Campfire

[BarbaraRose]

When in the desert one should also carry forceps to pick the cactus spines out of shoes and legs and, the rear end when falling into a cactus plant. lyn

That is a great idea! Fingers sure aren't the way to go! They just get stuck in those too! I think I used one of my socks to pull the spines out of my leg and then threw my socks away later. What type of "forceps" or tongs do you suggest? Maybe a small pair of those tongs with the silicone on the ends so they grab better? I bet fish bone tweezers would work good too!

[BarbaraRose]

I could use a real campfire about now. I am sitting all bundled up on my deck right now. I was cleaning my kitchen and decided to mix some Dawn and a little bleach together in a bottle. Started feeling nauseous shortly afterward and then read on the internet that that combination causes toxic fumes! So I am airing out my apartment and getting some very fresh air right now. Silly me! Got the bedroom door shut so the animals don't get exposed to any of it. It wasn't much but enough to make me feel sick. I poured it down the sink right away.

(I knew housecleaning can kill you! That is why I try to avoid it whenever possible! )

[JudyJB]

Duct tapes does a great job on removing cactus spines, also. It also removed those tiny ones you can't see but you know are there. I've seen little rolls of it somewhere that would be about the right size to stick in a fanny pack.

Just got back from getting gas, grocery shopping, and 12 days of laundry, Whew!! Including putting everything away, its a full day's job, especially when you have to drive almost 30 miles. My refrigerator was empty and I knew the next campground wouldn't have a laundry either. PLus I plan to drive through Joshua National Park on the way out of here and knew there would be no laundry on my way out, either.

Tomorrow I rest and do some teaching things.

[Redetotry]

I could use a real campfire about now. I am sitting all bundled up on my deck right now. I was cleaning my kitchen and decided to mix some Dawn and a little bleach together in a bottle. Started feeling nauseous shortly afterward and then read on the internet that that combination causes toxic fumes! So I am airing out my apartment and getting some very fresh air right now. Silly me! Got the bedroom door shut so the animals don't get exposed to any of it. It wasn't much but enough to make me feel sick. I poured it down the sink right away.

(I knew housecleaning can kill you! That is why I try to avoid it whenever possible! )

Barbie bleach is really bad stuff especially for your respiratory system. There are several research projects that say vinegar is just as effective for germs. I keep a spray bottle filled with white vinegar & water in my kitchen & bathroom. I also add it to the rinse cycle instead of products like Bounce. Hope you feel better soon.

[snowball]

We went hiking several years ago to a palm canyon ...wondering if it's the same one....the one we went to is located east of AZ 95 really a pretty area...it was the first winter we were in Q so 2008 hardly able to make it up the trail will need to try again but don't know who will want to go hiking with me...
enjoyed your pictures....lovely area
get rested up ok
sheila

[JudyJB]

This one is in California, near Borrego Springs. I saw in an online search that there are other "palm canyons" with springs and palms at the end around Palm Springs, California, and in Arizona, so these must be pretty common.

Unless they are heavily traveled, I think it is important to do this in cooler weather as I did and have someone with you, so glad you will not try one of these alone.

[Redetotry]

Thought I should bring up the Campfire as it sounds like a lot of us need or will be needing a cozy fire. We are in the line of the ice storm they are predicting sleet, freezing rain and snow which will go on until Friday. Ice scares me! Today was beautiful although windy, it was 70 degrees and by tomorrow night the freezing rain arrives

[avalen]

so cold today, and windy so there was a chill factor but nothing like other parts of the country. But the wind chill made my right knee
really hurt so am trying to get warmed up now that i'm home with the little heater on. Also a hot apple drink hits the spot.
Dreaming of the day thats coming soon

[BarbaraRose]

BJ, your getting the storm we got in MN today. The Twin Cities was just north of the snow/freezing rain line so we just got the snow here. About 8 inches where I am. Not looking forward to the subzero temps coming behind it tho!

Got my little electric heater/fireplace going tonight so it feels nice and cozy in here! I have tomorrow off from work but have to take my dad to his doctor appointment in the morning. Then I will come back home and hunker down again. Hybernation mode is setting in!

[JudyJB]

Brrrr! My water pump in not working, and it is supposed to get down to 21 here in what is supposed to be a warm Southern California! (There is no place further south to go, other than Mexico!) So I dumped my tanks and disconnected and drained my water hose. I will have to rely on the three gallons I have in jugs for overnight toilet flushing and hand washing. Took my shower earlier. Electric heater is going like crazy, and I think I will go to bed early. Will have to turn on furnaces about 3:00 am to protect tanks since they are vented from furnace.

Will be going in the morning to do some last minute shopping before I head to Death Valley. It is going to be cold there also, so I suspect I will have to refill propane there at very high prices. At least I know it is available there. Will make sure I have a full tank of gas, at least, so I won't have to buy any there.

Don't I schedule my visits to places like Yosemite and Death Valley well??

[snowball]

Judy why don't you top off the tanks? That way perhaps you can get by if not at least you started out with full tanks...
it is so cold here in Ogden UT was hoping that I would be on my way tomorrow but the bad luck on my truck is still with me!!!
Just an update: finally got my truck on the Tues before Thanksgiving hooked up pulled out and the brake light stayed on...tried disengaging the e brake and then went on it was still lite up so stopped called dd she said if you can't smell the brake probably just a light that won't go out so got out sniffed didn't smell anything so went on at a sedate speed of 45 and there looms this hill thought I will never make it up at this speed so took the turn out called son in law and said I was turning around...went to put it in the space it had sat all summer and couldn't get it up the hill to it's space...so dd's boyfriend backed it down the hill..they parked it at the church to see what was wrong .....unhooking of course... grandson and dd's boyfriend took it for a drive and came back said he thought it was the e brake wouldn't disconnect (think they did that before going for a drive) got it unconnected took it for a drive and fixed the brake for a while...grandson said I just don't think it has the ooomp it should have..and by that time much too late to leave so stayed for Thanksgiving it still wouldn't come up the hill...so on Friday my dd said made an executive decision you take the truck down to UT we will find a truck to tow the 5th wheel cause there is a storm coming in...so they had grandson come with me think cause of the truck not working well and I went to UT they got my brothers truck and brought the 5th wheel down storing it at my nieces...about a hour from here. On Monday took it to the shop and finally today was to pick it up went to get it (from what I understand my nephew who did the work on it didn't hook up something that was needed) anyway the truck was warming up and decided that too much diesel was coming into the office so nephew went to move the truck and looked back to see a puddle of something turned out to be transmission oil and coming from my truck so they are checking to see why it's leaking hopefully will get the truck tomorrow and if weather permits will leave on Friday if not well guess I won't ...but one day will get the truck hooked up to the trailer and will go south it's much too cold here!!!
sheila

[Acadianmom]

The Christmas party for the club I belong to was tonight. We played the dirty Santa game where you can steal presents and had chicken and sausage gumbo. It's still 70 tonight but very fogy. The cold front is suppose to get here Friday night. It's not suppose to freeze. Hope we don't get the bad weather they are predicting for North Louisiana and North Texas.

Tomorrow night is the Christmas Stroll in downtown. The stores stay open late and some serve punch and cookies. Don't know if I'm up for that. My lower back and knees have been bothering me. I couldn't think of what I did until I remembered I was crawling around in the back of the truck cleaning up glass.

Sheila, sorry you are having so much trouble with your truck. Makes it bad when you have to depend on others to get things fixed.

Martha

[avalen]

stirring the coals on the campfire, it was getting really low and stashing a few bottles of wine for ya'll In all this cold weather we
just might need a good fire.

[Carolinagal]

Good idea, Ava, freezing so many places ! Hot toddy and nice fire appeals I'm sure. Tina's probably going to jump in the hot tub though !, LOL !

[BirdbyBird]

I think that I am too cold to think about jumping in a hot tub....well the hot tub part sounds fine it is the getting out that would be more difficult to bear......burrrr.

I have decided to stay in my little rv cave here in Kerrville. The tipping point was when I realized that though this woman from Ohio knew how to drive in this weather, folks here in Texas do not.....