Depressing News

At my last physical, I was asked "are you depressed". I thought this was an unusual question until I realized that a number of seniors, particularly those who have lost their spouse, are lonely and depressed. Although I answered "no", I think the next time I am asked, I will say "yes, but only when I watch the news".

Mysterious Drones

Drones that weigh 0.55 lbs (250 grams) or more, whether they're used recreationally or commercially, are required by the FAA to have Remote ID which allows the government to locate the control station when a drone appears to be flying in an unsafe manner or where it is not allowed to fly. Either the government knows who owns/operates the drones or they are flying illegally and should be taken down.

Mysterious Visitor

One of the reasons I have surveillance cameras is you never know when a suspicious looking character will vandalize your property by hanging a Christmas stocking on your porch rail at the crack of dawn...

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2024 Christmas Parade

Every year residents of the Arizonian RV Resort decorate their vehicles and drive around the park wishing everyone a Merry Christmas...

 

Javelina

My trail cam finally captured a Javelina...

 
Click here for more information on the species

Big Bucks

Someday when I am rich and famous...

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Jeep Ownership

When I purchased my first Jeep, I was told that it was an acronym for "Just Empty Every Pocket"...

 

Galaxy SmartTag2

Recently, an enclosed trailer with a paraglider inside was stolen from the park's storage area. With today's portable power tools, locks can easily be removed so I looked into tracking devices that would allow me to find my trailer if it is ever stolen. I wound up purchasing the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 which I paired with my Samsung Galaxy S24 smartphone (Apple has their own AirTag for iPhones). These devices determine location using Bluetooth technology from other phones, so they are not as accurate as GPS trackers but they have a much longer battery life and are less expensive. Tonight, I had dinner in Gold Canyon and here is the track to and from the restaurant...

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As you can see, it is accurate enough to find a stolen vehicle and for less than $20 it is cheap insurance.

Thanksgiving

In case you were concerned that I might go hungry this Thanksgiving, one of my neighbors has invited me over for turkey with dressing and cranberry sauce. I am even going off my diet to have homemade pecan pie for dessert...

An old southern boy's favorite

Dining After Dark

When the sun sets in the desert, the temperature drops very quickly. Fortunately, my neighbors have a propane heater built into their outdoor table, so we were able to dine in comfort...

Glenn & Sheila

96 Ranch Road

The 96 Ranch Road south of Florence, AZ got its name from an old abandoned ranch...

It appears to have been a nice home years ago

Unfortunately, time and vandals have taken their toll...

On the way to the ranch, you pass a number of huge, 100+ year old saguaros including a very unique half-crested one...

Bitcoin Soaring

Bitcoin has been setting all time high price records since Trump was elected President. I started mining it years ago when it was $100 per coin. I now have ~$6000 (at current values) which I use to buy Amazon gift cards. If you have a high end computer with excellent cooling, may I recommend a Windows based program called Kryptex that mines cryptocurrency 24/7 and still allows you to use your computer for other purposes.

You can also purchase Bitcoin via sites like Coinbase, but remember it is highly volatile which makes it a risky investment; whereas mining has very little risk.

Bad Influence

They say you can judge a person by the company they keep. I think I may be in trouble...

Missy, Darby, Dale

You may note that while they were drinking beer, I was drinking ice tea. I was the "designated passenger" on the ride.

Backway To Mt Lemmon

I took the Jeep the backway to Mount Lemmon from Oracle, AZ. It's a crooked, dirt trail that requires a high clearance vehicle. Although I enjoyed the ride, there were not enough "WOW" moments for me to want to do it again anytime soon.

I thought the paved road coming up from Tucson was much more scenic and would be a good Sunday drive, particularly, in the hot summer months.

Fine Wine

My neighbor, Missy, works for a very wealthy individual in Wisconsin, who collects and drinks expensive wine. At the end of the summer, he gives her a bunch of bottles that he no longer wants. As a thank you for some work I did for her, she gave me two bottles of Ornellaia 2016. Out of curiosity, I went online and was able to find it on sale for only $279.99...

Not wanting to drink alone, I shared my good fortune with my other neighbors last night. Nothing like a $300 wine with your smashburgers. The sad part of the experience was I could not tell much of a difference between it and my $10 bottle with the screw top. Apparently, I do not have a sophisticated enough palate.

Rummaging Rodent

My neighbor has a large rat running around his tool shed at night, so we setup a trail cam to monitor its activity and see if we could trap it. Although we got some great video clips, the rat was too smart for the trap. Watch how it plays with and moves the trap without tripping it...

 

Tonight, we are going to switch the bait from cheese to peanut butter, drop some poison bait and then see what happens.

Update 10/27/2024: That rat outsmarted us once again. It is so big that it was able to reach the peanut butter without putting enough weight on the plate to trip the trap. However, it did take the poison bait, so we may get it that way. Video posted at https://youtu.be/cApdJcVSIv4.

Update 10/28/2024: It appears we may have gotten the rat with the poison bait as it did not reappear on last night's video...

Mesmerizing Sunset

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SoloCam S340

I recently added a eufy SoloCam S340 to the front of my park model. One nice feature of the camera is the ability to track and follow moving objects...

 

They are "spray painting" the streets in the park this week. It is a temporary fix to make them look good for returning snowbirds. I was told they will resurface the streets next year.

FEMA Failure

The federal government cares more for illegal immigrants than for its own citizens...

 

Elon Musk and private individuals have done more for the victims of Helene than the entire Biden/Harris administration.

Another Democrat Debacle

Click here for full story

More Liberal Hypocrisy

Kamala Harris drops millions on private jet spending despite calling climate change an 'existential threat'...

Apparently, it's okay to pollute the environment if it is for political purposes such as fund raising
Click here for full story

Old Age Humor

 

Surveillance Cameras

I recently purchased two wireless solar surveillance cameras to cover both entrances to the house. Last night was a good example of how effective these cameras are as an unknown vehicle was recorded checking out my place a little after 8:00 pm. Although it was probably someone who did not realize I tend to go to bed with the chickens, it's reassuring knowing that I will have video evidence if an intruder steps onto the property.

 

Arizona Heat

I believe I have come up with a way to beat the Arizona summer heat...

Coyote

When you live out in the desert, you get to see a lot of interesting critters...

 

Siphon Fire

A fire in the Superstition Mountains north of me has burned over 2,000 acres and is 0% contained. There have been a number of evacuations east of Apache Junction, but I am far enough away that there should be no problem here. This is the view from my front porch...

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Update: You can now see the flames from the fire...

Unleashing Elon Musk

This is the type of thinking that we need in government...

 

Toad Heaven

We finally got some monsoon rain & wind and I am pleased to report that my awning is still intact and my new roof does not leak. One group that enjoyed the downpour are the desert toads...

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Storage Shed

One disadvantage to living in a park model is not having quite enough storage space for all your stuff. Today, I had a Suncast resin shed delivered which then had to be assembled. I suspect a good handyman could probably put it together in less than an hour. However, it took me almost three hours (which I think qualifies me to be on a state road crew). Once again, I was reminded of how bad my endurance is, particularly, in the desert heat. I would work for 20-30 minutes and then need a break. I am hoping that consuming mass quantities of alcohol and ibuprofen will dull the pain tonight. As I have often said "getting old is not for sissies".

Baby Rattlesnake

When I opened the front door this morning, I was greeted by a baby rattlesnake wanting to join me for coffee, so I called Scott, our professional snake removal expert here in the park. He told me that he had recently removed another rattlesnake near my home which makes me wonder "where is the rest of the family".

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818,000 Fewer Jobs

How can you trust an administration/government that overestimates job creation by 818,000...

 

Nails & Screws

One hazard from having work done on my awning and roof is the number of nails and screws left on the ground around the house...

And just when I think I have found them all, I'll walk by a couple of days later and find a few more. It's like a never ending scavenger hunt.

Roof Repair

The same storm that damaged my awning also damaged a number of shingles. After looking at the roofer's photos, I decided to replace the entire roof with newer, heavier shingles so that I do not have to worry about leaks in the near future. My knees hurt just watching one of the workers haul 70 pound bundles on his shoulder up a very tall and steep ladder...

The other thing that amazes me is how Hispanics can work in long sleeve hoodies in 100+ degree weather!

Awning Repaired

I finally got the damaged awning repaired...

It's nice to be able to park all my vehicles in the carport again

Eerie Eyes

The toads were out in force last night...

Kamala Harris Parody

 
Sadly, the parody Kamala is more truthful than the real Kamala

Another Pack Rat

I noticed a rather large hole in the front of my home, so I setup a trail cam to see what was using it...

I'm setting out more traps and throwing some poison packets under the house to stop the infestation

Illegal Voting

A majority of House Democrats voted against a bill that would require voters to show proof of citizenship. Under current U.S. law, only citizens can vote in federal elections, but the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 prohibits states from confirming citizenship status. In my opinion, this is why Biden and his DEI administration have allowed 10+ million illegal and unvetted immigrants into the country. In swing states, it would only take a small percentage of illegals voting to influence the outcome of an election.

Democrats do not care about the country nor its citizens. Their only interest is getting and keeping power and they are willing to do and say anything to achieve that goal. If the DNC believed those illegals would vote Republican, I suspect Pelosi and Schumer would be on the first private jet to the border to help erect that wall.

Gambel's Quail Families

Video of a large group of Gambel's quail and a lone desert hare... 

The chicks are growing up

Saving Democracy

Democrats continue to say that Trump is a threat to democracy. As usual, what they accuse him of is what they are actually doing. Here is a video that proves my point...

 

Biden's Legacy

No Longer A Dry Heat

Southern Arizona is traditionally known for its dry heat (<10% humidity) which makes high temperatures more tolerable. Unfortunately, we are experiencing much higher than normal humidity levels (currently ~45%). If this keeps up, I may have to move to Florida this summer to cool off. <grin>

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Storm Damage

Last night just before dark, monsoon winds swept through the park doing extensive damage. It tore up my carport awning and damaged the rear of my car...

It could have been worse. One of my neighbors lost their roof...

My next door neighbor lost their carport awning and the roof of their Arizona room. Somehow that roof was lifted in the air, tossed over my house and landed in the field across the street. Otherwise, there would have been significant damage to my place. It was one of the more frightening storms I have experienced and I have lived through a couple of hurricanes. Now, the ordeal of dealing with insurance and repairs begins.

Zebra-tailed Lizard

Pack Rat

What I thought was a large mouse appears to be a pack rat that was too big for the d-CON trap, so I placed the poison bait beside the trap and it took it. 

Update: finally got him with a Tomcat Rat Trap...

Babylon Bee

Here are two more reasons the Babylon Bee is my favorite satirical website...

Sign Of The Times

While waiting in the lobby for my physical...

Makes you wonder what people did before smartphones

Desert Rodent

Looks like it is time to put out the mouse traps...

Almost There

Gambel's Quail Family

Here's a video of a Gambel's quail family with a bunch of little ones...

Update (5/31/2024): This morning, I recorded a better, longer video of the quail family which I have posted at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggA3W7lVRMU

Check List

In preparation for Memorial Day, I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish:

• Lunch - check
• Nap - check

It was a good day!

Desert Hare

Gambel's Quail

Here's a close up video of a Gambel's quail drinking water from my A/C...

If you would like to see similar videos, click here to view my YouTube channel

More Biden Gaffes

Another great vblog from Conservative Momma...

Fuel Prices

My friend, Keith, sent me this photo of fuel prices in Mississippi...

Looks like we are getting "hosed" here in southern Arizona at ~$4.00/gallon

Crocs

I finally bought a pair of Crocs. It's beginning to get a little warm here in the Phoenix area and I noticed that my fashion conscious neighbors (they look like the cover of GQ Magazine while I look more like the cover of Mad Magazine) were wearing them. So far, I have found them to be cool and comfortable, although it did take a little while to get used to the bumps on the insole. 

Liberals vs Conservatives

Windows "S Mode"

A friend here in the park bought a new computer with Windows 11. When she tried to install an app for one of her devices, it was denied. It turned out that the computer was sold in the "S mode" which will only allow apps that are in the Microsoft Store to be installed. Also, included in the factory installed software was McAfee Antivirus which I have found to create more problems than it is worth; I recommend deleting it before doing anything else with your new machine. If you run into a similar problem, here's Microsoft's directions for switching out of S mode:

• Windows 11 in S mode is designed for security and performance, exclusively running apps from the Microsoft Store. If you want to install an app that isn't available in the Microsoft Store, you'll need to switch out of S mode.
• Windows 11 in S mode is only available in the Windows 11 Home edition. If you have the Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions of Windows 10 in S mode, Windows Update will not offer Windows 11 because S mode is not available in those editions of Windows 11. Therefore, if you have the Pro, Enterprise or Education editions of Windows 10 in S mode, you'll need to switch out of S mode to upgrade to Windows 11.
• Switching out of S mode is one-way. If you make the switch, you won't be able to go back to Windows 10 or Windows 11 in S mode. There's no charge to switch out of S mode.
• To switch out of S mode, click here to open the Microsoft Store to the Switch out of S mode (or similar) page.
• On the Switch out of S mode (or similar) page, select the Get button. After you see a confirmation message on the page, you'll be able to install apps from outside of the Microsoft Store.

Emotional Support Snake

While buying groceries at the local Bashas', I came across this fellow and his live snake...

Click on image to enlarge

Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum

Today, I visited the Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum in Mesa, AZ which has an excellent collection of military aircraft from WWI to Vietnam...

Arizona Railway Museum

If you like trains, may I recommend the Arizona Railway Museum in Chandler, AZ. It has a unique collection of old locomotives, passenger cars and cabooses along with ancillary equipment...

Note that the museum is open only on weekends 10-4pm and is closed in the summer months due to the heat.

Vintage Aircraft Flyby

We were treated to a unique airshow this morning...