You Kept It Because...?

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.

Finally, we're at the packing stage. Because we're storing all but what we need at the RV Ranch, we're taking the time to sort through boxes, drawers, and closets. I've had moves, many moves, before where we just pack it all and worry about it at the other end. Those were moves in the 9 to 5 working days when there was very little time to pack. Since Frank is retired and I can call my own hours, we don't have to cram boxes in the evenings or in one weekend.

It's pretty funny...some of the stuff we've carried around for years

Never throw away a cord

such as a big ben of wires and

We kept these because...?

cords. And there have been plenty of drawers or cupboards with things we don't even know what their use.

The last inspection netted us some work. The inspector said we needed to level the yard so it didn't slope toward the house. The yard is the same as when we bought it, except we planted grass. Four years ago, the inspector was fine with the slope. We spent the morning hauling in dirt to fill areas all around the house. Fingers crossed he approves,

otherwise it will take a landscaper to tear up the whole yard.

In the middle of all of this, Frank had cataract surgery. Yeah, that got him out of a few days of work. Did I mention I finished book four in the series and got it off to my editor?

The appraisal is tomorrow. Then the real packing begins. Yep, we are storing it and heading to the Ranch until we decide on another place...or not.

P.S. We still need a home for our workhorse tractor!

Battling pests in 2013

Picking blackberries 2013

SOLD!

 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.

Sold the first day

What a whirlwind these last few weeks have been. Bittersweet. With only half of us here, the farm isn't a farm, and selling it just seems right. As for the whirlwind...Frank and I have been trippin’ through fields, painting, cleaning, and completing all the repairs we should’ve tackled

All spruced up

long before now. We met with two realtors and chose Karen Riley, a delightful woman who was born and raised in Prescott, but has lived in Paulden for years.

We must’ve chosen correctly because in the first 48 hours she listed the farm, we had three offers. We weren’t ready for that! Thinking it would take at least a couple of months to sell, we really had no plan on

Lizards are fat this year

where we would move. And we still don’t know. We’ve been too busy to look.

We still need to sell the tractor.

Today we have the home inspection and the well inspection. Next

A fruit tree from the sucker I planted in 2012

week will be the termite inspection and the following week the septic gets pumped. July 7^th is the expected closing date. Looks like it will be quite a fourth of July for us!

Really big tomato plant the first year

Sharing some pictures from now and then. I’ll have to let you know just where we’ll be trippin’ to next…when we know!

Hollyhock by front door

 

More hollyhock

The only cactus on the property

Me...dressed to weed in 2012

Tortuga, Tucson, and $$ Tips

Tortuga Thursday 

In 2012, on the plains of 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

A stop on the Sabino Canyon tour

Taking time to post for Tortuga Thursday has been difficult. Plus, I've discovered while in pain, I'm not much good at writing. Yep, the back is still a problem. I hoped the three days of relaxation I would be forced into when we went to Tucson would do it. No such luck. I've got an appointment at the Indian Medical Center tomorrow.

However, the time in Tucson - a gift from Lance and Christie for my birthday - was fantastic. Here's one of those living on the cheap tips: resorts in the off season can be had for a third of their normal fees.

On the resort grounds

While in Tucson, we took the tram through the Sabino Canyon. We

On the resort grounds

got the senior discount. We didn't do any hiking because of my back, but can't wait to return when I'm healthy. What a gorgeous place.

On the farm, we have soy beans, okra, crookneck yellow squash, tomatoes, onions, and zucchini harvested every day. Soy beans have about a 3-day period when they have to come off the plant. I hit it right this year. They taste wonderful.

Purple okra in a basket of soy beans

We are officially done with the farmers' markets. Although we have

Purple okra bloom

some product left, we're not vending anymore. We'll keep it and use for ourselves or give at Christmas. I'm rather happy to be done with the market which tied up every weekend for us.

One sad note, we had to euthanize Rusty. One day he was fine and the next he couldn't stand on his own. We miss him horribly. He was my other son and my baby. He was Frank's fishing buddy and best friend. We're thankful we had him for the past eleven years. He enriched our lives as only a good doggie can. 

Barrel cactus in bloom in Tucson

The Start of Summer in Pictures

Tortuga Thursday 

In 2012, on the plains of 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.

Busy, busy, busy. We're doing two farmers' markets a week now. While I'm writing one book, waiting to get a release date on two others, and working in the garlic fields, everyone else has a full plate too. There have been a few off moments like Rusty getting sick and going to the vet (on the mend now) and the washer breaking down (that's now fixed). But mostly, things are growing including Sadi. I'm going to let the pictures tell the story of summer dawning on Tortuga Flats Farm.

Sweet potatoes in the ground

Organic means some bug holes

A wheel barrow I can manage

Sadi loves summer

The curls are delicious garlic scapes

Garlic and Goats

Tortuga Thursday 

In 2012, on the plains of 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.

Garlic is occupying a lot of time this week. Well, actually the weeds around the garlic are consuming my days with the exception of some editing time. Last month, we got all the weeds from around the plants. This week I'm concentrating on between the rows. Since it's been a couple of weeks, those babies took off and are as tall as the some of the garlic. But the rows should be all clean by Sunday. How pretty they look when the weeds are gone. Seven of the varieties we planted look awesome. The other two are sparse so we can rule them out for next year.

Sadi loves baby animals. Our neighbors who you have heard me brag on before

Aunt Eunice shows her how.

have baby goats right now. Sadi has adopted our neighbors and they are now Uncle Dave and Aunt Eunice. Aunt Eunice has to feed one of the baby goats several times a day. Sadi took great pleasure in helping. She

All by herself.

always has such a good time when she visits their farm and has no fear of any of the sheep, cows, dogs or goats. Which can present a problem so we have to watch her closely.

Sadi also got her first tractor ride this week. Lance has been hesitant or should I say fearful to take her on it because it takes two hands to shift and drive. But she now has the words to ask and he just couldn't

refuse. It was a short ride but to Sadi it was the trip of her life!

Straw Bites and Two-Year-Old Delights

Tortuga Thursday 

In 2012, on the plains of 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.

Frank and I spent some time on the farm. Tortuga has been a pretty mellow place so we've been hanging out in Tonto Basin - Frank fishing and I've been writing. But it was time to do a little work on the farm, celebrate Sadi's second birthday then dog sit while Lance, Christie and Sadi went to Disneyland and the beach for a week. We learned a few things.

I learned either there are stinging bugs I couldn't see in the straw or the straw is the culprit. My knuckles are still swollen and itchy from some sort of mishap while weeding garlic. And I was wearing gloves. My next weeding day, a couple of weeks from now, I'll be careful to not rest my fists in the straw. So weird.

That was one of the things I learned while weeding garlic. The other thing I learned when weeding 300 foot rows is to look behind...see how much was accomplished...because looking at what still stretched out ahead was very discouraging.

Sadi's birthday party at the pizza parlor was  a blast. Her cousin Eli was there. It's

amazing to watch the differences in how boys and girls play even as early as two years old.

Frank learned making repairs around the house is tedious work. Well, he always knew that but after three trips to the hardware store for the same door part, he was convinced.

Some repairs, like plumbing, are best left to experts. The mainline plugged.  Yes, it was an eventful week.

Sadi came back from California with a cold. My granddaughter has most definitely embraced the typical two year old personality. Add a cold to that. She had her stinker moments. But she's sweet as pie the rest of the time. If I'd forgotten, I relearned just how wonderful a two year old can be.

And this guy is a new addition since last we were on Tortuga Flats Farm.

Chicken, Chard,and a New Baby

Tortuga Thursday 

In 2012, on the plains of 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.

Garlic

It's only February, but things are coming back to life on the farm. We can't be too sure of the garlic yet. We do have several rows with tops popping out, some rows with a few, but there are other rows with no signs of anything except some grass. Not great news. It's time to dive in and do some weeding and pulling back mulch to check. That will happen over the course of the next couple of weeks. Which means...Frank and Brenda will be spending a few more days on the farm and less days at the Lazy JR RV Park in Tonto Basin.

There are a few more edibles in the greenhouse too. Chard is hardy. Onions are about

Greenhouse

ready. More greens are looking good. I'm a chard lover. Although I'm not crazy about kitchen time, I made a delicious chard and chicken skillet dish. Here's the recipe which I made up:

Add chard

CHICKEN THIGHS WITH CHARD

All done

Chop the red stems into one inch pieces and saute with minced garlic in olive oil. After  about five minutes, add boneless chicken breasts. Season with pepper and cumin. Cook until done. Add the green part of the chard. I tore it into pieces. Cover and simmer until done. The red chard gives the chicken great color!

Lance and Baby

AND Tortuga Flats has a new member of the family - Baby or Kitty - depending on what Sadi chooses to call her that day. When I arrived back at the farm, it was a Baby day. It's so much fun watching them play together. I neglected getting a picture. Maybe next time.

Retiring (sort of) On the Cheap

 Tortuga Thursday 

In 2012, on the plains of 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.

Sadi and her doggies romp

Winter has definitely come to Tortuga Flats Farm. We're all hibernating, doing odd jobs that get put off when the fields are alive and growing. We do have life with the garlic, but it's below ground and hidden.

We still intend to vend at the Prescott Farmers' Market on Saturdays, weather permitting. As Frank says "we're pirates, not Eskimos!"

Now is the time of year that I might not post weekly unless something noteworthy happens. Just a heads up.

Welcome to the Lazy JR

Other news in the land of Tortuga is Frank and I have moved the RV to Tonto Basin. We're at the Lazy JR Ranch which is an over 55 park set in the trees on the edge of Tonto National Forest. It's a short walk down to Tonto Creek. We're in a beautiful basin surrounded by tall mountains and a short drive to the rim country of Arizona. Some of the

Down our road

residents are year round while others are winter visitors. We're on a small site that still accommodates the RV, boat, both cars, outdoor table and barbecue. We have our name on a waiting list for a bigger site that will cost another $5 a month. But as I understand it, we might have to wait for someone to die before a spot opens up. I've written a few murders in my books. Hmm...

As promised, I'll share the details for living on a dime. It took some research on Frank's part to find this place. There are some other sites in the Tonto Basin area but they charge a little more and aren't nearly as scenic. This place has a rustic feel to it. But they have a nice laundromat, an outdoor barbecue

The Laundromat

gathering area and a nice clubhouse. Most of all, the people are friendly. The owners live on-site too. Our site is $180 a month. It cost us that for a week in Laughlin. Retiring on a shoestring, if you don't mind RV living, is possible. We're 35 minutes out of Payson - a great little cowboy town for those not familiar. We're under 2 hours to the valley and major shopping. And what is great for Frank is the proximity to three lakes. For a fisherman, this is like the best spot in all of AZ. I'm throwing myself into my writing cave while he fishes. And for retiring without much moola, it's great.

Across the street and...

We're 3 hours from the farm through some of the most gorgeous

...all around us

country in Arizona so I don't mind the drive which we've been making once a week for the Farmers Market. It's about 10 degrees warmer here than Paulden. Yesterday we had snow all around us, literally minutes away. As the winter progresses, I'll share more about this style of RVing.