May 9 - 15, 2016, AZ

Tuesday, May 10.  I made reservations on the Desert Belle for a narrated cruise on Saguaro Lake for me and my guests yesterday. Unfortunately, I had a call from them to say that they had a corporate group of about 80 people scheduled and, did we really want to do that?  After discussing it with Rudy and Sonja, we agreed that it might not be a lot of fun, so we cancelled and took a drive along Bush Highway instead.  We made lots of stops to check out the views of the Salt River and of the lake, had some lunch at the Marina and had a great day anyway.

Now Sonja has a thing about ladybugs. It all started when Christa gave her one and she started to carry it with her wherever she went. She rubs it on the machines in the casinos and his good luck most of the time.  Through the years, friends give her ladybugs as gifts.  Today, as we were looking at the views of the river, she paused and asked Rudy to take a photo of her, and a ladybug showed up on her hand.  They appear in the strangest of places and give her blessings wherever she is - lucky woman!

     The lady and the Ladybug.

     Sonja and I chatting at a stop along the Salt River.

    Saguaro Lake, the Superstition Mountains, The Marina, and a magestic Saguaro in bloom.

    Check out the gnarly roots on this Mesquite tree - there were squirrels foraging for food in there.

My guests were up at 5am this morning and on the road by 6:00.  I just heard that they made it to their destination of Van Horn, TX.  Good friends, good times, stay safe on this journey.

Thursday, May 12.  This week has been about getting my car ready for the trip.  Roger gave me a gift certificate for a free oil change and I had that done yesterday, followed by a trip to the DMV inspection station to have an emissions check done - all is good there.  Today, I went to the DMV to get my tags.  Thanks to Maricopa County for giving me an exempt from personal property tax, my renewal cost me $9.75 and I saved $87 in taxes.

From there, it was Costco for tires and some shopping.  As I drove home from there, I thought the ride was really bumpy, not sure it should feel like that.  I sat in my carport, organizing receipts and paperwork and realized that the gal at DMV did not return my original exemption certificate.  Dang, I headed back there and was allowed to go straight to her desk and get my paper.  Again, the ride feels soft and bumpy, as if I we're riding in an ATV on a bumpy road - I bounced so hard that my boobs were shaking.  I don't think the last tires were like that. I called Costco and they suggested that I drive in them for a week or so and see if it improves.  I also think I will ask my neighbor, Tom, to take it for a drive and give me his opinion - he's a great resource for that kind of question.

After all that, I took a nice nap. Now, I'm sitting on the patio - it's pretty hot - and I'm watching the birds coming to the birdbath and listening to the different sounds that they make.  Right now, a female blackbird is wetting a piece of bread, dips it in the water, then picks it up and pulls it apart and eats it, not willing to share at all.

Sunday, May 15.  Yesterday, I helped Loretta out up wallpaper in her bedroom, a project that w thought would take a few hours ended up taking about 5 hours.  It looks nice - for a couple of gals who haven't done it for 20+ years.  I'm glad I could help and it was fun hanging out together.

I also learned yesterday that the trial for my brother, Ray's killer is scheduled for Msy 32.  That is the day that I had planned to leave Arizona to start my trek to the Midwest.  Now, I am having thoughts about changing my plans in order to be there.  I really don't think I will go, I would prefer to not live through that experience and hear all of the details in person.  It is in the hands of the jury and I cannot influence any decisions that will made by being there.  I only hope that justice is served - nothing Ray could have done or said to that man could justify what he did.  He deserves to be locked up.

Typical Arizona weather arrived this week, bringing temps above 100, but it has cooled down and right now, I'm sitting on the swing in the back yard, a candle burning, a glass of wine on the table, enjoying a nice breeze, and listening to the sounds of the air conditioners coming on and off.  It's a beautiful night in spit of the last item mentioned in the previous sentence.