Wednesday

[Othersharon]

Just turned afternoon here. Beth, glad you’re able to leave today and Judy, hoping the last fix is minor and you can continue with your plans. It’s supposed to be a really hot day here today and so far it’s getting there. Time to just stay inside and do stuff in the house. I actually turned on the air conditioning on this morning mostly to get rid of the humidity. I’ve really not used the new one so need to figure out what all the buttons are for. And the instructions are in very fine print so it’s tough to read even with my reading glasses. Barbie, hope you’re able to get your home sold so you can move forward with your plans. Buddy saw his first deer last night when we were walking. He barked and ignored me. So going to have to work harder on that part of his training! Kinda glad the doe was quite far away from us and just looked up and decided to disappear back into the woods! And then Buddy decided to pay attention to me and continue our walk. He was happy we were out for a walk but he wasn’t ready to quit when I decided we should. But that’s pretty normal for him. I think he’d go until he drops. Guess I should decide on something for lunch before I drop from hunger!! Have a great day and gay cool!

[Acadianmom]

I did about zero yesterday and it looks like today will be the same. It's too hot to do much outside until it's almost dark.

Judy, I ordered a tray of the Baklava and it came yesterday. It is good but very sweet. I put most of it in the freezer and will try to just eat one piece a day. Glad you got your water heater fixed so you don't have to take cold showers. The water heater in my motorhome has the engine assist so it heats the water when I'm on the road. A couple of times when I didn't have electricity I have run the engine for a little while to heat the water. Probably an expensive way to heat water but I didn't have to take a cold shower. Hope the Ford place can take care of your leak.

Beth, Safeway is another grocery store we don't have. I hate that we have to make reservations now. I use to travel with no reservations unless I was going to a rally. Hope you were able to get on the road this morning.

I should cut Annie's claws, they are like little needles. I always have scratches on my arm from her jumping up on the arm of my chair and catching me instead of the chair. I don't hear her coming. Last night she decided to jump from the chair she was in to the chair I was in. She miss calculated and caught my knee.

It's almost 1:00 so need to figure out what to have for lunch.

Martha

[OregonLuvr]

Good afternoon, now it is anyway. Was busy this morning, then went to Safeway to pick up the order I filled out last night. I like their sales but rarely buy anything else unless I really need it and dont want to drive all over Then went to Fred Meyer (aka Krogers) to pick up my sales items there too. They had some mini watermelons on sale so I got 2 of them. These are BIG for mini's. The one I got at Safeway was half the size of these. They are a refreshing snack for me. So I cut one up got the chunks stored in the fridge and munching on a small bowl of them now before lunch. Also got some corn on the cob, the last I had was so sweet and delicious so I hope this is too because it has been a while. I save alot of money by not going inside the store. Things just jump in my cart for some reason this way I only get what is on sale or what I need. And I am not tempted by their bakery LOL

Hope Beth is having a good trip today. Barbie is painting, something I am saving for this late fall and winter. It is too nice for me to work in the house and once I get started I dont want to quit so there goes my day. Winter I dont care but I like to be outside if I can when it is nice. Prefer it not too hot either or I am in the house!!!! Think I will wash my car this afternoon it is looking like it needs it. And I need something to do. Laundry is in but that involves pushing a button LOL after drying is a bit of a different story. But still not very labor intensive.

Think I will make spaghetti this week, it kind of sounds good. But need to cook my pot roast tomorrow as I took it out of the freezer so I better use it. Will just toss it in the crockpot and then add some veggies later. I dont add them when I put the meat in because by the time the meat is tender the veggies are mush LOL Well I have had my appetizer think I will thow some corn in the micro, I love it done in there with the husk on, then cut off the end and squeeze the top and the corn comes out minus all the silk......easy peasy,

[Colliemom]

Karen, I’m the same way regarding in house stuff. I save my painting or whatever for Winter. Summers too short and I want to be outside. Barbie, there is a quick release painters tape that cons off really easy, that might work. O’Sharon, sounds like Buddy licks his walks. Molly has always enjoyed hers and we used to go anywhere from 2-3 miles a day. She loves going in the woods. With her arthritis now I think those days may be over. Once I go to Michigan State and have them check out her eye, then I am going to check an animal hospital over in Traverse City that does chiropractic and if they do, I’m going to see if I can take her over and have them give her a treatment. Dogs are like people they get knocked out of whack too.

I had my chiropractic appointment this morning and I was in an out in no time because other than making one small adjustment. I am in perfect alignment. Went to the farmers market and bought some blueberries from one of the local berry farms. I would like to go and pick them but with the temperatures predicted to be in the 80s I said no, because I can’t handle that, yes, next week isn’t too bad and they are still picking then I might go one day. In the meantime I have 5 pounds in the freezer.

It has been raining here for about the past couple of hours, and nice gentle rain. We were supposed to have been in the mid 80s today but with the rain coming in now p, temperature is down to 75. At one point I think it may have been up about 81. So since it is raining, I put primer on the cut outs that I did yesterday, and I also cooked up a package of chicken breast for the dogs dinners. Cut it all up and kept some of the refrigerator and some in the freezer. And just a short bed here I am going to take the ground beef that I bought the other day and mixup about half of it with onion soup mix and cook up a bunch of burgers, freeze them, and have one for supper supper. The other half I will just make burgers and Fries them and cook them later.

Judy, I’m glad you got the hot water issue fixed. I had a suspicion that it might have been in the propane system, from what you were saying about it going off and on. Now if Ford and can fix your problem today, I will see you tomorrow at Mackinaw.

[JudyJB]

Ford dealer here in Traverse city has new commercial repair shop in a separate building two doors down. Has big lifts even for bigger motorhome. Anyway, they determined radiator hose that place in Phoenix put in had tiny hole in it. Since it was Ford part, it is still under warranty. No charge but won’t have new part until Friday. I will pick it up on way down to cousins house that day.

And really enjoyed my HOT shower last night!!!

[Cudedog]

Buddy saw his first deer last night when we were walking. He barked and ignored me. So going to have to work harder on that part of his training! Kinda glad the doe was quite far away from us and just looked up and decided to disappear back into the woods! And then Buddy decided to pay attention to me and continue our walk. He was happy we were out for a walk but he wasn’t ready to quit when I decided we should. But that’s pretty normal for him. I think he’d go until he drops. Guess I should decide on something for lunch before I drop from hunger!! Have a great day and gay cool!

Have you ever tried an "about-turn" on Buddy? Staffordshire Bull Terriers can be pretty stubborn when something "catches their attention", I have used this technique to great success with my Stafford's over the years. Basically, when one uses this technique, they can't ignore you.

One needs to use a "training collar" (also sometimes known as a "choke collar").

I explain it here a little bit more in depth: http://womenrv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=19893&p=245878&hilit=dog+training#p245878

"When my Big Joe (a 45-pound Staffordshire Bull Terrier) came to me at almost three years old, he had been a kennel dog. On our first few walks around my neighborhood, I soon discovered he had a "thing" for cats (and my neighborhood was awash in feral cats, and still is). Whenever he would see a cat, he would instantly, and vigorously, give chase. The first time this happened it surprised me a bit (although it should not have done) and I was dragged along behind this bounding 45-pound dog straining at the end of my leash, trying to get him stopped.

After that, I used the training technique called "about-turn" (this may sound harsh, but it is not). What I did first was to do a little bit of teaching him to walk on heel in my largish back yard before we ventured out again. Once he had the concept (Joe is a very smart dog, he learned the rudimentary "heel" command in less than a day) we ventured out, with me aware that a cat could appear at any moment, and Joe would try to give chase.

What I would do is hold him on a fairly short (but loose) leash, holding most of the six-foot leash in my hand as slack. As soon as he began to bound after a cat [or when something else would grab his attention], I would release the slack in the leash (holding firmly to the loop in the end of the leash) and run in the opposite direction as fast as I could. Without saying a word, nor did I look back.

Of course, what would happen when Joe reached the end of the leash (as I was running in the opposite direction) is that he would lose his footing (and forget all about the cat). As he scrambled to regain his feet, I would just keep going, still saying nothing.

This taught him two things: 1., that I was in charge and 2., that he needed to pay attention to me - at all times - (instead of local distractions, like cats) if he wanted to stay on his feet.

I think I needed to do this maybe twice. This was several years ago. To this very day I can walk Joe by a cat that might be sitting in someone's front yard, only feet away, and he will not give the cat a second glance."

Good luck!

Anne

[BarbaraRose]

Just got home a bit ago. Went for my physical and everything turned out fine. My bloodwork was good, even my cholesterol levels were really good! Yay! Just a little dehydrated but otherwise no issues. Just need to get a mammogram next month.

Stopped at HD for more paint and then WM for a few things. This WM is over by my doctor's office and is super well managed! They had fresh corn on the cob. Each ear was cut off cleanly on the ends and stacked perfectly. I bought two ears and will try them tonight. My closer WM and the one I worked at aren't nearly as well managed as this one. All the shelves are well-stocked and organized well, nothing out of place. Makes shopping there a pleasant experience!

It is really hot out today. My car said 117* and it felt at least that hot! Out here we have to do things opposite of most other places. We hunker down inside in the summers and spend a lot of time outdoors gardening, walking, playing, etc, in the winters.

My sciatica was acting up while I was out and about. Just gonna lay on my bed for awhile longer to give it a rest and then I will get started on something. Tomorrow I need to get my bins organized to bring to the new storage place on Friday. So I will be out in the shed pulling those bins out and pulling some out of the porch as well. I already have all bins labeled for "storage" (meaning long-term) or "camping". Then Friday morning at 7am I will pick up a U-Haul van and go unload my old storage unit, come home and load up what I have here, and then take it all to the new storage unit. Hoping to be all done by 10am or so. On Sunday it is supposed to be under 110* so I plan to get up really early while it is cool outside (hopefully mid 80's), use my leaf blower to blow out the dust and dirt from the porch onto the deck, and then blow that onto to patio and driveway. Then hose down the deck, patio, driveway, lawn furniture, etc. and make that all look clean and inviting. And then vacume and dust and organize the porch. It should all be pretty much ready for showing by then. Whew! Will still have a few small projects in the works but for the most part it will be ready.

Have a good day!

[Bethers]

Yay for the hot shower, Judy.

Today's been a long day. But I'm on the road. I'm at Valley of Fires rec area in New Mexico. Most people automatically think of the similarly named place in Nevada. My feet and ankles are both badly swollen so I couldn't do the hike I wanted to here. Anne and Sandi, I'm too tired to write all about it, but I think you'd find this geology quite interesting. From the website "Valley of Fires
Valley of Fires recreation area is located immediately adjacent to the Malpais Lava Flow. Approximately 5,000 years ago, Little Black Peak erupted and flowed 44 miles into the Tularosa Basin, filling the basin with molten rock. The resulting lava flow is four to six miles wide, 160 feet thick and covers 125 square miles. The lava flow is considered to be one of the youngest lava flows in the continental United States." And hopefully you can read this from a picture I took near the trail.


And now I'm heading to bed.

[monik7]

Thank you, thank you Beth. I love this stuff. Thanks for remembering us. There are some great pics and info online of the Nature Trail. I had never heard of the park and trail.
Sandi

[snowball]

Beth I will admit that NV is where my mind went first I wondered why that direction and second that you made incredible good time...
Judy so glad that you got your issues fixed or will when they get the part...
Barbie it sounds like all is going well but with your winds and dust you will almost have to repeat all that stuff on a daily basis.... I hope that this guy is a real go getter and it sells quickly
it was a cooler day here and what did I have planned for supper??? cold sammies yep!!! but the speg that I could have reheated didn't sound that good.. guess though regardless of heat will have to have that or perhaps hot dogs still have two buns... I totally forgot some stuff one being tots and the other being oatmeal I do have some Steel Cut oatmeal which I happen to love but not sure mom would eat it's more chewy than the regular so not sure she would even try it... not that she is eating well like maybe 3-4 bites of sandwich
about the same with the oatmeal for breakfast
I finished the scarf for my great grandson but I was so late in finishing everything so by time I finished the scarf it was almost time to start supper so picked up the book but of course one can't just read one chapter and by the time I stopped it was after time to start supper... I should have taken a picture of one of the plants in one of the container... it's called wild organo and is starting to turn to pink really really pretty
I really don't do a lot out side to much of an effort caring around a tank guess mom is cold the door just got shut...
you all have a great day
Sheila

[Cudedog]

Yay for the hot shower, Judy.

Today's been a long day. But I'm on the road. I'm at Valley of Fires rec area in New Mexico. Most people automatically think of the similarly named place in Nevada. My feet and ankles are both badly swollen so I couldn't do the hike I wanted to here. Anne and Sandi, I'm too tired to write all about it, but I think you'd find this geology quite interesting. From the website "Valley of Fires
Valley of Fires recreation area is located immediately adjacent to the Malpais Lava Flow. Approximately 5,000 years ago, Little Black Peak erupted and flowed 44 miles into the Tularosa Basin, filling the basin with molten rock. The resulting lava flow is four to six miles wide, 160 feet thick and covers 125 square miles. The lava flow is considered to be one of the youngest lava flows in the continental United States." And hopefully you can read this from a picture I took near the trail.

And now I'm heading to bed.

Thanks, Beth!

I always find this kind of stuff extremely interesting.

But, first of all, what is the matter with your feet and ankles? Nothing serious, I most sincerely hope.

I'll comment a bit more tomorrow, but I'm wondering about the statement (contained in the poster you photographed) that a five-thousand-year-old lava flow is "considered to be one of the youngest lava flows in the continental United States".

Hrm! Lassen Peak here in California (about fifty miles from me as the crow flies) last erupted 1914 - 1917, just a little more than a hundred years ago. This eruption produced a very short lava flow, but a lava flow nonetheless.

Medicine Lake Volcano, (east of Mt. Shasta volcano) last erupted about one thousand years ago, and produced extensive lava flows and lava tube caves. I think I remember that one of the basaltic lava flows traveled about twenty miles, but I will check on that tomorrow.

Those are the stats of two of the volcanoes here that I know off the top of my head, I'll also look into other California volcanoes that have erupted over the recent geologic past. There are quite a few of them. Then there are the Cascade volcanoes of Oregon and Washington to consider as well.

Here is a fun graphic showing the major west coast volcanoes (California, Oregon and Washington - and there are an enormous number of "minor" west coast volcanoes as well, not listed here) and their eruptive history over the last 4,000 years (note the "200" on the bottom right of the graphic, with the red dashed line above - these are the west coast volcanoes that have erupted within the last two hundred years!)



I don't know which of these produced lava flows - the famous eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980 was massively explosive, but did not produce a lava flow - although earlier eruptions of St. Helens did produce lava flows that also created lava tube caves.

Thanks, Beth!! You have got my juices flowing!!

Anne

[Bethers]

Anne, It says one of, not that it's the newest. Lol I think you're a little bit favoring the ones on the west coast and that you've been to. I've been to Lassen as well as several others. They are all amazing. And all different. Thanks for asking about my feet. It's a curse of to much sitting(driving) and the heat. I know I was drinking enough water, but dehydration can play a part also.

You're welcome, Sandi!

[SoCalGalcas]

I loved that area. Stopped there when ever I was close. Found the sites were a little un even, but worth the trouble of leveling to enjoy walking around, fascinated by the geology of the area.
Lyn

[Cudedog]

Anne, It says one of, not that it's the newest. Lol I think you're a little bit favoring the ones on the west coast and that you've been to.

Well, of course!!

My (ex) husband and I were attending a conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, one time, long ago. I saw on a map that there was a volcano in the southern part of the state, so I left my husband at the conference and drove about four hours or so to see what it was all about.

I don't remember the name of the volcano, but I do remember that it was very interesting.

Thanks, Beth!

Anne