Back to the greenhouse....

 7:40 am - Friday - March 21st - TWW - 35° F, humidity 38%, wind 4 mph out of the east by southeast....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 68° F.  On this date in 2015 TLE and I were beginning our daily sunset fire at Lone Rock (shores of Lake Powell, just north of Page, AZ).....

After the better part of 10+ days with weather, and shoulder injuries preventing any meaningful work being done here at TWW, it was finally time to get back to work.  My shoulder is feeling great, and the local geography is dry once again.  TLE and I began the day with the redeployment of our patio awning/sun screens, then drove to the water station to load another 1800 gallons of water into the 6 IBY water totes on the water trailer.  With this load we now have close to 10,000 gallons of water on the property right now.  We won't need anymore water for a while, that's for sure!

After returning for the water station I spent about 30 minutes replacing a couple of rotted two by fours I had cut out a couple of weeks ago with pressure treated wood.....

.....then Charles and I began to apply the primer coat to the wooden greenhouse framework.  While Charles began painting the southwest corner of the greenhouse using a roller.....

Before↗ and after↘

.....I began cutting in the bare wood along the roof peak using a sash brush.  Once we get the primer coat applied we'll go back and apply another coat of paint, then we can install the roof......

Can't get in there with a roller

Once all the tough to get at places are 'cut in' we can use 

rollers to get the job much faster

....Charles and I worked until after 3 pm before calling it a day, and cleaning up our mess.  Oh yeah, I also scavenged a door handle from an old, broken screen door behind the garage, and installed it on the current glass entry door....

.....so now it will stay shut....once again the land provides!

Meanwhile, the ladies worked at grinding up cow patties into fertilizer using an old 'Ninja' blender Phyllis bought at a thrift store for, I think, $11.  You can buy actual fertilizer grinders for quite a bit of money if you wish, but this old Ninja works well for a tiny fraction of that cost.  It actually worked better than the ladies first expected, and before long they had ground enough cow patties to cover the surface of both of the raised planters next to the greenhouse.....

The raised planters

The 'Ninja'

Cow patties are quite plentiful all over TWW property after decades of 

 'Open Range' grazing

....so, again I say, the land provides!  They'll add some more topsoil, and fertilizer, then it will be time to plant something!

We had another communal dinner in the house around 4 pm to bring to a close another beautiful, productive day here at The Wilson Wilderness.  It is great to be getting things done again!  We're hoping to get the new 6' high fencing installed by the end of the weekend, too.

Thanks for stopping by!

Has it been a decade?

 6:56 am - Thursday - March 20th - TWW - 34° F, humidity 47%, wind 8 mph out of the southeast....mostly clear skies today with a forecast high of 61° F.  The weather outlook for the next week is pretty nice....

....we'll actually get into the 80's for the first time in a couple of months, and the lows will be in the 40's and 50's.....suweet!

Our dental appointments Wednesday were for 9 am (Arizona Time) in Los Algodones, so we were up by 7 am, so we would be ready to leave at 8 am....that's kind of why I wrote my blogpost for Tuesday, on Tuesday evening.  We were out the door, and in the Beetle by 8 am as planned, arriving at the border parking lot around 8:20 am.  By the way, they've raised the daily parking rate from $6 to $10 since we there last April.

It only takes us 10 minutes to make the walk from the parking lot to Dr. Urena's office.  We always try to get there 30 minutes early hoping we will be called in for our cleanings and checkups early, and that was the case once again.  I was in the chair by 8:40 am.  I had thought the last time I had my teeth cleaned was last April, so I thought it had been less than a year, but that April appointment was for the installation of TLE's two new crowns.  I was last there in November of 2023, so it had been a year and 4 months, not 11 months....doh!  This most recent visit marks 10 years that we have been going to Dr. Eva Urena in Los Algodones....that does not seem possible.  We love her, and the excellent dental care she has provided for us for over a decade now, and we really love the prices!

My negligence resulted in me needing a 'DEEP CLEANING' on the two upper quadrants of my mouth (right and left), so instead of being in the chair for 20 minutes, I was there for an hour.  Thankfully, I only had tartar buildup, and no cavities.  TLE, as is most often the case (except for last year), had no issues, and her cleaning/checkup only took 20 minutes.  Next Fall we'll head there directly from LPG&RVR, then back to Northern Arizona, so it will only be 7 months in between cleanings.  Then we'll go again before we leave to head back to LPG&RVR in April of 2026.

Speaking of LPG&RVR, our current plans are to return this year, and possibly next year (Summer of 2026), but that could change.  We don't like to plan that far ahead.  We are talking about the possibility of just remaining here at TWW for the summer of 2026....we'll see.  We have fallen in love with Northern Arizona, and particularly TWW, but are still not sure about spending the summer here.

By the time we arrived back at the Beetle it was 10:30 am.  We still needed to top off our fuel tank for the drive back to TWW, so we stopped at the Fry's Supermarket at Fortuna Rd. and I-8 to do just that.  By the time we left Fry's to finish our 285 mile drive home it was 11 am.  In all we made three stops, including one at the intersection of Highway 95 and I-40 to let TLE drive us home.  After a quick stop in Kingman to once again top off our tank we were home just after 4 pm......so 5.5 hours from Los Algodones to TWW with three stops.....way better than I expected.

Charles and Phyllis arrived at TWW around 3 pm, and were there to welcome us home.  We had snacks for 'dinner' with them in the house, and were back at the Newell by 6:30 pm.  No more long drives until I head back to Flagstaff on the 28th for the results of my MRI.

Thanks for stopping by!

Another long driving day.....

 08:21 pm - Tuesday - March 18th - Yuma, AZ - 63° F, humidity 24%, wind 4 mph out of the west by northwest.....clear skies with a forecast low tonight of 52° F.  On this date in 2024 we had a surprise visit by Rich and Marnie for whom we worked at Ramona Oaks RV Resort back in 2019-2020.....

.....they visited us at Glamis North Hot Springs.

We were up Tuesday morning around 7 am getting ready for our 285 mile drive to Yuma, AZ in advance of our dental appointments on Wednesday.  Our plan was to be on the road in our 2001 VW Beetle by 9 am, and we were close....we left at 9:10 am.  We rarely, if ever, drive the VW due to the very rough drive on the main north/south arterial road.  It takes us close to 30 minutes to drive 7 miles, as opposed to the 10+ minutes in the Expedition.  I drove us out to US-66 where TLE took over driving duties for the next 2 hours

We made a stop at the Maverick in Kingman to top off our tank, then continued on I-40 to its intersection with Highway 95 southbound where I changed seats with TLE and drove the rest of the way to Yuma.  Highway 95 took us through Havasu City, Parker, Quartzite, and finally to I-8 in Yuma.  We stopped at the local Fry's Supermarket, just off I-8, to buy a few things, then continued eastward to the 4th Street exit and the Historic Coronado Motor Hotel, where we arrived around 3 pm.  We have stayed two times before over the last 10 years.  We like this hotel as it is a short walk (.4 miles) to one of our favorite micro breweries....Prison Hill Brewing Company.

Once we got settled into our room, we walked over to Prison Hill Brewing Company arriving there just before 4 pm.....

....we ordered two pints of their Chango Malo Chocolate/Coffee Stouts, and a plate of their amazing deep fried avocados.  We've eaten here many time over the last decade, and are never, ever disappointed.  The brews and food are always first class! A great way to end a long driving day!

As I write it is about time to head off to dreamland (Tuesday night), so I will bid you adieu until Thursday morning when I write about Wednesday....thanks for stopping by!

MRI.....

 7:27 am - Tuesday - March 18th  - TWW - 34° F, humidity 60%, wind 17 mph out of the west....partly cloudy this morning with a forecast high of 52° F.  On this date in 2015 TLE and I were boondocking on the shores of Lake Powell off Lone Rock Road......

Monday was kind of a lost day in the sense that I had a 2 pm appointment for an MRI in Flagstaff, which meant we really couldn't begin anything around TWW we couldn't finish before we left at 10 am.  We left early, because I wanted to get my ears lowered at the Sport Clips in Flagstaff prior to my appointment at Northern Arizona Radiology.  We did, however, stow our patio awning as winds over 20 mph out of the southwest were forecast for later in the day, and that is not a good angle for the awning.

We, as planned, were in the Expedition by 10 am, and on our way to Flagstaff.  The drive was beautiful, and as we neared Flagstaff city limits we could see the snow clad San Francisco Peaks in the distance....

......we arrived at the Sport Clips location around 11:30 am, but there was quite a wait (almost an hour) so we browsed around the local REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) for about 40 minutes before heading back to await my turn.  I was seated around 12:30 pm, and by 1 pm the deed was done.  We then headed directly for Northern Arizona Radiology only to find they were running 30 minutes behind, so I had at least 50 minutes before I would be seen.  We decided to head down the hill to Fry's Supermarket to buy a few things we needed, and to refuel the Expedition for the drive home.  All of that took about 30 minutes.  I was finally called into the back around 2:20 pm, and by 2:30 pm I was on my back, and being slid into the giant, noisy MRI machine.

The operator asked me if I wanted music, to which I replied in the affirmative.  They use Pandora for their music, so I requested the Etta James Channel.  I remember when I had my first MRI back in 2017 after my minor stroke that the sound was overwhelming.  I had music then, too, but the volume wasn't high enough to sufficiently block the otherworldly sounds of the MRI, so this time I had them turn the volume way up.  My first MRI took almost an hour, but this one for my left should took around 25 minutes......thank you Jesus!  Even with the music it is still very disorienting to be inside that machine, to which many of my readers can attest, so it took me a few minutes to gather myself before returning to TLE in the waiting room.  Next step is to hear from PA Brown about the results, and then meet with him later this week to discuss the prognosis.

Within minutes we were on our way back to I-40, and the road home, and after a quick stop at the local Starbucks to get a Venti Mocha Frappuccino, we were on the Interstate by 3:30 pm, arriving back at TWW at 5 pm on the dot. Sundown is at 6:49 pm now, so we were home well in advance of dusk.  In fact, we have now reached the point where the daylight portion of each day is over 12 hours in length.  On Tuesday morning (this morning) we'll jump in the VW this time, to head down to Yuma where we'll spend the night before heading to our 9 am appointment on Wednesday at the offices of Dr. Eva Urena, our dentist, in Los Algodones.  It's a good 5 hour drive each way, and with a couple of stops thrown in ends up being closer to 5.5, or 6 hours each way....UGH!

Thanks for stopping by!

Back to work.....

 7:10 am - Monday - March 17th - TWW - 42° F, humidity 55%, wind 9 mph out of the south by southeast......partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 61° F.  On this date in 2017 TLE and I were in Pahryump, NV at the Elks Lodge enjoying this sunset.....

.....the view this morning.....

Sunday was the nicest day we've had in at least 10 days here at TWW.  Lots of sun, no wind, and no snow to clear off solar panels, or patio awnings.  I spent time clearing stuff out of the trailer that we had thrown in there when it was snowing, and putting it back where it belonged.  I also hauled a couple of bucket loads of gravel using the Ford 420 loader to the front, and rear of our site to pour over the red clay dirt that gets soggy every time it rains, or snows......

.....we've got a little more gravel to haul, but we're getting there.  We also got the 'lido deck' set up again after several days of snow, and wind......

.....Sunday was also the 4th round of the Tournament Players Championship which was on early in anticipation of rain delays coming later in the morning.  In the end there was a 4 hour rain delay, when they finally resumed play at 5:15 pm Eastern Time.  With only a little more than 2 hours daylight remaining there was some uncertainty about whether they would finish the tournament Sunday.  As it turned out they did finish 72 holes, but there was a tie between Rory McIlroy, and J.J. Spaun, both tied at 12 under par.  Since it was now past sundown the 3 hole, cumulative playoff (best score after 3 holes wins) would be postponed until Monday morning at 9 am Eastern Time (6 am Arizona time).

It was nice to spend time outdoors improving our site, and pretty much pain free as far as my left shoulder goes.  The improvement of my shoulder since last Wednesday has been dramatic to say the least.  In just a couple of hours we will be heading to Flagstaff for an MRI on that shoulder to determine exactly what the damage is, and what the next steps will be.

Thanks for stopping by!

The aftermath......

 7:36 am - Sunday - March 16th - TWW - 34° F, humidity 66%, wind 6 mph out of the southeast.....mostly sunny today with a forecast high of 60° F.  On this date in 2017 TLE and I were in Las Vegas at a college reunion being held at Orleans, and visiting with my long time friend, Tom Carrozzo....

.....met Tom in 7th grade back in 1963.  Spent a few days last winter with he and his wife at Glamis North Hot Springs while we were working there.  The view this morning.....

.....all of the snow is gone, just like that, in a matter of hours.

Thankfully, the overnight snow we got was less than an inch, but we still had to go outside to clear the snow off the ground based solar panels, as well as the panels on the roof of the Newell.  While we were at it we dumped our black tank, and refilled our IBC water tote while we were at it.  We spent about an hour after that clearing snow from our artificial turf, the carport, the roof of our shed, and the wood deck at the big house.

On the solar front our Eco-Worthy Dual Axis solar tracker is tilting closer to 7:30 am in the morning now, and is working wonderfully at keeping our Bluetti AC200MAX batter bank fully charged.  That battery bank handles all of our electrical needs, including our electric blankets at night, as well as the ceramic heating elements in the water bay that keep things from freezing, and is still no lower than 55% each morning.

We're learning that living off grid in the middle of no where at 5,500' during the winter has its challenges, like having to go outside first thing in the morning after an all day snow storm to clear snow off solar panels.  Frankly, when there is no weather, and all we have are clear blue skies the living is pretty easy here at TWW.  We've adapted to having to draw our fresh water from the IBC water tote, and refill that from the water tower, but, again, that's not really hard stuff, just time consuming.

Now that the current set of winter storms have passed, we can get back to work on the greenhouse.  The current weather forecast shows good weather with temps in the 60' and 70's through the end of March.  We need to get the roof structure painted, so we can install the new polycarbonate corrugated roof panels, then wrap the greenhouse in Visqueen, then install the water catchment system.  Things will go fast once we get the roof installed.  

My left shoulder has improved dramatically since last Wednesday, but we still have the MRI on Monday afternoon which will tell the whole story.  Will I need surgery?  I hope not.  Based on the way it feels today (Sunday) I'm optimistic that I won't, but who knows for sure, right?  I've stopped taking the pain killer to see how much discomfort it was masking.  I'll have a better idea by this evening.  Right now I have no pain, and can raise my hand above my shoulder, which I could not do even a few days ago.

Thanks for stopping by!

Snow day 4......

7:32 am - Saturday - March 15th - TWW - 31° F, humidity 98%, wind 5 mph out of the west by northwest.....mostly sunny today with NO snow, and a forecast high of 47° F.  The view this morning.....

Got about an inch of snow overnight, but the skies are now clearing, 

and the snow melt has begun

 .....on this date in 2015 TLE and I were hiking near Sedona, AZ....

There was a lot of snow on the ground Friday morning, and the forecast showed a multi hour window with copious amounts of sun, so we were out early clearing snow off all the ground based solar panels, and even the panels on the roof of the Newell, which we never do.  However, we had only gotten our house batteries back to 64% on Thursday, and they were very low Friday morning, so we needed to expose them to the sun for as long as we could Friday before the clouds moved in again.....

....due to my left shoulder injury TLE would not let me do it by myself....what a woman!  We spent the better part of 90 minutes clearing snow, and scraping ice off the solar panels, and it paid off big time.  By 10 am our house batteries were back to 100%, as well as our Bluetti battery bank for the coach, and the big house battery bank.  I had to plug in the Honda EU200i to the Bluetti battery which powers the trailer as it was down to 27%.  We were able to shut off the Predator 5000 at 10 am for the rest of the day, which I was not expecting to be able to do.  We had sun until mid afternoon when the storm clouds for the next storm cell began to arrive.

We spent the rest of the day indoors watching the snow melt from the warm confines of the Newell salon, and watching round 2 of the Tournament Players Championship (TPC) at TPC Sawgrass in Florida.  There was one notable round of golf played Friday, and that was by Justin Thomas who went from +6 (over par) to -5 by the finish of the 17th hole....11 birdies in one round is a record for the TPC.  Regrettably he bogeyed the 18th hole to finish at 10 under par, and tied for the course record.  Had he been able to par 18 he would have held the new course record of 11 under par.

With so much snow we didn't get anything done Friday around TWW, but we have a week of sunshine coming, and much to get done in the last 4+ weeks of our sojourn here.

Thanks for stopping by!