February
1 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
It was back to below freezing again this morning. But, the high today was even worse struggling to only 54°.The forecast for tomorrow is for even lower temperatures with Thursday to be about like today. Then when you add a strong wind to that mix it makes for some cold days ahead.
Better than what the Mid-west and East are getting however!
Most of my day was devoted to trying to stay warm after I finished my walk. I did put together a Spinach with Tortellini Soup.
Started it yesterday with the chicken broth, the spinach and spices into the Cooker; then let it sit overnight. Today I added the Tortellini after I had it back to a boil and within a few minutes I had a nice hot bowl of soup.
It was very good; I have now got another one-pot meal that I can add to my list.
This excerpt from the Opinion pages of The Wall Street Journal is an opinion that I totally agree with. However, as I have said before, the chances that the Supreme Court will also rule this way is a toss-up at best.
IF President Obama get another appointment opportunity then I say that ObamaCare will be held to be constitutional. The Federal Government will then have complete power to enact any law mandating any purchase it wishes with impunity.
'If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself."
As Judge Vinson took pains to emphasize, the case is not really about health care at all, or the wisdom—we would argue the destructiveness—of the newest entitlement. Rather, the Florida case goes to the core of the architecture of the American system, and whether there are any remaining limits on federal control. Judge Vinson's 78-page ruling in favor of 26 states and the National Federation of Independent Business, among others, is by far the best legal vindication to date of Constitutional principles that form the outer boundaries of federal power.
At the heart of the states' lawsuit is the individual mandate, which requires everyone to purchase health insurance or be penalized for not doing so. "Never before has Congress required that everyone buy a product from a private company (essentially for life) just for being alive and residing in the United States," Judge Vinson writes.
2 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
It froze again last night, a hard freeze this time that included my pipes. It was 21°, with a wind chill of 8°, when I got up. It then went down to 18 by 7:30 – I didn't walk.This was bad enough but it gets worse. The high for the day, which was 38°, came at around noon. The forecast is for even lower temperatures in the morning, during the day tomorrow and Friday morning.
I did nothing all day but try and stay warm, had the catalytic heater on almost all day. I dug out my winter clothes and may dress for a walk tomorrow. My bigger concern is that the pipes will freeze again tonight, not thaw during the day and then perhaps break.
This is as bad or worse than the first couple of days of January.
3 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
Today was a repeat of yesterday, only worse. It was about 5° when I got up with a wind chill of -6°. Once again, I did not walk.I thought about letting my faucets drip at 11:00 last night; it was a good idea but I was too late, the pipes were frozen already. The Club House pipes were also frozen but the Park Host let me get a gallon of water from their 5th-wheel.
Some of the ground water hookups have been winter protected but my site and the one next to me were frozen. Some of the people in the Park have winter protected their rigs but others are froze up like me.
That includes one I talked to that has their forced air furnace ducted through the pipe area like mine was but they still froze. That made me feel a little better about taking mine out but I would have been much more comfortable the past couple of days if I had had it and could have keep the propane tank full.
The high today may get above freezing but it does not look likely nor is it forecast to do so. All of my windows were frosted over this morning – on the INSIDE. It does not look like they will become completely defrosted until tomorrow -maybe.
The same is true of my pipes so it will be then that I find out if I have had any broken pipe damage.
I finished another mystery and exchanged it for another. Did some web News reading also plus blogs both daily and catching up. Mostly I was trying to stay warm!
Global Warming/Climate Change and AlGore, the High Priest of same, is back in the News. You can expect to read his same statements almost every winter when some part of the earth has some extreme snow fall or cold temperatures. It has almost become a ritual within the religion that he preaches.
If the planet is warming, why is a third of America locked in a deep freeze, with record-low temperatures as far south as the Mexican border, where the thermometer in Ciudad Juarez plummeted Wednesday night to a bone-chilling 9-below zero?I keep reading the 'spin' that Ben Bernanke, Federal Reserve Chairman, keeps putting on the Fed's decision to keep printing money and how there is NO inflation. Then there is the NO inflation argument for not increasing Social Security monthly payments for the last two years.
Self-proclaimed planetary climate czar Al Gore thinks he has the answer.
"As it turns out, the scientific community has been addressing this particular question for some time now, and they say increased heavy snowfalls are completely consistent with what they have been predicting as a consequence of man-made global warming," Gore write in a blog post.
Gore also indicated that he believes a rise in global temperatures is creating “all sorts of havoc,” from hotter dry spells to colder winters and ever more violent storms. This is even endangering certain species of animals and leading to forest fires and floods.
“Gore’s statement actually indicates a deeper problem -- lack of precise predictions, He’s saying that anything bad that happens must be because global warming caused it. Activists like Gore are great at identifying events after the fact as being caused by global warming, but terrible at predicting them beforehand,” said Dr. William M. Briggs, a statistician and climate scientist. His research shows that there are no increased weather problems because of global warming.
I just happened to run across this in a posting that seems to document those lies. These are the 6-month price percentage moves in some of the things people need to live:
• Cotton = +125.7%
• Sugar = +82.6%
• Corn = +59.0%
• Coffee = +41.4%
• Rice = +40.5%
• Oats = +36.6%
• Copper = +36.1%
• Lumber = +33.8%
• Oil = +25.1%
President Obama is back on the Presidential Campaign Trail. He opened the Campaign with his State of the Union Speech then went to WI for a plant tour, and speech, as a follow up. Now he is back in his favorite forum, Universities, with a speech at Penn State. I'm guessing that he will make at least one speech at a University in every State before Election Day 2012.
4 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: February 4, 1923Last night was about the same as the night before, a low of 6° with a -6° wind chill – I did not walk.
One major difference was that last night I did not have my heater on at all. Yesterday morning I had frozen condensation on the inside of all my windows. This morning I had almost none, the burning of propane generates a lot of water vapor.
The other big difference was that my catalytic heater was able to keep the interior of Desperado above freezing. By not having it burning I ended up with a glass of water frozen on my kitchen counter, interior water valves frozen shut and the bathroom sink drain was frozen.
The RV Park was also completely without water this morning. They had a broken pipe from the storage tank yesterday that they fixed but today either the input or output from the main storage tank is frozen.
We had an absolutely clear sky, no wind and plenty of sunshine but only got up to 50°. I had the door to the area where my pipes are open almost all day but it only got direct sun for 2-3 hours.
It did not thaw out before it became shaded but I could see some leakage just not sure from where until I get some pressure on the system. Maybe tomorrow?
There is a lot of hoopla and spin going on about the Republican budget cuts to the 2011 fiscal year Budget that was never passed during the 111th Congress. If Rep. Ryan's proposal for cutting $74 Billion is passed that will represent a cut of 7%; not too bad but nothing to get very excited about.
When that same $74 Billion is compared to the total expected to be spent it becomes even less exciting. The Obama Administration is going for a record Budget Deficit of $1.5 Trillion for fiscal year 2011. I'm not convinced that the term “significant spending cut” is appropriate considering the size of the expected deficit.
Maybe I will have a different opinion when the 2012 fiscal year Budget is presented?
As The Post reported, House Republicans have come forward with their first significant spending cut plan. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc), the House Budget Committee chairman, proposed to "cap total appropriations at $1.055 trillion for fiscal 2011 -- $74 billion less than Obama's request but only $32 billion less than the current level of spending."Then I saw that the jobless rate had declined to 9.0% as the number of unemployed fell by 590,000. A 162,000 drop in the size of the labor force also helped push down the rate. The Department of Labor shows that the average monthly growth of jobs over the last 12 months has been 97,000, but that is not enough to keep up with population growth.
WOW , is that good news or what?
The 590,000 reduction in unemployed was not because they went back to work but they quit looking for work and are no longer counted when computing the unemployment rate.
The drop in the size of the labor force was not because less people became part of it through population growth. It was most likely due to the Labor Department's adjustment of their guess about how large the labor force is. All of these numbers are only best guesses and are then 'seasonally adjusted'.
The Department of Labor web site is just full of information so I thought I would see how things have changed since President Obama took charge.
Since December 31, 2008:
Labor Force has declined by 1,490,000
Employed has declined by 6,529,000
Unemployed has increased by 5,059,000
Not in Labor Force has increased by 3,288,000
These numbers tell me far more than the unemployment rate that seems to garner so much of the media attention. If the Labor Force and Employed numbers continue to decline then Unemployed could remain stable and Obama will have a lower unemployment rate to brag about in 2012.
He needs to institute policy that will lower the Labor Force (keep students in school longer, encourage retirements, encourage Unemployed to go back to school). If he creates jobs so that the number Employed increases by the same number as the Labor Force he has not helped his unemployment rate.
Or, he needs to do something that will move more people from Unemployed to Not in the Labor Force (more people must become totally discouraged and quit looking for work). I think his current policies have shown success in the past couple of months utilizing this option – the unemployment rate has fallen from 9.8% to 9.0%.
5 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
After the lows we have had for the past three days this morning felt nice; it was 20°. I drove to Sierra Vista for my walk where it was possibly 5 degrees warmer which was better yet.Stopped at Ivey's restaurant again for breakfast and then did my grocery shopping at Safeway where I park while walking. It was close to 11:00 by the time I got back to the Park and it had warmed up to near 60°.
The first thing I needed to do was dump my holding tanks. When I opened the bay door to where all my pipes are I could see a lot more water than what I saw yesterday. This was not good!
After dumping I connected my water intake to the Park's water, which now had good pressure, and immediately had a VERY bad leak(s) at the MANABLOC®.
I'll get into D & J RV Repair sometime this next week and get it fixed – I hope. I hate to guess what it is going to cost me, I just know that it will be more than I have to spend.
I'll be filling up a one gallon jug for dish washing and toilet flushing water. The Park has water again so the Shower House and Laundry should be back in operation.
I will be inconvenienced but not much, the biggest pain will be in my wallet. This deep freeze hit a lot of people a lot worse than me.
I picked up the ingredients for Pescado à la veracruzana today and cooked up the sauce after I got home. I have enough fish for four meals that I'll be eating every other day during this next week.
This will be break from my usual one pot cooking which I eat for 3-4 days and then cook another pot. Report to follow, but I can say now that the sauce is real tasty.
6 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
I have revised the four routes that I walk to the northwest and northeast in Whetstone, AZ. They will all now be six miles or more.I did the northeast one counter-clockwise this morning for the first time. I had walked the northwest counter-clockwise one on February 1st before the cold front hit.
The two routes that are east of the Park will remain the same at about 5.5 miles. Then I have my two town walks in Sierra Vista and to Huachuca City which vary from just over 5 miles to over 8.
So, I have worked out some good routes and a good routine here during the past month, I just need to stay with it. Maybe loosing some weight but not that you would notice; feeling good.
The Shower/Laundry House had water again today. I took advantage of both those amenities while they were available and got cleaned up.
Also, made up another batch of Italian Stew that I modified somewhat from the recipe that I used last time to better suit my taste. It has been in the Thermal Cooker all day and will sit overnight then I'll eat it every other day between days of Pescado à la veracruzana.
If you go way back to December 2009 in my blog you will find where I heaped high praise on the Pescado à la veracruzana that I had at Rice and Beans in San Ignacio, Baja Sur, Mexico.
That was the best I ever had. What I have cooked up over the past two days must rank as the second best although I did not have any rice with mine. I did have a baby spinach and sliced tomato salad covered with a yogurt and buttermilk dressing. Perhaps second best is a stretch – but it was good eats!
I got some good news about my frozen pipes. I tried the fresh water tank pump again this afternoon and it worked; it has taken two days with high temperatures of over 60° to finally thaw all my pipes.
When it works it puts pressure on the system of course and the very bad crack sprays water. That means I can not use it but the good news is I don't have to replace it.
7 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
The high temperature was nearly 70° today but the low was near 20°. The forecast continues to be close when predicting the high but is still much too high when predicting the low.Nothing froze so that is good news however I can not rely on the forecast to warn me of sub-freezing temperatures.
The other good news received today was I got an appointment at D & J RV Repair for tomorrow morning. The water leak is priority number one with the 110V outlet not working in second place.
Then comes the installation of the wall light fixture and removing the microwave. I think the stove hood light bulb has burned out but I can not remove it. That is on the fix-it list also.
Not much else happening today. I will go to Tombstone either on Wen. or Thur. for a Quilt Show and visit with my cousin. I also need to check with RV City about the curtain that I have ordered.
My modified Italian Sausage Stew turned out better (more to my taste) than the original recipe. Now all I have to do is try to remember what I did. LOL
8 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
A long day of waiting at D & J RV Repair once again. But I now have water.The MANABLOC®, a water manifold system, was leaking not one of the elbows as I had hoped.
The unit could not be fixed and is not manufactured anymore; they do make a larger one (more expensive) but I was not using the capability of the one I had.
D & J has made a new manifold out of PVC pipe and fittings that will work just as well. The cost? It will not be cheap; parts will be not much, the labor will be a lot.
It looks like I'll be going to Tombstone on Thurs. if everything else is fixed. The microwave is out and the hood light works again.
However, the 110V outlet problem needs better wiring. They used the existing line connectors when they extended the line a few weeks ago and they do not make good contact.
The 12V outlet is also has a problem; it is not carrying enough amperage. I had checked it with my 150 Watt inverter and when the inverter ran I was happy. But I found out today that it was not putting out 110V to run my computer – this does not make me happy.
These electrical problems will be fixed tomorrow, I hope. I'll be staying in D&J's parking lot overnight. There is no reason for me to drive to my RV Park then back here in the morning.
This is from the blog Circling the Moon December 20, 2010. The very last sentence is the most significant in my opinion; the rules of engagement have kept those fighting wars ever since Vietnam from winning. The media will not tell Miracle Man's story - not yet, they have too much invested in Obama's Presidency.
The one Afghan they completely trusted was a soldier who had just the day before taken out two enemy fighters. The very next day he wore a suicide belt and blew up several Americans at an outpost. My soldier--we'll call him Miracle Man--was standing closest to him... Many operations later, Miracle survived. His legs were blasted to bits and have been rebuilt. His face and skull were shattered. He is now legally blind. He's lost hearing completely in one ear and struggles to hear with the other.Then this from Circling the Moon January 20, 2011. If this had been on President Bush's watch the media would have been all over this but President Obama gets a pass. I also want to know what this NEXT fighting season is all about; I thought we were pulling out in July 2011.
Our hero is a true miracle who told me this morning...the war in Afghanistan needs to end. Under the current rules of engagement there is no way they can fight to win.
Today I went to a press conference at a well-known think tank, where some of the brightest minds available discussed why winning in Afghanistan is possible. The current strategy is working, major headway has been made and the turnaround in the South is un-precedented. But hold on...
We'll have to wait until next "fighting season" and even the NEXT "fighting season" to know for sure.
Really? And that means how many more lives and body parts lost?
If our strategy is working, then how the hell do we allow the Taliban and Al Qaeda to enjoy a "next" fighting season? Either we win. Or we don't. Either we crush their balls or we don't. But we don't take a winter hiatus (ala Congress) and agree to meet again in the Spring and see where things are...
1 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
Everything is fixed! It took more waiting of course. The RV Tech that was working on all of my problems had to be in court this morning (?).That resulted in a late start on finishing the new water manifold installation. Having said that, I think what I now have is better than the MANABLOC® system that Desperado had from the factory.
I have opened the bay where all the pipes are even more than before when I had the partition cut out. I can now see where my power cord is and keep it from tangling wit the water pipe 'spaghetti' that in in the bay with it.
I can now see a leak, and more importantly it can be reached to fix it. All RVs, not just my rig, are built with the assumption that they will NEVER need to be repaired.
All of my electrical problems were fixed next. I was able to load up my VISA Card and leave by around 1:00 this afternoon. The cost was not a total shock to my system but I did stop and pick up a bottle of brandy to ease the pain.
As I said yesterday, the parts would not cost much; just over $100. But, the labor was 7.5 hours. You figure the cost of that at your favorite RV Repair place rate and know that it cost me plenty.
D&J charged me at least $100 less than any other RV Repair place I have had either give me a quote or do work for me. I recommend D&J RV Repair in Sierra Vista, AZ highly!
I'm now back at my RV Park home. Have kicked back and letting the brandy soothe the ache in my wallet.
This has been my personal Stimulus Package (paid for on Credit) for the local economy, hopefully it will not be required tomorrow.
10 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
It was cold this morning (20°) with a slight wind that made it feel really cold. The wind has not picked up but has been steady all day while it struggled to reach a high of 60°.I drove to Tombstone where I had breakfast at the Longhorn. Then went to the Tombstone Art Gallery where my cousin was one of the 'quilting teachers' at a Quilt Show in the Gallery.
I wandered around and looked at all the quilts that were on display, I think there were about 50 of them. Some of them were for sale and others were just on display. Didn't have much time to visit with my cousin, she was busy with a group of women quilters or wannabes.
I thought all my water problems had been fixed but it appears not. When I turn on the water pump it now runs continuously. This usually means there is a leak someplace but I have checked everywhere and can not find one.
The water pressure in the kitchen is also very low. The bathroom pressure is better but seems lower than it should be. I guess it is back to D&J again tomorrow.
I wrote about my continuing water problems earlier today. After I ate my 'linner' I went out and hooked up to Park water so I would have water in the kitchen to do dishes.
What did I find to my surprise – the valve that directs water either to the coach system or to the fresh water tank was set to fill the tank. I turned the valve from 'Fill' to 'City' and problems fixed. How lucky can I get?
11 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: February 11, 1923Continued great weather during the day with below freezing temperatures at night. I can not understand how the forecast is for near freezing lows and we keep getting near 20° nights.
I stopped at RV City this morning on my way home from my walk. The curtain has arrived but is more expensive than what I was quoted. I did get them to drop the installation charge because of this and will have them hung on Monday.
Not much else going on. Exchanged my latests completed read for another by J. A. Jance. She grew up in Bisbee, AZ and uses Arizona as the location for her novels.
This will be the second one that I have picked up. I had never heard of her until I found the first mystery novel here at this Park exchange.
12 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
I am getting really, really tired of these low temperature forecasts. This morning's prediction was for 31°.When I got up it was 16° with a slight wind. Didn't walk again; I just knew the wind chill would only get worse.
Last night my new wall light simply went out; one minute burning the next I was in the dark. I have looked at the bulb a number of times now and can not see that it is burnt out. I guess I'll be back at D&J's again; maybe next week when I go shopping.
These constant problems with Desperado are also getting me down. Maybe I'm just in a generally bad mood and letting everything get to me?
13 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
My revised route to the northeast did not work out so well today.If you go to Google Maps and enter Whetstone, AZ then zoom in on Allen Ln & Calle Seis you will see City of Tombstone. I can assure you that the City of Tombstone is not there nor is there a store to the east on Allen Ln.
Those two Google Map errors were not what caused me a problem. It was showing N. Jasmine Ln as a street between Com De Pampas & Com De Mesa that got me in trouble.
This is also a Google Map error, N. Jasmine Ln does not go through. When it ended I could have turned around and retraced my steps – that would have been the wise thing to do.
Wise, but not my style! I marched on, over a barbed wire fence, through the brush and then was confronted with a good sturdy fence.
I walked along it until I found a low spot and attempted to cross. Got tripped up on something and ended up flat on my back in a brush pile. All the brush here has thorns but I only suffered 2-3 minor puncture wounds and continued home.
I am now revising my revised northeastern route. LOL
The balance of the day was devoted to less adventurous pursuits. Couch time with my latest mystery novel and web browsing on my computer for the latest News.
The ObamaCare provisions for pre-existing medical conditions are touted as one if its greatest achievements. However, there does not seem to be the demand that the Administration claimed when arguing for the law.
Perhaps it has something to do with the cost that could range from $15,302 to $20,462 out-of-pocket this year. It is certainly going to go up each year until 2014 when the insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage.
It is then, in 2014, that the mandatory purchase of insurance kicks in so the insurance companies will be able to cover all of those with pre-existing conditions without going bankrupt.
I have not heard yet but it is my guess that the insurance companies will be able to charge a higher premium for those with pre-existing conditions. So, if people can not afford the Government premiums now it is doubtful that they will be able to afford those of the insurance companies.
A six-month-old federal insurance program for people with pre-existing medical conditions has grown modestly but nowhere near initial Obama administration predictions, new government figures show...
Nationally, about 12,000 have signed up. The administration had expected between 200,000 and 400,000 by 2014...
As of Jan. 1, monthly premiums for the new federal program range from $196 to $626 for the standard plan, depending on applicant's age. Also starting this year, enrollees may set up health savings accounts.
The plans cover the expense of preventative care received from in-network physicians. This includes annual health checks, flu shots, mammograms and cancer screenings.
For all other treatments, the policies have $2,500 deductibles that must be paid before coverage kicks in. Then, policy holders pay 20 percent of medical costs for in-network treatment.
Out-of-pocket maximums for the year are $5,950 (in-network) and $7,000 (out-of-network).
14 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
Yesterday, soon after I finished posting my daily blog I thought I heard my water pump running. My hearing is not so good anymore so I shut off the pump switch and the noise stopped.I turned the switch back on and the noise started again. So, I said to myself; the pump is running, you must have another leak. I went out to look in the plumbing bay and could see LOTS of water on the ground.
When I opened the bay door there was a stream of water shooting all the way across the width of the bay from my BRAND NEW water manifold. Well, I had to go to D&J about my wall light anyway; now I just needed to go earlier.
I went this morning. The light was a quick fix, the bulb was burnt out after about three hours of use. I truly hope that the replacement I got gives me more usage than that.
The water manifold is a different issue. They need to build another one and claim that this one split because of freezing. I was never without water, even at 6:00 am, so I'm convinced that the pipes never froze.
It was either a bad part or they cracked it during the build process. I can not prove any of this so I'll be buying another manifold – a purchase that I can not afford but doing without can not afford.
Canceled today's installation of the window curtain by RV City. They will come here to the Park tomorrow and do a 'home' install.
The big News story is President Obama's 2012 Budget and his latest forecast for the 2011 Fiscal Year Budget Deficit.
First, the 2011 Deficit is now expected to be $1.65 Trillion. Second, if the Republicans get their way and cut the 2011 Budget by $0.10 Trillion or 6% of the expected Budget Deficit then the economy goes back into recession (this is the Obama Administration scenario).
Lastly, I want to get my head around these 2012 Budget numbers; at least try. They forecast revenue to be $2.627 Trillion, with discretionary spending to be $1.340 Trillion and non-discretionary at $2.382 Trillion or a Deficit of $1.095 Trillion.
The Budget fight that the media is attempting to make into high drama is all about the discretionary part of the total Budget. However, if you will look at the numbers it becomes painfully clear that the discretionary portion would need to be almost eliminated to 'balance' the Budget.
If Obama's “Plan” to reduce the yearly deficits by $1.1 Trillion over the next 10 years is adopted then it appears to me that the National Debt would nearly double to $28.0 Trillion. At an average interest rate of 7%, the interest would be nearly $2.0 Trillion per year.
The estimate for 2012 is that about $1.5 Trillion will be collected in Income Taxes. So, if all Income Taxes, not just the 'rich', were to double then we could 'balance' the budget. However, if we wait for 10 years then the Income Tax collected will mostly go to pay the interest on the National Debt. How is this a good “Plan”?
I also found this tidbit in the News today. I wonder why some Congressman has not called for an investigation?
Generally, the incident rates for injuries and illnesses are higher for public than private workers: The average private incident rate was about 106, compared with 180 for state governments and 185 for local governments.
I wonder why there is such a significant difference? Perhaps the public work place is not as strictly monitored for OSHA compliance? Maybe it has something to do with the training of the two groups? I need to get a Government Grant to study this! HA
15 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
The expected 'home' install of my window curtain by RV City did not happen; they did not show. I have found the staff there to be extremely dis-organized so it came as no surprise to me.I'm going to try again after I return from D&J's where I'll get another new water manifold installed. If I can not get the curtain hung tomorrow then I try for Thursday then Friday then Saturday...; they will do it eventually.
I had the windows and door open during most of the past two days. The highs have been in the low/mid 70s with the lows at or just above freezing.
This is the way it should be! It will not last much longer so I need to enjoy it while I can.
Made up a batch of chili yesterday and the sauce for more Pescado a la veracruzana today. I'll have them every other day for the next week as I did last week; that worked out rather well.
There will be a lot of 2012 Federal Budget stories to come I'm sure, here is a great one. This also caused me to recall how Senator Harry Reid explained that we in the United States have a voluntary tax system (look it up, it is good for a laugh).
The White House wants to give the IRS a 9.4% raise in fiscal 2012, to $13.28 billion. Reuters reports this would allow for a roughly 5% increase in agency manpower to 100,537, including $460 million more for tax enforcement than in 2010.I came across this article during my web browsing. “Top 10 Apps That Will Change Your Life: The Wall Street Journal Europe presents 10 apps you can't live without.”
I read through it and found that I had none of the 10 apps nor do I have a super-smart phone or any pad technology. How is this possible? How can I possibly live in our word today without these apps and the wonderful gizmo to put them on?
16 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
I drove into Sierra Vista early this morning to have breakfast at Ivey's before my 8:00 am appointment at D&J's.When I arrived at D&J”s I turned on the water pump and went to open the plumbing bay door. I could see water dripping from the bay before I got the door open so knew there was a problem.
With the door open there was a stream of water shooting past me about 8' into the parking lot. I turned the pump off and could see that one of the valves on the hot water manifold had cracked.
This was exactly like the cold water valve that had cracked which I was getting replaced today. The owner took a look at this new cracked valve and immediately said that it had probably been torqued down too tight.
It was also found that both of the cracked PVC valves that had cracked were torqued into brass nipples. It seems that the brass to PVC allows for a much greater chance of over torquing than when PVC nipples are used.
I now have two new manifolds with replaced valves using all PVC nipples. The best news of the day – no charge, the owner agreed that it was their build that was in error.
Stopped in Sierra Vista again and got some cash from the ATM. Needed this for my visit to Juan's Barber Shop for a much needed haircut and beard trim.
Also stopped at RV City to see if they could hang my curtain. Not today, got another at 'home' install appointment for tomorrow morning.
The temperatures were about the same today as they have been for the past two days but not as nice – the wind has returned. That wind will bring lower temperatures and possibly some rain during the next few days.
I knew it could not last. The forecasters seems to predict bad weather correctly much more often than they do good weather.
17 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
I could smell rain on the light wind from the west this morning. There was none here nor close by that I could see.The light wind became stronger, 10 to 20 mph, as the day progressed; blowing clouds in and out again.
I was all set to have my curtain hung at 9:30 this morning. When it did not happen by 10:30 I walked over to RV City to find out what was going on.
They had just sent me an email as I walked in the door. It said, and they told me, that they have some 'techs' out sick and are way behind. I'm now scheduled, for the third time, for an at 'home' install on Wednesday of next week.
After that brief break in my day I was back to my normal reading, either on the couch with a mystery or on the computer. Didn't even find much of interest in the News today; just rehashing the old News.
18 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: WA10 February 18, 1923Nothing much new to report. The winds came up a little later in the day, around 11:00 am, but have been gusting at over 30 mph. Blowing in clouds that look like they could be carrying some rain.
The above freezing mornings have made my walks much more pleasant. I'm also thankful that the winds have not started until I have made it home.
The past few days I have been catching up on those blogs that are on my to read list that I do not read daily. I'm current with those once again and have started to read two more from their beginning. I had started one other one but gave up on it, my original take on it was in error.
Mr. Christie, Governor of New Jersey, told firefighters at a firefighters convention that there was no political advantage in being truthful. “The way we used to think about politics and, unfortunately, the way I fear they’re thinking about politics still in Washington” involves “the old play book [which] says, “lie, deceive, obfuscate and make it to the next election.” He has got it exactly right!
19 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
The clouds that I thought were carrying some rain were in fact. They started dumping some of it on me at about sundown last night.The forecasters missed this by a couple of days, they have predicted rain for Sunday. They didn't miss it by much however, it didn't rain very much or for very long.
I did my long walk, 8.7 miles, to Ray's restaurant in Huachuca City for breakfast this morning. It was mostly clear and warmed up enough that I had to take my coat off on the way home.
Got my laundry started and by 10:00 we were experiencing yesterday's weather again. The wind started blowing hard, gusts of over 35 mph, bringing in those clouds that look rain bearing again.
I finished my laundry and then buttoned up everything with Desperado tossing like a ship at sea.
Finished another mystery while on the couch. I'll exchange it tomorrow, too much wind and dust to fight on the way to the Club House. Continued reading blogs and web surfing the News.
I am enjoying the 2011 Budget drama and am really looking forward to the mud slinging that will accompany the 2012 Budget. The Democrat controlled House could not present a 2011 Budget for a vote, the elections were due, but now Pelosi is whining about all the chaos to pass the Bill.
Her idea of how to get a Bill passed was to prepare the Bill behind closed doors, disallow any amendments, shut off any debate and then approve it on a straight party vote. After all “we have to pass it so we will know what is in it”.
I was pleased to see that Intel Corp took the Boycott Arizona Movement to heart; then again it may be their plan to hire all illegals. I haven't heard much about the Boycott Arizona Movement lately I guess the three day News cycle has run out and the lame stream media has not revived it.
“Intel Corp plans to build a $5 billion, cutting-edge microchip factory in Arizona by 2013, sharply ramping up its U.S. manufacturing capacity as part of a major global expansion.”
20 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
Usually, the wind will start to die down as the sun goes down. That is usually, last night was not usual and there were gusts up to 45 mph. I think the storm was blowing through too fast to rain.A lot of cloud cover today although they do not look like rain clouds. The wind came up again but it is not as strong as the past two days.
A lot colder, under 60° again after those nice 70s we were having. Tomorrow morning is forecast to be just above freezing; my guess is that it will be something below 32°.
Spent the day trying to stay warm and out of the wind. I finished my morning walk just as the wind was beginning to build up.
Only real achievement for the day was to prepare my 3x5 card direction guides. When I leave here I will take three days to drive to Pahrump, NV so I have three cards.
I could probably do the same route in two days but one of them would be a long one or I would have to boondock along the way. My plan is to blacktop camp at two Indian Casinos and stop at another one for breakfast on the first day.
If I just wanted to 'get' there I could probably do it in one day by driving the Interstates. But I don't DO Interstate Highways unless there is no other road available.
Representative Ryan , WI understands very well what President Obama's 2012 Budget is all about. He is also willing to take the fight to him and is not worried about his own re-election chances – it is good to see that there is a leader still among us.
What's the White House political calculation behind its budget? "The fiscal strategy is to hang on to all the government we've grown, and hopefully rhetoric will get us through the moment. It strikes me as a posture or position to keep the gains of the last two years in place—the bump up in discretionary spending, the creation of these new entitlements—to lock in their gains, bank their wins, and then hang on through the rest of this year. And they believe they have the flourishing rhetorical skills to navigate the politics in the meantime," Mr. Ryan says.The Director of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, has apparently returned from Afghanistan where she was telling the Afghans how to secure their countries borders. I'm certainly glad that she is back and can explain how this report is all wrong and how our border is more secure than it ever has been.
The Government Accountability Office report, released this week, found that only 129 miles are under "full control" of the Border Patrol, leaving the rest "vulnerable to cross-border illegal activity."
The study examined the Border Patrol's ability to detect and respond not only to illegal activity on the immediate border but also after entry into the U.S.
The report found that 873 miles are under "operational control," which is only 44 percent of the entire Southern border. But the report said the 837 miles is on average an increase of 126 miles each year since 2005...
"It is outrageous that DHS officials would make claims that the border is secure when according to the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, the Border Patrol has 'operational control' over less than half of the Southwest border," Texas Rep. Lamar Smith, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement.
"Forty-four percent is a failing grade," he said. "Administration officials are either blissfully unaware of the massive holes in security along the Southern border or are intentionally misleading the American people. Neither is acceptable."
21 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
Yesterday I said tomorrow morning is forecast to be just above freezing; my guess is that it will be something below 32°. The forecast was for 35 as the low, the actual was 31. If I can guess what it is going to be why can't the 'experts'?The official forecast for tonight's low is 34°, my forecast – it will freeze again.
We did get back up to the mid 60s with some gusty wind today. That is what I can expect for the rest of my time here, no more 70° days for the remainder of February.
My biggest accomplishment for the day was to dump tanks. I would have liked to put it off until just before I left but the gray water tank has been signaling full for the past three days.
I'll go into Sierra Vista for the last time tomorrow and stock up with groceries. Do a town walk and go to one other restaurant that I have wanted to try.
I stumbled upon this quote from Sterling Hayden's book, Wanderer. I think he answers the most frequently asked question about becoming a FullTimer: How much does it cost?
To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea... "cruising" it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.
"I've always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can't afford it." What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of "security." And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone.
What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in - and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That's all - in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade.
The years thunder by, The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.
Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?
22 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
I was in Sierra Vista early in the morning for my town walk. Stopped at Café Olé for breakfast (beef enchilada, chicken enchilada with two eggs on top) which was very tasty.This was the best Mexican breakfast that I have had while in this area.
The only other task while in town was to get groceries. The pantry is now full enough to last me until I leave. I'll probably eat restaurant meals while on the road and then go shopping again in Pahrump.
My 'To Do' list for the day after arrival is get mail, get groceries and get a VA appointment. The next most important item on the list is Do Taxes.
I was correct when I forecast that it would freeze again las night – it was 24°. That gives me two for two so far; the 'experts' were 3° high on the 20th and 10° high last night.
I'm going to try for three in a row. The official low is forecast to be 36° tonight – my forecast, it will freeze once again.
We continue to have a clear sky, mid-60s during the day and some gusty winds in the afternoon.
I made up more sauce for my Pescado a la veracruzana. I have three frozen fillets that I need to eat before Sunday, do not want to travel with them and have them thaw.
I never have my appliances ON while I travel. Items in the refrigerator will remain cool all day but the items in the freezer will start to thaw.
23 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
Today was a tri-peat. That is to say it was very much like the previous two including the afternoon wind gusts.I was correct for the third time with the low at 25°, the experts were 11° high this time. Their forecast for tonight's low is 37; I say it will freeze one more time.
Today was also the third appointment with RV City to do my 'home' curtain install. They did not show. I walked over there 45 minutes after the appointment time and the Service(?) Manager said “I'll have them there before noon”.
At 1:00 I walked over there again and this time the Assistant Service(?) Manager went out into the shop and got a 'tech'. She handed him the curtain and told him to go install it.
I had some more of a price reduction for my troubles which was a good thing. The curtain looks good also which is another good thing.
24 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
The Underground Weather web page was not reporting what the low was last night for Huachuca City. I know they were not embarrased by how wrong their forecast was; only 6° high is my best guess.A nearby reporting station had 31 as the low so I'm 4 for 4. I'll take another guess at tonight; the official forecast is for freezing (32°), I say it will be 25.
The daytime weather continues to repeat; mid-60s, clear, sunny with afternoon wind gusts.
I did my second longest walk in the area, 8.3 miles, to Sunny D's restaurant in Huachuca City. There I had a really big breakfast, this is make up for the usual bowel of oatmeal that I eat at home. I don't want to overdo the healthy eating thing. LOL
I'm having another fish fillet today and then the last one on Saturday. For my other 'home' meals between now and when I get set up in Pahrump I made up a pot of Italian Stew. This is now in the Cooker and I'll have some of it tomorrow.
There is a Pot Luck at The Homestead near Double Adobe on Sunday with my cousins. I'm going to try and make it but there is rain in the forecast, if it is raining I may reconsider.
25 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: February 25, 1923I'm on a roll with my low temperature guesses. Last night was 26°. or 1° over my guess, and the 'experts' were high again by 6°. Tonight they say it will be 41, my guess is 34!
The high temperature today was back up to 70 with tomorrow to be almost the same. Then it will drop to 45 on Sunday with a chance of rain/snow and the low to be 27 early Monday morning. Monday is my travel day; cold is not so bad, with rain is worse but I may be waiting for snow to melt.
I think tonight will be my last guess at the low temperature for Huachuca City. I will keep track of how the forecast and actual compare during my month in Pahrump to see if it is only here that the forecasters are always so wrong.
I finished another mystery novel today and started the western (historical fiction) that I picked up a few weeks ago. I'll make one more exchange before I leave and that will give me an unread library of four books plus the one I'm reading.
26 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
It froze again last night. I was 3° too high and the experts were 10° too high. I'm reasonably sure that it will also freeze the next two night that I'm here.For the two months that I have been here there were only 10 nights that were above 32°, with an average of 26. I'm not certain where I will be next year during January and February but I do know that it will not be here.
My morning walk was to Billy's (same menu as Ivy's in Sierra Vista) in Huachuca City where I had breakfast. This is only slightly farther round trip than my other routes and I get a good rest while eating.
I may not walk tomorrow depending on the weather, the forecast is for rain, or how I feel. I have averaged over 6.4 miles/day during the past 10 days so a rest day may be in order.
As part of my preparation for hitting the road I got my laundry done today. This included my bedding which required another bed making exercise. It is not so bad anymore but it would be so much easier if I had a maid. LOL
I read a couple of RV blogs that are written by Canadians that have both written about Canada's Health Care this week. I will quote them below but to report Fair and Balanced I need to say that a third Canadian that I read firmly supports Canada's Health Care and a fourth Canadian has Commented in favor of it.
This is what the two Canadians had to say:
First:We in the United States can look forward to the same kind of issues under ObamaCare in the years to come.
For about five years now I’ve suspected that I have certain medical condition. Attempts to get tested for it in Quebec were dismal failures. After waiting for hours at walk in clinics, I’d get the usual harried GP who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the patients who would call me a hypochondriac to my face and only send me for blood work to get me out of his hair. I’d then wait several weeks to get an appointment at the blood clinic, wait hours for the test, wait weeks for the results from the doctor’s office because I’d been told ‘don’t call us, we’ll call you’, and then try to follow up to be told ‘if we haven’t called you we either lost the results or you’re fine.’ It just boggled me to be treated that way when I had a plastic surgeon on speed dial with whom consults were fully covered by Quebec medical insurance!
My last attempt to get tested was the summer of ’08, before I hit the road. Since then, I’ve essentially been without health care coverage and I’ve also been daunted by the thought of breaking into another province’s medical system.
Second:
She is worse than me about that Doctor thing & when she got up this morning saying she was going to go to the Medical Clinic I knew she had to be in a lot pain. In fact she was there when they opened the doors at 8a.m. An hour & a half later she was back with a big bandage on her knee. Lady Doc said nothing to do with a bee sting & everything to do with a knee injury of some kind. She wrote her a prescription for 800mg Ibuprofen. She picked that up at Wal-Mart this afternoon. Only $10 for 90 pills….try that in Canada!! She was extremely impressed with the Medical Clinic and all the staff she encountered there. Only cost her $31 and the deal was half price if you paid the same day or else the bill would have been $62…. again, try that in Canada!!
Edit 27 February 2011: I was totally confused by the second Canadian post that I copied above, a clarifying email was received. The posting was actually in support of the Canadian Health Care system and was contrasting it to the poor system that we in the United States have. I mis-understood what was written and only the first posting is critical of the Canadian system.
27 February
Mountain View RV Park
Huachuca City, AZ
I have edited the posting that I made yesterday, the second Canadian post was copied correctly however I completely mis-understood its meaning. It was made in support of the Canadian Health Care system, not a criticism of it.No walking this morning. No driving to the Pot Luck at my cousins.
When I got up at 6:00 am it was snowing vertically with wind gusts of 40 mph. The wind had me rocking-n-rolling during most of the night also. The wind alone would probably have caused me to cancel any driving. The addition of snow just made the decision easier.
By 7:00 am all the vehicles and ground was covered with snow, maybe one inch, and it was starting to stick to the roads. The temperature was continuing to drop so we could have received the 3” that had been forecast.
It then warmed up to above freezing and tried to clear up between 9 and 11 but more clouds rolled in and brought a few more snow flurries. Almost all of the previous accumulation had melted off and these few flakes didn't stick. Even better news was the decrease in the wind gusts. I'm now reasonable sure that I can leave in the morning.
I did very little today other than dump my holding tanks so I can travel tomorrow with them empty and the fresh water almost full. The rest of the time I tried to stay warm.
The catalytic heater was on during most of the day. The high temperature for the day was 49° but it came at midnight last night.
28 February
Harrah's Ak-Chin
Maricopa, AZ
I have successfully completed day one of my time on the road to Pahrump. The only task that I had remaining to do early this morning was to un-hook from electric. That was a good thing because it was 20° while I was doing it.My route from mountain View to Harrah's AK-Chin avoided all Interstate Highways. I have had some people ask me why I take such round-about routes when the Interstates are so much faster.
The short answer: Because I can.
The longer answer: 1) I am not in a hurry, I want to drive 50-55 mph. 2) I get to see so much more of the area that I'm driving through. 3) it is much less stressful than to be driving in a lot of high speed traffic.
This was my route today: AZ90, AZ82, AZ83, Sahuarita Rd, Mission Rd, Valencia Rd, AZ86/Ajo Way, Sandarico Rd, Avra Valley Rd, Sanders Rd, Marana Rd, Casa Grande Hwy (unmarked road east of I-10 before the railroad tracks – part of old US80), AZ87, AZ84. AZ387, Cottonwood Ln/Maricopa-Casa Grande Hwy & AZ347/Maricopa Rd.
This was a total of a total of 184 miles and I arrived just before noon. I had a breakfast stop at Casino del Sol on Valencia Rd in Tucson. This is an Indian casino that had a parking lot full of RVs.
The breakfast was nothing special but the price was very reasonable (with no tax). It became even more reasonable when I paid with my Credit Card and the cashier asked for ID.
I flipped open my wallet and showed her my drivers license and VA card. She said, OH you get a military discount (20%) - I took it with many thanks.
By driving Sandarico Rd I was able to go through Saguaro National Park – West. This is so much more of a beautiful drive than following I-10 through Tucson. I had never been this way before so it was a new route and a new adventure for me.
Driving on the segment of old US80 brought back memories of driving it a number of times during the 1950s; going to California with my parents to visit Grandparents, Great Aunt and cousins.
From what I have seen at the two Indian casinos I have been at today Indian gaming is doing very well during these hard times. Both of them have large hotel room construction projects underway. Both of them also had good crowds at the slots and table games, crowds that any casino in Reno would love to see at this time of the year.
There was also a long line for the buffet at Ak-Chin the two times that I went inside. I do not DO waiting in line very well so I had my 'linner' at the Snack Bar. Some chicken strips and fries that were pretty good.