DAGGERS TO THE GUY WHO SPOILS MY VIEW

TRIPPIN' THURSDAY
RV LIVE PART THREE

View has always mattered to me.

Sitting inside this morning, the sun barely up, my fireplace the only light, I watched the rain coming down out my window.

If you’re considering renting space at an RV Park, think about it. Think about how close the quarters are. Think about how much time you’ll spend outside. The outside time is so important.

The out-of-doors ambience is why we chose this RV Ranch. This place is not the typical grid layout with gravel grounds, a square of

Rainy view...one direction

cement, and one spindly tree. Our Ranch is rustic with lots of old trees. But not all of the spaces are desirable…from my point of view.

We chose our current spot on the RV Ranch because of the view out our back window and while sitting on the patio. Most all of the spaces have views of other RV’s. When we first moved our small fifth wheel to this park, we had to take a cramped space in the middle. We were surrounded by other trailers. We added our name to the wait list for any spots that might open on the fringe. It took a year, but we finally landed one at the rear of the park with the forest and Tonto Creek beyond. It’s narrow. Our patio abuts right up against our neighbor. But the space we have out the back is worth it. When we’re sitting on our patio we feel the open space, watch the hummingbirds and quail, and enjoy the old trees.

My spoiled view the other way.

And then the neighbor on the other side vacated and Charlie moved in with his big trailer that halls all his “stuff”. I immediately visited Charlie and told him my dilemma. He wasn’t very sympathetic. He’s parked on his allotted space and that’s where he wants it. Too bad, Brenda.

What to do? We’re on the wait list again, but the only better spots than ours will take a death to get them. This RV Ranch is very popular in this area. People rent a spot and pay for it year-round, even if they only come on weekends or three months in the winter.

We're at the end of Lazy Loop.

So now, the only logical alternative is to send subliminal thoughts to Charlie…move, move, move. We’re working hard on it. FDW is much better at sending daggers than I am. Surely, Charlie won’t be able to take the atmosphere here much longer!

Out of the Mouth

TRIPPIN' THURSDAYS
THE RV LIFE PART TWO

Our neighbors at the RV Ranch run the gamut of personalities from timid to tenacious, ages fifty to ninety-five, active to sedentary. We might not choose each other as friends if in a different setting. In

Posing

fact, not everyone at the Ranch becomes a friend or even an acquaintance. Maybe because I'm a writer, I thoroughly enjoy mingling with all types of characters...er, people.

In the late afternoons, we gather around the fire telling stories and getting to know one another all over again each winter. We call it happy hour because of the social fun and not necessarily what we drink.

Our oldest happy hour person

So pull up a chair, grab your drink of choice be it water, coconut juice, or beer and eavesdrop on what I've heard over the last week.

It’s my way or the Nazi way.

I only buy one pot pie at a time. Don’t know if I’ll be around long enough to eat another one.

He got five quail with one shot.

Slow down. The speed limit’s five.

Be careful in the wood pile. A scorpion got me in the knee yesterday.

This poodle is the best duck retriever around.

Don’t go four wheelin’ with Edna. She’ll get you killed.

See that blood by the chair? That was the biggest damned rattle snake I’ve ever seen.

Did you hear the coyotes this morning?

He divorced his wife because he didn’t want to be married to a grandmother.

Leaves rained down. Did you see the size of that hawk? I think he was after that dove.

TRIPPIN' TROUBLE (keep smilin')

TRIPPIN' THURSDAY

In everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose...in our latest season, with only a vague plan and a touch of creativity, we're off on another adventure. Half of this twosome is retired; my half will probably never know what that means. I promise to share.

Remember, I'm about tossing out ways to have fun when you retire and/or change lifestyles with nothing in the bank but love. I like sharing little ways to tighten the budget while you loosen up life. Well...this week it was about none of the above!

We've gone back and forth between Prescott, Tonto Basin, and Phoenix so many times I have to think about where I am each morning when I open my eyes. The purchase of the bigger and better fifth wheel is done except for signing the papers on pick-up day September 2nd in Prescott. I've gotten Mom to the dentist in Phoenix twice...three more appointments to go.

On Wednesday, I headed back to the basin by myself in the car and just before I turned onto I-17 the car made a funny chattering noise which suddenly grew loud. I pulled off the road, steering wheel went stiff, and car was dead. The timing belt broke and the engine was blown. A tow truck ride and hours later, we learned the fix was more than the car is worth. Sold it to the junkyard. Hubby came to rescue me.

I shudder to think how it would've gone had the event happened a little farther along in the drive...maybe on the winding road over the mountains down into the Verde Valley. It 's a fast moving highway and a major truck route. Or maybe on the rim road. 260 is a winding two-lane road on the edge of the pine covered mountains. There's rarely anywhere to pull over and lots of blind corners. I can be thankful for where it happened, at least.

Next day, hubby and I headed out in the truck and as we rounded one of those turns on the 260 rim road, a front tire exploded. Black smoke billowed behind us, and he fought to get the truck steady until a small area to pull over on the mountain side appeared.

Again, I shudder to think how it might have gone at another moment like if we had been pulling that new fifth wheel. Not only am I thankful for the timing of this ugly event, but also to the young man who stopped to help us change the tire. He actually passed by us, found a place to turn around, and came back. If you ever meet a

fireman from Pine, AZ named Paul, tell him you know he's one of a kind.

So tips? Only hindsight: buy tires for the truck before the car because the car is going to blow an engine anyway. Wait a week to fix the breaks on the car because it's going to blow an engine anyway. I can advise to not buy Ironman tires. They are overpriced and fall apart at 30,000 miles. Oh, and another way to save the bucks? Go down to one vehicle. Saves on insurance and tags. Always good to find the upside, right?

SURVIVING MY SUMMER MOOD

TRIPPIN' THURSDAY

In everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose...in our latest season, with only a vague plan and a touch of creativity, we're off on another adventure. Half of this twosome is retired; my half will probably never know what that means. I promise to share.

The only trippin' I've been doing is over my erratic schedule and mood. Can I lend any good advice or tips to you as a result? Suuurrrre!

I discovered that climbing into the shower with yoga pants and a tee shirt under cold water, then sitting in front of a fan really cools you down.

I discovered getting a 16 ounce glass with a lid and straw filled with ice and water, then refilling every time it's empty (two of these before lunch, two before dinner minimum) keeps you hydrated and cooler.

I discovered if I'm jumping between three towns, three beds, it's best to lie and think a minute about where I am in the middle of the dark night before I try negotiating a path to the bathroom.

I discovered switching Internet and phone carriers is uber frustrating. We were able to get out of our Sprint hotbox due to non-existent coverage. My mood was greatly affected by lack of Internet coverage when I needed it. Costco had a deal and we netted new phones, a notebook, and Internet with Verizon for the same amount we were paying for a decent iPhone, crappy cell, and spotty

Internet coverage. Yes, the result was good, the changeover was a hassle. Tip: look at plans and at other places like Costco to save and upgrade.

See the glass with straw? Water and ice!

I discovered buying a new RV is just as infuriating as buying a new car. Yes, we decided to trade in the small RV, the Eagle, for a more comfortable size. Why are we upsizing? Does it mean we actually have a plan on what the next adventure is? Yes. Sort of. And I'll leave that until we are actually in possession of the Wildwood. (a few pics from still on the lot)

Finding The Way To Living It Up

2012 On the plains in Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

View from our window

The end of May seems like the end of spring to me. June always marks summer. As I write, I'm in a hotel room in Laughlin, Nevada. Summer comes early to this part of the country. One word - hot. Before you think we're crazy gambling when we barely have enough to afford the necessities, let me tell you we don't. Oh, we might put $5 in once or twice in a three day period. But if you've read any prior posts, you'll know the reason Frank comes is to fish Lake Mohave and the Colorado River while I hole up in the room to write. This might be the last time we do this since we now have the RV and the truck. Next week we'll get a hitch to use the home on wheels.

The financial side of this - I did promise to let you know how we were managing (with nothing in the bank but love) back when I started this blog.

More view from our window

I think I explained the free hotel rooms but here it is again. The first couple of times we came to Laughlin, we found which casinos had rooms for around $20 a night, during the week only. Weekends are always more expensive. After staying a couple of times, they started sending us free nights. At first, they would send us two free nights a month. Now, we get three. Some times we get coupons for dollars off food but not often. The days of cheap meals in casinos are in the past. Once in a while you can find breakfast specials or buffet specials. But honestly, $8 for a crappy buffet is not a deal to me. If we spend three nights a month here, we can't afford to eat even for that. So we wheel in our ice chest. I make dinners up ahead of time and we bring the fixings for sandwiches and snacks. We also bring a coffee pot. These are no longer provided in the room. This time we did receive six coupons for free coffee.

Lance putting nets on blackberries

Now as for the RV and truck, that's a matter of credit and our living arrangements. Even though Frank was out of work three of the last five years before he retired, and I also lost my job that last year, we managed to keep our credit rating. Yes, we lost what we had in the bank to retire on, but we never missed any payments. And the second part of that is how we now live. Sharing a home, a farm and all the expenses that go with it with another family enables us to make ends meet. We're managing to live on social security supplemented with my small royalties thanks to my son and his family. It's a symbiotic relationship that is suiting us all for varied reasons.

So, summer is coming to the farm. The only farm problem right now is the sweet potatoes. Our slips came but only half as many as I understood we were getting. Of those, two thirds are dead. The company is replacing that whole order and sending two

Summer comes to the farm

more orders via free shipping, but it might be too late. If they don't grow fast before fall arrives with cooler temps, we won't have sweet potatoes for the winter. Maybe we'll have an extra long warm summer.

One More Dream Come True

2012 On the plains in Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

We bought an RV, a fifth wheel. After all kinds of should we, shouldn't we, what are we doing, how can we not - we decided if not, then when? If not now, then never.

The decision did not come easy but makes sense for so many reasons. First a little history. Many years ago, Frank and I decided we would retire doing the RV thing. We've been shopping RV's for over fifteen years. We wanted a fifth wheel. Then one year, after some financial mishaps, our plan changed a bit. Or at least Frank tried to talk me into changing it. If we were going to be RVers, we'd have to sell it all and actually live in the RV. My resolve faltered. I wanted a home base. We kept shopping, and he about had me convinced when the economy really took a nosedive. The RV dream died with like dreams of many people our age.

Peppers going in the ground

Bring us up to 2012, when our two families joined together to farm. The original idea had been for us to actually get an RV and only help on the farm if we felt so inclined. It seemed possible if we were sharing expenses. But that was easier said than accomplished without much in the bank (except love). So, we hunkered down under one big roof and carved Tortuga Flats Farm out of the dusty prairie. And it's been rewarding as well as an adventure.

Fast forward to 2013. The other family is growing - I might have mentioned once or twice I have a beautiful baby granddaughter. The crops are more organized and this experiment is a minor success. The idea of creating more space started as a dim flicker in my mind and I let it grow. We looked at adding on to the house or building a guest house. Neither turned out to be financially feasible - close but too scary to take on. Then the old RV idea surfaced. It certainly adds space to the living area and it just happens to be mobile. Frank and I are gypsies

Tomatoes going in the ground

at heart. We found what we wanted, they were having a sale, the payment was unbelievably low, we bit our nails, and bought it. Since we will be able to travel more, not be home quite as much, we're trading ends of the house with Lance and Christie. They will have the large end now. This seems fair since there are five of them (counting dogs) and three of us.

Only one minor glitch - we don't have a truck to pull it. We may have been able to maneuver buying a new fifth wheel, but we'll have to go used on the truck. We're shopping and have a car salesman friend on the look out. You might think we put the cart before the horse, but I'm okay with that. We'll get there. I'm just anxious to take our first voyage.

Sunrise over the greenhouse

Meanwhile, the potatoes are in the ground as are the peppers, tomatoes and onions. All seeds are planted for various other vegetables. I've seen a few buds on the blackberries. And Frank's declaration a few days ago that we will have no fruit on the trees this year may have been an early prediction. Apparently, a few apple blossoms are just now opening. No peaches, pears, plums or figs. Keeping our hopes up for a few apples. Looking forward to our first RV trip.

Year Two Begins

2012 On the plains in Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Pounding rebar

Months pass with short daylight hours. Everything is dormant and the garden is nothing but dirt. I thought about when the farming would all begin again and the time seemed so far away. Then...bam! There's no easing into it. We're way ahead of last year, but we'd only moved in and hardly knew where to begin.

The greenhouse is nearly done. We're waiting for the plastic covering to arrive. I can't believe how fast Frank and Lance got the frame up - one day. It looked like the most difficult part was pounding the rebar into the ground to attach the PVC pipes.

Lance has trays and trays of seeds planted. They cover our dining room table and another table in front of the living room window. In a month, they go to the greenhouse. They'll spend time there until the danger of last frost has passed for most of them. Some vegetable seeds will be direct sowed into the ground but not for another month.

Garlic planted in the fall is up

Cucumber trellis

Meanwhile, the ground is getting tilled and compost added. We started a compost pile when we first moved in a year ago. Composting is not an entirely pleasant process but the garden is going to love it. The trellis system for the cucumbers is in the process also. We didn't do this last year so I'm excited to see how it will work.

I did manage to get all the blackberries trimmed and watered in between welcome spells of minding Sadi. Yes, twist my arm to hold my darling granddaughter!

I cleaned out the front flower garden and planted some flower seeds. Last years perennials are already peeking through. The early ones even have flowers. What we aren't happy to see are the peach and apricot trees already sending out buds. I haven't even gotten into the orchard to trim and clean out the tree wells. Frank put the tree food spikes in and noticed the buds. Bad news. We lost them last year with a late frost. A frost in May is not unusual. I suspect peaches and apricots are not a good choice for the orchard on this prairie. Not sure why the previous owner planted them. They're two of my favorites but wonder if we'll ever get any since they are so early to bloom.

Grandpa amuses Sadi

I have the trees to get in shape and the patio to clean up and then I'll get back to writing. Caring for Christie and Sadi comes first. Christie will be on her way to doing a lot more in another couple of weeks. I'll just keep the stories going in my head until I get it all down on paper.



We already have a rabbit problem this year. I'll leave that story for next time.

The Baby Arrives: A Story of Heaven and Hell

 2012 On the plains in Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

The last time I posted was March 4th. On March 5th all hell broke loose, with a big piece of heaven to balance it. According to the birthday book we have, March 5th is the day of heaven and hell. Our sweet Sadi Belle Whiteside, my first grandchild, entered our lives that day, and her birth date lived up to the hype.

All farm matters went on hold. All writing projects were suspended.

My daughter-in-law started labor at 6:00 am, March 4th. They admitted her into the birthing center that night about 10:30. We hung by the phone, but the night passed. On March 5th, we joined her parents in the waiting room vigil at the birthing center.

Proud Daddy wheels Sadi out

A little background: this had been one of the easiest pregnancies I'd ever witnessed. But then Christie is in amazing shape. She is a yoga practitioner, walks every day and eats incredibly healthy. She was bound and determined to have a total, no drug, natural delivery. Every indication was that she would.

Lance got zzz's while Grandpa rocked

First bottle during Mom's surgery

Okay - so - by the afternoon she was not progressing. Her back pain was so great she couldn't relax enough. She and my son finally agreed to an epidural. She quickly went from four to ten. Labor continued with my son coaching and Christie pushing. Then the contractions lessened, a side affect of the epidural. Unhappily, they consented to an inducing drug. But after over three hours of pushing, Sadi was stuck. The doctor rushed her in for an emergency C-section. At 5:24 pm, we had a beautiful granddaughter. The doctor said he'd never encountered this problem before. Christie has an odd shaped bone which turns in instead of out restricting the birth canal. Sadi's head stuck and she had the bump to prove it afterwards. Once they had her out, all seemed well. She immediately nursed, and Mom was beaming. An hour later, hell broke loose. By the time Christie made it back into surgery, she'd lost half her blood. It took eight units to get her through this. She'd pushed so hard she'd torn her cervix in two places. The surgeon did an amazing job of saving her and her chances for future children. We nearly lost her, and each day one of us tears up with the memory.

After several days in the hospital, Mom and daughter are home and doing fine. Christie has many weeks of recuperating to get through, but she's looking stronger each day. Sadi is a happy baby who is gaining weight and already has grandma and grandpa wrapped around her finger.


Yesterday was the first day we'd been able to turn some attention to the farm and me to my writing. I've just about finished trimming the blackberry rows. Frank and Lance got the supplies to build the green house. The watering system is on order. We couldn't wait any longer so we're funding it with credit. We hope to have two commercial crops, and I'll elaborate on that in future blogs.

For sure, life on Tortuga Flats Farm will never be the same!

Some Veggies Might Taste Austrian?

2012 On the plains in Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Last of the butternut

Butternut squash is an amazing vegetable. Our garden put out enough to last us most of the winter. Until a couple of days ago, we were still eating fresh butternut. They last for ages. The last five in the pantry were beginning to get brown spots so I peeled and canned them. We'll either make soup, Christie makes fabulous butternut squash soup, or we can steam and mash with butter.

Butternut canned

Spaghetti squash has the same lasting power as butternut, but we don't seem to be quite as enamored by it. I find it kind of tasteless. This variety depends more on sauces where butternut is tasty without anything on it.

Garlic shoots

The garlic has punched through the cold earth. We didn't have garlic last year because we didn't move in until after Christmas. This last October, no one else seemed to be thinking about planting. But we use a lot of garlic, I love garlic and so I took the lead on this crop. I used gloves of garlic - yep, regular old garlic from the store. I did a minimal amount of research - not exactly the farmer lady - and this was the easiest route to go. They've popped up. I put mulch around them. A hard freeze will probably kill them back and in the spring they are supposed to send up more shoots. Keep your fingers crossed.

Flower garden surprise

In the front flower garden there are green shoots. Most of what is out there came with the house. I did plant some seeds of various flowers but without success last summer. I'm not sure if what is coming up is from before or what I planted. There's no way for me to tell at this point as they're not recognizable, to me anyway. I love surprises!

Strawberry

The other early green is on the strawberry plants. I haven't taken the time yet to read up on them. We planted a few late in the year and only got a handful of fruit. I planted two out front in my flower garden that would produce one or two berries at a time. It was a game to see if I could get to them before Xena when they came ripe. I didn't know dogs liked strawberries.

Some of the work is starting soon. The blackberry bushes need cutting back in the next couple of weeks. Truthfully, not looking forward to it. They are tangled and stickery (no such word but really says it). I sort of took the lead on them last year so I'm afraid I set a precedent. I'm working on some sort of blackmail to get a few more hands tackling the thorny bushes.

I've mentioned the seeds we've purchased, but forgot to mention we have seeds from Austria. Our friends in Austria, Harte and Uli, sent Lance and Christie a box of seed packets for a wedding gift. What a fun gift. Maybe seeds are seeds, but I find this a fascinating concept.  How cool to think about something growing in Paulden, Arizona that came from another continent.

Exploring Arizona - Better Than Working!

2012 On the plains in Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Last Thursday, I opened with noting we'd had snow but it had all but gone. Today I can say the snow is still here. It started some time in the night Wednesday and continued on and off all morning. Still not enough to totally cover all the bare ground.

Since there is still no farming to do or building of the green house or watering system, we've been getting out and exploring. I still have a bathroom and living room to paint but couldn't get the energy to do it. Maybe next week, depending on if Sadi has arrived or not. I intended on having all the painting done by the time she arrived. I really hate to paint so I've been dragging my feet. Writing has taken a higher priority.

Rooibliss at the Haunted Hamburger

At the museum

Jerome is in the Black Hills. It's a fascinating old mining town that has survived, barely. The whole city is on the side of the mountains. First we had lunch at the Haunted Hamburger with my sister and husband then toured the Douglas Museum and had a great time. We snooped around the haunted hotel too.

Clowning in Jerome

Down a mine shaft

Hiking around Granite Basin

Lake and riders at Granite Basin

Frank and I explored around Prescott. We had lunch at a new sandwich place in Prescott called Scout's. Great fresh food. Then we went looking for Granite Basin Lake. There are numerous trails around the area for bikes, horses and hiking. Lots of camping in the area. There were signs posted to drive carefully, high use area, so I can imagine how crowded it is in the summer. We didn't have much competition for space on our hike although we were passed by five horses and riders.

We live in a great part of Arizona as far as being close to so many good day trips. We've made a promise to ourselves to get out like this more often.

Every Picture Has a Story...

2012 On the plains in Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Starting plants inside

Not a lot of farming going on right now. We had snow but it's pretty much gone. We haven't purchased materials to build the green house yet. Waiting for funds to build up. We do have some plants growing inside. In fact, we'll probably be starting seeds over the next few weeks which will stay in the house until they're big enough for the green house. We won't be able to heat the green house and we can have cold temps into May.

What we have been doing is inside work. These pictures tell the story. 

Baby bed put together

More of Sadi's room

Bedroom got paint and new computer table

New picture of old days

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New writing area put together

Frank installed a new kitchen sink

I got the wedding pictures organized