Sitting Pretty...More Color in the Man-Cave

My handiwork meets with Sonja's approval

Steve is still dog-sitting in Ajo, and I continue to surprise him with additions of color to his 5th wheel when he comes out to Why to see me. The other day I re-covered the dinette cushions, which had previously been swathed in worn-out cream-colored terry cloth. They're not anymore. I used up some of my vintage fabric cache, which was good. I was tired of hauling so much fabric around with me.

Keyboard and crayons...the necessities of life

I told Steve the next project is curtains. The vertical blinds above the dinette are difficult to adjust, and they poke me in the back. I showed my partner a nice big piece of blue and white Hawaiian floral fabric I'd picked out for the curtains.

"Won't that be too busy?," Steve asked in a worried tone.

"It's a bit late for that, isn't it?," I cackled in reply.

I stay busy selling on eBay, drawing mandalas, occasionally breaking plates for mosaic, playing Words With Friends, meditating, studying metaphysics, reading novels, etc. Now I have begun a new project. I'm writing a book about successful eBay selling strategies for full-time RVers. Writing a book is all-consuming. Last night I was burning the 9:30 oil.

Tipi, the nice one

On Thursdays I go to Ajo for...well, I was gonna say conjugal visits, but that's really tmi, isn't it? Anyhow, there's a meeting for anonymous former winos like me on Thursday nights, and I go in early to have dinner with Steve and then stay overnight at the house where he is caring for Tipi and Jiggs the Devil Dogg. Tipi is a lap dog with a pleasant cat-like personality. Jiggs is a barking, whining, howling, humping disaster of a dog.

Jiggs, in a rare moment of being nearly inert

Dog-sitting wears a guy out

This past Friday, I stayed longer than usual so I could use the 110v electricity to iron scarves for resale on eBay. I stayed too long. My chakras were shot by the time I got back to the quiet of Coyote Howls. Even so, I was able to intuitively sense that I would see a coyote that evening...and I did! While Steve and I were enjoying pizza with some long-time friends of his from the RV park, I saw several coyotes across the fence on the Reservation, one of them a rare white coyote.

I am always glad to get back to Why. There was a full moon a night or two ago, and the coyotes and burros have been very vocal throughout the night. Occasionally I have been woken out of a sound sleep by howling coyotes that couldn't have been more than a few hundred feet away. I never feel alarmed by the coyotes' presence. It's oddly comforting to be so close to nature even in its howling form.

Sonja is scared out of her wits (well, whatever of those she may possess) by the coyotes, and she stands at the doorway hissing at the burros when they walk by. "Take that, burros!"

"The coyotes won't find me in here!"