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Exploring?

Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:52 pm

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We have lived in Arizona for 17 years now. Time sure flies when you are having fun. Anyway, we haven't explored much of the state for one reason or another. We've just gone to the usual tourist places. Last week we bought a map of Arizona and decided we'd try to visit a place we haven't seen at least once a month. After all, we are supposed to be retired. We had to just make the time and we are only going to be gone for two days. We decided to go to Wickenberg. We've already been there many times but it's a starting point. We'll take route 60 southeast to Quartzsite. There are a lot of gem and mineral people there this time of the year. There are also a lot of flea markets set up around Quartzsite. There are several small towns along the way to explore, too. First is Aguila, Gladden, Wenden, Salome, Hope, Vicksburg, Brenda and then Quartzsite. We think we may go on to the Colorado River, There is Ehrenberg on the Arizona side and Blythe on the California side. Then, maybe up to Parker. That's on the Arizona side and on or near the Colorado River Indian Reservation. I'm not sure what Indians live on that reservation. I should look it up before we go. The ones near Prescott are Yavapai Apache. See, I've lived here quite a long time and haven't learned all about the state. The area along route 60 is McMullen Valley. It's between two mountain ranges and is farming country. They grow cotton, vegetables and melons. Their water allotment comes from the Colorado River. Six states share water from the river. There is a commission that regulates the water. California gets the largest share. Their population is large and they are always trying to buy shares from the other states. Water is a big problem for the desert states. They aren't all desert but enough to have huge dry areas and low rain areas. I will take our camera and see if I can get some pictures of plant life in the area. I can't say that we'll see much animal life. Many we'll see a few new kinds of bugs. It's not much above sea level so with the heat there will be scorpions (Ugh!) and snakes. If we stay on the main routes we shouldn't be bothered too much by them. I've been on the internet all week looking up various places and points of interest. I found a place to stay for the one night. It's at least reasonable. Most places wanted over $100.00 a night for lodging. I think those were the big chain motels. I found a local one. We'll have to drive by it early and see if it looks okay. Else, we'll have to go to one of the chain motels. You get more of the local feel of a place if you can stay at a local place. There were no pictures on the internet of the local places though. Dan has been down that road to Quartzsite when he was test driving for a car manufacturer. He says there isn't much to see. But, he was driving at night so what could he see. It's time to stop and go to the library. There's just too many things to do when you are retired. It seems like more than when you are working and raising a family. I thought there would be more time to do things. Daily living sure takes a lot of time. But, then, what else to we have to do.

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Rain

Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:49 pm

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I thought I knew why it rained. I watered everything really good yesterday. It's probably not the reason because it's quit already and the ground is dry. I still see clouds all around us though.

Yesterday, I thought it was going to rain. I had to go to the doctor which is one of my least favorite things. It's really a big time waster. Now, I have to go have the lab work done. I couldn't do that yesterday because the tests are fasting and I ate breakfast. It's a good thing because we were there for almost two hours. It was afternoon and we went at 10 am.

Anyway, we stopped and had lunch at a buffet place. You always overeat at those places. I did manage to stick to the salad bar but still.
So I came home and walked on the treadmill for a mile and then I went and got the hose and watered all the little trees and bushes and I went overboard and watered everything else because if it had been raining everything would have been watered. I see some of my bulbs are peeking through the ground. I watered all of them too. I hope they all come up. I planted 285 of them. Mixed things, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and dwarf iris's. The rose bushes have buds and little leaves so they got watered good. The lilac bush has little buds so it got watered.
I spent most of an hour watering things. I felt like watering a cat but I restrained myself. It was digging in one of the flower beds. There are so many feral cats in the neighborhood. I'd like to trap them, but every place makes you pay to take them and it's just not in my budget. The man across the street needs to do it. He's the one who feeds them all.
Today, I have to pedal the exercise bike and it's so windy. My exercise things are on the carport which isn't yet closed. Guess I'll have a hooded sweatshirt. Dan bought me a portable CD player for my birthday so I can listen to books while I pedal or walk. I have Wild Orchids by Jude Deveraux on it now. There are five CD's so it may take awhile. It doesn't say how many hours.
I never take that long to read a book so it's a good thing I am doing something useful while I listen.
We mailed a package to Grandma Collins this morning. She will be 90 on Feb. 3rd. We won't be able to be there but our oldest son will be there for the party. She lives in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

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Road over the Mingus Mountains

Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 4:59 am

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This picture is on the road over the Mingus Mountains from Prescott to Jerome. The elevation here is about 7,000 ft. It is twelve miles and there are 159 corners. It's all up and then all down. The brakes smell hot from all the corners going downhill. I did it once and that was enough for me. Straight down along side sometimes.



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Busy Week

Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 2:30 am

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This was a busy week. It started with my birthday. That was the quiet day. Next day, we went for lunch and did a bit of shopping. On Wednesday, we went to the library in the morning. I had some books to pick up. Our library is a part of the county system so if we want a book and it isn't at our library, we can put a hold on it and if another library has the book they send it to us at our library. We get books delivered Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We send out books ordered on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. When the courier brings books, he also takes books. There is a central holding area where books are taken, sorted and sent to the right place. They are returned the same way. It applies to all library materials, books, videos and DVD's.
I got sidetracked there with a little information. In the afternoon on Wednesday, I trimmed my apricot trees. These little sucker branches grow around the bottom and have to come off. I needed to get it done before it started to flower and grow new leaves. That happened in February last year.
On Thursday, I removed Christmas decorations from the house, inside. It took me several hours. I have 45 yrs worth of decorations. I don't know why I feel I have to use everyone of them. But, I can't seem to leave any in the boxes.
On Friday, I was going to take down the outside decorations, but we had other things to do in the morning and I worked at the library on Friday afternoon (1 to 5). It was very busy. We had people all the time. Some checking out material and some using the computers. We have six computers for library patrons and two staff computers and one computer on the checkout desk.
In March we are going to a new computer system so we will all be learning how to use it at the same time. Should be interesting.
Today, we got up early and went to the flea market. This time it was 34F instead of 14F. It got up to nearly 60F and was really nice. Then the wind started blowing and it was really cold. We packed to come home about 1 pm. The box wouldn't stay on the table while I was trying to put things into it. I had to keep chasing down my wrapping paper. I was glad to get it done and get inside.
It was only windy up in Prescott Valley. It's on a high plateau and the wind blows quite a lot of the time. When we got down to our level it wasn't windy at all. We are at 4,200 ft and Prescott Valley is about 5,000 ft. Prescott, itself, is 5,280 ft (the mile high city). It's the same altitude as Denver.
Brian built a fire and warmed the house when we got home. It's very nice here now.
I'm hoping tomorrow will be nice so I can get the lights, etc from the outside down and stored away. I'd like to say that's all that's left, but everyday I find something that I forgot. It will take a few weeks to find everything and get it put away.
The lilacs, honeysuckle and the apricot trees have buds on the branches. They won't come out right away, but they are working on it. The rose bushes have little red leaves coming. I haven't checked on the bulbs that I planted. Last year the tulips bloomed in March so I think they will be coming up soon. I need to take some leaves off of them, maybe. I think I will look and see if they are coming up first.
I still need to finish clearing the garden. If I leave the old stuff too long grass will grow under it. I want to look for spinach, etc to plant. Cool weather stuff. In Wisconsin, I planted peas and they grew right through a late snow. I hope that doesn't happen here. I expect we won't get snow or rain very soon and we need rain very badly.

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Daily Happenings

Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:14 am

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I decided I needed a new catagory for day to day happenings. Today, exactly nothing happened. It was my birthday so I decided to do nothing that I did not want to do. I finished two books. I had started both of them so it wasn't a big task. I checked my email for messages and had three more birthday greetings.
I made lunch, left over ham from yesterday with cheddar cheese sandwiches. Nothing too earthshaking. For dinner Brian bought two T-bone steaks. I had half a one and he had half a one. We should have just bought one but now we will have omelets tomorrow. I made macaroni and cheese. Enough for about a dozen people. There are some things that you just can't make for two people. I come from a large family. There were seven children. So, when I cook we often have leftovers. Even with only three boys of my own, I still cook some things for lots of people. Vegetable soup is another thing that you can't make small. By the time all the vegetables are in it the pot is full. If you use a small pot, it it overflowing onto the burner. I'm glad some things freeze. Not macaroni and cheese though. I'll give some to my son tomorrow. I should have invited him for supper. But, he was here for Christmas and New Year's and he does have a life of his own.
Other than that and taking care of my dog I didn't do anything.
Tomorrow now, we are going to do something for my birthday. We haven't decided exactly what. I guess we'll just get into the truck and see what happens. I need to remove the Christmas decorations but I can't see the need to hurry. They aren't going anywhere. Brian says I can rearrange the living room after we remove the tree, but he will give constructive advice so it will go back the way it was. Okay, it's not something to fuss about. There was nothing wrong with the way it was before.
I should work at the library tomorrow, but I needed the day off. Everyone needs a day off sometimes. On Friday, I will go and redo the bulletin boards. I need to find some clip art of winter things that I can download to use for a wintertime bulletin board. Oh, I just remembered there is a great book at the library if it isn't checked out. Maybe I will go and check it out myself if it's still there. Then, I can decide what to put on the bulletin boards before I go on Friday. Well, I'm off to find a game to play. More tomorrow or soon

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