Dec. 10, 2011 Quartzsite, AZ, the Count-down to 2012

2011 has turned out to be quite a year! We are eagerly awaiting 2012!

This year the camper has been demanding a lot of attention—and money! We put the six new tires on as per the “right” size, but it turns out we really do need the oversize tires for stability in the rear. Not sure if we are going to change them out and ship the current “new” tires to Texas or drive it home to change them out.

Monday morning as we were leaving Antioch, CA, we stopped by our doctor’s office and leave a little thank-you gift. As “no good turn goes unpunished,” we then had to stop by Camping World in Bakersfield to replace the bashed-in refrigerator vent cap. The city had closed an inside lane of a major road and forced us into the outside lane—and they forgot to check heights of the trees. And yes, of course, their branches were lower than our refrigerator vent cap.

We give are happy to give Camping World a “thumbs up” rating. They really came through for us. We called while heading south on I-5 that morning to see if they could get us in Tuesday morning. Just in case, I asked if they had overnight parking—as Bakersfield had been “fogged in with zero visibility” that morning.

They did have parking—and we used it. We missed out on a 30 amp. plug—but considering we were heading to the desert for 2 months, we didn’t feel deprived! The next morning, a young man rushed over and opened the door for Larry and found him a comfy chair to sit in. The waiting room’s eight seats were already filled with RVers’ seats. Fresh coffee made about every 30 minutes and I was able to use a plug to charge our computer.

In about 90 minutes, the top was repaired. The part price was VERY reasonable and so was the labor cost. They also gave us the 10% parts discount with my Good Sam membership. We do have a President’s Club card, but won’t have to renew next year if the Good Sam card works.

It is difficult for Larry to have to give up doing all our repairs and depend on shops and other techs to do all the things he used to do for us. He was very pleased with Camping World’s service.

Going up Tehachapi Pass was a breeze. We had a few minutes of heavy fog near the base that faded out as we got up about half way. The hills are starting to turn green.

We had a quiet run back to Q. Parked in “our” spot and got settled for the next few months. We have had some really nice weather, some rainy days, some very windy days—and cold, cold nights.

Within a day of getting here, the refrigerator decided it was tired of working. With a bit of detecting work, we realized it had to be one of the two propane tanks. That particular tank had cause problems last spring. The stove worked fine, but the refrigerator and hot water tank would stark balking after about 2 weeks on the odd tank. We replaced the tank with a new one and the refrigerator has been running since.

Larry had to get his hands dirty Thursday morning. The hot water heater then decided it didn’t want to run more than a few seconds. It must be his magic touch—as he took things apart and put them back together and it worked. What is it with this year???

As we are going to be here a bit longer this year, I am trying to find some new activities to fill our days. We have gone to a few RV-park yard sales and bake sales. Last Sunday we attended a local hand bells holiday concert. It was very enjoyable to sit back and watch the ringers. It looks like a lot of work and we appreciated their efforts.

We have dinner reservations for Christmas Day at Palo Verde Restaurant in town. I can’t see trying to cook a fancy dinner in my little kitchen.We dined there last Christmas and had such a pleasant experience, so we are going back. We have opted for the prime rib dinner. Yum, Yum!

Well, that is about all from the quiet desert for this week. We enjoy watching the RVs roll in and get parked for the winter. Many return to their exact same spot where they have parked for years. We are waiting for Fred and Arlene to come down from Alturas to park next to us on New Year's Eve--in the same spot they have used for years. We view ourselves as adventurous, however, we all seem to feel the call of returning to “our home spot” out in the desert. Go figure????

The two old RVers in a Shoebox wish you a joyful and merry Christmas filled with love and laughs as well as a fun-filled and healthy 2012.

Nov. 27, 2011 Thanks for a great Thanksgiving weekend!

We survived the Thanksgiving weekend. Now, just 28 days until Christmas. 

Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful.  Several Wednesday night TV programs highlighted the horrors of family gatherings—where childhood rivalries and today’s adult personalities stressed the family’s cohesiveness.  Our gathering was just the opposite.  Three sisters in our family pooled talents and energies together to create a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner memory.  Thank you Diane and Karen!  We did good!

It isn’t easy bringing four families together for a special holiday meal—we have our own favorite family traditions.  Diane cooks a turkey breast; Karen’s family likes spiral-cut Honey-Baked ham. Roger likes canned yams with pineapple, candied pecans, sugar and marshmallows while Larry likes fresh yams with brown sugar and marshmallows with the lower sodium content.  Carol loves sausage and apple stuffing.  Dad can’t eat the sausage. Diane makes the green bean casserole with fresh, crisp beans and Larry likes mushy beans.  And then pies: we had three pies, pumpkin, apple for Roger, and pecan pie for John.  Get my drift?

We spent a week working over the menu—until everyone’s “must haves” were met.  Karen provided the beautiful table settings and centerpiece.

Oh, finally, it is time to eat.  Step right up with your plate, Larry.

Think we had enough food?  It was soooo good!

Karen and John are to the left of my dad and Diane and Roger are on the right side.  That “lightly-filled plate” in the center is mine!  Yum yum!

And here is my sweetie—and his “lightly-filled plate.”  No dieters in this crowd!

Did you go shopping on Black Friday?

We didn’t!  I have sworn off Black Friday shopping for about eight years. Black Friday shopping seems to bring out the worst in people—it’s like watching starving people fighting over the last bowl of rice in a refugee camp!  Successful Christmas shopping is done in the spirit of the holiday—with love and happiness.  

We visited W-M and Costco early Saturday morning to stock up for our return trip to Quartzsite.  We expected heavy crowds, however, we were delighted to get in, get our stuff—and get out quickly!  Yeah!

We are going to try to venture south tomorrow instead of Tuesday morning—hopefully to avoid the central valley fog.  Larry’s medical visits are over for a few months, our stock-up shopping is done, and we are ready to head for the peace and quiet of the Arizona desert.

The car is full—time to leave!  Next stop, Quartzsite, AZ.

Wishing you safe travels and happy holiday memories!

Nov. 19, 2011 Speed bumps, yes. Stop Signs, no!

Living on the road sometimes means crossing some speed bumps!

If you are living in a house and something breaks, it is easy to look in the Yellow Pages to find a electrician or plumber.  On the road, repair issues are more complicated.  One has to realize—preferably in advance—that things won’t always go smoothly and have some savings to cover those days.  Sometimes things just break at an inconvenient time.  We discovered the camper house batteries were DEAD the night before we left.  Luckily, we had two batteries saved from the demise of the golf cart this summer.  Problem fixed without too much sweat or tears.

I had a little medical issue while in Quartzsite, AZ, involving a decision to go to the ER in Parker, AZ, and having to decide whether to have Larry drive the 40 plus miles or travel by ambulance.  While everything turned out just fine, it was unnerving for a few hours.  It won’t change our plans—we will continue to travel and stay in places not “next to a hospital.”  It was just another speed bump.

And if two “issues” in 7 days hadn’t discouraged us, 50 miles from Antioch, we discovered one of the front heavy-duty tires had developed an aneurism.  Aneurisms aren’t good conditions in people and not much better in tires.  We limped slowly 50 miles to the Antioch Fairground.  We drove the car to three different business to find someone who could order and install new tires on the camper truck to replace the ailing tire—along with the other five.  When one tire fails at 35,000 miles and five years—can the others be far behind?

We found what we wanted.  And I am sure Les Schwab was thrilled too.  We could buy two used golf carts for the price of 6 tires.  But, would we have more fun?  Probably not!

Luckily, the tire didn’t blow out leaving us stranded along the freeway.  It was just another speed bump on our travels.

We expected things would go wrong and we provided some safety nets for those days.  No, our nerves are NOT made of steel, and yes, sometimes we suffer the butterfly flutters in our stomachs.  Our nerves are often rubbed raw, usually in heavy traffic in the big cities (or a tire aneurism) and when the rasping is done, we start looking forward to the next bend in the road or destination.  After all, it is just a speed bump—not the big red STOP sign!

More real life experiences are waiting down the road and we are heading that way.  We can manage the speed bumps—they just slow us down and give us the opportunity to reflect how lucky we are being able to travel.

When we count our blessings on Thanksgiving, we give thanks for the freedom to wander—even with Larry’s medical issues.   We give thanks for being able to pay for Medicare, health insurance and the SkyMed Medical Evacuation insurance.  We thankful for our two doctors who make our lifestyle possible by working with us—we don’t fit the standard mold of patient.  And most of all, we give thanks for our family and friends--who understand the wanderlust urge. And we are thankful we haven’t come close to seeing the big red stop sign!  Even with a few speed bumps slowing us down, it is still a great life!

Here are a few photos from our past week:

Our poor tire after it was deflated.  You don’t want to see this on your tires, especially carrying the load we carry!  I forgot to take a photo when it was really sticking out.

This is the Quartzsite, AZ,  desert in November.  Stay tuned for a photo of what it looks like in January—with 300,000 RVs parked in the BLM Long-Term Area around us.

Ever wonder how those big RVs are towed?  They use a BIG tow truck!  Sure glad we were able to limp on in  to Antioch!  This is the same rest stop where Larry noticed the tire needed to be replaced.  Think maybe the rest stop has bad karma?

This sign in Bakersfield, CA, was almost as scary as the thought of needing a tow truck!  No, we aren’t in Texas anymore!  Diesel was $3.60 in Livingston, TX.  Regular was $3.13 a gallon when we left on the 4th.

We will be headed back to Quartzsite, AZ, on Nov. 29th.  Larry and I wish you a very love-filled Thanksgiving holiday.  If you aren’t able to be with your family or friends, find someone else to share your blessings with on this important holiday—you will be glad and they will enjoy your company.

Remember, speed bumps are NOT stop signs—they just a warning to slow down.

Nov. 12, 2012 Back in Quartzsite, AZ AGAIN……

We are back “home” for the winter.  Not really, we just came in for a few days to relax before heading on to California for Larry’s doctor appointments.

From Ft. Stockton, we moved through El Paso, TX, at noon on Sunday.  Wow, the traffic never ends in the city at the end of Texas!

We hunkered down in Deming, NM, at the Escapees park, Dream Catcher, for two nights to avoid the coming storm due in on Monday.  The weather service was predicating strong winds, rain and even snow.  We don’t need that kind of weather when we are driving, and let’s face it, that is what retirement is all about. The extra day also allowed me time to do the laundry and visit W-M for last minute shopping.

The storm missed us,so we were up early and headed west.  We stopped for a rest at Texas Canyon, my favorite spot on the entire Interstate 10!

How is that for balance?  Okay, how about this one:

We stopped for another two days at the Casa Grande, AZ, Elk’s Club.  The club only offers dry camping at $5 a day, but it worked well for us.  We stopped to visit Jerry and Mary Frye who stay at the Fiesta Grande RV park for the winter.  We were able to get in my “In & Out Burger” fix the first night and Mary cooked a delicious meatloaf dinner for our second night.  We were lucky enough to meet their neighbors at their 4 o’clock happy hour gatherings.  They have a very nice group of friends.  We enjoyed the visits.

From Casa Grande, AZ, to Quartzsite, AZ, in three hours to claim our spot out in the desert for the winter.  Our usual winter neighbors, Bill & Dolores, are already here.  Just need Fred and Arlene on the other side to feel right at home.

Monday we will head north to Antioch, CA.  I will write more when we have electricity.  Keep all of our veterans in your thoughts and prayers this holiday weekend—and every day.  They are doing the job that allows us the freedoms we so enjoy.  Veterans, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!  You are great!

Nov. 5, 2011 A trip of 2000 miles starts with….

A trip of 2,000 miles starts with getting out of the driveway!

After five months in Livingston, it was time to return to California for doctor visits.

We planned on leaving on Nov. 3, but I didn’t get all the wrap-up work done, so we delayed our departure a day.  Late Thursday afternoon, we hooked up the car, pulled the camper electric, and we were ready to roll out of the driveway early Friday morning.  I called in reservations in Luling, TX, for Friday night.

I did a quick walk through the camper and just happened to notice the lights, working on camper house batteries, seemed a bit weak.  I tried the monitor and it showed “red” instead of a nice happy green indicating full batteries that had been charged for a few weeks.  Whoops!  “Larry!!”  

We plugged the camper back into the house electric and went to bed not knowing what was going on and when we could leave.  If it was just bad batteries, we had saved two when we junked the old golf cart.  We had replaced most of the six batteries in the past year, so held on to two---just in case.  The heat was brutal all summer and had already claimed the lives of the two truck batteries.  Maybe it also had killed off the camper batteries.

Well, after a sleepless night, Larry announced it was two more dead batteries.  Luckily we had two on reserve.  But, two oldsters had to move and lift two very heavy golf cart batteries up to face level.  Not an easy task for most, but desperation wins when all else fails!  With the help of a high rolling table, we got the two out and squeezed the new two back in—and we were on the road by 10:30!  Yippee!

We spent Friday night at RiverBend RV Park in Luling, TX.  They give a 50% discount to both Passport America and Escapees, so our night was just $15.

The park is located adjacent to the San Marcos river.  In a non-drought year, it might be fun to canoe on the river as the water is a beautiful green.  However, it is at least 10-15 feet lower this year.

I am standing about half way up the boat ramp that leads to a wide gravel bar.  The river is the little greenish streak at the bottom of the cliff.

Not very inviting, is it???  But, at least there is still some water left in the San Marcos river.  The drought is killing thousands of trees and bushes across Texas.  The “fall colors” aren’t due to the fall season, but the terrible toll the drought and summer took on the vegetation. 

In our travels today to Fort Stockton, TX, we drove past miles and miles of rust-brown colored pinion pines interspaced with some green one still holding on.  East Texas pines are dying at an alarming rate too.  If you pray, add a prayer for rain for Texas, please.

Tonight we are at Parkview RV Park in Fort Stockton.  It is a Passport America Park with a $10 rate.  It leaves a lot to be desired, but it meets our needs with electricity and a place off the Interstate.

The wind knocked us around from San Antonio to Ft. Stockton, sometimes on the side and sometimes behind us, but it just dropped in the last half hour.  Sweet silence!

We are heading to Deming, NM tomorrow.  We will probably stay two nights to allow the upcoming storm with rain to pass over us on Monday.  That should reduce the possibility of dust storms between Deming and Casa Grande.  The high winds were kicking up dust storms on I-10 between Quartzsite and Phoenix, AZ on Friday.  Hopefully we can dodge the strong storms and just enjoy this trip.

Until later—the weary travelers are at rest.

July 27, 2011 – Adios Old Friend

While it has been a while since I wrote, luckily, it has been boring, uneventful stuff keeping us busy.  Larry’s health issues have pushed our nerves a bit lately.  We had a two-week nail biting period waiting to see if his platelet levels had increased from a new low.  If not, we would have had to make a zipping trip to Atlanta, GA, the closest location of our HMO, for a possible blood transfusion.

Once that resolved itself, we had a water-retention issue that kept us “packed and ready to head to CA” for about 10 days. 

As soon as we heard the platelets were up again, we moved forward to tackle our local transportation problem.  For five years we have enjoyed our faithful friend Doodlebug, a classic 1986 EZGO convertible.

Doodlebug has toted us around the park to visit friends, to the Escapees office to pick up mail, and Larry with fire ant poison and hoses to care for our half-acre yard.  Doodlebug has assisted with numerous yard-sales--moving tables and merchandise from the back sheds to the front yard. With the help of a little red wagon-trailer, we have filled a cubic yard’s worth of mole holes in the lawn.  Doodlebug has been a necessary fixture in our lives.

Others may have laughed at our classic car; we have enjoyed numerous evening rides through the park—with the wind blowing though our hair.  It’s been a lot of fun--including the night we had smoke rising up from under the seats, and even the night I had to push Larry part-way back to the house.  She has had her issues, but it was always fun.   Doodlebug has slowed down the past few years.  We replaced most of the batteries last year even though we knew her days were numbered—but hoping for a few more months of fun and enjoyment.

And last month, then the unthinkable happened!  Doodlebug suffered severe spinal failure!  Alas, her days ended quickly—with a bang.  Good-bye old friend!

As soon as we knew Larry’s platelets were back up, we headed out to find a new friend as I missed our evening drives.  We found another companion, Doodlebug New, in Conroe, TX.  Conroe Golf Cars even delivered our new fancy 2006 SUV (Snappy Utility Vehicle) pick-up.  We opted for a truck bed so Larry can continue his yard duties, smile.

  

That’s our laid-back Livingston (LBL) pink flamingo relaxing in the banana-yellow hammock.  The plain-vanilla car needed a touch of real class—class that is only obtainable with a flamingo on board!

We are back to riding to pick up mail in the 100 degree weather and to the egg man to buy fresh eggs.  Larry has been taking me out for my evening rides.  I love it!

I have also been busy working with the new potter’s wheel and kiln.

This is the first glaze firing.  It did a terrific job!  I was so pleased when we opened the kiln.  Finally, a GREAT firing!

As I write this, the kiln is firing its third glaze firing.  I have had some difficulty due to the hot weather.  The kiln’s electronic controllers require the room be less than 110 degrees—and that is almost impossible these days.  The garage reaches 110 and up by noon.  It cools down into the 90s about 9 pm. So, I’ve  been firing at night—all night!  I check and log in the kiln temperature every hour , and I am standing by when it is due to shut off—about 11 hours after starting.  And then comes the next 8-10 hours of cool-down time  before opening the lid.  It is like Christmas morning—so hard to wait to open my big present.  Good pottery is like wine, it can’t be rushed!

We have a topical storm headed this way on Friday, so I decided to stay up tonight instead of Thursday night.  If “Don” gains strength in the Gulf and comes ashore over Galveston as a hurricane, we may have to head north in the camper for a few days.  I want the pottery load safely packed away by then, smile!

Whoops, time to go check the kiln temperature. 

Its 1306 degrees and only about 848 degrees to go……at about 160 degrees per hour. 

I will take photos when we open the kiln tomorrow afternoon.  It is always a big surprise!

P.S. The kiln ran until 5:15 a.m.  Long, long night!

And another successful firing!  Aren’t they pretty?

June 19, 2011 The week in review……

First, Happy Father’s Day to all fathers. Some of us are lucky enough to have had two fathers—a birth father and a loving stepfather. I was lucky with my mother’s second husband, (Thank you, Bill), and my two kids were extra lucky with my second husband—Larry. Two great guys who treated their step children like birth children.

Second, it has been a HOT week in laid-back Livingston. It is almost too hot to venture far from the constantly-running air conditioners. It would be easy to spend the entire summer in front of the computers and TV under our air conditioners, however, we are going to take one day a week to explore parts of East Texas.

Do you ever drive by places on routine trips and say: Some day we are coming back to tour that museum or visit that park? We are going to do it!

When home, we make at least one trip a month to Lufkin, Texas, to shop at Sears, Sam’s Club or Home Depot. We have been driving through Diboll, Texas, for 20 years and have yet to drive one block east or west of Hwy 59—or visit the History Center located right on Hwy 59.

The history of Diboll goes hand-in-hand with the history of Southern Pine Lumber Company. Since 1984, the company name has been Temple-Inland and you still see it stamped on edges of prime pine lumber moving across the US on 18-wheelers.

Back in 1894, T.L.L. Temple built a saw mill in the area he named Diboll after Joseph Copes Diboll, of New Orleans, who had sold Mr. Temple much of the land.

The history of the Diboll and Southern Pine Lumber marched along with the history of the railroads in the area.

Early “mobile homes” were moved from logging area to logging area via flat bed cars on the trains. (Photo in the museum)

Notice the homes along the tracks in this photo in the museum.

At first, lumber was floated on the rivers down to Beaumont, TX and later the local railroads transported the lumber from the deep East Texas Piney Woods to places as far as New Orleans.

The Museum has Engine # 13 on display along with a caboose. We were thrilled to see inside of the caboose as we had always wondered what they looked like:

We were able to climb up on the engine to see the size of the compartment—and how close the engineers were to the heat of the fire box and boilers. Not where I would want to be on a hot day in East Texas!

It was a great morning exploring the museum to learn about East Texas history. We asked their suggestions for lunch. Patty suggested the Airport Cafe. You have to know it is there—we didn’t see any signs or advertising—even inside the building.

It was a winner! Check out Larry’s diet Chicken Fried Steak lunch. That huge lump under the gravy was a slug of meat dredged in flour and deep fried practically in front of us! Fresh!

It was delicious and we have left-overs in the freezer for another meal. One plane came in while we were eating, but it was TOO hot to go outside for photos. Next time, I promise.

Next week we will head out in another direction to explore another area. We did make a quick trip down next to NASA’s campus area yesterday to pick up a new kiln. There are very few areas in Houston that we know—luckily, Clearbrook and the Kemah area—where there are boats—is one we know. Found a Paragon Kiln on Craig’s List in that area that was just what I wanted—and need. So, we drove down Hwy 146—just outside the park here—south to Clearbrook. One of the highlights is the fancy bridge just south of Bay City that crosses over the Houston Ship Channel.

First you notice the ship’s sails as you approach. Then—watch out:

Suddenly, you are surrounded by a dizzying array of yellow cables. It is quite an engineering feat. We continued south to the NASA Space Center area. We visited the NASA Space Center last March when my dad was visiting. We were filled with pride over the Space Program’s achievements. We are sad to see the space program being downgraded.

We came home—slowly with our valuable cargo. The only issue is that we have to hire someone to lift it out of the truck bed for us. It weighs about 200 pounds. Luckily Dean lifted it into the truck for us. His wife Sarah, the potter in the family, is very talented. I am sorry they don’t live closer.

It fires from an electronic key pad—something new to learn. There goes the electric bill as I experiment to learn how to fire the automatic kiln like a manual kiln--one that has given us such great results. The old kiln has developed some bad traits—it is shedding tiny metal pieces from the lift handle into the kiln while firing. That doesn’t help my glazes. It was time to look for a replacement, and once I get past the learning curve, should be a fantastic addition to the pottery shop!

Meanwhile, I will be checking the map to decide next week’s East Texas adventure.

May 31, 2011 Some Assembly required……

Texas summers are not for sissies. One has to be in good health and enjoy the challenges of repeated endurance tests. However, I don’t “handle” hot weather well. I prefer brisk 65 degree weather with a nice sweatshirt.

It isn’t just the heat. Here in beautiful East Texas, it is the cloying humidity that brings us to our knees. I heard the perfect phrase during the weather report on TV last week: Air you can wear!

So, in order to get our exercise, we had to come up with another idea. Larry needed to tone up his muscles after being sedimentary all winter and spring in the camper. He can’t walk long distance, so our treadmill is of limited value to him. He isn’t comfortable riding a bike outside anymore due to balance issues. So, of course, the perfect solution is a recumbent exercise bike.

Rather than buy one at Wal Mart, we decided to buy it from Costco.com and have it shipped here to the house. And it came last week. Unfortunately for the 140 lb. box, UPS doesn’t equip their drivers with hand trucks anymore—according to the driver.

It came off the truck looking like it had walked here from Florida.

It came off the truck in two pieces. Those parts were packed in the box. Part of the box was open as shown below.

The Website said: "Some assembly required." It should say: Lots and lots of assembly required and have extra tools handy too.

This is after about 3 hours labor. The console, pedals, and seat are still waiting their turn to be added to the bike.

Larry assembled the tools, read the book, and worked his way through the process.

Six hours later—we have a riding exercise bike. Notice the two extra tools on the table—they weren’t listed in the book as necessary tools, smile, but they were! Note to self: Never believe the phrase, "Some Assembly Required."

We are burning up the electronic speeds and logging lots of miles on the console. (Not really, but we are riding it.)

This morning I discovered the Shoe Box had been converted into a condominium. Three tenants had decided the back ladder was just perfect for their homes:

This happened in the last few days. Unfortunately, this is next to the back door—of our home-on-wheels. And wheels are the operative word. We hope to take a few short trips around the area—so I was forced to evict the new tenants before they laid eggs.

And speaking of eggs, I love living in a rural area. We try to buy our eggs local and some days, it feels like Easter again:

This week we were blessed with five brown speckled eggs and two green eggs in our dozen eggs. Life is just like a carton of eggs—some days it is very colorful. And on that note, it is time to say good-bye to May.

May 22, 2011 Back home in Livingston, TX

The “shoebox” is back in the yard.  It’s cleaned, repacked and ready to head out again—whenever we are ready.  Thanks to the torrential rains between San Antonio, TX and Livingston, I haven’t had to wash either the truck or Honda yet.  Both arrived home clean???  That is just so unusual.

However, everything inside, clothes, bedding, towels covering the seats, rugs, etc. made trips into the house to visit the washer and dryer!  The Brake Buddy riding in the Honda’s driver’s side floor had mud splashed on it from the wind and rain driven in the door.  It was quite a storm.

One of my favorite things about coming home is the washer and dryer.  It feels so good to just take all the damp and dirty things in the house –and bring them out sparkly clean and dry again.  No bag of quarters needed.  The other thing is the 30-gallon water heater—and within hours of arriving at the house—I am in the shower having a spiritual-revival shower, smile!  It makes me feel new again.

Another treat this year was my new pottery wheel.  I ordered it while in California and asked to have it shipped May 13, my birthday, and I didn’t expect to see it until late May.  They mis-read my note, I guess, because it was shipped May 10th and was here on May 15th.

It is a Shimpo RK Whisper and it is so quiet, I can’t hear it running. My other Shimpo was built in 1980 and has traveled from Hawaii to California to Texas—to California and back to Texas.  It was time to update.

I threw two small bowls the other day.  As soon as I catch up on the house and yard chores, I have an appointment with myself to spend some quality time with the new wheel.

We have had a busy week.  It was great to come home and touch bases with all our friends and neighbors in the best neighborhood in America—Rainbow’s End.

Friday was Leslie’s birthday and I was looking forward to bringing her a cake.  She said she wanted chocolate—so chocolate is what I got.  It is sitting on an antique pedestal cake plate that I found last June in Alturas, CA.  It made it home with us this May—a great way to celebrate Leslie’s birthday.

Yes, the cake was delicious!!!  There is only a very small piece of cake left in my freezer.  Note to self. “In the future, Do NOT buy huge cakes!”

One reason we wanted to return home was to get some repairs done around the house this summer.

Friday afternoon, the stump grinder I had called earlier in the week arrived to remove several imposing stumps in the back yard:

I thought he would come with a hand-held stump grinder.  Big surprise—it was a huge commercial grinder.  And it took care of the stumps in about 20 minutes, and I get to take care of the huge holes and piles of tree bits and dirt.

This little pile is actually about 2 1/2 feet tall and five feet long—chippings left after I filled the hole.  Do you know how many shovel loads it will take to move this treasure?  Don’t tell me, I couldn’t take the truth.  I will just move 10 or 15 shovelfuls at a time—until it is gone—or I am gone, smile!

Until next week, take care and stay safe in all the wild weather.