Wow! Eighty days! Who knew I could actually count that high?
This was not a busy day. We visited two thrift stores and had to leave Max home alone because he’s not welcome at the chosen facilities. It’s not just Max, it’s any dog. So, we left him home alone so he wouldn’t get embarrassed by not being allowed inside. He was fine at home because he sleeps the entire time.
The first thrift store was close to the Bone Yard here on base. It’s only open on Tuesday & Wednesday. Diane got to go there a few weeks ago but she didn’t take me for some reason. She just told me that it was a really nice store. This time she decided to let me go with her.
She was right. It’s a nice clean store. I think I got a couple of Stanley crescent wrenches and a long flat blade screwdriver in a zip loc bag. All I wanted was the bag. The wrenches were a bonus, and they will come in handy one day.
The other store we visited was the Assistance League Thrift Shop. I found an extension cord that Diane wanted for the Christmas lights she purchased. They are going to be placed under the bus to hopefully keep critters from seeking shelter inside the rig. We don’t need critters in the bus. Max might think it would be fun to have some critters he could chase. Diane and I have discussed the possibility of getting him a companion after we get to the end of this saga and return home. That will be sometime next year. I think that will be 2025. I’d be a little more specific, but I’m retired, so I don’t really pay attention to time or dates.
I got a couple of 8 lb weights so I can get my Charles Atlas body back into shape. I’ve been meaning to get some of those for years for that purpose. Now that I’ve got them all I have to do is use them regularly. This is what they look like:
You can get these at Walmart for $16.99. The ones I got at the thrift store cost $6.
Maybe tomorrow will be a little more newsworthy. For sure I’m going to ACE Hardware for some proper screws to fix some of the seals on the bus. We stopped at one on the way home this afternoon and I took a guess at what kind of screws I needed. I guessed wrong so I removed one to see what I needed. The problem area only has 3 screws holding the seal in place. It needs 10. Now I know what to get. I’ll take some photos of what’s wrong, before and after. If I remember.
Today I took Max to the custom-made shower facility just for dogs. We’ve discussed this solution to clean Max up, but always wound up doing something else. This time, when Diane made a trip to the commissary, she dropped me and Max at the facility, and I had the pleasure of introducing him to something completely foreign to him.
He wasn’t a fan. Not even for one minute. But he tolerated it with a little encouragement. I think the worst part for him was the blow dryer because it was pretty loud for the little guy.
He looks pretty pitiful during the process, but he let me do it. He came out smelling very nice and he was happy. We walked home from the shower, and we were both totally dry when we got there.
In case you missed it during a previous post, here’s what the shower looks like:
Diane arrived shortly after we got home so he let me know that he loved her the most because she doesn’t get him all wet. Just wait until he figures out that she’s the reason I have to wash him. I suspect he’s already suspicious, because I’m the one who washes him all the time. I bet he’s wondering why.
The rest of the day was a blur for me because all of us took naps. We stayed up too late last night and ate snacks and such too close to bedtime. Diane paid for it because I slugged her a couple of times in the shoulder during one of my infrequent thrashing dreams. That won’t happen tonight because we’re going to bed at a reasonable time.
We didn’t go anywhere today so I don’t have a lot to write about. Also, I only have old photos to share, so don’t get your hopes up.
It was a cold 42 degrees this morning. Made parts of me shrivel up a little. Max didn’t care. I think he’s immune to cold. I guess that means I’m more fragile than him. I think it’s time for Max to say what’s on his mind since we’re going to be spending most of the day inside. So, here’s Max.
Hi!It’sme,Max.Iknowwhat’shisnamealreadyintroducedme,….let me start over.
I forget that I don’t have opposing thumbs and need to slow down so I can use one of my other toenails to hit the space bar. For the convenience of dogs everywhere, who know how to type, there should be a custom keyboard that has little space between the R & F, and the U and J keys. My little toenails will fit right in there with a little practice. Life has been a little hectic for me lately because Mom and Dad have been driving all over the place. That means I’ve spent a lot of time parked in the little bed they call my throne. I don’t know why they do that. It’s a bed. They bought it so you’d think they would know that, right. Anyway, the little bed isn’t really uncomfortable, but I’d rather sit in someone’s lap with my head out the window. I don’t think that’s going to happen for a while since I lost my mind for a moment in Bisbee and tried to jump out the window so I could catch that cat. I’m sure Dad has told you about that little episode. I really don’t know what I was thinking. On my last walk I ran into the neighbor who wears a beanie all the time. Her name is Laurie. She was walking a little black dog. I heard she has 3 of those dogs and this one is the oldest. Something like 84 years old – 12 years old in people years. She’s a French bulldog and she has an attitude. So, I gave her attitude back and got in trouble for my efforts. Laurie gave me bits of bacon treats anyway. She always has that stuff in her pocket, and she always gives me some. It’s really good. My Mom and Dad don’t get me stuff like that. The only treats I get at home are denta things for my teeth. They’re OK, but they aren’t bacon. I’m going to quit now because my toes are getting tired. They aren’t used to being used independently. First, here’s a photo of me when I was new to the family last year. It was before my hair went nuts and got all curly.
For comparison, here’s a more recent photo of me.
OK. He’s a quitter. I probably should have taken a photo of him working on the computer, but it didn’t occur to me.
Diane picked today to visit Oro Valley to attend an American Indian art and craft show. It was held in the National Parks Store located at 12880 N Vistoso Village Dr., in Oro Valley. Max and I had to stay in the car while Diane went shopping. We had to stay behind because I couldn’t find Max’s car leash. I’m sure it’s in there somewhere but I’ll be darned if it would reveal itself to me. So, I improvised and used my belt. It took a bit of adjusting for both of us because Max is accustomed to using all 16′ of his leash but my belt is only 3′ long. There was a lot of jerking going on until we found the limits of the belt. It wasn’t the best solution because I needed that belt to keep my pants up. Without it I was having a little trouble, but it worked. I just kept yanking them back up.
I saw someone with a dog go through to the doors, so I figured it was OK if we also entered. It was. We barely got through the door when a lady walked up and asked if Max could have a treat. He never turns down a treat. He did, however, do exactly what I told the lady he would do. She broke his snack in half and gave him a piece which he took and held it for a bit, tasting it. Then he put it on the floor and looked at the lady as if to say thanks. He pretended to ignore it for a bit, so I reached for it as if to pick it up and he grabbed it before I got close. It’s a game we play. Then he chomped it up and ate it. I gave him the second piece and he didn’t mess around. He just ate it.
We walked around the room where the art was being displayed. The artists were manning the tables, making new art which was pretty cool. I looked at a few pieces and admired the work, but the prices were way over the top for us. A 5×7 original watercolor was $120. After that, I didn’t touch anything else and returned to the store part of the venue. I did, however, decide that I needed to figure out how to paint stuff. Looks easy, right? Thinking about that for a minute brought me back to reality. Painting requires talent and ability. All I have are the physical tools. But, instead of just talking about painting isn’t getting it done. So, I’m going to give it a shot. One of these days.
There must have been 5-6 ladies working the store floor and every one of them came to visit with Max. He was pretty popular which was great because he detracted everyone from watching my struggle to keep my pants up. He’s quite a personality.
After leaving that the store, I did a search for the nearest Petco we could get a reasonably priced leash. The closest one was only a few miles away. I got the leash, and a new toy for Max, and got my belt back. It was a good trade.
All the sudden, it was time for lunch. Diane found a pet-friendly place down the road called Teaspoon. They had a large, covered patio area and we had a terrific lunch. The writing on their sign indicates they serve Breakfast, Brunch, and Lunch. No dinner.
Max spent the whole meal under the table or under my chair. Diane had a huge turkey omelet, and she’d give him a piece of turkey every now and them. He’s really a good dog.
One of the many pretty girls working at the Teaspoon couldn’t let us go without giving Max a hug. He’s a sucker for pretty girls.
We left there around 1440 and headed home after the young lady above rescued us while we were trying to get a selfie.
The chosen route took us through the heart of downtown Tucson where we’ve been a number of times. This is what it looks like. Not only are there just a few larger buildings, some really long freight trains run right through the heart of the city. They don’t go slow, either. The underpass you can see behind the barriers takes traffic under the tracks so there’s no disruption. We’ve never been that direction because the GPS always makes us take a left turn at the light, to a bridge that goes over the tracks.
Although the last photo showed some clouds in the sky, I had to include the next one to show you the Catalina Mountains as seen from the base near the Bone Yard. It’s much more dramatic that the one of downtown.
This next photo is the left side of the above mountain range taken on our way back to the valley. They call this area the Catalina Foothills.
It’s 1000. Max and I have been up for 3 hours, and Diane is busy in the bedroom sorting the laundry that needs to be washed. There’s a whole wagon load of it. I’ve been told to vacate the area around her where she can hear me speak, or to just not speak. My choice. She’s like that in the morning most of the time and I understand. So, I do my best to not talk to her or ask questions until she’s fully awake. But she’s already had breakfast and 2 cups of coffee that normally puts her in a more receptive disposition, so I thought I had permission to speak, but I was wrong. The last question I asked her was “how can I help.” Her answer was to look me in the eye and giving me the universal sign to go way – that’s when you hold your hand out, palm down, then activate your fingers by making them point down, then wave them at the offending person until they get the message. Considering the chore ahead of her, I can understand her desire to not be disturbed while dealing with my underwear and socks. So, I left, and here I am, doing this until I’m allowed to communicate again. That won’t be until she’s ready for me to load the wagon and drag it to the laundromat. The wagon is stored in its original box under the RV. I keep it there, in the box, so if someone thinks they should steal it, it won’t be difficult to do. So far no one has lifted it, even though we were gone for 3 days.
The temp outside was 52 degrees this morning. Inside is was 58. I thought it was pretty comfortable, but I turned the heater on anyway.
There’s a table outside the laundry on which people put things they no longer need or want, free for the taking. Yesterday I got a very nice folding knife with shiny blades in a nice leather case. There were other knives, but I only took one. Every once in a while, a painted rock will show up, too. We have one of them. There was another one on the bench this morning, but I left it. If it’s still there when we take the laundry, I will add it to our collection.
When we got home yesterday, I waited for Patricia and Laurie’s door to open before announcing our return. We didn’t want to bother them because Laurie had a surgical procedure yesterday. Even so, once Patricia saw me and Max near their door, she called to Laurie to come visit. She did, but it was obvious she was in pain. Still, she brought Max a treat, as she always does, and let him lick her all over. He’s helping her heal, I’m sure.
My Fitbit bit the dust on our trip. It want’s its software to be updated but my efforts to do so have not been successful. Diane thinks it’s broken and that I need a new one, but I haven’t given up, yet.
Diane forgot to bring her iPad on our little jaunt, so we took a trip to Best Buy in Sierra Vista so I could get her a replacement. I owed her one because I kinda bent the old iPad and I’m amazed it still works. It was laying on the car seat one day and I needed to get something from the car that required me to kneel on the seat and I bent it. Nothing broke, it just made a nice curve. So, I got her a new one and a cover that has a keyboard attached. I think she’ll learn to like it a lot.
This afternoon we took a short trip to get fuel for the car and some vegetables. I was good to get out and stretch our legs a little. Oh, I do that multiple times a day walking Max, but this was walking without Max. We left him home. As soon as we got home, I walked Max. See what I mean. When we got back to the bus, Max jumped in the driver’s seat and set his focus on the neighbors. Almost right away I hear voices coming in the driver’s (Max’s) window and checked it out. It was Patricia and Laurie talking to Max. When they saw me, they asked if Max could come out and play. They really love him.
So, of course, I took Max out for them. I let him run free from our bus and told him to “get Laurie” and that’s what he did. It’s not far around the front of the bus to their rig, but he ran flat out to get there. The reason was Laurie had treats. She always has treats for him. He’s a little mooch but he’s such a friendly little guy and, as I mentioned earlier, I really think he’s helping Laurie heal. She’s been going through a lot of turmoil with medical issues, so Max is like a breath of fresh air for her. I wouldn’t be surprised if he can sense her need for comfort from him.
I need to add a photo of Max and his new friend. I can’t remember her name and Max isn’t talking about her. I do know that she’s a Shitsu so, technically, they are related because he has a little Shitsu in his DNA.
Today was another travel day as we wound our way back to the Bone Yard. We enjoyed our visit to Sierra Vista but it’s always good to get home, right?
Diane plotted the longest return route, one that took us to Patagonia State Park. We stopped briefly at the village of Patagonia, read Heritage signs, then drove to the lake. It was a very nice drive through the surrounding residential. The weather was awesome. There were trees all around us, most of the time, but the trees dwindled when we got closer to the lake and geology was more interesting.
In the park, we drove to the marina because the first public area wasn’t dog friendly. The marina was wide open, and they had picnic tables for us to eat our lunch.
Max had a good time scaring the ducks that dared venture anywhere near us. I think he was surprised to see them fly away.
We had lunch at that table -really yummy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, green grapes and cinnamon cake. We enjoyed the peaceful solitude of the lake.
The trip to the Bone Yard was surprisingly quick and we were happy to have made it before the sun went down. I took Max for his normal walk around the park while Diane started emptying the car. It’s amazing how much “stuff” one can accumulate in a few short days.
Once the car was empty we spent some time on our little patio. There was a nice breeze and it was great just sitting there doing nothing.
Too soon it was necessary for us to contemplate supper. I ate the other 2/3’s of Diane’s chicken burrito and she ate what remained of her catfish and rice meal at Thuy’s. We both had great meals.
I ate oatmeal again this morning and it was good. This may become a habit. One of my good ones.
Our first stop of the day was a visit toFort Huachuca, or Kombucha for Diane, to see what it was about. It’s an enormous Army base in Sierra Vista and it’s one of the nicest bases we’ve been on in a long time. I took a lot of photos as we drove around the base because there were trees. The base housing units look pretty nice. Many of the ones we saw appeared to be empty.
One thing stood out for us was that none landscaping for any of the buildings involved tons of rocks. Davis-Monthan AFB is nothing but rocks for yards, but Fort Huachuca has actual grass yards. They were brown, but they were grass. There are also tall trees on the base.
One of the reasons for the different kind of landscaping is probably the altitude difference. It’s about 2,000 higher than the Bone Yard. Yeah. That’s it. The elevation.
Turns out there’s an RV park on the base which has reasonable rates and is very nice. We took a look see and really liked it. It’s well away from the main base in a very quiet corner. I took Max for a walk and encountered Paul, an Army guy. He said he’s been staying the winters in Fort Huachuca for the past 3 years. We got along nicely, and he let it be known that if we’re there in the next few weeks, for the Army vs. Navy game, he’s going to give me some s**t. He was an officer, too. What a guy. I really liked him.
From Fort Huachuca, we drove to Bisbee for the day. It’s only about 20 miles away and is a mile high city. Diane labeled this trip a “Foodie Day” on the calendar because Bisbee has a lot of places to eat. It’s a town built in Tombstone Canyon near the Copper Queen Mine which is the reason there’s a town.
Before lunch we stopped at the Visitor center for the Copper Queen Mine so this was really our first look at what the town might be like. The visitor center was also the place where excursions into the mine begin. I wandered around outside and saw the vehicle that takes people on the mine tour. It’s a very narrow-gauge rail track about 18″ wide. The vehicle people ride on are the same one’s used by the miners before it closed in 1975. We didn’t take the tour because we’re not fond of delving into large holes in the ground. We’d rather stay outside and just look around, which we did.
The visitor center was also a very large gift shop featuring mostly geological items. They also had a movie about how copper is mined and the entire process of making sheets of copper for making everything copper is used for. It was very interesting.
Getting to lunch required a drive almost all the way through town. It’s a curvy road through the canyon with buildings growing up the banks on both sides. It’s quite an amazing town. When we found Thuy’s Noodle Shop, there was parking right in front which was awesome because the town is narrow, and parking is sparse.
The restaurant is small, but they had outside tables which worked for us because we had Max along. Many places won’t let 4-legged animals inside, only the 2-legged animals are allowed. We didn’t see any of those today. Sitting on the patio was nice until the food showed up and the flies were waiting. They were a nuisance, but not terrible. The big thrill was when an enormous wasp landed on the table in front of Diane, and she darted away at least two feet, while I broke a chop stick killing it. All the other patrons were well entertained. I’m really glad Diane didn’t get stung.
The dish on the left is Beef PHO and the one on the right is a pork salad. These are actually two meal choices so you can probably say I over ordered a little. But I ate almost all of it. One thing for sure, to Diane’s delight, I got my share of protein today. Vegetables too. I’m sorry I don’t have a picture of Diane’s catfish. She said it had an orange flavor to it, and she liked it a lot.
After lunch we went down the hill to Patisserie Jacqui for a couple of their world class croissants, but it was closed. So, we won’t have world class croissants tomorrow. Dang.
Next, we tried to get dessert at Pussycat Gelato. It was closed, too. So, only 1 of 3 locations were available for our use. Thankfully, lunch was good.
After missing out on dessert, we headed back to Sierra Vista. As we made our final pass through the town, Max saw a cat run across the street. He was sitting in his throne on the console between our seats and launched his little self almost out the passenger window. He only made it halfway because Diane grabbed one hind leg, and I grabbed the rest of him. We managed to get him back inside, but I about broke Diane’s shoulder in the process. He was going to get that cat, by golly. It was pretty exciting. We can only assume that chasing cats was something to do with his past.
Once back in Sierra Vista we stopped at a DQ where I got Diane a Peanut Buster Parfait and myself a chocolate malt. Then we returned to the hotel for our last night.
This morning, I woke up the first time at 0400, the second time at 0530, and the third time at 0645 or so. While lying there wondering if I could make myself get up before 0900, when breakfast was over, Diane told me I should get up and eat breakfast before it’s over at 0900. That was code for “get up and go eat breakfast.” It’s good to know the code.
So, I got up and took Max for a walk, stopped by the breakfast area and got Diane a cup of coffee, THEN I went to breakfast. I knew she was thinking that and inadvertently omitted those two critical instructions. There are times when I add things to the code and make mistakes but this time I was spot on.
I went back to the breakfast area and had a bowl of oatmeal and two, two pieces of overtoasted toast, the way I like it, and I was good to go for the rest of the day.
When I was done, Diane went down to get some yogurt and then we saddled up for a trip to Tombstone. It’s only a 25-minute drive but it takes you back 100 years in time. When we got there Diane found a shaded parking spot on 4th Street, across the street from Puny John’s BBQ and just down the street from the Visitor’s center.
Tombstone is not a dog friendly town, so we didn’t get to see much together. Max was relegated to tugging on a short leash and hanging with one of us while the other visited a store. I peeked into the OK Shootout ticket venue and thought Diane should go there. She did. Max and I spent some time on a main street bench to wait.
When Diane returned, she took control of Max and released me to go visit the Visitor’s Center. In the VC I talked with Kathy, the lady behind the counter, and learned that she used to live in Hermiston, OR, and Portland, OR and knows where Scappoose and St. Helens are. Small world stuffs. Also, her daughter lives in Forest Grove, OR and might be Les and Sophie’s neighbor. I didn’t get an address to confirm, so we’ll never know for sure.
We sat on that bench for a while and watched the participants in the 1100 OK Corral shootout gather in front of the store Diane visited. Sadly, more than one of them lit up cigarettes and the wind blew it right at us. We were block away and it was still nasty. Smoke is a deal killer for us, so we decided to call an end to this a visit and headed back to Sierra Vista.
There’s a statue in Tombstone that we encountered, and Max stopped, stared at it a bit, then started barking at it. Something new for him. He stopped quickly when I asked him to, then I took him to it and introduced him. After that he was fine.
We came away with some photos, and memories of the old buildings and Kathy in the Visitor’s Center. Max just got in his throne and went to sleep.
Upon arrival in Sierra Vista, we went to 143 Street Tacos for lunch. Diane surprised me by ordering a chicken burrito. When she got it, she understood my surprise because the burrito must have weighed in at around 3-4 lbs. It was enormous. She ate 1/3 of it which made me happy. I’m sure I will have to eat the rest of it one of these days. I had a beef burrito and ate almost all of it.
Before going back to the hotel Diane dropped by Best Buy and I got her a new iPad for her birthday. Her old one stayed in Tucson this trip and it was damaged from an incident with my knee, so now she has something new to play with for the next couple of days.
After eating those burritos, we were a little conflicted about dinner. Like, were we really hungry after all that?
We finally agreed that Diane should go to Safeway and pick up something that looked pleasing to her and to just surprise me because I’ll eat pretty much anything. Anytime.
When Diane was on the way home, she called me saying, “I’ll be there in 6 minutes. Bring a cart.” What this told me is that she went shopping hungry. That’s why we needed the cart.
Here’s what she brought back: 1. A Swanson dead chicken dinner for me. 2. A piece of dead fish and mac and cheese for her. 3. A tray of vegetables for me. 4. A container of green grapes. 5. A can of mixed nuts. 6. A loaf of bread. 7. A jar of chunky peanut butter. 8. A jar of strawberry jam. 9. A container of cinnamon cake. 10. A gallon of distilled water. 11. A 12-pack of bottled water. 12. A half pound of Butter. 13. A box of popcorn. 14. A box of Rice Krispy treats.
That’s why she needed the cart to get it up to the third floor.
The dead chicken dinner was good, and Diane liked her dead fish. I nibbled on the veggies while mine cooked in the micro. Max gave me a little help with the chicken and also with the veggies. He was bugging me about the chicken, but he had chicken in his bowl that’s been there most of the day. He could have eaten it any time. Instead, he conned me into feeding him bits of chicken. When that was all gone, he continued to give me his prairie dog look, so I started feeding him vegetables. He like carrots, and broccoli. I didn’t give him a tomato, but he probably would have eaten it, too.
I finally got him to leave me alone by moving his food bowl from the bathroom to the living area and insisted that he eat it. He did, in about 3 minutes. I figured he’d be looking for dessert after all that, but he settled down and is currently sleeping. He’s such a funny little guy.
We closed up the RV for the next few days and took a trip to Sierra Vista. The ultimate goal is Tombstone, AZ but that’s going to wait until tomorrow. Today was just a travel day – get where we’re going and nothing else even though the trip only took a couple of hours. That’s a hard rule, set in stone. No sightseeing on a travel day.
Before we left, we talked with the neighbors and gave them our phone numbers, “just in case” something happened. That also gave Laurie time to talk with Max. With the two of them, it’s a mutual admiration society. Max is a healer which is good because Laurie has leukemia. Max is good for her. They are good for each other.
We’re in a Hampton Inn here in Sierra Vista. It has a real shower that we’re going to use every day. Maybe twice. Each. Might even wash Max. Once we got our “stuff” to our room, Diane went in search of a Goodwill to get a swimming suit. This place has a small pool and a hot tub which Diane thinks might unkink her left shoulder and neck muscles. Going to a Goodwill, or thrift store at a new destination does not violate the travel day rule, in case you were wondering.
Max thinks the room is great because the bed is low enough that he can jump on the bed. In the RV he needs help. I’ll bet he could make it if he gave it a valid try, but he seems to be just fine letting one of us pick him up.
Our next-door neighbors at the Bone Yard live in Sierra Vista and let us know that the temps here run about 10 degrees cooler than Tucson. That would be because of the higher altitude, I suspect. Tucson runs around 2,700 feet above sea level, and Sierra Vista is right around 4,600 feet.
Diane returned around 1630 with 2 swimming suits and 2 dog toys. Max loves his toys.
Diane said there’s a Papa John’s Pizza joint just across from the hotel. She checked her Google Maps and discovered it’s only 600 feet away, on the other side of a very busy 4-lane highway. There are no crosswalks within a mile either direction so the only way to safely get there was to drive Diane’s car.
Yes, it’s Diane’s, not mine, so I don’t get to drive it very much. When I do it’s always a scary feeling because I’m afraid I’ll do something wrong. Heaven knows I have plenty of other opportunities to screw stuff up.
When I went to get the pizza, Diane made it clear that I needed to get a salad, too. Unfortunately, Papa John’s doesn’t have side salads. Diane told me that Dominos did. So, after ordering the pizza I did a search for the nearest Dominos. It was a couple of miles away. Since I had to wait 15-20 minutes for the pizza, I had plenty of time to make that quick trip to the other pizza joint.
When I got there, I was told that it would take 15-20 minutes for the salad. That confused me a little bit, but I stepped back and waited. There was a display in the waiting area listing orders by name and mine was at the top. I figured someone would call me, but they didn’t. So, I went back to the order counter and asked if my name was on the list or was it a mistake that my name was in first place. The girl did a frantic search of the pizzas waiting for delivery and didn’t see my name, so I told her, again, that I was only getting a salad, no pizza. I truly believe that I was the first person to enter that pizza joint who ordered just a salad. She was on automatic with the “15-20 minutes” wait. When she realized that I was an exception to the norm, she ran to the back and got my pre-packaged salad. That’s kinda what I expected right after I paid for it.
With my salad in hand, I returned to Papa John’s for the pizza. It was done so I didn’t have to wait. Back at the hotel I stopped to get more napkins in the breakfast area and discovered a table full of baby cans of soda that would go well with the pizza. Pretty cool.
I had to do a balancing act with the salad, pizza, plates, forks and sodas all the way to the room on the 3rd floor. Then that long walk down the hall to a room far from the elevator. Everything went well all that way then I had to get my wallet out for the door key and lost everything on the floor. Nifty.
Diane opened the door to let me in just as I was gathering everything up.
It was the first time either of us had eaten a Papa John’s pizza and it was really good. The sodas I dropped exploded a little when we opened them so that was exciting. A good way to end the day.
It was around 12 degrees outside this morning when I got up at 0630 so I turned on the fireplace and went back to bed. It’s not a real fireplace. It’s an electric portable one that we store under the bed when we travel. So, technically, it’s a heater that looks a little like a fireplace. It works perfectly to keep the house warm.
Twelve degrees was an exaggeration, too. It was more like 20 … no, it was actually 47. Still, for Arizona, that’s cold, don’t you think?
Diane and I both wear Fitbit devices to keep track of our sleeping patterns and how many steps we take throughout out days. It’s interesting to see how well we sleep but it doesn’t work every night because one of us forgets to switch the mode to do that. This morning, I found that I got a 77 last night. Not too bad but being in the 80’s is better. I don’t do that very often.
The reason for my low scores is that no matter when I go to bed, I wake up between 0500-0600 every morning. That’s when my brain turns on. I’d really like to go back to sleep, but a lot of stuff is going on behind my eyes making it difficult. Most days the theme in my head is a reenactment of the dog fight Max and I got in while visiting a park in Imperial Beach, CA. I shared this many posts ago, so I won’t subject you to another rendition of that event. The repetitive morning episodes has convinced me that my continuous exposure to that event is PTSD.
Yup. Most people who suffer from PTSD were exposed to traumatic events related to warfare, not dog fights, right? Well, I’m sure PTSD can be triggered by any traumatic event. I speak as an expert though I’m not one. The point where I have to get up to end the memory is when I extract Max from the jaws of this big dog who was doing his best to kill my little friend. I always prevail but lingering in the back of my mind is the fear of what could have happened had I not been close enough to intervene.
OK now. I got that out of my head, and we can move on to something more pleasant.
It’s another beautiful day here in Tucson. Bright clear skies, and just a little chilly out there now. Diane said it’s supposed to be around 81 today, according to the weather people. It’s yo-yo weather; up and down. Yesterday evening, before the sun went down, we were lounging on the patio, and it was perfect. We haven’t had many days like that because previously it was just too hot. Being from the NW, we run out of sweat quickly, so it’s no fun being outside in the heat, watching your skin just wrinkle up and flake off in little, tiny pieces. It’s like having dandruff all over the exposed parts. Not very attractive. I think I read in a comic book that after a while the flaking stops, and everything just turns brown. I don’t know how long that will take, but it hasn’t happened, yet. My little stick figure legs will never get brown because it’s just too chilly for short pants. There’s just something about walking around in short pants on a clear, sunny day, and having to walk fast to stay warm just isn’t appealing. So, I wear long pants so Max, and I can just walk slowly, enjoying the scenery without feeling the need to shiver.
Around noon Diane went to the commissary to, once again, replenish our depleted food supply. Max and I stayed home and took a long walk. When we got home, I reclined on the couch to watch TV for a bit and fell asleep for a little while. Thankfully, I woke up before Diane returned so I was alert and able to help carry everything into the bus. I did it in four trips and everything fit in the proper place depending on whether or not it was frozen, cooled, or just happy in a warm cupboard.
Then we ate what was left of the meatloaf, the potatoes and a new can of peas. Both the peas and potatoes were smothered in an excessive amount of butter and a little sprinkle of salt and pepper. The meatloaf received an additional layer of ketchup. Sunday Linner was very good.
Temporary Sanity ... 