Thursday, February 15
From those first sprinkles Wednesday morning, the rain falls lightly, yet steadily, all day. By nightfall the rain is coming down hard, drumming the roof of the Best Little Trailer.
All night long it rains.
I lie in bed imagining this plastic capsule we call home bobbing on waves like a wayward beach ball.
This morning I open the door to this . . . .
The mountains are “gone” and — haha! — there’s a pond in our back yard!
The crew stands solemnly in the open doorway, undoubtedly with full bladders, as they consider their options.
“Reggie? Roger? You’re gonna’ hafta’ go outside. Go ahead. Go on out there. A little rain won’t hurt.”
Out they go, across the mat, sprinting to the mesquite tree.
This is no time to find the perfect target for their aim. Efficiency and speed is what’s needed now. (In the next photo, Roger is giving himself a good shake, which Reggie just did also.)
Through the back window I see a bird.
I can’t get a clear view of him through the rain to identify him. He’s small and gray with a pale yellow underside (not on the breast, near the tail), his beak is tiny like the sharpened point of a wooden pencil, and he wears a crest on his head.
The bird takes advantage of the rain. Perched on a bare branch of the mesquite, he fluffs out the feathers on his little body and spreads his tail feathers. A few moments later, he shakes the water off and repeats, turning his face upward.
That’s a happy bird!
The rain that started Wednesday morning falls steadily all day, all night, and all day Thursday, too.
What does one do?
What does one do when kept inside a tiny trailer during a couple days of cold rain? Well, there’s always sorting and re-organizing stuff. The drawer that I gave the job of holding all my maps and atlases has become a junk drawer. I go through all that, throwing away a lot of old papers and tourist brochures.
Of course, I read. Wisely, when the batteries were well charged, I loaded my Paperwhite with ebooks.
Speaking of batteries . . .
There’s an important benefit of having all one’s batteries connected in times of consecutive days of heavy overcast and rain. The battery in the Best Little Trailer and the two storage batteries in the Perfect Tow Vehicle are connected to the PTV’s engine battery. By starting up the PTV and letting it idle for a while, all batteries are charged.
That allows me to type this blog post on Friday, our third, dark day.
Oh, yeah, I was talking about things to do on rainy days. One thing you can do, one fun thing, one of my favorite things in the whole wide world, is to EAT.
The tortillas I buy out of Tucson are great except they do tend to stick together in the package. I tore a few while separating them.
Torn tortillas aren’t strong enough.
I need them to support my Mexican-landfills-on-a-plate, otherwise known as tostadas.
Sitting inside the BLT with the fridge and stove taunting me and with my gut whining “Feed me, feed me,” I get an idea and fly into action.
I cut the big and torn tortillas into pieces. Then I smear cream cheese on the pieces. I wrap the tortilla edges over the cream cheese, creating cute, little bundles. These I drop into hot olive oil, turning them once after a few seconds, and then removing them to a paper towel.
What a decadent treat!
The tortilla part is brown and crunchy and inside the cream cheese is melted, warm and oh-so-creamy. Boy, accompanied by a cup of hot tea, these are perfect snacks for a chilly, dark, rainy day!
Okay, don’t laugh.
I know. I bypass the Desert Mesquite Honey and then make snacks far less healthful and more fattening than any honey ever was. Well, you try having self-discipline when your home is so small that food is always within reach of your face. It ain’t easy!
Anyway . . . .
Friday, February 16
The rain stops.
The boys get to run around in the mud . . . .
Roger finds what’s left of his bone and Reggie doesn’t care . . . .
Let me tell you . . .
I’m very glad to have the big blue mat and the remnant of the old mat. We’d be living in a mud hole without those mats and the mud would be tracked inside.
I won’t be able to hose off the mats, being as we’re boondocked in the desert. When the clouds go away, I may have to turn the mats over so the sun can dry the mud on the underside and make them clean again.
That’s it for now, from our foggy home in Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge! What’s going on in your neck of the woods?
rvsue
NOTE: “Neck of the woods” — a quaint phrase from my parents. I haven’t any idea what a neck of the woods is . . . like lots of things I say and don’t understand. — Sue
THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY BLOG!
To see a few of the products recently purchased by readers or to browse and shop, follow any of these links to Amazon:
Mini Water Filtration System
Sweet Ginger Peach Black Tea
Black Eyed Susan Flower Seeds
Steamer Basket Rack Set for Instant Pot
California Benchmark Road & Recreation Atlas
Samsung Galaxy 32GB for Verizon (Refurbished)
RVSue and her canine crew is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Love rainy days.
In Northeast Florida…75-80 degrees…beautiful February day.
YOU’RE FIRST AGAIN, JOY! I should have titled this post “The JOYS of rainy days.” 🙂
😂😂😂
You are right Joy! Today was a beautiful day! FINALLY!
Lots of rain!
If only Northern Arizona was that lucky! No rain here.
Well, you’re right Sue about the food staring you in the face when you’re inside close quarters on rainy days. Happens to us too. Snacks and drinks is what we usually enjoy along with reading, so it can get pretty quiet. The biggest adventure is to walk the dogs, then get them back inside, all paws wiped clean so they don’t track mud onto the carpet.
Oh! I forgot to say that when you have “step saver” quarters like most in an RV, you can sit on your couch in the living room while opening the fridge in the kitchen (well, maybe not that close, but you get the idea)!
I could actually do that in my conversion van. 🙂
“Step Saver” indeed!
I enjoy rainy days…came home from the gym this morning and decided to go walking in the park…slight drizzle with fresh air (dust and ozone levels down)…saw two squirrels sitting under the park bench, wasn’t sure what was going on till one rushed out behind then came back, both started eating peanuts from a pile behind the bench…funny thing, the other one took his turn to snag a few peanuts…so both got exercise and enjoyed a treat! As I was leaving, I saw the little boy that was tip toeing to drop peanuts on the stack…he then ran back to his mother in the car…such joy on his face on this gray, cloudy day…then came in to find your delights of a rainy day…I am blessed.
Take Care
Where in Phoenix, AZ do you see squirrels? I’ve never seen squirrels in Phoenix…maybe some in Mogollon Rim area or at the Grand Canyon but not in Phoenix…haha
Good question, Rita…
From Quora website:
“There are 3 main types of ground or rock squirrels that live in and around Phoenix: the Harris Antelope squirrel, round tailed ground squirrel, and the rock squirrel. Antelope squirrels often get confused with chipmunks but they are actually squirrels not chipmunks. They are quite common although they do prefer undeveloped areas.”
Hi Rita, well, on my back patio…there is one that likes to hide in my plants, watches me when I open the verticals then hops over the wall goes to the trees and chatters at me…it is reddish brown, has a bushy tail and I swear he is laughing at me, visits every couple of weeks, used to drive Miss Mollie crazy…the park at Cactus and 27th ave is where I saw them this morning…I’ll try to snap a photo so I can research which squirrel lives near me…actually this was the 1st place I saw one in the Valley, been here since ’72. I like that he makes me laugh!
Hi Sue- its been cloudy/rainy here in the east, too. Then tomorrow night it’s supposed to snow!
A sad day around here- our old pony, last of our horses, passed away this morning. It wasn’t unexpected, as she was very old, but it leaves us with a kind of sad, empty feeling. Well, she has joined our herd in the next world…we will see them all again someday, I hope.
How sad for you. I’m very sorry, Becky.
Good morning Becky,
I am very sorry for your loss. I had horses for 40+ years. There is nothing quite like them. They are wonderful companions and teachers. I learned so much from mine and there’s nothing like riding through the woods and fields….just you and your horse. It’s very difficult to lose such a friend. My “last horse” died a few years ago. Had she lived a couple more months she would have been 30 and I would have had her 29 years and 6 months. She was my first baby. I raised and trained her….and was the only one ever on her back.
I’m sure our horses are running free and enjoying being forever young! And I have no doubt that we will see them again.
Love from one horse lover to another.
MB from VA
Sue, I’ve lived in Phoenix for 41 years. There is nothing like rain in the desert. Plus, I’ll eat anything on a tortilla!
Neck of the Woods was an expression my family used too. I grew up in Western NY, in the countryside around Rochester. I recall expressions from my childhood every now and then. My grandmother called closets “clothes-presses – an expression I’ve not heard in years. The sofa was called a Davenport…hmmm I’ll have to try and remember others before they are lost to the fog of time.
My grandmother called a jacket a mackintosh, which we grandkids wore with galoshes on rainy days. You know, those boots with the weird metal things that pulled across to hook. 🙂
It makes me smile remembering the old sayings. Anyone else hear “do hickie” which described anything for which one did not have the name. Or the thingamajig. I’d tell you that we in Oregon are having some rain too but I’m sure that would not be news!
Oh yeah, dohickie and then there’s thingamabob which is the lazier version of thingamajig. 🙂
Ohioans use those words as well, including “Neck of the Woods.” It is rainy and dreary here in TN. Was 73 degrees yesterday, then the clouds, rain and a daytime high of 43 today. The rain has tapered off, but more on the way.
We seem to always have rainy days after Angel gets a bath. She likes her baths, but hates her nails clipped. She doesn’t even like to have her feet & legs dried, but it gets done anyway.
Maybe whatchamacallit was related to the dohickies who might have been cousins of the thingamajigs and thingamabob bunch? Just a thought.
I know both of those.
I still use Davenport, but I get some weird looks. Don’t care, can’t change now.
Hi Sue, My neck of the woods (Ajo) has looked pretty much the same as yours the last two days. Very overcast and foggy and the same today. Looks like you got more rain over there. Went for a short walk yesterday and saw a Sharp-shinned Hawk perched high up on a saguaro, head swiveling back and forth. Stopped to watch for a bit, but he didn’t spy anything for dinner. This morning a very large and obviously well fed coyote walked through camp. I believe he was about the largest one I’ve seen.
Also read a lot. I’ve been reading Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey. Just a few pages left.
I had my mail sent general delivery on Monday. Tracking shows it left Phoenix at noon yesterday but doesn’t show as arrived yet. If they get it checked in today will make a trip into town. If not will be Monday since the post office is closed Saturday and Sunday.
Forecast says sunny weather returning tomorrow so planning to go to Barry Goldwater Range to do some hiking. Perhaps see some big horn sheep.
Isn’t it wonderful to be able to just relax and enjoy one’s surroundings and not have to rush back to a fixed base? I feel so blessed to be living as I am now.
Debra, Monday is President’s Day holiday, so you might want to check on if the post office is closed Monday…
Thanks Ladybug! I have to look at my phone to know what day of the week it is, LOL! I have no idea when it’s a holiday haha!
I also have Desert Solitaire checked out from the library. I’ve wanted to read it ever since we visited Arches National Park last year.
Abbey was somewhat of a scoundrel in his personal life and I don’t share some of his philosophical beliefs. But reading his account of rangering in the late 50s when Arches was still a lightly developed national monument sure makes me wish I could have been there then. I’m sure you will enjoy it.
It’s raining here in my “kneck of the woods” too, but that is pretty usual for Oregon winter. I am also reading Desert Solitaire by Abbey. Its an interesting read, though I do appreciate some paved roads in National Parks, I can understand wanting to keep some wilderness. I have been very fortunate to see so many beautiful places- National Parks and wilderness areas (I used to backpack).
Debra, two places you can always count on to be closed on every holiday are Banks and Post Offices, so as Ladybug said, check first.
Hi Jazzlover, true, the first step though is realizing it’s a holiday 😀. Since I retired I seldom even know what day of the week it is and have to check my phone to see!
Hello Debra, I’ve only been retired for a little over 4 months and seemed to have fallen right into that mode of not knowing what day it is, nor caring. Think I could get very used to it!
Rain in Southaven, MS too. We saw the sun yesterday afternoon for a while, but the rain returned during the night. It has rained all week and is going to rain all next week too. That is winter in Memphis. We are headed into Spring now, with the promise of warm weather and flowers. So excited for Spring to come. I am going to have to sod part of my yard though after all this rain, the dogs that trampled most of my backyard into sticky mud. Thank goodness I have a large covered patio that covers outside the back door. Thank you for sharing your days.
In Bill Bryson’s “Made in America”, he claims that the word ‘neck’ in the saying is from the Algonquian word “naiack” meaning “point, corner”. And mispronounced by the settlers, as most native words were.
Sounds as good a story as any!
Actually, if I remember correctly, “naiack” is the way Yankees pronounce neck. Ha! Just like “yup” is pronounced “Yay-up.”
Dampness in the air…..the sun is trying to shine!
Oh how your writing can make me laugh! Jules always says…what is RVSue up to now?
Glad you are enjoying your grill creations. Organizing can be fun…or not. After clearing out two houses in San Francisco, I tend not to hoard items. It’s gotta to be more challenging with the amount of storage area you have in the PTV/BLT. Did you ever get a rod (extension) to hang whatever? I can’t imagine you have a lot of hanging items.
Another day in paradise for you and the crew! Enjoy…stay warm.
Hi, Cinandjules…. Hanging a rod in the PTV didn’t work. I do have a rod across the closet from which I hang shirts and a coat. Yesterday I wore my winter coat for the first time this winter.
In Oregon we have rainy days down to a science and usually involves gym visit, puttering around the house, reading, maybe going out to lunch, and perhaps watching a movie or something on TV.
Here in Arizona it’s different as we don’t belong to a gym and our little 600 SF condo doesn’t need much in the way of “puttering” (other than cleaning but who wants to do that?) but it’s pretty easy to go out to lunch. We also love to visit the library and thrift stores and this morning we had fun going to a great estate sale where I found lots of goodies (storage baskets, shower caddies, plastic stacking drawer caddie for the closet & more) to stock our new trailer for pennies on the dollar. Other than that I’m content reading, doing crossword puzzles, and playing on the Internet.
As much as we enjoyed the rain, we are looking forward to the return of the sun.
Robin
Our neck of the woods, washington is in its regular grey and wet for 8 months of the year phase. But if you want to amaze your taste buds even more next time you make those treats in the fryer flip them around in some cinnamon and sugar while they’re still hot. Yummy stuff!
You guys keep tempting me with sugar!!! 🙂
Oh, Sue, nothing like a kitchen and nowhere to go during inclement weather. No matter what you happen to “invent” is the best food in the world. Please don’t concern yourself with what we “might” think of your food choices. I really, really doubt a snowbound or rained out human would go for the lettuce salad when so many comfort food choices might be made! Your “or-dee-vores” sound delicious.
You provided a lot of info for me about keeping the batteries revved up.
I am hearing that I might come into some money from an small inheritance in a few months. So, where would that money might go toward???? Perhaps an upgraded and self-contained outfit (any vehicle in Western speak)! A get away vehicle!!! Fingers crossed.
Hi Sue,
Hope that rain brings out some desert wildflowers. Also hoping someone will identify that bird…curious as to what it is. Expecting big rain in Tennessee, maybe even flooding on the Eastern side. Have a great weekend.
I’m guessing a yellow rumped warbler.
Aha! I’ll look it up, Sally!
That could be it! 🙂
Hi, Joe,
It may have been a Say’s Phoebe which doesn’t have a crest. Maybe the bird was ruffling its head feathers, too, which looked to me like a crest. I’ve gone through my bird books and online and still don’t know for sure. The bird list from the refuge is lengthy. You have a great weekend, too.
My first thought when seeing your photos was a good soaking drench is just what that place needed. Your happy bird was one among countless creatures feeling better now, and going forward, because of having the life giving water there.
If that were my permanent home I’d have been tempted to go smell the tree trunk, grass and mud just for the freshness of it all. Of course, in real life, you have no extra room inside to let dripping wet clothes hang to dry. Aside from essential tasks, like a few steps to the PTV, I imagine you stayed dry and warmly tucked inside. Your cream cheese treat sounds delicious, another reason and way to enjoy rainy days 🙂 !
Gosh, it’s nice to see Reggie and Roger outside without jackets, collars or tether. That must feel so good for them. Unless we were somewhere so isolated that – we were free to be outside, without the physical restriction of having clothes on – … I don’t think we can really imagine how much they enjoy those times.
Your photo with the mountains being gone well portrays how everything looked there. I really enjoy times when fog or mist makes things in the distance seem to disappear. It happened here this morning around sunrise. A soft greyish white fog covered the lake and shore leaving only the outline of trees really visible. I find the feeling of having my own little world enclosed by a beautiful blanket comforting. A bit like being in an imagined dreamscape, before fully awakened with the brighter light of full daytime.
Other than that, what’s going on in my neck of the woods? Well, yesterday afternoon was dry warm and dry so I ran errands, including one you may find interesting. I found a short message on my voice mail, saying an oil company employee thought they may have duplicated the withdrawal I authorized from my bank. ?!
So I went to my bank and asked them to print a record of all recent transactions. They had in fact by mistake taken out this entire winter’s heating fuel cost, plus a year’s worth of propane to cook with, twice. So instead of $800 , $1600 was now gone from my bank account. When I called the fuel company to confirm their mistake they immediately refunded the funds back into my bank.
This morning I called the lady who had found the potential problem, alerted me, and dealt with it to thank her. Then I spoke with the supervisor to say what an exemplary staff they have, and to be sure to give them praise and credit where it’s due. I would have noticed the problem when I get my bank statement on March 2nd anyway, in the meantime I have extra funds so wouldn’t have suffered until it was taken care of.
For many people this could have been a huge problem, if they didn’t know that double charge had happened soon enough. They may have bounced checks or found themselves without enough money to buy groceries and other essentials. I just think it was wonderful of the lady to check in with me, admit the mistake and be sure to resolve everything so I wouldn’t have problems. We hear a lot about people being scammed or ripped off in the news. It’s nice to be able to share a bit about the good hearted and honest people in this world sometimes.
A feel-good story! Always nice to hear in any kind of weather… 🙂
We are down the road from you in Aguirre Spring campground. A very pretty setting for this BLM campground outside Las Cruces NM. We are into our 2nd day of heavy rain. Showers before that. Hard to keep the electronics charged. Doing lots of reading of e books.
Have gone from not being able to pet the animals without shocking them, dry air and static electricity to everyone and everything being damp. The clouds have come down the Organ Mts totally eliminating any view. But the sweet smell in the air is wonderfull.
Trying to outlast the rain so the dogs and I can take one of the trails here from the campground.
I love Rainy days and rainy nights. I always have since being a little girl and not afraid of thunderstorms. I snuggled with my granny and that made everything all right. The desert will be beautiful the next few days after a good rain everything will be green.
A mud pit, oh my! It’s a wonder there are any white spots left on Reggie and Roger. I have been enjoying the photos of them running and playing without the tethers. It is raining here in Indiana too. Yesterday it was warm and smelled like Spring, but I knew that wouldn’t last…too soon! It is supposed to snow this weekend.
Well I have put cream cheese on my grocery list! I always have tortillas handy and your tortilla bundles sound delicious!
Hi, Paula,
You want to know another cream cheese snack? This is an invention created out of what I had on hand. Take a small tortilla, warm it in a pan or on a griddle, remove it to a plate, spread half of it with cream cheese, on top of the cream cheese slap down a sandwich slice of bread and butter pickle, fold and eat. You can skip warming the tortilla (especially if it wasn’t in the fridge) or you can use bread.
Mmmm, that sounds yummy too 🙂
Warmer than it normally is this time of year. Yesterday I said to my son that you were in the desert in the 50’s and we were having mid 80’s. Is that normal temp for the refuge? It’s still pretty dry during the day, fog most mornings.
I recall a national network weatherman using the phrase “Here’s what’s going on in your neck of the woods” and then cut to our local weatherman.
My son also wanted to know what I was laughing at and stood over my shoulder. He said you should dip your cream cheese treats in some Duck Sauce because they sounded like crab rangoon. I had to give those up, but your snacks sound like a great alternative. Son also stopped mid Amazon order to let me go thru RVSue. Today, cheapy keyboard & ink refill kit.
Can’t wait to see the rain’s affect on the refuge. The boys looked naked and free without their harnesses. Like no bra:) Happy day Sue & crew.
Those cream cheese snacks reminded me of something I had at a Chinese restaurant and I think I dipped them in duck sauce. Your son knows food! 🙂
I zipped over to Amazon and found the keyboard and ink kit. Thanks a lot!
I don’t know what the normal temp is at the refuge. Probably goes up and down between 50s and 80s. “No bra”…. silly Barb!
Those are called…..rangoons.
Being Chinese from the WEST coast, I’ve never ever heard of Duck sauce until we moved East.
We also had showers… Outside of Yuma. Corky got used to heading “under” the motor home when it was wet… To do his business. I am so envious, to turn the boys loose… Cooler cloudy weather is a nice change.
We get to visit friends tomorrow with a pooch friendly yard, Corky will have some leash free time. So happy for him.
MY neck of the woods… I am blessed to see the USMC jets fly over head from the air station. I lived here in junior high. My Dad was stationed here. The town has grown yet the “The Sound of Freedom” is still brings me joy… Day or night!
Safe travels.
I spent the last 3 days with Katie the sheltie-girl driving from Michigan to Alabama. I left a lot of snow and came here to see daffodils blooming. Good decision to flee!
Rain in the desert is a gift, glad you are enjoying it!
Wow, Dawn, that’s great! Enjoy those daffodils!
I enjoyed these posts of rainy days in the desert. I love the scent of wet desert, it just makes me want to breathe it in deeply. Thanks for taking us there.
I imagine most people enjoy a change of pace. I’ve lived most of my life too close to Lake Erie to really appreciate rain or snow, but it looks as if Roger and Reggie certainly liked it. The desert will likely bloom soon, too.
Here in Ohio, what I really crave in weather is stability. Yesterday, our morning low was thirty degrees above the average for that date. Then the rain moved in, complete with flood watches and warnings. Today, the temperature dropped all day. Tomorrow could be anything, but the forecast is for 37 degrees and maybe up to an inch of snow. Can anyone guess why I miss Tucson?
I lived in AZ for 4 years. Hope to spend more time there when I retire. Nice of you to share you AZ adventures!
Welcome, Joe! It’s a pleasure for me to share the camps we enjoy and to have my efforts appreciated. I hope you do make it back to Arizona.
No fun for the need to potty for dogs in the rain. Imagine me with 4 on leashes and trying to convince them they didn’t need the”perfect” spot. I’m happy you are somewhere they can run free. I loved being in my little Roadtrek and listening to the rain. One time in Yosemite I was cozy reading with the rain tapping the roof when all of a sudden it got very quiet! It was snowing! Only for a while and melted before I had to drive anywhere. Sure made for some great photos. Loved this post! I could just picture the 3 of you hunkered down in your cozy little cocoon.
By the way, we’re going to have freezing temps here in “sunny” California for the next several nights.
Coincidentally in my neck of the woods I haven’t seen rain in a couple days until today. My sunny days probably coincided with your rainy days. Let’s trade again 😎
Good morning Sue!
Rain, reading and eating just go together, don’t they? I love to work in a warm Spring rain but when it’s cold….give me comfort food, hot coffee/tea….and a good book!
As for birds, I have a pair of little Yellow-Rumped Warblers who come to my feeders. I have so enjoyed the birds this winter. The feeders are right outside the window where I sit to do my computer job. Between them and the squirrels…they are my entertainment while I work. The trees have been so generous with their nuts and acorns that the squirrels bypass the feeders and dig up the nuts instead.
Have a glorious day out there!
Love from VA,
MB, Wyndy and Bella
A foggy good morning to you and the Crew from my neck of the woods,
Laughed at that remark as I must have learned it from my parents also.
Love rainy days and the activities it brings on. Especially the eating part.
Safe travels, Sue and Crew.
Sharon
Hi Sue – I am not an active blogorino but have followed you and your canine crews since the beginning and have never missed a post. I am an amateur acrylic painter (66 years old and picked up a paint brush for the first time in Oct. ’17).
I would like to paint (or at least attemp to paint) some of your photos if you give permission. You are a fantastic photographer and I envy your desert views. Particularly the sunsets.
I am in a challenge in my Acrylic Painting Facebook group and one of the March challenges is to choose a photograph and paint it with the photographers permission of course. The photo would be posted (with acknowledgement to you) along with my interpretation painting of it.
I know you are I very private person, so would understand if you would not be comfortable with this.
Thanks for sharing your adventures with us. Cindy
Welcome, Cindy! Your presence here brings sunshine to a cloudy day. Thank you for following my blog and for the compliment of your request.
Of course, my answer is yes and with best wishes. Maybe, when the time is right, you’ll let us know which one you chose to paint (for those of us who don’t do FB). That would be fun for me to know! 🙂
Thanks Sue – I hope I can do your photos justice!
You dont know how many times over the years you have brought sunshine to my life (a few tears also). I had hoped to follow in your footsteps one day – but have health issues that will not allow that.
Cindy
Don’t think about doing my photos justice — Paint freely and enjoy! Maybe someday I’ll “follow in your footsteps” and pick up the brush again. 🙂
I swear I can smell the rain as I look at your great photos…ahhhh WONDERFUL!
Best way to start a day! Thanks Sue.
We’re loving these days of desert rain as well – everything smells wonderful 🙂
Speaking of wonderful……your cream cheese treats sound heavenly! Cracked me up, having food in front of your face in small space. So true when the outdoor options are cut off.
We really need to pick up another outdoor mat. We’ve done without since ours blew away over a year ago.
Hi, Jodee,
While you’re buying the mat, get stakes also! A minimum of six, the kind with washers… 🙂
It’s rainy and windy here in Oregon today (and well, most every day!). But, it’s my daughter’s 21st birthday, and she is here for a visit. She moved to Redding, CA this past November and ohmygosh I missed her so much! I’m so happy she is here, if only for the weekend!
Oh dear, mud puppies.
Missy, I always wonder if the kind lady who you adopted Roger from knows how well that turned out? Ever hear from her?
Hi, Jim,
No, I haven’t heard from Anita recently. She did check in here shortly after we left Rogerson. I’m pretty sure she knows that Roger is okay.
Oh, your cream cheese snack sounds yummy – I love anything with cream cheese. My mom used to buy that Boston brown bread in a can and slice it and spread cream cheese on it for us when we were kids. So good! Thinking of my mom and grandmother (both from Kentucky), they used to always say, “Well, bless her/his heart” and if they were happy with us they would call us “precious lambs of gold.” I’m assuming that came out of the Bible …. ???
We’ve spent the last two days unloading our RV that we traded in and loading all that stuff into the new RV. We were disappointed that it arrived at the dealer (after being driven almost cross-country from the manufacturer) with some paint chips and chips in the windshield. It will all get fixed under warranty, but it’s frustrating because we wanted to get out on the road. Oh well, it’s a first world problem, right?
Hope everyone has a good Presidents’ weekend.
My mother (upstate NY) did Boston brown bread with cream cheese, too.
Sorry about the condition of your new RV. Annoying! You have a good attitude about it though.
You have a good weekend, too!
I remember that bread. I think mom would keep it in the cupboard and pull it out for an emergency snack. The first time I tried it I was pretty little. I remember her saying “I know” and seeing her top half disappear as she dug thru the cans at the back of the bottom cupboard and pulling it out proudly. Us kids krinkling our noses at such a prospect of bread in can? My mom used “oleo” as she called margarine. I would use dad’s butter as oleo didn’t look or sound good to me. I don’t remember cream cheese – sounds good though. Anyone know why that called margarine that? Maybe it’s a regional, old fashioned term or a brand name?
It started out pretty foggy here. Turned into a beautiful FL day. Spent most of it in the urgent care with a friend. Will be going back tomorrow, after the fog’s gone and possibly off to the hospital. Praying that the antibiotics kick-in to keep her out of there. It’s no place to be especially with all the flu & colds going around.
Have a good night everybody. Hope you’re all well. Love to ya!
I forgot. Sorry about the RV’s delivery condition. Wishing you a good & quick repair.
Hi, Sue,
We are considering a 5th wheel as our perfect on the road home. I would like to ask the Blogorinos who know: What are the positives and negatives of a 5th wheel?
Thanks for your help on this decision.
I think most of the blogorinos have come and gone from this post. We can try anyway…. 🙂
Blogorinos: What are the positives and negatives of a 5th wheel?
By typing – Pros and Cons of a Fifth Wheel- into a web search I found several really good articles written by those that had chosen one. You may have already done that ,too, Diann, or may want to. They have too much information for me to go into here. I’m only offering a thought I hadn’t seen mentioned anywhere.
Buying a 5th wheel is a big investment and hopefully one would hold up well for many years . During those years the truck you have is more likely to wear out and need replacement than the rv is. At the point, rather than have to buy another big and expensive truck, one might wish they could get a more economical and comfortable vehicle for everyday driving.
Not knowing if you have multiple vehicles or can foresee a time where funds are limited, I don’t know if this applies to your situation. It’s just something I would be considering were I in the market for an rv.
I was born on a rainy grey day so that is what I love! I’d be drinking tea and coffee, painting and reading. We’re inside today, 30mph winds plus gusts outside so Tala is a bit restless.
Woo hoo, snow tonight maybe!
Did you get your snow? We had sneet this morning. Nothing stuck. My son and family live by Green Lake in Seattle and got snow.
Hi Sue.
I have yet to see the desert in full bloom. But I would imagine that with the glorious rainfall you have had, before you know it there will be blooms everywhere. Hopefully we will get to see some photos of the after-effects of the spring rains.
Remember this, Sue?
April 2016: “A desert boondock with beauty all around“
Beautiful memories….
Something for you to look forward to in the near future
Hi Rv Sue,
At least you used olive oil! 😀
Lovely photos and lovely rain! I like winter-not anxious for hot humid weather -but its coming!
Take care!
I just discovered your blog, and love it. We have a 2005 Casita SD and love it too but NOT IN RAIN. The rain rolls off the roof right into the open windows. How do you keep the rain out?Fine if it is cold out, but what about when the temps are too warm to close the camper up? I have not been able to find anyone who has a cure for this problem. The narrow eye brows don’t come out far enough past the bottom of the window to stop the drizzle in. We really need to get this problem figured out. Thanks so much.