Just Izzy and Me...

"Miss Izzy"

My little Bichon Frise, Izzy, has been with me since she was 6 months old. A Christmas present to me from my late husband, she has been a faithful and constant companion through the years of my widowhood. Izzy will be turning 9 years old in July of this year. She is the perfect RV'ing companion, always ready for a new adventure. 

On my last RV trip, we had Sasha with us as well. She would still be with us except for the  deteriorating knee and badly sprained ankle I acquired last summer, resulting in a total knee replacement in the late fall. It was getting impossible for me to manage her, even the simple task of taking her out for a walk (run) and potty times. I finally faced the inevitable, and re-homed her with my foster son and wife who had recently lost one of their boxer dogs. Their remaining boxer was absolutely grieving over the loss of her fur-buddy, and so a trial period resulted in a permanent situation. I miss having Sasha around but I am able to see her as often as I wish, as she is only a few short miles away.

Izzy was absolutely fine with the situation as she had no one vying for my attention! Silly girl.....

So as we plan our upcoming trip for late summer, Izzy is more than ready to hit the road again, as am I. There is alot to be done in the meantime but I just thought I'd give an update.

Thanks for stopping by...

Leave a comment if you wish. I am always happy to read your thoughts!

Home on Wheels, or House and Land

Wow! Its been almost a year since I've posted on here! My RV has been sitting in my driveway since last summer when I got it back from the dealership where I bought it. It was in need of several repairs and a good general going over after my 7 and 1/2  months of travel. I had a whole list for them and they fixed every one.
Then came summer's end, with canning and preserving what I could from my garden and the Amish farm market near by, all the while my right knee getting worse. I knew I had to get the surgery done and had put it off as long as possible. Since I was having repairs and upgrades done on the house as well as a greenhouse added, I decided to wait till as close to wintertime as I could.
After Thanksgiving I had the total knee replacement. My eldest daughter stayed with me for almost a month after, taking care of me and my few chickens. Fortunately, the weather stayed pretty good through Dec. my recovery was slower than I had expected, much slower than when I had the left knee done 6 years previous. Now that I am back on my feet I am realizing just how much work this place requires and the fact that I don't have the strength to manage it properly. I warred all winter long in my mind whether to sell my RV or to sell my home. I did alot of journaling, writing down my thoughts; pros and cons on both. I disliked the RV sitting in my driveway, being paid on each month and not being used. I also disliked paying property taxes, insurance, and heat-in-winter bills for the house when I am out in RV for at least 6 months at a time. after giving it much thought and prayer, I finally came to the decision that I was not attached to any "thing" here. I could sell it all and live in my RV as had been the plan and purpose of buying the RV in the first place. The desire was still with me to travel full-time and paint.
I called the realtor and she came out a couple days later to look my place over, told me what I needed to do yet to advertise it and wanted to list it by May 20. YIKES!!! No way did I think i would be ready, but we shall see. If it sells, I will be free from alot of work which I don't need at my age, and if not I will still leave in the fall for another winter of travel and painting.
I will continue blogging on my progress. Meanwhile, the cover is off, batteries charged up, and I have an appointment to get my RV inspected (required in PA) on Monday.

Thanks to anyone who stops long enough to read my ramblings. I will be keeping up with my progress. Leave a comment if you wish!

Just The Way it Goes Sometimes (long post)

Ok, I've said it.... I've lost interest in blogging. Or maybe its just my interest in blogging about RVing.

I had intended to come back, clear out , and get ready to sell my house by fall. Not going to happen. The longer I was here the more I was having second thoughts. I really didn't need to sell ... and I actually was beginning to like being here again. I will probably never be a full-time RVer, although I had thought that was my goal. But, you know what? It's ok. I have the best of both worlds.

There is so much else that takes my time, like spending time with my pups, Miss Izzy and Sasha. Since I have been back, Sasha has had her big girl surgery and healed up nicely.

Lots of work here to be done.......  I started a fire in my chiminae one evening and sat there contemplating what all needed to be done, and what was not necessary to do.

I'm glad now I did build that fire and enjoy it, because a few days later I had put the pups on the deck (Sasha on her cable) while I mowed the yard. She had gotten her cable wrapped around the chiminae and down it went into more pieces than anyone would care to count. I did not scold her as it was absolutely my fault for not thinking ahead.

I have been working at getting the yard and gardens back in shape after being away for 7+ months. 

(I must mention here that My eldest daughter and sil worked very hard at getting those oak leaves raked up and the yard mowed a couple times before I got back, and I thank them so very much! It sure saved me alot of work!!)

I bought hanging baskets of flowers on sale. and put out my yard decorations,

 bought new cushions for the rockers and a mat for the deck; doing what I could to make the entrance an inviting place. 

Then there was the issue of spraining my ankle so badly that it has been very painful to walk and kept getting worse. I wish I hadn't been so stubborn and gone to the ER when I first hurt it. So of course things are getting done slower. Here it is the almost end of June and all my garden beds and flowers have not been put in yet, but I have made up my mind to do what I can and not stress about it. So I am just enjoying the process.....

However, I did get my second 3' x 8' herb bed planted (the older one still needs cut back and the anthill dealt with) I love working with herbs. The scents are so calming! I also dry them and use in salad or for cooking or potpourri.

Till next time....

More Visitors ..... from Boondocking Near Ajo, AZ

I loved seeing free-range cattle coming into my campsite. Only problem was that Miss Izzy would hear them before I knew they were there and her barking would scare them off

Yearling calves

One of the older mama cows I had seen previously in my back-road galavants. 

She's pretty close to one of the old "skeleton trees"about 30' from my RV.

She picks her way across the ground, eating what little grass she can find,

....and finally wanders off across the railroad tracks behind me.

See you next time, Mama cow

Boondocking....My Favorite Way to Camp

Finally! The needed repairs on my toad came to an end and I was able to get out to where it was peaceful and I could relax. About 5 miles out of  town, this beautiful (to me) place had once been a part of the town but for some reason there was nothing left but cement slabs where houses had once been. I counted at least 14 sites. I wonder what could have made them all leave..... Was it that the copper mine had shut down and there was no longer work for these people?

Some pictures of where I camped...

These 2 trees were very interesting to me.

They looked like they had been through many battles and their scars were deep and in the healing process they over grew to protect themselves from further harm.

I went about setting up camp with the door side facing away from the sun.

I put out my mat, table and 2 chairs. Always 2 chairs...

After supper I just enjoyed the quiet. The next morning when I got up I discovered I had visitors!

They did not seem at all bothered by my presence, nor me by theirs. I quietly sat on my steps and snapped some pictures. I think I counted 7  of them. 

It was so much fun watching them. They ate what they could find, then wandered off over the rail road tracks and down into the next patch of  grasses beginning to appear.

This.... is what I call a tree skeleton.I love the forms of the branches and the patterns in the bark. It had apparently seen a long life and now stood as if protecting younger ones coming up.

As that first day ended, I was so happy to finally be able to relax a bit from life's little troubles. The evening sky seemed to give hints to a brighter tomorrow.

We shall see what adventures await us ....

Feeling Stuck but not Stagnating, In an RV Park

After a month sitting at Belly Acres RV park in Ajo Arizona, while my tow vehicle was having some major front-end issues that needed repaired, I am finally free to be out in the desert again! The campground was fine and the camp-hosts were very friendly and helpful, and people there were also. Its just my nature to be off by myself most of the time. I had meant to take pictures of the campground but never got around to it....
I did however find a park where I decided to let Sasha off leash and
see if she would run her energy off and come back to me without running off. That .... was a success! I am so proud of my girl!!

I loved watching her run for the sheer pleasure of it!!
I used my time at the RV campground to paint as much as I could and sold several paintings via a sign and paintings displayed in my front window. I even had new business cards made up while I was there and started knitting on another pair of socks. Something to keep my mind occupied and my hands busy. My daughter had sent me the yarn for a Christmas present

 The best part of staying at the RV park was that there was free cable and so was able to watch our new president and vice-president sworn into office. Yes, free wifi and free cable!

More later on. Have a great day!

Sites in the Town of Ajo

As I have spent most of my winter here I have had a chance to look around a bit and admire some of businesses and the sights in and around town, as well as the structures. What I was amazed at probably the most was their copper mine, and the history behind it. This is a picture looking down into the abandoned mine. I loved seeing the colors on the "steps" of the mine. When visiting the tour center, which is actually where I was standing here, I found out that the mine is 1 and 1/2 miles across. WHAT??? Yes, almost unbelievable that we could see the other side at that distance. I also learned that each a railroad track ran around each rim and that there was even room for a vehicle to go alongside the tracks.

About another half mile down the road is this older mission museum and in the yards in front and beside it is some of the equipment used to work the mine and do some hauling in the early days.

Cousin Kris at the copper ore car that could haul 30 tons

Me at one of the freight wagons that was used to haul supplies by horses from Gila Bend to Ajo, a distance of about 40+ miles.

A depiction of the workings of the copper mine

Back in the town of Ajo ( by the way, pronounced Ah-Hoe)Is a Radio Shack / antique/ parts store and in the front windows had these displayed. An old-time washing machine with a copper tub, and an enameled wood cook stove. Interesting pieces!

Another antique-y place sported this old rusty car with wooden-spoked wheels.

Now for some of my favorite structures.... the old missions!

Two different ones each on a corner opposite the town square which hoses little shops and local businesses.Left side in next picture is a second-hand store which has books, art, bedding, clothes,  nic-nacs and other paraphernalia. Interesting shop...

This also houses an old movie theater which I believe is open from time to time and on the right end is the Post Office.

I love the neat row of arches.... and the middle of this back row is a very nice visitor canter, along the row that would be on the right (looking toward the back) Is an art gallery and shop, a food goods store, a library and a real estate office. I just love the structures of these buildings! Oh and in the middle of this is lined with palm trees and has a lawn of Green grass!

This town definitely calls to me and I have a hard time getting away...

Now for some cute houses!

Palm trees, blooms in winter, beautiful cactus plants. What more could you ask :)

I love this little adobe house with tree trunks for porch posts. Quite a unique design!

And this one with ladders to the top of the house.

The town also has a car-wash 3 gas stations, 3 (or more) rv parks, town park with swimming pool, a few restaurants, and an IGA Market with a water station outside for $.25 per gallon'

I hope you have enjoyed viewing this little town with me. Its a great place to spend the winter!