YEAH, IT WORKED!

January 5-

MONDAY
I’ve just returned from the Visitor’s center where I successfully posted to this blog and I look forward to posting about once a week as long as we are here.

I still will be slow in answering e-mails, so please bear with me -  I’m looking into getting a Hot spot box so I won’t run into this problem on later trips.  It takes me a while to decide on issues concerning new technical toys, especially when there are no kids around to teach me how to use them

Last post, I explained my dishwashing routine - well it has been expanded -  A sewer pump serving  two rows of sites blew up and we can’t empty our tanks until it is fixed.  First it was suppose to be today - now estimated Thursday.  They have to fly in a part from somewhere.   So……  since I don’t have a gray water holding tank, I can’t drain water from the sinks - so I’m using 2 large bowls as sinks - then taking a bucket of the used water over 2 rows to an unused site to empty the bucket into that drain - only one problem,  there are no empty sites except in the two rows that can’t empty their tanks.
My neighboring camper suggested I empty the bucket on the plants.   Yes, there are plants here - there are several wonderful Cactus Gardens - so that is what I’ve decided to do.

The reason there are no unused sites is that 11 new rigs came in yesterday.   What a busy day -

Monday’s are Pot Luck night - but now that I have the ability to cook more things (Brooke sent me a Nu-Wave cook top,  I can’t think of what to cook!!!!  Anyway, we didn’t go to the dinner tonite - I have a whole week to come up with some ideas.



TUESDAY
Woke up to a beautiful day - it was 24 when I woke up - which is why it takes so long to get moving in the mornings - We snuggle up in bed with books until Tucker says it’s time to get up.  High Temperature expected today is 55.   I need to reset the corner jacks. - then crawl into the back of the truck to get more paper plates and find the plastic flatware - so I can cut back on the dishwashing.

Today is Pink Tuesday - when many of the park campers gather together for a trip to the Pink Store in Paloma Mexico.  We didn’t go this time, but we will go next week.   ‘

The Bunkhouse library has the whole series of “Thorn Birds” on VHS - so we have started watching it.   I suggested to Diane that she go to the Bunkhouse and get movies that she doesn’t have instead of watching all that we have with us

Today has been an absolutely gorgeous day - was forecast to be 45 degrees, but I’m sure it far surpassed that - it was T-shirt weather.

WEDNESDAY
This morning was a continuation of yesterday’s beautiful weather.  The breeze has picked up a bit, but the sky is crisp, clear blue.  When I woke up, instead of burrowing down in the covers, I jumped out of bed and headed outside with Tucker - and it seems half the park was out with their dogs.   One fellow spotted Tucker and had to have a closer look - it ended up with us going to his camper so his wife could meet Tucker and we could meet Lizzi - a short hair Chi - the most unusual color I have ever seen - a very soft light tan color with white points.   I got one photo - hope it is not out of focus.

Yesterday, we watched the entire Thorn Birds mini series, and today started  “Thorn Birds - the Missing Years”  I hadn’t known that the “missing years” existed!

The book I am currently reading (not listening to) is Hawaii - I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve read it over my life - but, well I can’t down load any audio books onto my Kindle - so I have no choice but to read -   Hopefully when I go back to Phoenix to visit, my Kindle will straighten out.

We’ve decided to go to the Museum today - I’ll let you know how it goes!

Actually, the museum was very interesting.   We only got about half way through it.  We’ll go back another time to see the rest of it.   Of course, I was very interested in the “wild” west part of it.   One article I found particularly interesting was  about the “flying Grandmother”  I couldn’t read the whole article cause it was hung about 6 inches off the floor -  In the late 30’s a widow who owned a  ranch, went to the local air field and announced she wanted to learn to fly - the owner thought that was persp…. Prosper…… well, heck - ridiculous!!!!   Imagine, a woman wanting to fly.   A woman couldn’t learn to fly!!!!   Her response was  “Why not?  You learned!”    In any event she learned and she, along with one ranch hand and a plane, managed the whole 50,000 acre ranch  on their own.   My kind of woman!  (and here, I couldn’t even get down on the floor to read the entire article)

At one point, Diane and I got separated.  When I caught up to her again, she was talking with an old Geezer  (don’t know why I said that - he probably was younger than I am)  He was quite interesting to talk with - he stopped me later on and we discussed how the “wild west” was all about young men - out sowing their wild oats; and how women brought civilization with their arrival.    Thus tying into my interest in the flying Grandmother.

While in the museum, the wind started kicking up, and the temperature dropped considerably.   We returned home, picking up some of Pepper’s fried chicken on the way.

The good news:   the part for the sewer pump arrived.    The BAD news:  It was the wrong part - no idea when it will arrive.   More days of hiking up to the public restrooms and watering the trees with used dish water.  

I talked with Myra who is in Harlingen, TX right now.   I told her we’d be leaving here March 15 and she said she would find a place for us near her to stay for a bit, while waiting for the wildflowers to bloom.

My friend Joy will keep us informed as to the progress of the wild flowers so we won’t miss out.

I played cards again tonite - only 3 of us showed up so we were done in less than an hour.  I won one game - 70 cents!  Yippee!



THURSDAY

Maintenance jerry-rigged a way to allow us to dump our tanks today -  How exciting!

The bad weather seems to have flown right past us - it was chilly - but no heavy wind or icy slush.  Sun, clouds, overcast - alternating all day.

I started typing up my collection of recipes - trying to find ones I can use for pot luck dinners.   Not much luck -  most of my recipes are for desserts. However, nothing wrong with making cakes for all these bachelors in the camp.   But, for the first use in my oven, I think I’ll make Taco Touchdown Dip - my favorite.



FRIDAY

This morning a neighboring camper stopped by to see if he could get the furnace started.  He did manage to light the pilot, but the burner didn’t catch.   He determine that the thermo coupler needed replacement.   While here, I had him go over how to light the oven.  Good thing I did cause I didn’t know it had two pilots and it takes a while and I might have given up on it.   The oven can do some heating on really cold days.

We then went to the library.   I got a card based on my LoW’s membership.  Diane will have to wait until she has a piece of mail addressed to her to get a card.  I checked e-mails, got my Kindle connected and downloaded some books.   We checked out some movies for Diane and audio books for me.  

We also picked up a brownie mix to try out the oven.

SATURDAY
Time to try out the oven - and it shall remain a supplementary heat source.   I finally turned it up to 500 degrees, but the oven only got to 250 degrees.   There I was…… stuck with brownie batter and no way to bake it.   Then I thought of the 1-2-3 cake.   I spooned about 3 heaping spoonsful of batter into a coffee mug and cooked it in the microwave for 3 minutes - and there you have it - a brownie - spoon on the ice cream - and it’s like heaven!

The rest of the day was spent indulging in listening to a book on tape.

SUNDAY

Road Trip!   In the morning, we were still trying to decide where to go for the day - at about 8:50 Diane mentioned church.  I told her if she could get dressed in 10 minutes we could make it to Las Cruces.   We left 30 minutes later - and then had to stop at Micky-D’s for breakfast.  We hit the highway at 9:45 - and it’s just about 60 miles to Las Cruces
Of course, services were over by the time we got there - but we located the church.

We located the visitor’s center and picked up a brochure or two.  My attention was drawn to an item about the old Mesilla plaza nearby.  The little town was founded in 1850 on what was then Mexican territory.   They built a central plaza and a Catholic church - now known as the Basilica of San Albino.     The square is surrounded with original adobe built buildings featuring arts and crafts from the Southwest, Mexico & Central America.

We wandered in and out of shops on one side of the square checking out jewelry, pottery and embroidered clothing - Those of you who know me well, will not believe I didn’t buy a thing!  I made note of several items, though.   Beautiful hand work.

Diane bought a silky shawl like item to throw over her outfit - beautiful!

Tucker was the star of the day - in and out of stores - people stopped to ask about him, and we exchanged dog stories.  We cut across to the plaza to talk to a vendor who had a Chi-Yorki cross - not much bigger than Tucker.   Cars stopped in the middle of the sleepy street so people could look at these two tiny guys.

About then Diane decided she needed a rest - she sat on a bench in the central plaza, taking charge of Tucker and listening to the live Mexican music while I checked out the “Chocolate Lady” store.  Still I bought nothing.

Then Diane suggested I go get the car and pick her up - On the way, I stopped at the Basilica.  What a beautiful church - The stained glass windows and relief work representing the stations of the cross were awesome and the statues of saints were very well done.  But the center of attraction was the alter piece.

And that was our road trip.

Until next time,
Bear Hugs

Boots and Tucker

“She believed she could do it, so she did!”

PS  No photos yet - just cant them set up.   I will keep trying, though.