Days of Our Lives

Sands of Time--newly-forming sand dune in Newberry Springs





It's interesting to watch a sand dune form. The wind has been pretty fierce this year and regularly blows across the roads in Newberry. The road crews have to come along and sweep the sand off the roads back to the sides. Then slowly plants take root and already existing plants begin to start holding down the sand--which, in turn, begins to hold more sand. There is a critical time when it's really a whole lot of fun to take a good four-wheel drive out and tear up the sand and fishtail all over the place!!!! Besides a longer growing season being one of the effects of so-called global warming, the creation of more desert and therefore, more sand dunes will be a great side effect. This is a very convenient truth!

I am living the wee things that make up life. The best news is that a mourning dove has made her nest in the eaves of our atrium. She has been on her nest without a single break for water or food for weeks now. Even when the dogs would come out with me when I would water she just held completely still--never abandoned her post. Now that I've discovered her I'm keeping the dogs away and trying to be very, very quiet when I go out there. What does a mourning dove think about for all that time? Is it morning dove or mourning dove? I guess they can't think--they can only do. And sit on the nest 24/7 is what she does.

The Monastery

Our Lady Searcher for the Lost




We spent last week-end at Holy Resurrection Monastery. The temperatures suddenly zoomed from warm to 100o in one day! That is when the desert stops being one's friend. I took pictures of the monks and Brother John, the new novice. I thought I'd post them on this blog. Anyone interested in spending some time at the Monastery can contact Abbot Nicholas. So, meet our friends.

Fr Basil, Abbot Nicholas, Br John



Fr Deacon Moses, chef extrordinaire and wearer of funny hats





Fr Maximos taking his turn at fixing dinner--which was delicious!

The monks earn their living by running a bakery in Big Bear Lake, CA. It's called The Monks' Oven and they bake breads and goodies and sell them to local businesses and several Farmer's Markets in the area. It's a two-hour commute each way from HRM and can get quite tricky in the winter snow. Matins is at 4:30am week-day mornings and after that two hour service, they take turns going up the mountain to bake.

The monks have Vespers every evening at 6pm. This is a lovely service with beautiful canticles and mostly by candlelight. They're still working on getting the music right.

Br John confused by Fr Maximos' choice of psalms

Fr Basil and Fr Nicholas arguing over who gets the songbook that's in English.

Fr Nicholas leaving Fr Basil holding the candle while Br John gets ready to grab service book away from Fr Maximos

Fr Nicholas painting scarlet letter on Fr Basil's forehead for winning tug-of-war over the songbook.

One of three monastery cats. This is the 'mutant' with double feet(not paws, feet) on her front legs. She has her ears back because I interferred with her stalking some birds that were stealing the cats' food from the bowl.

Right now Fr Basil is doing most of the work of maintaining the grounds and gardens around the monastery. The desert is a harsh environment and getting anything green or with flowers to grow is a constant challenge. All of us lost plants this winter during our unusal long run of below-freezing nights. Of course global warming was the unexpected culprit but the truth of it is that many plants have had to be replaced. The yellow broom both looks great and smells wonderful. He is also working on rock path markers, tree trimming and extending the watering system.

There was a short but strong wind storm which put even more sand into the rig. I drove it back Sunday night and spent 5 hours at the RV fix-it place today waiting for new vents and vent covers to be put on the roof. I am beginning to see how RVing works: before one takes a trip, the rig must go in for pre-trip checks. Result: spend money. Then the trip. Then one needs to take the rig back into the shop to have all the problems fixed that developed on the trip. Result: spend money. I filled up the tank after leaving the fix-it place and the cost was $167.45. This might be too rich for our blood.

Parallel worlds

The mass I attended yesterday could be described as "only in America!" It's a mission church and not very well-off. The congregation was about 80% Hispanic, i.e., Mexican, and the dress of choice was jeans and sweater/hoodie. The priest is Korean and offers masses in English, Spanish and Korean. This mass was in English. They had a wonderful Korean children's choir of about 30 voices who sang in English and Latin! Every word was clearly enunciated. At one point the different universes collided when I noticed nearly all Mexicans going up for Holy Communion from a Korean English-speaking priest while the Korean children sang "Panis Angelicus" in Latin. Wow!!! One could get windburn from the whizzing back and forth between cultures.

Roses Roses and azaleas

Byrdie back in her own environs doing what she loves best!

While I was battling snow, sleet, hail, rain, tornado watches and 60 mph winds, Spring came to Bakersfield. I arrived to find the back half of the first bloom and color everywhere! This is one of two times a year when roses in Bakersfield are fantastic. In the early spring until the first real heat they bloom their little hearts out. Then the bad heat hits and they fry and appear to have given up on life. Then, at the end of summer hope is renewed and they go through a second full flowering that lasts for a couple of months. There are many rose growers here including one of Jackson and Perkins largest growing fields so the area is very friendly to roses.

I spent today getting reacquainted with my plants. There was a lot of pruning to do since some of them had gone past their first bloom in my absence. There are diseases to kill off and insects to obliterate. While I'm doing my work in the killing fields, I'll leave these pictures to brighten up this blog and hopefully, anyone who happens to enjoy looking at roses.

This first picture I call "rose echo". I didn't even see the other rose in the shadowed background. It is an English rose: Gertrude Jaekle

Abe Lincoln and Olympiads

azaleas

Veterans' Rose

Is there life after RVing?

Home Sweet Home!!!

I miss writing on the blog. Since I'm now in the same place every night it seems there is nothing to say. But then I thought, if no one is reading this, I can still write and it won't matter! Perhaps I can blog Bakersfield for awhile. That ought to make this blog shoot up to the top ten blogs in popularity!

I got home to Bakersfield to more wind and rare rain. I've spent the last five days sleeping anywhere from 9-13 hours at a stretch--and I'm still tired. I believe it's called paying the piper. Spring hit with a crash of blooming colors while I was gone. All the roses are in full bloom, the azalieas are wonderful and the new landscaping is going well. I have roses to plant, gardenias to set out and bouganvillas to get going.
I've been playing with some computer art and a picture I took of blue bonnets.

Original photo

Picture It! variation on photo

Home

April 15, 2007

It was so great to be back at Holy Resurrection Monastery. I got a nice welcome from Fr. Nicholas, Fr. Basil and the newly "monked" Br. John. There was also a good friend of ours there and we all got to share road stories. This morning I was able to attend Divine Liturgy in familiar surroundings and that was amazingly comforting.

The bad weather followed me all the way to California with the wind and dust blowing on the Mohave. It even rained!!

Looking back on the time spent in Llano I find that I miss it terribly. I worry that I spent too much time at my cousins' house. I know that Sylvia was just recovering from knee replacement surgery and was on her feet too much seeing to my well-being. She sent me home with special home-made breads for the monks, brownies, a dinner for the road and nice cards for everyone. Don spent so much time ferrying me around that beautiful hill country that used up time I know he could have been using to help care for Sylvia. I learned from the folks I met in llano how caring and looking out for each other can be a way of life. Thank you for your wonderful example of what being each other's neighbor really means.




I'm home now in Bakersfield and had a wonderful reception from all my neighbors who were very impressed I was able tmake such a trip by myself. I felt I got such a special welcome home from these great friends and then it was all capped off by a spectacular sunset that surpassed anything I'd seen in three weeks. Even the palm trees took on a special glow. The big news in our 'hood is that wild critters are ignoring the gates and invading our space. A mountain lion has been spotted twice near our housing community and a neighbor found a rattlesnake in his backyard. This obviously will call for bringing out the local militia and driving the misguided critters way back to the far country where they belong! The mountain lion especially concerns me. It is time to turn these predators into "good" snakes and mountain lions!

I've already had the longest shower of my life! After three weeks of navy showers I used every drop of hot water in the tank--it felt fantastic. Now I get to see if I can sleep in a bed that isn't swaying back and forth in the wind.

Full Circle--home to California

Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Tombstone, AZ again
Wells Fargo RV Park

Stayed last night at Las Cruces KOA again. Horrible winds—55mph. Even got some sea sickness from all the trailer swaying. The wind blew the off vent cover for the bathroom in the gale. I improvised a cover for the inside of the RV by taking an aluminum 9x13 baking pan, slitting the corners and using duct tape to push it up in the hollow of the vent dome. This was the worst day of driving so far. I had to fight strong winds the whole time and it was exhausting. It was an ugly drive.



Thursday, April 12, 2007
Tombstone, AZ

Second night here at the old Wells Fargo RV Park. The first night was fine but this afternoon a HUMUNGOUS 5th wheel pulled in and by the time they got their pop-outs out, they were practically up against the Minnie! Then the couple left and their dog has barked CONSTANTLY since. On top of that, the wind is blowing so hard—which is why I’m here for a second night—that the levelers got knocked out from under the rig. I still have

motion sickness but couldn’t get a nap because of the barking dog 3 feet from the couch. I finally went and left a note on their door. The wind has actually picked up and is even worse. Their rig is so HUGE that I think it’s blocking my wifi connection. I had a great connection until they pulled in. I feel like I’m going bonkers. All the negativity is flooding back over me and spoiling the good times glow I had been feeling until I left Texas. Was it coming back or has it just been awful weather and travel experience? I don’t have a clue. I just know I’d like to bite someone right now.

I am most annoyed that this place advertises wifi but doesn’t come through with it. Same thing happened at Fort Stockton. They shouldn’t lure people in with promises they can’t keep. It matters so much to me because I’m really enjoying working on the blog and checking in with my cyber friends in chat. I like to check weather for driving, email, communicate, all that stuff and I’m clean cut off here. Can’t leave, can’t call, can’t email and can’t get rid of the neighbors! Claustrophobia sets in fast—and then add sea sick in Tombstone, Arizona, it all sounds ridiculous. I’ll laugh later—not now. Right now I just want to get thru this night and get out of Dodge—I mean Tombstone.

April 13, 2007
Holy Resurrection Monastery
Michael’s 34th birthday

Last night only got worse. I fell asleep on the couch watching the tv. I awoke around 1am because of seasickness. I was trying to get my bearings and realized the wind was really blowing hard. It blew so hard that the levelers gave way and the RV dropped. Then I realized that I was hearing noise on the roof—lots of noise. It was pouring rain. All I could think of was the missing vent cover in the bathroom. I went in and found water leaking past the cake pan stuffed up in the cover. Then I realized that my pajamas were wet—apparently the wind sometime in the night had blown off the vent cover over the bed and the rain was pouring in. The bed was soaked, the covers, the pillows—what a mess. I found some tin foil—cheap and too thin—and the faithful duct tape and went to work improvising a cover. It was hard—the wind kept tearing the cheap foil and I was getting wetter and wetter. I got a lame cover worked out and then pulled out all the towels in the rig and laid them across the bed and put my rain poncho over the whole thing. Then I added the rugs I still had left from Llano and then taped a paper bag over the vent hole. I was freezing, wet and very discouraged. I pulled out the couch into a bed, found one dry pillow and got down my old sleeping bag and curled up in that. I got about 4 hours sleep and by 7am was on the road out of Tombstone. It was cold, very windy and the mountains were dusted with snow!!!

I pulled over into a McDonald’s just outside of Tucson. The gas station wouldn’t work and it was crowded inside. I brought out a hot cup of coffee and my egg cheese McGriddle. I put it down on the couch while I got the coffee in the holder, turned around and there was Byrdie sitting on my McGriddle!!! I shrieked at her. This was turning out to be a very bad day. She still hadn’t had her morning run so when I finally found an empty field on the other side of Tucson I pulled off the freeway to let her run. Not in that field!! Cops, firetruck and coroner were there—dead body in that field. So I got lost in some Podunk place but finally found an abandoned hotel parking lot to let her out in to do her business and work off some of her anxiety.

By this time the weather forecast was for another big wind storm to come in so I decided to make it all the way to California today. What a long drive.

The ocotillo were really blooming this time in Arizona. There was just no opportunity to get off the freeway and get some photos. That really is an

I wonder what I will have learned from this. I suspect not very much—except I really liked the hill country of Texas. When I get home to my own computer I will post more trip photos. I hope you have enjoyed this trip journal and will email me with your comments. Y'all come back now, hear?

What is the message of Tombstone?

Yet another day in Tombstone that I hadn't counted on. What is it about this town that I have spent five days in it on a three week trip??? The winds up on I-10 are really too strong to drive this "high-profile vehicle." So---we make do. Take Byrdie out for some ball throwing and to stop the motion sickness. Back to RV to watch ER re-runs and of course, the internet so I can blog and play hearts.

I've noticed the names of various motor homes. They all sound so big, so aggressive, so macho! Arrow, Cougar, Quantum, THOR, Prowler, Patriot. And then there's ours--Minnie Winnie. It just screams, "Here comes Granny!!!" Other rigs have big rotts or shepherds or vicious chihuahuas riding along--Granny here has her Labradoodle. A woman at the rest stop yesterday had a leashed pit bull and she had to ask me how much longer Byrdie was going to be off-leash before she brought her dog in! The implication was that her pit was going to have Byrdie for lunch.

Does anyone remember the hymn "Beneath the Cross of Jesus?" The second half of the phrase was "I fain would take my stand." Well, back in Llano I found where Fain had taken her stand. Right out there on Highway 17 was a big sign that read FAIN'S HONEY STAND. That's one of life's puzzles solved. Fain has taken her stand in Llano, Texas.

This rambling has advantages. I get to scatter think and no one has to read it! I was remembering the chorus to a country/western song I heard in Texas--

That's mah girl
Mah whole world
But that ain't mah truck.

It doesn't get more country than that!

I was disappointed that I didn't get to see even one Texas Ranger. Maybe it's just a TV myth but I'd hoped they were still riding around. My other disappointment with Texas was that all the land seemed to be fenced. No way you park your car and just wander around the beautiful countryside. My guess is that it wouldn't be real smart to do that--especially after the uptight dude on the blue bonnet loop.

The CD player in the rig doesn't work--it has eaten my favorite Emmy Lou Harris CD. I've tried tweezers--everything to get it to give up the disk but no luck. I got this little gizmo--it's an old tape cassette that goes in the tape player on the dash and then plugs into a Walkman or any other mp3 or CD player. Amazingly, the CD then plays through the truck speakers! These hi-tech things are most amazing.

I only had two observations about New Mexico. When we traveled old 66 when I was a child, I remember seeing Indians walking along the road, single file. When you're on the Interstate, you don't see much of anything. I never did see any Indians anywhere. I remember the women with their long, full skirts and bright scarves and the men with turquoise belt buckles and black felt hats.

The other small, insignificant thing was at a McDonald's. I know the culture holds up being a burger-flipper as the lowest rung of the career ladder. However, shouldn't even a burger-flipper be able to get the round meat pattie on the round bun??? Mine was only half on the bun!! Maybe this wouldn't bother most people but it really bugged me. All the guy had to do was put a round piece of meat on a round bun and get it approximately within the target area--and he couldn't do it!!! And then the real corker--the buns were both tops--no bottoms. And one bun was sesame and the other was plain. The burning question?? Which side is up?? Everything about the burger just seemed wrong. I'm glad that flipper is not in charge of troop movements in Iraq. And I'm really glad I'm not that poor guy's boss!!

Enough rambling. With some weather luck, I'll be able to leave Tombstone yet again and head on back to California.

Put Not Your Trust in Princes nor NavSys

I tried to outrun the wind but it has continued to chase me since Fort Stockton, Texas. I left Las Cruces during a lull and made it to Arizona.

Once again, I was surprised at how rapidly the desert changed as soon as I crossed the state line. The Arizona desert is beautiful. The mesquite had greened up dramatically in the last two weeks and there were yellow wildflowers everywhere I looked.

I was rapidly getting tired of the monotony of I-10 so I just decided to get off on a road that looked like it would loop down to Bisbee. I had wanted to see it earlier and didn't have the time. Feeling quite adventurous I took off into the southern Arizona desert. Equipped with a cell phone and state-of-the-art navigation system what was there to fear? I soon found out. The NavSys aka "Roxie" does not work when there are no satellites! I never thought about it. Knowing where one is has always been rather mysterious to me and it was just another piece of hi-tech that has made my life easier. Roxie simply announced she had lost satellite connection. Then she started asking me if I were inside or out.

This was a bad sign--why would I have the RV inside anywhere??? Then she asked me if I were still in Arizona--whoa! Roxie's supposed to know where I am and then tell ME, not the other way around. The 3rd question was the worst: she asked me if the date was still April 11th!!! I grabbed for the cell to phone He Who Knows Where He Is At All Times and in All

Places--no cell service.

Thankfully there was only one road but I did have to choose which direction to go. The choices were 'Mexico' and 'not Mexico' so duh--which one to choose?? The scenery was the most striking since leaving the Hill Country in Texas. I must admit I didn't care for all the creeping things that were out but at the same time I was fascinated by them. Turning the Minnie around to go back and find a snake was not easy but I finally got close to this one.

I watched it--I don't think it was a rattlesnake since there were no rattles and its head was not the right shape. They are such scary critters but I watched it try and cross the road. Just when I was thinking it was going to make it, a truck came flying out of the direction behind me--I didn't even see him--but he ran over the snake. I can't believe the sadness I felt as I watched the snake die. Afterall, we were in his territory and he was just doing his snake thing. Now a snake in my yard is a different story--the snake dies. But this seemed so tragic and senseless. It jerked and twitched and then just kind of went belly-up and was still. I looked at it awhile and then turned the Minnie around once again.

I'm now in the same RV park in Tombstone that I stayed in two weeks ago. The wind has chased me here and now the RV is starting to rock again. I can't believe I'm going to be dealing with motion sickness another night!! And both nights have been in the middle of the desert. I hate wind!!!

Hungry,tired and somethin's nibblin' at mah leaves

Welcome happy morning age to age hath come!

The wind is gone--for now. I went looking for the missing vent cover but it must be in Santa Fe by now. I have decided to stop nourishing the inner redneck because the inner Lady Windemere is demanding attention. Men have no idea what it feels like to suddenly realize that your entire superficial self needs a make-over.

If I'd wanted to rough it on this trip I would have done the sleeping on the ground tent thing. Mah hands look like a field hand's and mah nails look like a grease monkey. I am convinced that RVs are designed to scratch, cut, break nails (then break'em again), bang your head and strain your back. I look around at the paper bag duct taped over the bedroom vent (to keep the light out) and the aluminum baking pan duct taped up into the bathroom vent and all I can think of is that family in Grapes of Wrath. It's just symptomatic that I can't I can't even remember the name of the family--not Jed Clampett, not Henry Fonda--what was their name? Goad? Does it matter? NO.

I didn't bring the right kind of hair conditioner and the 12 volt or whatever curling iron I bought at the RV store wouldn't curl the hair on a poodle. Fortunately I did bring some cute hats to cover the tresses when they go bad but none of them can stay on in the wind. Oh, I tell you, sisters, when things go bad, there's nothing that can help but a day at the beauty parlor. And just go ahead and guess how many beauty parlors there are for women traveling along I-10???

The good news is that I spotted two Starbucks in El Paso--the bad news was that they both were 82 lanes over from my lane and could have been in Mexico for all it mattered.

Today I don't want to do guy things. I don't want to mess with hook-ups and an uncooperative computer and iffy internet. I want to go shopping and get a french manicure and sit in Starbucks and drink coffee with a good friend. Alas and alack--life on the road is having some drawbacks.

I am going to head off today without posting a flight plan. I don't like I-10 so I think I will just go somewhere else. As long as the Navigator shows north or west it ought to work out okay. When I get tired, I will stop. I never want to have another day like yesterday!!

More later if and when I find a place with wifi and no wind!

How windy was it?????

Las Cruces, New Mexico
AGAIN!!

(Psst--they're watching us)

This was the worst travel day so far! (HOW BAD WAS IT????) It was so bad that I didn't even take one picture. Now that is bad! The wind has blown without ceasing since arriving at Fort Stockton. Being trapped in an RV that is shaking from the wind with a dog who can't be let out to run while fighting every truck on I-10 through El Paso and fighting to see through the dust and stay in my own lane--this was a brutal day of driving. The vent cover in the bathroom blew off somewhere along the way--and I'd checked them too! Once again duct tape holds the entire world together. I can't control opening the side door so I have to use the driver door to get in and out.

(Too windy to play ball? Sometimes life stinks)

I'm in Las Cruces and just heard that the wind is blowing steadily at around 55 mph. Even with the levelers down I feel a tad seasick from the constant motion. Getting the online connection was ridiculously difficult.

Enought of the complaining. Let me relive some of the good times in Llano. For Easter dinner we went to Cooper's Barbeque--home of the best barbeque in Texas! Now, for my veegan or vaygan friends, you don't want to see this next picture! People line up outside and around the building to get a tray full of every kind of meat that you could want being grilled outside the door. I've never seen anything of that magnitude. And the big slabs of meat just keep coming to be thrown on the coals. You get the side dishes inside--superb--but I liked the cobbler the best!!! What a feast!

All we like Meat!!!

The drive yesterday was wonderful as I left the Texas hill country. I took so many pictures and will just end today by posting some of them. Here are the pics I tried to post yesterday. Enjoy!

(you don't scare me lady. )

Boneyard in Art, Texas

Oh look!

Democrats!

This is NOT where I am now.