Plan 2022

 

As the year comes to an end and a new one begins I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.

What now?  Where to this time around?

I am leaning towards giving the South another try.  This time we would get going earlier and hopefully miss a lot of the horrible humidity that was our undoing this last year.  Then there are those pesky tornados to consider too.  Oh my!  

Staying in one spot for as long as we have this winter is nice but I am more happy to be on the move.

It is a wonderful feeling waking up in your bed, have a wash while the kettle is on for cup then open the shade look out and for a brief moment thinking where am I?

I miss that and Beans always enjoys new sights and smells each day.

In these uncertain, unsettling times all I can do is wish all of you a safe and healthy new year.

Thank you all for traveling along with us.  It means a lot to me.

Now all I have to do is get through this night.

I fall into the category of ‘sensitive vegetation’. 

A Walk Back in Time

 

Under gloomy skies I went for a walkabout.  Despite the looks it was rather pleasant out.  No wind and not really cold at all.  I’d take advantage of that while I could.

Off in the far distance across the road where one is not allowed to camp I saw a white post.  I went off to see what it was finding out it was a more recent marker locating a survey marker.

This one was dated 1915.  I thought about the men out here doing the survey.  They were probably in a wagon drawn by mules.  As they pounded in this marker The First World War or the Great War as it was known as back then, was in full fury in Europe.  Little did these men know that in three short years the Great Influenza pandemic (the Spanish Flu) would break out infecting 500 million people killing one out of every ten individuals.  What we are currently dealing with doesn’t even compare.

 

When I returned home somebody wanted out.

Let’s go home Beans.

Nope.  Not ready.

We Had to Move

Clarification on yesterday’s post which created some confusion at the end.  It was just Mark Twain type of humor.  He’d write for example “...he’d have all kinds of adventures and maybe get himself hanged or scalped and have such a fine time and write home about it and be a hero.”  Well being as it was to freeze this weekend and if I ran out of propane then I would have died, over-exaggerating my dislike for the cold.  “This is when death occurs for me. I know. It has happened before.”  Also I will make it clear I NEVER run the heater while lying in bed or sleeping.  Only when I am up and about.  Safety first.

When I went into town to fill the little propane tank I did a bit of grocery shopping.  Back home I discovered my milk was five days past and starting to turn.  Damn!  I should have checked.  Now I would have to make another trip.  I did so the next day taking the Honda.

When I returned I found someone had moved in across the way.  As I ate lunch, two more joined in.  Dogs were running loose, they all had ATVs (Annoying Terrestrial Vehicles) and none had solar panels.  This meant generators would be running at all hours. 

So we moved over a quarter of a mile.  It is no big deal to move plus we had been at that spot for twenty-five days so a change was fine. 

Of course Beans thinks we made a really big move and wants to inspect the area right away.

I Could Have Died!

 

Yesterday morning I crawled out of bed, turned on the heater and started in on my morning routine.  Within a couple of minutes the heater sputtered out.  Out of propane!

My little propane tank outside was empty.

Now the stupid part of this is that I recently bought a gauge for it.  It doesn’t do much good to have a gauge if I’m just going to ignore it!  The thing is though I don’t really know what to make of it.  The needle would be over in the yellow or red zone when it is in the cold but when the sun hits the tank later in the day the needle would move back into the green.  As you can see here, the needle is half way into the green and this is with the tank full, after I made a run into town yesterday.  Otherwise it would be all the way over at the end of the green zone.  I have seen it there before.  So I am going to have to learn how to read this gauge in the prevailing conditions.

Just glad this happened when it did for this weekend it is supposed to be below freezing at night.

That is when death occurs for me.  I know.  It has happened before.

Beans and Her Banana

 

Just a couple short videos of Beans enjoying a fresh new catnip banana she got for Christmas.

It has been cold, overcast and windy the last few days so we’ve been inside for the most part.  

Just happy for our home and we’re not in a tent. 

Believe it or Not

 

Beans was out for a wander as I followed along.

I saw this.  She continued on.

This grasshopper had managed to impale himself on this thorn while in flight.

Talk about having a bad day.

It must have happened long ago for the hooper was now just a dried husk.

Tents and Bad Weather

 

Two nights before Christmas we had a system roll though with not heavy but a constant rain.  This later turned into high winds.  Imagine being in this all while that nonsense is going on outside.

There are at least a hundred tenters out here.  They come in all shapes and sizes.  Nevertheless none would be all that welcoming during a storm.  That’s just my feeling. This one might fare well but let’s not forget, most every morning it is in the thirties temperature wise.  Not fun.

I’ve been in tents enough times over the years even in bad weather.

I’ve just grown soft in my later years.

I am not ashamed of that either.

Incidentally, the couple in the tent above are probably my age.

Good on them. 

Christmas For Beans

Her Christmas gift arrived in time and we went into town to pick it up.

 When I featured the package drop-off store a few posts back I didn’t include a photo of inside.

You can see against the left wall bins for mail and small packages.

The lady is searching through the shelving where they keep larger packages.

Also see packages stacked in the lower left and there are more behind me.

Each item is $3 for them, $5 if over 40 pounds.  

Lots of stationary supplies and the like to the right.

Here she is with all her Christmas packages - FOOD.

Of course she liked the box.

Beans’ food bin, a drawer beneath one of the seats at the table.

That is four layers deep of cat food tins and that is not all of it.

She’s set for a few months now.

Pet food of any worth is difficult to find on store shelves anymore

so this is why I stocked up.

Christmas in the Desert

 

Beans and I wish you all a happy Christmas.

Poor Beans will never know the joy in destroying Christmas decorations.

How Did Wilson Get Here?

 

I took a little walk out to Old Yuma Road

then turned south.

New signs up this year.

Along the way I found Wilson.

You have to have seen the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks to get the meaning.

Eventually I reached the pavement of La Paz Valley Road 

that leads to the small RV park residences in La Paz Valley.

Meanwhile back home Beans enjoys the warm sun on “her” new carpet.

Amazingly, when you read this it is supposed to be a 74 (23.3c) degrees day.

Just today, then back down into the sixties.

Tomorrow a 90% chance of rain.  Really?

Weird weather.  Probably for you too.

A Cute Scooter

 

I was out and about on the Honda and stopped to look at the for sale items on the bulletin board at one of the larger camp areas.  This guy sneaked up on me with this little Honda Express.  He startled me.  I never heard it running.  In fact I don’t think I have ever seen one before.

It was a cute little bike.  It has a 50cc two-stroke motor.  He was a bigger guy than I.  He liked my bike and wished he had one, or something with more power.  I think he said the bike was a 1987.  Just for tooling around the campgrounds I think it was ideal, especially for a woman.  I suggested perhaps he could make a trade with someone who wanted something smaller and easier to carry around on their RV.  He said there was a larger bike someone in the area had for sale.  He liked my idea and was going to go see them and maybe work out some sort of deal.

 

Let’s see...we need a Beans photo for this post.

 A long time ago, I’m talking back in the days of film in cameras, I was into photography.  I even had a little darkroom and developed my own film and prints.  I’ve always liked black and white.

Heck, I even like black and white movies over color.

 

Cold Nights

 

Thirty-two (0c) degrees one morning and she had no intention on getting up until I turn on the heater and warm this place up.

I bought this carpet remnant from a vendor in town ($3) to lay on the bare floor over the battery compartment at the entry.  This will help keep the chill away.  Beans thinks I bought it for her.  She likes to stretch and dig her claws into it.  I let her.  She can’t do much harm to it.

Most every night someone leaves a “gift” for me on the green welcome mat.  A little deposit - poop.

I think it is the little grey fox.  I’ll start putting the mat up from now on before going to bed.

Ansel Adams I’m not.

Beans Running - take two

 

If that isn’t a sign of a happy cat I don’t know what is.

I Wasn’t Thinking

 I finally caught Beans running for home.

What was that I heard?

So you are probably asking “Why didn’t you take video?”

Duh...

The New Honda Trailbike

 

One day on a run up the dirt road to drop off trash in the dumpster I caught a glimpse of this as I passed by.  After dropping off my trash the guy at the camp came walking over to see me.  We visited awhile.

I had read long ago that Honda was coming out with a new version of their popular trail bike.  This one would have a 125cc engine versus the standard 90cc as I have.  Honda was considering bringing them into the States.  Time passed and finally the first ones began to show up.  Mike said he got online and called dealers all over the country.  Most all said they had a waiting list of anywhere’s up to ten orders and even more.  Each dealer had no idea how many they would get in.  Finally he found a dealer in Yuma. Arizona where he could be number one on the list.  He sent off his deposit.  He waited six months.  

In the end after paying for the bike, import fees, set-up fees and whatever more fees they could conjure up he wound up shelling out $5000.  Retail price is $3899.

  

If given the option, I would keep my little 1972 model.  It is much simpler, easier to work on and maintain plus my bike has a 4 speed low range option whereas these new ones just have the 4 standard speeds.  The new bikes have an electric start and disc brakes.  Nope, I’m happy with what I have.

I have been trying for a long time to catch Beans running for home.  It all happens so fast when she decides to take off, that I haven’t yet been successful.  But it is pure joy to me to see her run full tilt.