Saturday, March 17
Perfect Tow Vehicle and Best Little Trailer, Benson, Arizona
Boy, is it windy!
I’m propped up in bed with my laptop writing this blog post. The wind plays a constant song around the Best Little Trailer while rocking us gently. Out my window the blond grass bends and shakes eastward.
(The photos in this post don’t show the bent grass as they were taken a few days ago. I’m not inspired to take photos in the wind.)
During a pause in the wind, the boys and I go outside.
“Hey! What’s that over there?”
“Aw, it’s hedgehog. He got carried away on the wind.”
Reggie and Roger are off-leash today.
They’re thrilled to be loose and running free again. I had to keep them on tether or leash when we acquired a neighbor. Our camp is on a knoll reached via a short spur from the main dirt road. The neighbor parked her Class C in the campsite further up the road a short way. That campsite is far enough away and down the slope so it’s not at all intrusive, but it’s close enough that the crew would want to cross the road to visit it.
Anyway . . . .
After four days the neighbor leaves and the boys can run free again!
You know how I get a kick out of the little things in life.
Like eating a sweet watermelon in March. Remember when the seasons were marked by food? The first barbeque on Memorial Day weekend, watermelon and corn on the cob in summer, butternut squash and pumpkin pie in autumn, and so on.
We really are spoiled — in a nice way — by foods from all over the world available at any time of the year. My watermelon was (past tense, all gone!) one of those personal-sized, seedless melons.
I mean, really.
We don’t even have to spit out seeds.
Reggie accepts a small bite of watermelon. Surprisingly, Roger, my boy with a big appetite, turns up his nose.
Speaking of Reggie . . . .
He is now six years old! When Bridget and I adopted him in March of 2015, the rescue organization (Adopt a Rescue Pet of Las Vegas) told me the vet estimated his age at three.
He’s a baby to me and probably always will be.
If you’d like to see Reggie at the time of his adoption, follow this link to the March 7, 2015 post: “WE FOUND HIM! The new member of the crew comes home!”
Okay, back to food . . . .
My Blackstone griddle
Very few tostadas, quesadillas, or burritos these days. We’re back to rotisserie chicken from Wal-Mart or Safeway. Tough life.
Time does pass like the wind.
Roger has been with us for ten months. It’ll be a year in May. And Reggie is starting his seventh year of life. I’m an old lady and getting older every day. Imagine that. I was a kid a short while ago.
The crew and I have been at this boondock for ten days already. It seems like we just arrived.
rvsue
NOTE: I turn the comments section over to you, blogorinos. If you’re so inclined, please make all feel welcome, answer any questions, share your stories, tell us what little things in life make you happy, or unload whatever is on your mind. I’m going to take a break and give y’all a chance to talk without me butting in. Thanks. Love you! — 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:
Men’s Jacket Pants Track Suit
Recovery Suit for Dogs – Pink Camo
Raw Organic Mesquite Powder, 16oz
Small Compact Portable Washing Machine
Green/White Check Oilcloth, Fabric By the Yard
Ancheer Aluminum Portable Folding Camping Table
FLASHBACK!
Bridget and Reggie in the PTV — March 2015
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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.
I think i Am #1
I think you are, too, dave. *blush*
CONGRATULATIONS!
Not how I meant to say it. just in a hurry to say it! I drove thru Benson in Feb on my way back to Missouri! Love that header picture roger looks like he is saying ” I dare you to come closer”1
Surely I’m not first?
Yes, you are, Arden! CONGRATULATIONS! IT’S A TIE!
Cool! Hard to believe that Roger has been part of the crew for nearly a year. Hope the wind settles down soon and you can get back to grilling — everything always sounds so good! My kind of food. 😉
#3
Well then, I’m No.2! I’ll take a Silver medal!
Hard to believe it has been 3 years since you rescued Reggie and almost a year for Roger…time does fly…except of course when I am anticipating when I will be able to retire, then it crawls along ;). It was fun to revisit Reggie’s first day with you and Bridget.
Hope the wind passes soon as I hope the nor’easter heading our way goes out to sea this week ;)!
You all are fast. Just came in and there are two already. Reggie is a cutie. Can’t believe roger has been with you for almost a year. Stay safe
I hope I can figure out how to find such wonderful places you do. It looks so, so peaceful there. I am pouring over my Benchmark maps and iPad. Sometimes I feel more confused than ever. I plan to leave the first week of April. A lot to do before then. Thanks for all the encouragement. And I love those pups!!!
Susan offers a welcome break from the treadmill of life.
Awww, I love that last photo of Brigett and Reggie.
The post seems quietly introspective. Yes, time does fly. My favorite saying as a senior is that time is like a roll of tp. The closer you get to the end the faster it goes. That hit home for me. Lately I’ve been preoccupied with where I want my cremains to be scattered. Weird but true. Must be all the rain getting to me. Where’s the dang sun? Come out and stay out. Please!
Sending sun your way! I know that I have a magic wand somewhere in my rig, if I could just find it:)
Yep, I am on the same page at the moment. Trying to get my “end of life” stuff wrapped up. I left the “where I want my ashes scattered” blank as I am not sure where I want that to happen. The whole process is depressing!!!! Pretty depressing here today…5 below zero and “maybe” another Nor’ Easter Wednesday. Oh happy day. 🙂
The pictures are especially good this time. Besides the dog pictures, I especially like the long shot of the BLT and the PTV and, of course, the pictures with clouds and blue sky.
And I was a kid a short while ago, too, or so it seems.
Time is so mysterious. I think our inability to understand eternity is what distinguishes man from God. We can understand being all powerful or all knowing, but forever is outside our experience. It’s not clear why it only goes in one direction, either.
And unless I look in the mirror I still feel like a young person.
Me too!!! Amazing isn’t it…
Happy St Patrick’ s day…
Me Three! Age is only a number, it’s more important how you feel and I still feel a lot younger than I am!!
I love the banner picture… Reg and Corky could be cousins… The tongue is so cute… Corky sleeps like that,lol.
The wind started up again out here in western AZ. Yep… Rock an roll tonight… Tomorrow should settle down a bit…
Enjoy your last few days out there… I too leave this week heading north into Nv.
Safe travels…
Speaking of wind, I was in Guadalupe Nat’l Park today, planning to stay overnight but they are expecting 30-40 mile per hour sustained winds with gusts at 90 mph tomorrow. Too strong for me! So i am in a picnic area east of El Paso, wondering if i have enough fuel (8th of a tank) to get to El Paso tomorrow. That should be about 3 gallons, hopefully enough to make it with some to spare. There is not a single gase station between Pine Spring and El Paso, but there is one cafe.
That one cafe is in Cornudas, TX. It has a BIG sign on the roof that claims it is Mary’s Café but the menu and my receipt said it is the Cornudas Café when I stopped there on 12 December 2016. Good food!
Yes, the Cornudas Cafe, a.k.a. Mary’s Cafe, had a lot of cars parked in front and reviews were good but I don’t like eating alone in restaurants, especially when they’re busy, so I didn’t stop. Do you know what the “Cornudas” burger is?
No idea, I’m not a burger eater. The morning I stopped there was only myself when I went in then one other person came in while I was eating.
So morning is the best time to stop there if you don’t like to feel like you are taking seats away from other customers. That sees to be true of most restaurants. Breakfast is usually less expensive too. Another benefit to eating out early in the day.
I am not a spring chicken anymore either, but I don’t feel my age which is a good thing. I think that if we keep that “inner kid” we don’t feel so old. You still find the little things in life make you happy. That is the “inner kid”. We like to explore new places and find the interesting things about each new place. Life should be an adventure and we are lucky enough to be able to enjoy it to it’s fullest. Kind of like full dog! Anyway, I get younger every year and that’s my story and I am sticking to it!!
Also, I really enjoyed the mountains around Benson. Texas Canyon about 10 miles from there was a wonder of impossibly balanced boulders.
Yes age does catch up with us all, well I’ll be going for a eye exam Monday and instead of burning out my thyroid, I will be taking a pill that should get my body in order like slow me Down and get my tremors gone and make my heart beat the way it should without skipping and stop it from leaking back, the VA gave me a scale inwitch I stand on each morning and they refund my gas money for travel, I’ll be going a lot in April and May for Labs and Ulta sound and the Thyroid Doctors and Cardiac Doctor for check ups, Piper gets to run free most of the time now and she stays purity close to home or she’ll be over at the next door nebours , they have 2 Rat Terriours she likes to play mommy with and when she’s called, she comes right home and sets on our porch waiting for me to come home,, been planting green shrubs and trees all miniature to be in scale to G, or 1:20.3 and now I have a 1918 460 Baldwin Steam Engine with Tender, box car, gondola and a Combined Coach,, been using Chicken Grit for ballist on the tracks and laying a foundation for a Station that is being built,,, well,, that the news from us and you 3 have a pleasant weekend and Happy Passover,,,,,🐾 👣👣
It’s good to hear from you, Rusty. I have a good friend who has done well on thyroid medicine. I hope you do, too.
Aren’t model trains fun? I’ve modeled in N, HO and G scale and they were all fun. We couldn’t figure out how to get a layout in our RV, though, so we sold everything and spent that money traveling.
It’s so good to hear from you , Rusty. Your post has a very positive feel to it, and I’m hoping and praying that things continue to improve for you, as you deal with some health issues. So glad Piper has some friends and freedom. Your model train set up sound very cool. Take care.
Thanks Columbus Calvin, Linda S. in Minnesota and AppleGirl, NY,,, TODAY I started tearing up the area for the main Garden with a good gas powered Tiller and finished bout 20 minutes ago after leveling the small, 16ft X 12ft area which is just 4ft in front of the Garden Railroad and now I’m resting up my back thinking that I may need to put up a Solar powered Fences to keep the Dogs out, and to keep everything else out, I’ll just use Dog Hair, well y’all have great Sunday from us farmin’ folks in S.C . Kentuck,,,, 🐾 👣👣
So glad you posted Rusty. I hadn’t seen anything from you for awhile (culd b e you posted and I just missed it, though) and was going to ask Sue if she had heard anything from you. It sounds like you and the VA are on top of your health issues and have a plan to keep you “keeping on”!!
Hi Sue! Just checking that my amazon purchase was done so you would get credit. There use to be a way to click to enter Amazon for you to get credit, I don’t see that so I just clicked on a recently purchased item and went that way. I hope you got credit it was two bottles of Ginseng. Not a huge purchase but every little bit helps and your blog brings me joy so I want to repay that in any way I can!
Hi, Shelley,
Since Sue is taking a break…
Amazon changed some rules for affiliates a while back and Sue had to remove the Amazon button/link. By clicking on one of the recently purchased items to access Amazon, Sue will get credit for your purchase. 🙂
Thank you, Shelley. Denise is correct (Thanks, Denise!)
If you tell me the date you placed the order, I will look for it and report back to you.
Thank you Sue I believe it was the 17th. Thank you!5
I found it. Every order is important to me and I appreciate you thinking of us. Thanks again, Shelley!
Hi Sue. It’s snowing in northern Arizona tonight. The desert is the place to be right now. You have been a western gal long enough now to know when to migrate to higher ground. Your intuition has served you well. Soak up the desert sun a while longer.
My daughter and I stayed at a place called Cochise Stronghold not far from Benson a few years ago. It’s beautiful stream and strange scattering of huge boulders tells you that it is a very special special place. It’s said that Cochise himself is buried somewhere there. It’s a beautiful part of Arizona.
Hi, Sue,
Happy Birthday to Reggie! It is hard to believe it has been three years since he joined your crew. I love the picture of him with our sweet Bridget. It looks like she is giving him a hug. 🙂
Thank you for sharing the link with more information about the mesquite tree. Fascinating that it has so many uses.
Sending you wishes for continued peace and quiet, and no close neighbors so the zoom-zoom brothers can run free! We have another storm headed our way next week. It is funny how the local news stations have been saying that the coming week will have unsettled weather. In plainspeak, they have no clue whether we will get 1” of snow or a foot! C’mon Spring….we have the welcome mat out for you…please come and stay! 🙂
Love and hugs to you, Reggie, and Roger from me and Gracie pup! 🙂
To bad you want tell the location, would love to camp there on my way back to FL. I am a Calista owner also. Have spent the last four months boondocking, and now,on my way back home. Always enjoy your blog.
Yes, please tell us how to get where you are after you leave. We hoped to spend the night in the Walmart Parking lot when we were in Benson but no cigar. Had to drive a lot longer then we expected. Would have been nice to know how to get to the BLM land you are on right now.
Gloria, why don’t you just get yourself an Arizona Benchmark map and find your own place to spend the night? Once Sue gives out the location she may not feel quite at ease as she does now staying where she is. Perhaps Ruby could buy one as well.
I’ve got all the Benchmarks, it’s not so easy to find these places as you might think. Sue does a great service in sharing directions. Thank you Sue.
Florida trip cancelled again! First time was when I broke my leg. Second time my wife Shirley is in the hospita l with the flu, pneumonia, and low sodium. She was bettertoday but trips are out for now. Vermont is cold, wet, cloudy, and windy. Sue, I love your pictures – all that blue sky and sun.
Hi Sue,
Actually I’m not horrified that you don’t wash the plunger screens out daily. I don’t either to be honest. There’s a point where you want your coffee making tools seasoned, yet not getting a rancid taste after the oils build up, then oxidize. I run mine under hot water, then shake and allow to dry. If any grounds remain, they can be brushed off after they have dried. Maybe once a month I take it apart and clean well with vinegar and hot water, then rinse and wipe the remaining oils off.
It’s late and I’m usually asleep long before now. Lol, it’s almost my favorite time of day! That would be when I light the stove and put the kettle on while checking the weather for the day.
Here’s to that first cuppa in the morning when it’s cool and quiet out. 😁☕️☕️
And, happy birthday to the Regmeister!
Suzi
Fresh ground coffee – is there another fragrance as lovely? Here are a couple others I can think of:
A meadow on a spring morning when dew is still present
Fall leaves on the ground
A fresh water lake or stream
The salty air of the ocean
My homemade sauce cooking on a Sunday
Fresh mown grass
Wow, Sue, when you post how long it’s been since you’ve had Reggie, it’s hard to imagine. I’ve been following you for several year, since the days of Spike and Bridgett. I still miss them. Even so, sometimes I feel like one of the new kids on the block. Time is a funny thing.
One of the best features of little dogs like Reggie and Roger is that they have a very long lifespan. This crew should be with you for many years to come!
Kaye in Oregon
I’m still here after not commenting in a long while. I had to enter my 2 cents after some discussion in comments above of where one might consider having their ashes scattered.
After considering many choices I came up with the perfect place ( for me anyway). Being a TOTAL Tillamook Ice Cream lover… I told my hubby to scatter mine over the Tillamook Ice Cream Factory in Tillamook Oregon…because “ALL THE FLAVORS WILL BE THERE AND THE CALORIES WON”T COUNT !” Just being a little silly today !!!
I am still reading & enjoying your adventures after all these years ! Thank You so much !!! Carry on-you put a smile on our faces and adventure in our hearts even if we can’t get out there and travel anymore !!!
Hi Sue! I can’t believe it’s been three years since Reggie joined the crew! It feels like yesterday! I didn’t realize I had been riding along with you for so long! Thank you for all the joy and pleasure of sharing your travels and the antics of the crew with us! ❤️
Because I live in the country (where some farmers sell what they grow at roadside stands) I still mark some seasons by what fresh food, plants and flowers are available. Even when I lived in the city of San Diego springtime meant I could drive to Julian and buy lilacs by the armful. Now a big treat in late summertime is the nearby blueberry farm’s being open for a couple of weeks. Then we can pick the ripe berries from the bushes. It’s a hot and messy task, yet worth it to have fresh blueberries everyday. I like to have them in a bowl with milk and sugar.
Essentially I see young and old in two categories,-one day to 49 years old as young, 50 and thereafter as older. Then there’s just young or older and very young or old. People excuse some behaviors using those terms. For instance, when someone makes an unwise decision, “He’s very young, eventually he’ll know better.” And when someone is so set in their ways that they won’t try something new, ” She’s very old, there’s no use in trying to get her to do anything else now.” A while ago I read someone’s take on aging. She said as we become older our being more experienced in life allows us to we become what we should be, more understanding of and kinder towards others.
Sue, you move to a new home several times a year, learn about new environments, their history, people and what lives in them constantly, are now more physically active than you were during most of your adult life, and are one of the most understanding and kindest people I know. Once we asked each other what flower we would might see ourselves as, you chose a desert flower. Yes, you are more than 50 years old, and you are growing older in the best way- you are continually blossoming.
Less than two weeks ago you mentioned being exhausted from long travel days and taking care of a lot of other things. In case you may have been feeling what I call wind-tattered when you wrote this post, hang in there, champ 🙂 . I’ll share a quote from an amplified version of scripture I trust when I feel tired, disappointed or even tempted to be discouraged . – He will satisfy your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation with good -so that your youth , renewed, is like the eagle’s- strong, overcoming, soaring!
So enjoyed what u wrote here. Weather, u and Sue put a smile on my face when I read u here.
So enjoyable reading so many cerebral and evocative comments! BUT, since I’m leaving MI on Tues. for AZ, I’ve got a question of very practical nature and would love your responses. I’m packing today and in order to do it well and not be a complete western camping idiot, these two questions came up:
-Do items left out on campsites (camp chairs, shoes, and such) gather dew over night?
-Will it likely get hot enough for me to pack shorts and tank top?
These questions are burning…haha.
Kathy… You might not get replies because it’s the end of this post’s comments. Most blogorinos have come here and gone.
About dew…. Generally no.
Shorts and tank top…. Maybe. Some folks go to shorts a lot sooner than I do. In dry heat the shade will be quite cooler than where you can wear a tank top so if you’re moving about, a tank top might not be enough. Wearing one under an open shirt is an option.
I’m wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirt (over tank top) with sleeves rolled up to 3.4 length. Wind is chilly here.
Thank you so much, Sue! I vow that I will be prepared for every contingency… But then I do that before every trip and something always comes up that’s new for me to learn along the way. I will remember the tip about commenting on future blogs early on.
You’re welcome, Kathy. Remember, if you need something you didn’t pack, you can bop into WalMart or wherever…
Oh, and haha, I always “wear an op shirt” over a tank top! That way I can go bra-less.
Me, too. Haven’t worn a bra in years. 🙂
Wish I could go braless but I need to look like I have some fluff up there!
Me, never had to wear a bra! Hahhhhhh
Sir…are you in the wrong restroom?😳
Most blogorinos have come and gone…others are late to the party and MOST pop back in several times a day to read the comments.
Pack your shorts and tank top…they can’t take up much room. That way you’ll have it. When the sun is out…it is very nice.
Nights are warming up…it’s been a bit windy.
You are so right on all observations and I will follow your advice! I’m one the blogarinos that follow to the bitter end.
They say time flies when you’re having fun!
Can’t believe Reggie is six and you’ve had him for two years and Rog almost a year!
Ya know…things didn’t happen this quick when we were kids. Seemed like a year to forever! Now it’s like..another year ALREADY????
Live that dash desert woman!
Cindyandjules, I’ve noticed that when one has nothing to do time goes slow and one gets to watch all the reruns of NCIS twice in a day, but ,,, if one is busy, like gettin a Veggie Garden ready for plantin, the time flys,, now where did the daylight go?LOL,,,, OH , How’s Anny O doing?,,,,,, 😎 🐾👣👣
Late to the party this time – ha! Just wanted to let Sue know that if my hubby did things correctly, you should see some RV items purchased. Some wheel chocks, jack pads and extension cord. We pick up our coach on Wed and are having fun buying the items we’ve been saving for. 🙂
Hi, Rochelle,
I saw those items last night when I put together the links for the next post! My thanks to you and your husband for going shopping at Amazon from here. Quality items. 🙂
New rig comes home Wednesday — Oh, what a happy day!
Love all the aging comments here! I know I am at the bottom of the comments but what the heck. I am pushing 60 but still feel 18!
We are planning a trip to Disney world soon and I can’t wait! We will be camping in ft. Wilderness for 2 weeks! Ya’ll be careful, RV Sue and keep on having fun! 😂