Sunday, March 11, 2012

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!"

12 comments:

  1. Sue, you make Why sound very appealing and inviting. Thursdays, not so much. :D Well, the anonymous meeting of former winos sounds okay, if the coffee is good. Are there boondocking opportunities around there?

    I love, love, LOVE the seat cover. LOVE. I want to Sue-ize the Duck now; beige is from, well, Phil, Prince of Insufficient Lighting.

    Roxanne
    The Good Luck Duck

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  2. You know, Roxanne, I was going to write this blog about Thursdays in Ajo or weekends in Ajo or some such thing. But then I realized that the best part of going to Ajo is getting back to Why afterwards.

    Yes, there are some wonderful boondocking opps here. BLM land abounds. The best place nearby to boondock is actually closer to Ajo than Why...out Darby Wells Road, just south of Ajo, is one of the most beautiful areas of the Sonoran Desert. A picture-perfect blend of mountains and diverse cacti, really some of the prettiest country I have ever seen in my life. Steve and I are headed out there today for a picnic, if the wind doesn't kick up too badly, and I'll bring my camera.

    Another great place to boondock is just north of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The Monument is well worth a visit. During the height of the visitors season (January through March) they have free guided van tours out into some of the more remote areas of the park. Sly and I went on one and it was awesome. Three hours and it did not bore a 19-year-old.

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  3. I recognized some of the same fabric that is in my stash! (The blue elephants, in particular.) You make me laugh and I love what you did to your dinette cushions. I need to do something to ours....they are dirty blue and cream stripe.

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  4. Yes, I got that fabric from you! I love it, and I made sure it was front-and-center in my photo so you'd see it :-)

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  5. Thanks for the Darby Well tip - it sounds great! Maybe I'll lobby for that stop after Yuma, if it's not already so hot we need to head for the hills.

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  6. Roxanne, I googled "Darby Wells Road" and it turns out your friends the Bayfield Bunch were there in November-December and have some nice things to say about it as well as good pics in their blog. Plus they are heading back that way now. Or soon. And I signed up to follow their blog, so maybe I'll go out there and meet them once they arrive.

    Yes, it's hot, but don't forget...it's a dry heat. Hee-hee.

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  7. Are they headed back? I'm surprised anything will take them away from the new digs.

    "Dry heat" - har!

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  8. I gaze with envy and admiration at your colorful handiwork. Funny, back east where I am now it wouldn't fly as high, so colorfully southwest.

    Flowers are beautiful here. But I'm thinking I can't stay much longer on the east coast.

    Glad to see all remains well.

    J

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  9. I like what you've been doing with your vintage fabrics. A white coyote huh? I'll bet it was cool looking. We have them here, they yip & yap from across the road. I'm really glad that you are writing a book on ebay for RVers. I think it's a grand idea!!

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  10. Love what you are doing to the Fifth wheel...Transformed !
    We painted the walls in our motorhome a clay flowerpot color, hung some good karma flags from peacemonger.com...way better now ! Have you met Michael,,,Wanderwolf in Ajo,,,he has a studio Lizzard Flats on the road heading out to Darby Wells. Interesting fella. You would love his wanderwof RF...ask to see it.... Kelly

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    1. Thank you, Kelly. I haven't met Michael yet, but you are the second person who's told me to go see him, and I have seen him around town with his funky old Lizzard Flats truck. Roxanne and Annie are headed to Darby Wells today with the Duck, so maybe I will wander out that way with them sometime over the next couple of days.

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    2. Hope you can go see his murals, 3 of them for sure.... Especially Ghost Riders

      Kelly

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