beautiful plant, and as you probably know, I don't know what it is.  It smells nice and the rabbits don't like it.  That's a plus.  This pot has remained empty long enough.  I'm hoping if I leave it completely alone, it will survive.

I was trying to stay inside out of the heat, so after touching up a little paint, I finished up this crazy Australian quilt.  Its aboriginal colors and patterns hurt my eyes.  Truly, I've no idea why I ended up with this stuff.  It was all the rage a few years ago, but is definitely NOT my style.  This will probably be donated to the Thrift shop if I ever get my quilting machine back.  

This little guy keeps me entertained in the late mornings.  He's still catching Z's from last night.

I guess I'm easily entertained, since Cooper and I spend lots of time on the floor.  This is one of his favorite games.  It means I have to be careful where I take my shoes off!

These guys are a little more entertaining.  FOUR babies on this night drank their fill.

And then this happened.  I laughed out loud because it scared me!!  I guess I better put the camera up a little higher!!

Now for the exciting part!  For those who have not experienced Monsoon in Arizona, here you go.  As you can see, it looks like rain every day.  Those "chances" were down in the  20's a few days ago, meaning we got no rain.  If it gets into the 30% range, you are guaranteed to get something.  If it gets to be 40 and above, hold on to your hat Aunt Martha!!

This is just a tiny snippet of a monsoon storm here.  It feels like hurricane winds, followed by thunder and lightning.  And then the rain comes sideways.  It can get pretty scary sometimes.  Of course this doesn't help my roof at all, especially when it is leaking here and there.  I'm on the schedule for next Monday.  Let's hope the Partly Cloudy stays it's course.

No work this morning because we have a funeral to attend.  The husband of a quilting friend passed away last month.  

Besides that, my sore muscles need a break.  Yup I'm still working on those valves, and think I have finally figured out most of the problem.  At least now I know how they work and can fix all those leaking at the California house all by myself!!

Timing Is Everything

 Timing is everything ... and I haven't got it down, even after all these many years.  Once in a great while I get it right, like when I bought this ladder.  Here's a closer look.  They are good for things other than painting too.  Like exercising!  Moving it every 15 inches and climbing up and down couldn't be better for your quads.  It feels like I climbed Mount Everest!!  The SORE is coming, I just know it!

Looky here though!!  Okay, don't look too close because to be honest, the board is cheap pressed something or other that should be replaced.  Truly, it's almost like cardboard.  That $1200 bid they gave me to replace it squashed that idea completely.  I'll just slap on a couple more coats of paint and worry about that later.

As you can see, the garage siding needs paint too.  I don't know what happened here.  It looks like the previous owners dabbed over some nail holes with something that evaporated from the sun.  It's amazing just how much damage the sun can do here.  The rest of the house looks fine because it's protected by the front awning I had installed and the back patio.  This side ... it needs paint.  What else have I got to do at 5:00 in the morning?

I am quickly understanding the Mexican way of life.  Work really early and take a nice long siesta mid day ... like 6 hours.  Since my roller was working so well and I had the trim paint on it, I quickly repainted the front garage trim.  What a difference.  

Here it is ... by 7:00 I was done.  THIS morning it's a lovely 86 degrees at 4:30 am, so I doubt I will be doing any painting today.  

Of course there is cleanup.  My least favorite thing to do.  I'm just wanting to reduce the amount of damage the rain and hail can do until I save up enough money to get the place repainted.  That was my goal on this trip, but the roof has sucked away all my money.

Speaking of the roof ... I was having a panic attack over the Contractor I chose.  Oh he's got great ratings, but when I asked for a SIGNED copy of the proposal, I got a blank one, along with an envelope for my deposit.  I was completely second guessing myself.  I try to tell myself it's only money.  

Thanks to Patty giving me the pep talk, I finally called the office once again.  Timing is everything.  The Owner actually answered the phone.  He apologized and said he completely understood ... that he would send out another SIGNED copy.  Okay then ... I feel a little better.  Again, it's only money, but it's MY hard earned money.

As I looked out over the view, I spotted the next monsoon storm coming in.  Oh yes, it starts out looking like these fluffy little bits of cotton that wouldn't harm a flea.

Then they get a little bigger ... and a little bigger .....

Until it looks like this ... then it pours for an hour or so before stopping.  At least it brings the temperature back down to the 80's.  Last night it was 107 at 8:00.  That's HOT!!!

I'm still working on the sprinkler valves.  With the help of Bob and YouTube videos, it has been narrowed down to the diaphragms.  I'm going to change out ONE and see if it helps.  I mean really, it's the only thing left.  I'm still waiting for the seals to be delivered for the remaining two valves.  

Big sigh .... I'll get it I suppose, it's just going to take time.  At least it's something to keep me busy!!

In the meantime, does anyone know how to adjust the chain on my chainsaw-on-a-stick??

POOF!!! One Hat Gone!

 Excessive Heat Warning!  I've gotten about six of them in the last 12 hours.  All you have to do is step outside to know it's too hot to do anything.  109 yesterday ... Accuweather says 110-114 for the next three days.  OH BOY!!  That means you have to get your work done by 8:00 in the morning.  

First up ... I threw that Sprinkler Repair hat in the trash.  How could something so simple become so complicated?  I was all ready to go ... just install that new sprinkler.  I turned the water on for a test.  The first valve where I replaced the seal?  It still let water run continuously through the sprinklers.  

If that wasn't enough to bruise my ego, the third valve kept running water through the lines even when the Control Box was turned OFF!!  By now my head was swimming ... what the heck?  I turned the water off completely and walked away.  I'll be patiently waiting for Mr. Dan to return.

It's only 5:30 am and I'm on the move yet again.  This time I'm scraping all the peeling paint from this patio post.  It looks like maybe they painted it without primer?  So tell me all you painting experts out there ... do I need to sand this before painting or can I just slap on a coat of primer and some color?  

I'm not worried about it lasting forever ... the house has to be painted in the next year or so.  

Next up ... RAT TRAPS.  Just one to start with.  I got out the bag-o-yummies and put three in a zip lock bag.  I smashed it up with a hammer and poured it onto a paper plate.  This styrofoam box is what I had covering the irrigation valves so the sun didn't deteriorate them so badly.  Those rats figured out how to squeeze inside where it was probably cooler.

I put a big piece of slate on top because I don't want any birds to get inside.  There's no way I could set it outside the yard, because the javelinas, deer and coyotes would knock it over and get the bait.  I'm not about to let THAT happen.

So here you go my little rat friends.  Brunch is served.  I'll check it in a few days and see if any has gone missing.  There's one good thing I can say about the heat around here ... NONE of those creepy crawlies come out during the daytime!  Including me!!

On to the next project before I melt.  By now my clothes are soaking wet and I can't see for the sweat in my eyes.  So hey ... let's put up a ladder and look straight into the sun to scrape and paint this facia board.  What a GREAT idea!  

I have to say I LOVE this ladder.  Thank you so much Bill and Patsy Richards for taking me to the Quartzsite marketplace and buying the last one they had.  This is the easiest to put up and feels completely safe to crawl up on.  

Don't look too close ... by now I'm way past the time to go in.  It's all of 7:00 am.  The top metal strip doesn't need primer, so I didn't cover it completely.  If I'm really REALLY lucky, it won't rain until I get two more coats of paint on it.  Of course that showed off just how bad the garage wall was.  Yup ... I'm going to need more paint.  

By 8:00 I was cooked to perfection and sitting on the couch with 3 bottles of water.  I tried to crawl in the freezer, but it wasn't big enough.  

That leaves the entire rest of the day to twiddle my thumbs.  So being the wonderful cook that I am, I decided to make some hot soup!!  And here I had just told Patty she was crazy for making bok choy soup. Soup when it's 109 degrees??  NO WAY!!

I couldn't believe it myself, but I had all these little leftovers that were going in the trash if I didn't use them up.  Waste not, want not.  I whipped up a batch of Panera broccoli cheddar soup in about 15 minutes.  Hard to believe, but if you chop stuff up small enough, it's a piece of cake.  Who knew?  It actually turned out very tasty for an internet recipe.  Tasted just like chicken!!

I'm kidding ... but I had to go sit in front of the fan for 30 minutes to cool off after eating it.

There is one other thing you can do when it's too hot to go outside, and that's clean your cupboards.  Definitely NOT on my to-do list EVER ... but boredom makes bedfellows of housework.  I filled my truck with stuff left over from the previous owner, along with lots of stuff that came out of my old RV, plus a couple of small quilts.

I dropped it all off at the local Thrift shop.  Sometimes I can be a packrat myself.  It felt good to make room in the cupboards.

I'm off to do more painting this morning while it's a cool 80 degrees.  I may require a big cup of Coffee Lover's ice cream to cool off ... you know, to be sure I don't get heat stroke!!!

From The Oven ... A Comparison

Sometimes you just have to weigh it out.  Like that shrimp I had last night.  Was it worth the hour it took to marinate and cook up while waiting for the rice to cook?  Possibly.  Was it worth all those dishes I had to wash afterwards?  Heck NO!!  

Let's face it ... I've become a 5-Minute cook.  If I can't fix and nuke it in 5 minutes, then I don't eat it.  Occasionally I'll splurge on something that bakes in the oven, but I've become the Queen of 5 minute breakfast, lunch and dinners.  Am I alone?  I would rather go out for a burger than cook it myself, because I don't have to do the cleanup.

It was a nice cool (79 degree) morning as I slugged down yet another bottle of water.  It was truck registration time and I had an appointment.

Let's compare:

California DMV:  Make an appointment, arrive on time, only to be given a number tag.  Have a seat and wait for your number to be called.  What they don't tell you, is even though you had an appointment, you now have to wait 90 minutes for EVERYONE ELSE in the room to be served before you.  Your appointment only gets you IN THE DOOR, not someone to help you.  Truck registration $587.00.

I have to throw in this tidbit.  Remember I was a County Office Auditor?  The County pays welfare to recipients and gets reimbursed from the State.  Where did the State get the money?  From your vehicle registration fees.  That's why they are always extremely high.  It's a money game.  I've been gone for 13 years, so that may have changed .. but I doubt it.

Arizona DOT:  Make an 8:00 appointment. Drive 13 miles to arrive at 7:40 and find the door open.  Go inside and be waited on within 5 minutes.  Transactions complete, walk out the door at 7:50, BEFORE your appointment time.  There's just no comparison.  Truck registration  $33.00 (plus $12 for smog).

California Home Depot:  Wait in line for 30 minutes while the ONE cashier takes returns.  About a 15 minute wait.

Arizona Home Depot:  Walk right up to one of SIX return cashiers waiting for you.  Two minutes later, you have a refund.

California Home Depot:  Walk around the entire store looking for the sprinklers, or a human who might tell you where they are.  Once you find them, you spend 30 minutes trying to figure out which one you need.  If you find it, check yourself out ... which never works correctly ... you have to call someone and wait ten minutes for them to help you.

Arizona Home Depot:  You run into FOUR humans before you even get to the first aisle.  One takes you right to the sprinklers you want, pulls them off the shelf and smiles.  You walk back to the front where SIX associates are waiting to check you out.  RIGHT OVER HERE ... I'M OPEN.  

California:  Go to DMV, go to Home Depot and arrive home 3-1/2 hours later.

Arizona:  Go to DOT, go to Home Depot and arrive back home 75 minutes later after driving twice as far and even stopping at McDonalds for an egg McMuffin on the way home.  

 One thing though ... I may have to pass on Micky D's.  Many moons ago I used to buy my County staff members egg McMuffins about once a week.  They were 2 for $4.00.  

One McMuffin, one hash brown and one small iced coffee was a whopping $12.00!!!  Iced coffee is a thing here, and I admit, it was pretty tasty, especially when they loaded it up with caramel flavoring!  Definitely NOT worth the price, but at least I didn't have to do dishes.

So here's my new sprinklers.  Hopefully if I walk on these, they won't break.  There is always drip line to replace, so I got some extra.

Next up ..... RAT traps.  That should be fun!!   Oh, and try to fix the sprinklers.

Medium Rare ... In The Oven

It's time for more weird weather in the desert.  We are cooked to medium rare like the perfect prime rib!   Crusty on the outside, yet still red and tender in the middle.  Then it's going to rain.  How can that be??

My first trip out the door at 5:00 was to look for the rat bait in the garage.  Thankfully there were NO snake sightings.  While digging around in the cupboard however, I found not one, but TWO new sprinkler valves.  I headed straight to that part of the yard to see if they would work.

Sadly, they had already used the parts I needed off of one, but the other was intact.  Time to try and repair ONE of the four.  That's when Mom Quail and her four teenagers stopped by.  I was only able to capture three on my camera.

Gosh, while I'm here, I might as well pull up those dead weeds.  If I wasn't so mad, I might have laughed.  I stepped on and BROKE one of the sprinklers I just put in.  Why in the world would they make sprinklers out of PLASTIC!!!  Grrrrrrrrrr

Here's a break in the action.  Though I haven't seen much on the game camera at night, these bunnies always show up.  It seems like they never sleep.  I hope they are keeping an eye out for snakes too.

So this is the valve.  That right side is the piece I took off.  Outside I went at 8:00 to start the repair.  It was already 90 degrees.

This little black o-ring is the problem, causing water to leak out the side.  The only way to stop it was to turn the water off completely.  I removed the caps, took the parts out, cleaned them and replaced the rings.  I can't believe  it ... it worked!!!  That one no longer leaks!  Just another hat to wear ... I'm a sprinkler repair man now!!

Of course all FOUR were leaking ... so on to the next one.  One seal wasn't TOO bad, so I tried to reuse it.  It never did work.  At least I made one repair ... except I can't run them because of the BROKEN sprinkler.  

Hey .... I remember having a leaky valve at the other house ... and the gardener replaced the entire thing and charged me a chunk.  And all he really needed to do was replace the o-ring?????

By 8:30 I was completely overheated and headed back to the house.  It's frustrating to sit all day long and not be able to get anything done because it's so hot.  That's when Mother Nature decided to flip her skirt and turn us into a big pot of boiling water .... you know like cooking lobster.  

Suddenly there was a CRACK and a big BOOM ... and then the rains fell.  No kidding, it's 106 degrees and it's raining.  Just what I need on my leaky roof.  I have to admit though, it was glorious to have the temperature come all the way down to 79!!!  I sat on the patio and soaked it in.

It lasted all of 30 minutes before I went inside to find something for dinner.  I've had these shrimp in the freezer for awhile, and didn't think they were any good.  I was wrong.  I mean really, how can you not love butter, loads of garlic and shrimp?  They turned out quite tasty!!

Today's schedule involves a really early trip to Arizona DOT for my truck registration.  They always mail it to me, then return my check saying it needs a smog.  The only good part about THIS one is you don't have to wait three hours.  If you make an appointment, someone is helping you at that exact time.

Then it's on to Home Depot to return those two valves I bought.  In talking to Bob, he said they sell just the seals, so I ordered some on-line.  Hopefully that fixes my sprinkler problems (along with buying another one to replace the broken one) so I can focus on the roof, the snakes, the tarantulas, the spiders and the scorpions!!

Adrenalin Charge ... From The Oven

 Welcome to the DESERT!  Some years I sneak by without seeing any of the biting, stinging and venomous critters of the night.  At least if I stay inside when it's dark out, I'm more likely NOT to run into anything, although it was mid morning when I ran onto that gopher snake.  That's very unusual.

I'm always up early.  Let me just say there's nothing like a good screaming adrenalin rush to wake you up. No morning cup of jo required.  

When I take Cooper out in the mornings, it's dark.  I open the door and shine my floodlight of a flashlight around the steps and across the lawn, just to be sure there's nothing there.  On this morning it was not a problem.  Why oh why I would then decide to feed the quail way up on the block wall, is beyond me.

Following the flashlight beam, I double and triple check my path.  There are lots of small drip lines running over the ground and they look just like snakes, so believe me, I take my time.  

I saw a tail.  Oh good grief.  ANOTHER SNAKE!!!  The adrenaline rush was epic this time!!  My heart rate skyrocketed!  In spite of its looks, this is NOT a rattlesnake, but a lyre snake that has rear fangs that can give you a nasty bite.  I know that, but it didn't matter.  A snake is a snake!!

Supposedly it's not deadly, but with my luck, I'd be allergic.  Though I ran for the shovel, those guys are fast and can climb into bushes and over walls like no other, even if it is small at about 2 feet long.  I suppose they are good snakes because they eat mice.  

I am no longer going outside if it's even BEGINNING to get dark.  The old nightmares have returned. Big sigh.

When I discovered it was National Ice Cream Day, I thought it would be a good distraction from the snakes.  How could you possibly NOT celebrate THAT!  Patty called and said let's go to town.  Since I needed to get sprinkler valves, off we went to get fabric, bok choy and valves.  

I picked up these valve replacements for about $20 each.  The YouTube video explained how you could just take the tops off and replace the OLD insides with the new.  It sounded like a plan.  

After a couple more stops, we hit up Cold Stone to celebrate the day.  I needed something to replace all that adrenaline that escaped in the morning.  Coffee lovers is our FAV, full of big pieces of Heath Bar.  It hit the spot!!

Back home, still on full charge from sugar, I got a package in the mail.  This little solar water fountain was half price.  I figured what the heck, it might be fun for the birds, and have some soothing, relaxing sounds for me.  No kidding, I'm stiff as a board from that snake episode.  Every muscle aches.  This little thing worked like a charm and puts out the perfect amount of white noise.  I need a bigger pot to sit it in though.

As I relaxed on the couch ... it's time for a little RAT talk with Bob.  Anyone who reads his blog knows he's the expert on chickens, rats and tapping springs.  I needed rat advice since the traps the Pest Guy puts out do not seem to be working.  We talked for quite a while and I now have a plan.  I'll post the results later.

THEN we talked sprinkler valves.  Apparently you can buy just the seals and not the entire valve.  Who knew?  That's why it's nice to have MEN friends.  I finally found some online and am returning the valves.  It sure would be a cheaper fix!

In the meantime, the oven only got down to 86 degrees last night.  It's HOT, but Cooper has to go outside before going to bed.  Of course ... it's DARK.  I didn't even get the door open when I spotted this guy hanging on the edge of my steps.  He was apparently looking to clean up the bug population.  That's fine with me!!!  With all this heat, the bugs are out in full force, as you can see.

Another reason NOT to go outside in the dark.  My back yard is full of holes these guys live in.  It gives me the creeps, but not as bad as a snake.  I ushered him off the steps so I could let Cooper out, then back inside we came, locking the door to keep any OTHER critters OUT!!  Maybe I'm not cut out for the desert after all.

Just before hitting the sack, I checked all the doors and locks.  Oh my Great Aunt Lucy!!  I left the garage door slightly open at the bottom to get rid of some of the heat.  Big sigh ... I spent the next hour going through the garage from top to bottom looking for whatever might have crawled in.  I don't want any surprises!!!!

Hopefully today will be a better day as I become the Great White RAT Hunter!!

And I Thought The RATS Were Bad!!

 From the oven .... today we are in a heat wave they say.  I would probably agree.  At 6:00 it was 90 degrees and it didn't cool off until 7:00 pm.  It got all the way down to 106.  Basically that takes everything off the list.  You can't do anything in this heat, so let's work inside.

I started cleaning out cupboards and closets like a mad woman.  There was lots of stuff left by the previous owner that still lingered in the shadows.  Time for it to go.  My truck is now full of donations heading to our local Thrift Store.  The rest went in the trash can.

That's when my nightmares came to life.  I went out the side garage door, always with my eyes on the ground.  Once you've walked that path, there's not much reason to keep your eyes pealed.  WRONG!!  I walked right up to the door, about to step on the concrete step and I heard a loud hissing noise.

That's when I saw him strike at me and cross the large concrete step.  Oh the words that came out of my mouth.  I almost got struck by a HUGE RATTLESNAKE!!  He made a beeline for the cover of this step and I made a beeline for the shovel.  

He's a big one ... probably 4 feet long.  That's when it dawned on me he didn't have any rattles ... only a long thin tail.  Okay, it's probably a gopher snake, but way to scare the crap out of an old lady!!!

That black box is full of rat bait and I didn't want him going in there, so I grabbed my rake to pull it out from under the boards.  Boy was he mad as a hatter!!  He hissed and made noises I've never heard before.

This is what they look like, though mine was more white-ish.  Good guys ... but they look so much like rattlesnakes, they give me the heebie jeebies.  

With the rats running around, this is probably a good thing, so even though he still wanted to strike at me, I set up the game camera and left him alone.  Sadly, I didn't point it down far enough and he escaped to who knows where.  No videos ... RATS!!

Trouble now is, every time I open the door, my heart rate goes up as I stand there for five minutes making sure I don't see anything before stepping out.  Yes, my parents did a really good job of making me extremely fearful of snakes ... ANY snakes!!  

I've probably mentioned a few times when we were with the cattle in the mountains, I almost stepped on two, and had to ride my horse by several.  Horses don't like snakes!!  It was always scary!

So all you snake lovers will be happy I didn't kill it.  He better do his job though and get that darn rat that's roaming around.  

Now THIS is the kind of visitor I love to see in my back yard.  These guys came sauntering by in the morning.  Just look at those ears.  I think these are white-tailed deer since they have such huge ears.  The better to hear you with my dear!!

There were three of them snacking as they walked across the hill.  You have to be pretty quiet or they will run.  Lucky for me, my new door lock is silent and I can open it without scaring them off.

This is Mom ... and does she not look prego?  I'm pretty sure it's way too late in the season for this, but I could be wrong.  Yup I'm wrong.  It seems that most mule deer in Arizona give birth in July and August.  Looks like there's going to be another brother or sister in the family.

Can you see them?  To my surprise, all three laid down in the bushes and and had a snooze for about an hour.  

Since it was so hot outside, I worked on this weird quilt.  There were NO more trips to the trash can.  Several years ago they came out with this Australian patterned fabric.  It's crazy wild stuff, enough to make your eyes vibrate.  Don't ask me why I bought it because I don't know ... but it's high time I stitched it up.  

I'm seriously on edge from the snake encounter, but those sprinklers have become a pain in the patoo!!  It continues to leak unless I turn the main water valve off.  The critters won't have water unless I get on the stick and get it fixed.  Let's just hope that the YouTube video was correct in it's "how to fix it" description.  I'm off to Home Depot once again!!

Chasing Rats In The Oven

Here we are in the beautiful SUNNY Arizona oven.  By 5:00 it was 82 degrees, so I got right to it.  (That was yesterday.  THIS morning at 4:30 it is 84 degrees.)  I grabbed my ladder and went to scrape down the facia board.  Not an easy task.   I'm teetering on the ladder in the gravel that's at quite the angle to keep water out of the garage.  It's a balancing act for sure.  I didn't get far before getting overheated.

That's when I noticed these oleanders are getting WAY too big for their britches.  My secret to gardening is not to water anything very much ... that way it doesn't grow and I don't have to prune it.

With all the rain last year, they got bigger than necessary.  Out came the pruning shears and I knocked them down to size.  Well I knocked ONE down to size before becoming completely overheated.  It was 8:00 and 90 degrees when I headed back indoors.  It's not pretty and I didn't care one bit!!

Gee ... only three more big ones to go.  I did clean up the walkway a bit too.  I took the easy way out and grabbed my blower.  The patio cover really isn't listing to one side ... I was just too tired to stand up straight.  More work on that will continue today.

Back inside cooling down, I got a call from my neighbor.  Someone is digging up your water meter.  Oh great ... another problem.  I sauntered down the driveway in shorts and my soaking wet shirt.  I probably scared the guy half to death.  

They said my water meter hasn't been reading any usage for two months.  That's because I haven't been here.  How could that be anyway, since I'm getting a bill every month with meter numbers on it.  He didn't know, he was just replacing the meter.  So for two months they have been "faking" my water usage?  Y'all can imagine how happy I was about THAT!  I'm now expecting a much bigger water bill. 

He tried to placate me with "we are replacing EVERYONE'S meter as they break" ... but mine isn't broken I said!!  Obviously there was no talking to him.  Big sigh ... I guess there won't be any more watering of plants.

I went back inside because now the oven temperature is up to 102 ... feels like 235!  It's 8:00 and time for breakfast.  Here's my best buddy waiting for his scrambled egg to be doled out.

The finch have been out in full force.  I've never seen so many here before.  This appears to be an epic year.  They love the shade and the damp soil.

And then it happened.  I looked outside to see water coming from my sprinklers.  It's not time for sprinklers.  Back out into the oven I go, to discover even if I turn them OFF, water stills runs.  That's not good.  Not good at all!!  I lifted the cover to find a nice big fat RAT laying by the valves.  

With no shovel in sight, I picked up a big slab of rock and slammed him.  I sideswiped him.  I ran to grab the shovel, but that didn't work either.  There's no room beside the concrete without cutting wires.  He ran off into the yard with me in full pursuit.  I can hear you laughing!!!!!

RATS!!  The rat got away.  I set this trap, but later moved it underneath the cover which I placed just so ... hoping he crawls under it again and gets caught!!  Just what I need ... another problem!!

Oh but wait!!!  I STILL couldn't get the water to the sprinklers to shut off.  I finally figured it out.  It's not because of the rat chewing on anything ..... it's the VALVE (the top one) which is broken.  Upon closer inspection, I have three that are leaking.  Big sigh!  I'm so tired of having to fix stuff!!!  It's constant around here.

I watched a couple of YouTube videos on how to replace them without cutting off the pipes.  I guess I'll make another trip to Home Depot to buy some valves to the tune of $80 for four and see if I can fix them.  Worst case, I don't fix ANY of them and I no longer have grass or plants in my yard.  I'm thinking that's not a bad option at this point.

THEN .... the story continues ... I smelled smoke.  I know it's coming from next door because he's always burning something.  The next time I'm calling the fire department.  I walked out the front door and snuck around the corner to see if that's what it was.  And what do I see sitting on the rocks by the OTHER drip line valves?????  You guess it ... THAT #$%@#$$ RAT!!  Of course I have nothing to hit him with, but I chased him off into the desert.  I'm sure he'll be back in no time.  I set another trap.  The hunt is one!!!

By now I'm totally beat up from the heat, so I sat on the couch with Cooper and watched the Calgary Stampede.  At least I can still laugh at the mutton busting names ... Lady Baa Baa, Ewe Haul and Seat Cover were my favorite.

The only redeeming factor of the day was this nice sunset.  If it weren't for this, I probably would have packed up and left.  

I should be out painting as we speak, but I just don't have the fortitude.  The heat really takes it out of you, even if you ARE putting salt in the water.  I'm hoping today is a better day.

If you see Prince Charming roaming around on his horse, PLEASE send him this way.  I have a really big TO-DO list!!