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Borrego Springs, CA

Monday, August 18, 2014

This and that

I’ve had the last two days off, and the weather hasn’t been the best.  We needed the rain, but I’d much rather it happened on the days I have to work the VC.  Anyway, after my last post it dawned upon me that I hadn’t said anything about some nice visitors I had last week. 

Janice and Dave Evans

Janice and Dave Evans of Ready to go Full Time RVing came to take my Thursday tour of the refuge.  It turned out that nobody else showed up, so we went a couple of places that I normally don’t take people to.  After the tour, Janice and Dave headed back to their campground to get a late lunch/early dinner ready.  You see, they had invited me and Bridget and John to a fajita feast to thank us all for being volunteers. 

That’s the first time that’s happened!  We all had a great afternoon chit chatting about this fulltime RV life.  Janice has also kept me informed about the campgrounds they’ve stayed at since they left here as it is the same route that Nurse Ratchet and I will be taking next month.  Thanks for everything, Janice and Dave.

77 Tamarac NWR 20148

Also over the last couple of days, John has been working on my entertainment center to try to get the surround sound going.  In addition to that, he has fixed one of my day/night shades that kind of went asunder when the grandgirls were here, and also fixed my shower head.  I’m thinking I’ve had that shower head hanging on that zip tie for about two years.  It was a real pain since I couldn’t stand under it.  Some time ago, a reader suggested a fix using a metal clothes hanger, but I just couldn’t get that to work either.  John found a better holder for the spray head and installed it for me.  It sure is nice having a Mr. Fix It next door!

As for the surround sound, after about two hours on the phone between John and my son Daniel, it’s working!  I won’t go into all the details, but suffice it to say I’m ‘cruisin’ now!  Full surround sound for TV and DVD viewing.  All that’s left is to find a way to secure the new flat screen so it won’t fly out of the shelf when I’m driving down the road.  Sweet.

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This morning I headed to Detroit Lakes to get a haircut and some milk.  The haircut is always an adventure.  Along the way I noticed that most of the wheat fields had been combined.  I’m guessing those big round bales are considered straw rather than hay, but I don’t know for sure.  See all those black dots in the field, and on the bales and in the sky?  Those are crows harvesting the left over wheat grains.

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Several Canada geese were also taking advantage, and I noticed a sandhill crane out there on my trip back.  I usually go to a Wal Mart for my hair cuts because they’re cheap, and that’s why it’s usually an adventure.  I didn’t get scalped this time, but I’d describe it more like a Mohawk cut.  High and tight on the sides and back, and a shock of hair standing at attention through the top middle of my head.  Oh well, it will grow out a bit in a week or two. I don't know smile

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

20 comments:

  1. That's awesome that John has been able to fix your shower head holder. Now you can take a shower for the first time in two years... :cP

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  2. Dave and Janice must have been staying close by to invite you all to a nice dinner. Good for them. So where is the haircut picture? And what happened to those buffalo? Were they beefalo or buffalo? Was the rancher able to get enough cow hands to round them up?

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    1. Sherry, we stayed at a campground on Little Lake Bemidji. . .about 20 minutes from the refuge. . .so peaceful!

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  3. Your haircut was a story that needed a photo!
    The shower is really great, and good going with the surround sound!

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  4. Janice and Dave were lucky to get a private tour! Sorry about the haircut, it has been a long time since I had to worry about that.

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  5. I know just the cut...it's called a Fauxhawk. I got one when we were in Colorado Springs...yes, it will grow! :).

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  6. we enjoyed our day spent with you guys. . .and can certainly understand why you enjoy Tamarac. . .what a beautiful, diverse place!

    Feel your pain with the shower head. . .ours looked exactly like that until last week. . .zip tie and all. Finally got a hanger also. . .how nice to not wrestle it trying to wash my hair. Speaking of hair. . .you know the saying. . .you know the difference between a bad haircut, and an okay haircut? Two weeks. . . :)

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  7. I've experienced the Walmart cut when I was fulltiming. That's one good thing about staying somewhere - you can find a hairdresser you like as well as other trade and professionals. Love that hayfield!

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  8. Those big round hay bales are of hay. You have to have a front-end loader to lift the, though. In some places, they are the only way hay is put up. In others, I see both the little bales familiar to to us and some areas even have a third kind of bale - its looks like like the little bale on steroids.

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    1. Judy is correct, those big bales are straw.

      "Very often you would come across people who use the words straw and hay as synonymous with each other. Like several other debates, the confusion between hay and straw is ongoing. But this has been clearly identified by the California Straw builders Association, ‘Hays is for horses, straw is for houses’."

      You can read the entire discussion on the difference between hay and stray at http://www.differencebetween.net/object/difference-between-hay-and-straw/

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  9. I must agree. This story begs for a haircut picture! :)

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  10. It was either a wheat or oats field and the bales are bales of straw. The harvest has begun throughout the area although the rain has it stalled for a bit right now. Hay fields are usually still green after baling and small grain fields are golden. Good to hear you can shower properly now! Sounds like you are getting everything fixed! :)

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  11. Do you have a buffalo report? I heard that they made it to Ice Cracking and pooped in the parking lot! I also heard that three have been killed in attempt to get the leader...in hopes that the herd will calm down after he is dead.

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  12. You are one brave woman to have your hair cut at Wal Mart! It does help to have a Mr. Handy around!! Sure wish my Mr. Handy could figure out how to keep our large window blind from crashing down every time I go to close it!

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  13. Aren't Janice and Dave the nicest people. We had lunch with them in Houston. Such a joyful couple.

    That John sure seems like a nice guy. How wonderful of him to be your own personal Mr. fix-it man.

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  14. We just replaced our shower head, what a difference it makes. Two walmart hair cuts ago I told the "stylist" leave the top long as it sticks up when too short. I told her three times. Did she listen? Still sticking up.

    Seeing the mowed bales, looks like the end of summer.

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  15. MacGyver made some kind of magizmo to hold our flat screen in the hole in our living room. Our Hiker came with the big old tube TV and we replaced it...If John had the tools I'll bet he could come up with something for you..Now you know why Den and John get along...He is like MacGyver Jr...I know how lucky Bridget is..I'm totally spoiled...Don't worry about the haircut...just gel it up and spike it...I have worn that hairdo many times..you can comb it with a washcloth!!

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    1. Donna, I'll be working on something this week. I will have it done before Judy, Emma and Nurse Rachet hit the road.

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  16. I am married to a guy who can fix anything. Part of his charm!

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  17. Nice post.Thanks for sharing this in your blog

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