Day 84 – Saturday – Pork Chops

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Diane decided that she was cooking today. We had some porkchops thawing in the fridge for a couple of days and it was time to spice them up. She did it in the crockpot and it was really good. It had sliced potatoes and onions under the meat and the end result was a lot like pork chops and scalloped potatoes. It wouldn’t be ready until 1730 so she had the entire day free to roam.

Once the food was in motion, we went to ACE Hardware, one of the many in Tucson, to get metal screws so I could properly attach the flapper seal on the bottom of the bedroom slide. That’s the part that blocks daylight from streaming under the slide when it’s extended. She figures if she can see daylight under the slide, so can mice and rats. Up until now, I’ve been blocking the gap from the inside but that’s a tedious task. I should have fixed it a long time ago but by putting it off for so long I was honing my procrastination skills to a world class level. Diane has convinced me that it’s time for me to give up on this lofty goal and get to work. What I needed was some self-tapping metal screws to put it together properly, so we took a little trip to a local ACE store. There are 5-6 of them in this town. Thankfully, it had free popcorn. I got to eat most of it before I dumped it on the floor on my side of the car. What a mess.

Diane dropped Max and me at home then drove off to complete her visit to the last thrift store she was at yesterday, the Humane Society Thrift Store. She had to stop shopping early because she wore the wrong shoes, and her feet complained. Today she’s in flip flops and can walk a mile in those things.

I stayed home with Max with the understanding that I was to find a way to use my time alone in a productive manner. So, between bouts of productivity I watched a little NCAA Football and randomly walked Max. We ate some stuff, too. I don’t remember what it was, but it was good. It was a nice day, so we spent some time lounging on the patio. Max got whiplash trying to get a bead on everything that moved, and I just sat there, reading. It was best to be outside because the crockpot aroma was getting to me. It was wonderful.

Watching football wasn’t really interesting to me until late in the afternoon. The Oregon Ducks, #1 in the nation, didn’t play today so I had to wait until 1700 when the PAC 12 teams, both of them, played each other for the title. The Oregon Ducks used to be in the PAC 12, but they went east to play with the Big 10 guys. They are doing OK, too.

The Oregon State Beavers played the Washington State Cougars for a full four quarters. The lead changed hands numerous times throughout the game, and it was tied 38-38 with 20 seconds remaining in regulation. Oregon had the ball, and it was 4th down. All the Beaver kicker had to do was nail a 57-yard FG. Which he did. Final score, 41-38, Beavers win. It was awesome.

While I watched the game, Max spied on the neighbors, Diane locked herself in the bedroom and watched old Columbo mysteries. It’s her safe place. I appreciate that she allows me to watch a game now and then.

Diane wouldn’t let me add a photo of her which makes sense. I didn’t even take one.

Later.

Day 83 – Friday – The Toilet Blew Up!

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Yes, today the RV toilet chose to fail. It didn’t really blow up and it didn’t really fail completely, it just decided it wasn’t going to flush any more. The little flapper thing was frozen in place making it impossible to rid the bowl of whatever was deposited in it. That’s a problem. So, I got my tools and dismantled it. I’m pretty good a taking things apart and I can usually get them back together with very few parts left over. In this case, there really aren’t a lot of parts. To totally dismantle this thing required that I remove only six 1/2″ nuts, and 4 screws. Amazing, right? So, if you ever need your toilet dismantled, I’m your guy.

Now I know how it works and what it needs to return to service.

This is the sit-upon part that didn’t need a lot of cleaning and nothing on it was broken. I placed it out of the way in the hallway to the bedroom.

All I had to do was discover an RV parts store that had what was on the short list for repair. Considering that this effort began in the afternoon, we went to Camping World, without calling first, to see if they had the necessary items. They had a couple but not the flapper thing. But the guy behind the counter wrote the part number on a sticky note so I could go check other places.

Next up was Sandy’s RV, about 10 miles away. As we sailed west on I-10 Diane saw an advertisement for La Mesa RV at exit 263, the next exit. So, we went there. It was handy and we were running out of time.

We exited and headed towards La Mesa but there was an RV dealer just before La Mesa, and it was on the proper side of the road (the right side) so we stopped. It was a fancy place and didn’t have a parts department. All they sold was RVs in the $500K range. They fixed them when they broke, but they don’t sell parts to folks like me. La Mesa RV was about 1/4 mile further.

Diane found a shady spot to park, and I was directed to Robert Creech in the parts department. I gave him my sticky note explaining what was going on and he found the part. It was a miracle. He instantly became my best friend. I asked if he knew there was an air force base in Nevada named for him and he said, yes. It’s where drone pilots are trained.

Back home in the Bone Yard, I took the newly acquired part and spent about an hour trying to make it work with our toilet. Sadly, I discovered, the part Camping World suggested was for a toilet that uses a lever on the side to flush. Ours has a pedal on the front. It was 1545 when I decided I was trying to fit a round hole in a square peg, and we went back to see Robert.

After explaining my predicament, he searched but didn’t find the part, but he could have one by Monday. Figuring that was the best choice I had, I walked back to the car with my head hanging a little low so Diane would know I failed.

On the way back to the Bone Yard we discussed the logistics of not having a working toilet for the next few days and settled on an agreement that provided us relief of bodily liquids at night using the hastily reinstalled toilet and using the shower/toilet facilities 100 yards or so from us to dispose of solid waste as needed. That took planning.

Now, all we have to do is make it to Monday when the correct part is delivered to Robert. Until then, I can practice dismantling and remantling the offending toilet until I can put it back together blindfolded. We all know that won’t happen but tearing it apart and putting it back together solidifies the steps necessary to ensure it works when the final bolt is tightened.

The biggest benefit of having to dismantle the toilet was that it gave me an opportunity to clean all the toilet surfaces, inside and out. The RV is 17 years old, and that toilet has been used a lot, so most of the interior working surfaces were coated with crispy black residue. I made it all go away while Diane was out shopping for stuff. It was better that she wasn’t here because I’m sure she would have been a bit upset had she seen that I didn’t use the rubber gloves she found for me. I didn’t use them because they were heavy duty and what I needed were the skinny kind that worked like an extra layer of skin. I washed myself thoroughly every so often to ward off the possibility of some deadly disease. I figured that if I could get it cleaned up and put back together without throwing up, I was OK.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Day 82 – Thursday – Really!?

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Did you hear about the billionaire who paid $6.2 million dollars for a banana and a piece of duct tape? Makes me wonder if acquiring all that money causes mental illness, or if they’re already a little whacko in a way that allows them to dream up ideas that ‘we the people’ can’t live without. Most certainly they are crafty people but, personally, I’m quite content to muddle along in the middle class doing dumb things that no one in their right mind would pay me to do again. Perhaps all those potential investors know I do dumb things with no expectation of renumeration because I just like doing dumb things.

Moving on …

Max really likes our neighbors, Laurie and Patricia. They give him treats. Normally the driver’s window is left open during the day so they can talk to him but at night we close it and pull the curtain. So, he sticks his head under the curtain and spies on them, hoping one of them will bring treats. He’s quite funny.

Today I did nothing productive. I tried to be productive, but it just didn’t work out. Diane was productive. She went to the commissary after her appointment with the optometrist at the BX. She had a good checkup from a lady who was trained at Pacific University in Hillsboro, Oregon and she knows where Scappoose and St. Helens are. She even knows where Deer Island is. Small world, right?

Thanks to Diane’s due diligence, I have a fresh supply of frozen breakfast meals and fresh vegetables for an occasional salad. I guess I’m going a little nuts because I get agitated easily, like that lady I see in the Alzheimer commercials. Perhaps I should be certified.

Now I must shower and go to bed.

Dau 81 – Wednesday – Went to a Movie

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Today we went to a movie at one of the most modern movie theaters we’ve ever been allowed to attend. It’s one of the Cinemark theaters here in Tucson.

Diane reserved our tickets online and even ordered our snacks. When we checked in everything was ready for us. All we had to do was say “Thanks”.

Every seat in the place is a recliner and the sound system is really, really loud. They add “XD” on to the theater’s name to indicate that when you go to one you will be Xtremely Deaf for a while after you leave. When she ordered the tickets, I was allowed to help pick our seats which was a little difficult because neither of us had a clue about how the seats were placed. Turns out the seats we chose were far too close to the screen. Not because of the picture, but because of the sound. A lot of commercials were played before the movie, and the sound was just over the edge of “painful”, so we packed up our popcorn and moved up to the 3rd row from the top. We would have gone higher but there were people sitting where we wanted to be. I don’t know how many seats there are but there weren’t many being used. Actually, there were only 4 of us in there. It was like we had our very own private theater. I suppose we should have expected that because it’s Wednesday, and the movie we wanted to see started at noon. That’s old people time for a movie.

We watched this one …

No doubt you’ve seen it advertised. It’s an excellent movie about Santa Clause but it IS NOT for children. So, if you take children to see it just remember that I told you so. That’s sad because the story line is perfect for kids. There’s just some colorful language once in a while.

I know, most of the theaters now days have all kinds of fancy seating, and we’ve been to a few. It’s just that we haven’t been to a movie in a long time and (at least) I tend to forget stuff like that. So, it was almost like the first time. You’ll have to ask Diane about it. Except for the very loud sound system, I think she liked it a lot. Our next movie is going to be “Wicked”. We’ll take earmuffs for the commercials.

G’nite.

Day 80 – Tuesday – Two Thrift Stores

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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.

That’s it for today.

Day 79 – Monday – Max’s Shower

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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.

Like, now.

See you tomorrow.

Day 78 – Sunday – Lazy Day

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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.

Maybe next time.

Day 77 – Saturday – Oro Valley

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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.

That’s all I’ve got.

Day 76 – Friday – Laundry Day (again)

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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.

That’s it.

Day 75 – Thursday – Patagonia

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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.

Now the day is done.