SssssssnnnnnnnAAAAAAAkkkkke........no wait caterpillar???

Wylie and I rose late Wednesday morning.  It was a beautiful morning. It was the first night we have turned the AC off and just left the windows open.  The coyotes were quite near but  we were safe.  So I began my morning ritual, pickup Wylie on the bed, shut the bedroom door, use the bathroom, comb hair, brush teeth get dog dish to fill for his dinner and OMG!!!!! out from under the pantry came a head about an inch long attached to 7 inches of BODY!!!  I levitated onto the toilet (Thank God the lid was down) and screamed bloody murder.  This, of course, had Ken (peacefully sleeping)  flailing on the bed yelling what's going on and all I could get out was ssssssnnnnnnnaaaaaaakkkkkkeeee!!!!!!  He comes floundering out of the bedroom yelling where, where and I just point to the floor behind the dog food...............tttttthhhhhheeerrrrreee!!
Well, by this time his eyes are somewhat open and he begins throwing towels, dogfood etc out of his way.  I - the TRUE heroine I am - take a flying leap off the toilet, land near the office chair grab Wylie and We were OUTA THERE!!  We waited as thumps and bumps went on in the camper.  Pretty soon I come back into the RV and there is Ken sitting dejectedly on the throne.  Success????  No - He escaped back into the pantry and down a hole.......................  Ken assures me the black body means it getting ready to meta-morph into a a a a...... an ugly moth!!!
Marilyn and Loren have been telling up about these hummingbird moths that live here and they've seen a LOT of this summer.  They say they are as big as your thumb, really LONG and morph into a hummingbird...........is it one of them???  I've searched on the net and come up with NO, NO he wasn't green he was black, his head was about an inch long (with my head about in the dog food bag I was REAL close to his HEAD).    O woe is me!!! What to do? What to do?  Ken assures me he is gone. 

That night I got ready for bed and including a new ritual:  Pick the slippers up and put them into the cupboard; take a big flashlight to bed and pray a LOT.  The next morning before "bouncing" out of bed I took the flashlight and peeerrred over the edge.  Hmmmm.  No whatever it is.  Take the slippers out of the cupboard, survey the floor into the bathroom and get up for the day.  The dog food is no longer in the bathroom and there is NOTHING to stop me from seeing the "thing". Wylie and I go outside and sit waiting for Ken to rise.  Besides it is "safer" outside.  When he rose,  Ken once again assured me it is gone.

Went to Wal-Mart and looked for Big Long SLUG spray. Can't find any.  hmmm - more research on the net - still don't think that's what it is.  What to do, what to do?  I, being me, have visions of swarming moths coming out of the pantry any time now OR it really IS a sssssnnnnnaaaakkk NO IT CAN'T BE THAT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>rewind  OR it went to lay a million eggs..........Groan.  What to do, what to do???  Ken remains assured it is gone!

So I have been SWing up a storm.  Finished one and started redoing the brown one - all of this is OUTSIDE of course.  So I've sat there and stewed....mind over matter.....you aren't REALLY that - yes I am..... what to do, what to do?


So today - Friday - Wyn and I went to the store.  (We are having pulled pork sandwiches, Sharon's Slaw, Pickled Beets, Loren's Chef Salad and a couple of other secret things in honor of Wyn/Ki's 10 going on 21 years.)  On the way I tell Wyn I've decided to get a bottle of Bourbon, drink it and then tackle the pantry.  If nothing else I can throw up on the Thing.)  Now this is a friend - Wyn said - I'll get some gloves and get in there - doesn't bother me.............. Nooooo - I can't let you dooooo; SURE okay, works for me.  


So she has me stay in the kitchen (on the office chair :)  ) and she begins moving the "stuff" on the floor.  Then she says, hmmmmm (You KNOW you're in trouble) Looks like rice - maybe.  OHHH no I groan.  Later she says Nope it's styrofoam - Oh yes from the insulation Ken put in there when we discarded the washer/dryer. Ahhh, yes there are a couple of holes - which we promptly stuff SOS pads down (yeah, yeah the real stuff tomorrow).  And Ken says (He who is SURE IT'S GONE!!) Have her pull out the drawers under the closet!!!!!!!
 
The bottom line is we find NOTHING, but we sure plugged a few holes.


And I am NOT doing any more research on the internet because I DO NOT want to read about venomnous insects of SNM and Texas; Thailand lethal insects which can be found in Mexico; One Hundred (Creepy) insects of New Mexico (that one was a REAL shudder bringeroner ewwwww).  As it IS I'm going to take my little purple scrubby my friend Linda crocheted me (I know it was supposed to be for dishes but it works in the shower I'm told) and scrub this old body down........ I'm all itchy just thinking about all the pictures I've seen of bugs, insects, sssssnnnnaaaakkkkeesss, etc.    


New Mexico - Not really New, not really Mexico but we DO love it here!
 

Want the Groovy side or the Gritzy side?

 Friday night was try out the new TRC restaurant "Groovy Gritz".  When we walked in we were assaulted with wonderful sights including a definite difference in the decor.  Meeting us at the door a server said "Would you like the Groovy side or the Gritzy side?"  After looking over each we decided to be Groovy that night.  What a treat it was.  In this picture you can see a small part of the Gritzy side (country western, everything matches everywhere). 





Other than a little snafu with the do you have Pepsi? bring me one if you do and getting a Coke  all was good. The food was fantastic with Clay and myself eating "smaller" which proved to be false.  He managed to get all of his soup down while I asked for a to go box (funny how they are no longer Doggy boxes isn't it?) so Ken could have Vacqueros Nachos for lunch the next day.
 

Oh Linda!!! Your table is waiting for you. 

 Of course I loved this place because of the bright colors and the generous use of purple.  The Groovy side was bright, cheery and interesting.  We shall definitely go back here. 

Last Tuesday Ken wanted to go eat a late lunch so about ish we wandered out (early for us :)  )  Went to Happy Belly Deli - closed on Tuesday; Groovy Gritz - closed 2-5; Sunset Grill (which has bought out Hilltop but not moved yet) - closed on Tuesday; BBQ on Broadway - closed on Tuesday.  I decided to go towards Williamsburg to a little restaurant Newell/Linda found last spring - Carmen's Kitchen - OPEN.  Ken told them they need to rename their eatery "WE are OPEN on Tuesdays".

Oh Debbie - Lava Lights just for you.  Aren't you special?

 This morning we went to TRC to setup doctor's apts for us.  After camping out in the waiting room we managed to convince them to order bloodwork for Ken first then see the doc. Ki tried this last year and was unsuccessful.  I think the key this year is "economic" - can't afford a useless trip to the doc.  Wonder if THAT will fly.   So we are set up for Oct 11 to get the results from the summer and hopefully begin the exploration of Laser Spine Surgery in Albuquerque. 

It is another beautiful day in the neighborhood - temp 75 at 11am heading to 89 today. 

Adult Truths (Stolen from Froggi Donna. Thanks girlie!)

The LINEUP at The ALLEY during a recent 87* day.

Well it's a slow Sunday so I spent some time catching up on FB and other little tidbits.  I found this from an RVing friend affectionately called "Froggi Donna" and I simply proceeded to steal it.  :)  

Ya'll have a great day now, ya'hear?   (Been spending too much time listening to #1 kid!!)


1. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
16. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
17. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
18. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
19. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
20. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
21. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey -but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.
and finally.....
22. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important

We're in a little hot water..........

 We got our new tankless water heater today.  We have been without running hot water all summer and have been waiting to get "down south" and Baker RV Service to replace the old one.  It came out and the new one went in with no hitch.  In spite of costing about as much as our first born's hospital bill we are happy.  Of course it is taking a while to get used to it.






The first thing to remember is it takes a few seconds for the heater to come on and send your request.  The second is NEVER use the cold water faucet.  Hot water is based upon how fast it runs through the heater.  Turn the hot water on a little and you get really HOT water.  To cool down you turn on a little more hot water.  Based on washing the dishes this won't take long.  Showers tonight will be another learning curve.  I do know the propane bill will go down as it is only lit when you request HW from the faucet.

 I started keeping track of "outside" days this year.  Why?  Why not?  It might be interesting to actually have stats to look back on.  December 2010 was a month we sat outside all but 4 days.  Will this be an outside year or not?  Time will tell.  We are ending day 4 on The Alley and we have been outside 4 out of 4.  Woo-hoo!

Wiley is settling in and getting used to our lifestyle.  We have a lead on the front steps so he can wander around a little.  He is 6 months old and very quiet and "respectful".  Yeah, right.  He loves to lick and Wyn obliges him.  He also loves Sharon and sits quietly with his head on her foot. 


Sharon is beginning the kidney dialysis process.  They have to evaluate her tummy to see if it is appropriate for the site.  She also has to have training and hopefully she'll be able to do the inhome treatment.  She does not need it right now and hopefully will have a few months to prepare.  She was told 34(I think) years ago this day would come.  That's a long time to manage it. 

Barb and Frank left yesterday for Kansas and Amazon.  I wish them all the best in their 3 month journey of work.  Before she left she made valances for the office windows and SW'd matching table runners.  They are gorgeous.

I finished Whitney2's green SW afghan and have begun a new one in navy using an Ondori pattern.  The new camp host came and got some material and yarn today to begin learning.  Yup gonna be a great season.

Green Chile for the winter

 Today was green chile day.  Wyn, Sharon and I split a sack of Big Jim Green Chiles (medium hot).  Then I bought a 1/2 sack of Sandia Hots for Ken. In addition we bought about 2 lbs of Lumbre`.  That would be the take the top of your head off kind.  I am determined to make Ken cry uncle. heh heh heh!  We went to Hatch Chile Express to pick it up.   Here the chilies are in the roaster with the flame lit and the barrel rolling.  About 3 minutes for this batch.





When done he pours them into a bucket and takes them over to the cold water bath which stops the cooking and peels most of the skin off.  The skins comes sluicing out from under the tin wall on the right.

 Chile is BIG BUSINESS in Hatch, New Mexico.  This year with the drought the crop was in jeopardy.  Those with their own wells did okay, but others were sweating it.

 We got back to The Alley about 2 pm and the assembly line was formed.  Everyone had a job
.Sharon and I rinsed and scraped the remainder of the skin off.

 Ki trimmed the stems off while Wyn bagged them into quart bags.  We were careful to wear gloves not wanting to be a "chile" disaster by letting the juice get into any cuts on our fingers.

 Clay was the referee and ramrod.  Here he is contemplating how to get Ken to load the freezer properly.

Ken was the bag drier and stacker while Wyn did double duty in the labeling department.  Ken also loaded them into the freezer.


We ended up with 39 Big Jim bags and 32 Sandia hot bags.  It's going to be a good GC year.

Meanwhile the cat is bugging the dog in the motorhome.

 

We finished about 4:20pm in time for a short rest then we had the "clean out the freezer" hot dog feed.  Marilyn, Loren, Richard and John came for dinner and yacking.   And with Denver winning it was a great Sunday afternoon.

A tiny bit of monsoon for us.....

Clay/Sharon and us got moved down to The Alley yesterday with Wyn and Ki getting here just in time to go out to eat.  We then came back and sat outside until dark.  I think I'm going to begin a "sitting outside" calendar to keep track this year - just for grins and giggles. 

 From the rain we got two days ago the wash was running with water.   I hurried to take a couple of pictures before it got dark.  Wyn waited until this morning...........she will be borrowing these three from me.  Mud this morning and tonight it is DRY!  :)

This afternoon the guys got the golf cart going, aired the tires, moved Farnham's freezer and generally got ready for business as usual on The Alley.

 I'm in a dither to get the freezer cleaned out so we'll be having a hot dog feed tomorrow.  (I was all setup for camping at the lake and feeding a herd of boys.)  I have to have space to put the green chile pods.  We all went together and we bought a bushel and a half of green chile - roasted, cooled and ready to bag -  which we'll pick up tomorrow.  While we're down there I'm going to get a grocery sack of Lumbre GC peppers for Ken.  Wyn is going to let me roast them in her oven OUTSIDE.  We'll see if he's still "hot" on the "hot chile".  

As we left to go eat last night Roady came running across the road.  He thinks he's going to get fed.

Better hurry and get this published so us gals can go to the grocery store - yum Sharon's potato salad for the HD feed tomorrow.  Another GREAT day in NM.

No Sniveling......

I believe this will be my motto for winter 2011!

We left Diamond Campground in Woodland Park about 9 am.  It was a beautiful day to drive through the Rocky Mountains and other than one REALLY gritchy moment when a little car pulled a surprise lefthand turn and I with brakes screaming barely missed rear ending him the day was good.  I know I'm not alone in wanting to give the public lessons about how long it takes to stop a big rig.  ^%@^#$%!Q# need I say more?
 
After leaving Alamosa Ken allowed as how we may not be ready to shut it down in Taos.  I keep forgetting that when "going south" you are about there when you're more than halfway down Colorado.  We really want to spend more time on Hwy 285 and also around Taos so we went on through landing at Sandia Casino deisel station at 4 pm.  We decided to surprise Wyn and Ki and spend the night where they are.  It was SO good to see them.  We went to dinner (mexican what else) and Ken did the ahhhhhh!!! when he tasted a NM Chili Rellano.  He's come to the conclusion that WY and Colorado must use California green/red chili not the "real mccoy" of the Hatch Green.  Heh heh!!  During dinner Ki told us they found $3.99 green chili cheeseburgers at the Route 66 Pit Stop and too bad we weren't staying longer, to which I replied, we haven't left yet!!  Yup we went to Route 66 the next day for lunch then I got Wyn back on track and we spent the afternoon sitting outside, yapping and Swedish Weaving - what else??   And at Route 66 Pit Stop I found some cool sayings which I am adopting.


We made it to EB about 1 pm Sunday just in time for the monthly ice cream social.  We are surprised how green it is.  We went for a ride down by the lake in areas we haven't been in before and it was amazing to see the green sheen on the ground.  Maybe there has been somewhat of a monsoon here this year.  We are parked up by Clay/Sharon and the clubhouse.  This morning I had a new view for the sunrise.  I hope to remember to take my camera out in the morning to begin "sunrises/sunsets of 2011".  And I want to go back to the lake and putter around with the camera there.  Rock Canyon looks conducive to a good picture or two.

Got the laundry done.  I love the showers here at CC.  They are so roomy and clean.  We got the new on-demand water heater ordered today and we'll have hot water by the first of Oct or so.  Loren/Marilyn still like theirs and that's good enough for us.  Woohoo! Next on the list will be new chairs and a new frig..........all in good time.

 My new "Jilly Shower Bag".  So awesome.  And when we get the new water heater it will become my hot tub bag.

Ahhhh! Night 2 "down south".  Life is SO good!!




 

A Glorious Labor Day and a little pretending.....

 Looking down on Cripple Creek.  Ken even put a few shekels in the slot machines. 

 Some very nice murals on the buildings.

 Then on over to the mining town of Victor.

 You can't see it very good but the dark in the middle of the picture is a retaining wall they put up there over the road years and years ago.

 This is a new specie of RM Elk I think it's called the Rocky Mountain Flower Elk.

 They are fixing many of the houses up into cute, colorful bungalows. (or something like that)

 Now - PRETEND this is a mountain - Pikes Peak to be exact.  At 50 mph Deb yelled NOW too late.  It was a glorious sight view of P.P. for the other side.  

 And finally my new shower/hot springs bag.  This is a Jillie2 - the Jillie 1 is my new purse with the reversible/removeable decorative bottom.  BOTTOM - get it?   I love this material and I have a BOTTOM bottom for my purse. 

Bottoms Up, ya'll - shish I spent too many weeks around No. 1.  (I couldn't keep the girls names separated in the hospital so I just gave them numbers.  However, Whitney's name has evolved into Baby Techno Geek. 



What will next week bring?  New country to see traveling down 285 and a few other roads.

Buena Vista for 2012? Maybe-maybe not.

Went on a tour today looking at potential rv parks for D/D to workcamp.  Buena Vista was the goal.  It was a beautiful day for a tour.  Wylie and Ken took up the back seat with me navigating and Deb driving.

The Rocky Mountains.  How awesome they are.  I didn't realize until now that Colorado has 56 mountain peaks that are 14,001 and over.  Pikes Peak is 32nd. 

This is the view west down Main Street at Buena Vista.  It really is a great little town.  Lots of activity and very few empty buildings.  From some signs we saw it appears  some from Colorado Springs want to build dams on the Arkansas River.   We had lunch at a cute little cafe.  

What the men's bathroom has in it.  The ladies one wasn't near this cute.












These "vehicles" appear to be close to "brikes" that are used on the Oregon coast.  However these don't have your butt dragging the floor.  I think I like the other ones better.

A cute bird feeder made from a tiin can and sticks and twigs from the forest.

 This is the best mailbox of the summer.  Would that be called a"wide mouth" box?












And of course Wylie found a friend - a wire haired something or other.  

As we got closer to home we looked up at the Peak and OMW Snow!!  It's time to head outa here.

I think D/D should come back here next summer.  I like Woodland Park better (like I have a say.)


Woot-woot!  We going to Cripple Creek gambling Monday..............