Remember me??? 

Yes, it has been a month of Sunday’s since I last posted. 

Main reason?  I would have bored you into a trance.  Y’see I spent most of this year typing my fingers into arthritis. First, I wrote and published THE BOOK:

Here is where you can learn all about it: video, pictures, etc. http://www.getwhatyouwanteverytime.com/InspirationalGoaling/wordpress/ 

Came up for a breath and immediately dove back down to write and publish the CD SET & ACTION BOOK:

 All the information plus a new website can be found here:

http://www.GetWhatYouWantEveryTime.com

 Along with these two gargantuan tasks, I was under the tutelage of Ali Brown and James Roche, my coaches in the Millionaire Protégé Club and spent countless hours in training by phone and in person travelling to L.A. (twice), Scottsdale (AZ), San Jose (CA) and Las Vegas. And, of course, making the trek from our winter home in Yuma back to BC in the spring, and reversing the process just a month ago.

Now? I’m in the coaching trenches. Implementing all I have learned about the myriad intricacies and trends of operating a business online as well as welcoming a number of superb new clients and doing what I LOVE to do; help people choose the right goals and how to go get ‘em!

Okay. Let’s back up to spring 2010 and the trip back to BC in the ‘covered wagon’. At least you can’t lose a windshield at 110 km in the wilds of the California desert in a real covered wagon; maybe an elderly horse at a clip clop.  Well when a gap the size of DB’s fist opened in the upper left corner of our Class A RV windshield, we slowed to a crawl, held our breath, carefully crept into a tiny town by the name of Needles and called our Good Sam Roadside Assistant.

Spent the night, in an abandoned service station and next day a tech made really good use of some windshield super glue and off we went.

Fast forward to October 20^th, departure day to the south. Didn’t even leave our park at

 home before problem #1. The steps won’t retract when we close the door. Drove 30 minutes to Kelowna to our RV repair shop. At least 25 people in cars tried to draw our attention to the fact that our stairs were still extended. Well, they were being helpful.

Turns out the magnet that sends the signal to the control module had shifted, so no signal, stairs remain out.  Now fixed.

We arrive in Yakima, WA next day and hook up with our friends Dean, Sue and Sophie (dog).  We add another vehicle (car) to our train as Vicky & Wilber (giant dog) join us on the trek south. Plan was for Vicky and Sue to take turns driving Vicky’s car, but as Sue broke her right foot and had it in a ‘boot’ the size of the of a small hotel, that was out. But she rode in the car to keep Vicky company while Wilber rode in the RV keeping Sophie & Dean company. Us? DB, me, Atma and Solomon; lots of company.

Ahh, the life…CB radio in all three vehicles, smoothly cruising down the 4 lane highway somewhere in Oregon…and BANG! Our car-hauler trailer blew a tire. And I mean BLEW!

It’s amazing what two older gentlemen, one with Parkinson’s and one with a recent shoulder surgery and a disintegrated hip waiting to be replaced, can accomplish. DB can’t get up and down, so he found and handed tools to Dean who stayed ‘down’ and together they got the tire changed.  All the while crazy traffic is hurtling past just inches from this procedure. Of course, it was the driver’s side tire.

Couple of days later, somewhere in Utah, it begins to rain. And it begins to blow. Then it RAINS AND BLOWS! We all take refuge off the highway in a Days Inn parking lot for the night and due to the RV being on air bags, the strong wind makes it feel like we are on a cruise ship in high surf!  Vicky, Sue, Dean, Sophie and Wilber are safe in S&D’s RV until in the middle of the night some of that ‘surf’ is pouring into their ‘living room’.  Out with the towels and buckets.

Morning dawns calm and dryer but COLD.  The snow line on the mountains has crept waaay down and it’s time to get outta there!  Heading into lower elevation and it warms up. Stop for a break and…..our stairs will not retract!! S&D are still trying to dry out their RV carpets and furniture.  All we can do is tie up the stairs and carry on, but then the linkage inside our door breaks and we can’t open the door from the outside (better than inside, I think later). 

Another night in a WalMart parking lot in southern Utah. Dang, I sure could use a glass of wine. Turns out you can’t buy wine in stores in Utah, only at gov’t liquor stores which have now closed. Ahh, such clean living in the Mormon State!

Next morn we awake to a sound not often heard in city streets…. the baa-ing of at least 2000 sheep being herded down the boulevard by Basque herders on horseback!  What was that I said about ’clean living’? There was a shipload of sheep shit left on that street and not a shovel in sight!

We make a beeline for Las Vegas where we have reservations at the KOA. To our good fortune there is an RV repair shop a block away. We get the linkage for the door (DB does the labor) and a super friendly and talented RV tech lies on the ground under the stairs, opens up the control module and gets a face full of water. That torrential rain? Shorted it out. Module is replaced.

S&D’s flooding problem was caused by a broken spring in the rolled up awning, leaving some awning stuck between the RV and the slide-out meaning said slide-out could not close all the way.  Spring replaced by same super friendly RV tech and his quieter assistant.

The three dogs and Solomon have been real troopers. Wilber is a Golden-Doodle (aka: giant dog) who thinks he is a truck driver. Every time Dean leaves the driver’s seat, Wilber is in it. Sophie is the diva of the menagerie, Atma just wants to get out, go for walks to give her nose a workout sniffing at all the new temptations at every stop while Solomon sleeps on the bed for hours and hours.

Our friends go on to Yuma while we remain in Vegas another 4 days for my

business event, ‘Shine’, at the Wynn hotel with about 600 other attendees. The Vegas sky reminds me of gridlock:

Once we are on our last stretch to Yuma, I’m like a homing pigeon straight to a truck stop in Searchlight just south of Vegas where I KNOW there are Krispie Kreme donuts! With my bag of four Artery Blockers and a vanilla latte clutched in my hands, we keep on motoring through the Arizona desert until we finally arrive at Sun Vista RV Park and are greeted by our many winter friends and neighbors welcoming us ‘home’.

Three days later I sport a ‘Rudolph’ the size of a dime on the end of my swollen nose. A gift from the Krispie Kremes!

Well my friends, I hope I have made up for my loooong silence.  There is another way you can keep up with me on a pretty much daily basis and that is to ‘friend’ me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1466943487050&set=a.1466935126841.61835.1637431373#!/goalcoach

I post loads of picture albums and post almost every day.

If you forgive me and like anything you have read or seen on this post, please leave a comment in the appropriate place.

I leave you with this image:  Last spring a group of us again went out to Spook Mountian (earlier story on this blog).  Of course all the spooky happenings are much better seen on a moon-less night.  But it turns out there were at least TWO MOONS out that night!

When these ladies see this?  I think I’m dead meat!

Cheers!

Lynn 

Mean Dean

Sleep Stealin' Sue

Illiterate Lynn

Deadbeat D.B.

They may be armed with false knees and/or hips and carry bags of dangerous prescription drugs so do not approach but report sightings to your local SBI who is equipped with backup hearing aids, canes and walkers that may be necessary in the apprehension of such individuals.

The above  fun and games was inspired by our visit to the Yuma Territorial Prison State Park, one of Arizona’s key attractions and right here in Yuma.  Unfortunately, cutbacks by the AZ gov’t may see this park closed by end of March.  There’s a big push on locally to find ways to keep it open.  The museum and history is fascinating and you can learn more here www.azparks.com .  Enjoy some more pics…

Finally Got DB Behind Bars!

Prison Was Built By InmatesPrison Was Built By Inmates

6 Inmates to a Cell!

No, No I Don't Want To Go! Entrance to Museum

Entrance to Museum

Another trip out onto the desert was to an amazing place that has several names, among them ”No Name Canyon” so I will stick with that.

On the way we came across a stunning sight!

Miles of undulating desert floor where for many decades people have made commemorative signs of names, dates, etc. with the rocks and stones available.  Look closely at this picture and in the distance you can see these designs gradually fading from sight.  The oldest one found was done in the 1950′s. On both sides of the desert dirt road as far as the eye can see these extend to the horizon.

Desert Commemorations

Miles of Memories Sue suggested we make one for our very much missed puss, Sid. So we did.Sid on the Rocks

 

Sid in the Sand                                                                                                                     

 

Squeeeeze

Sid on the Rocks

Jeep Squeeze

 Between earthquakes, sandstorms, torrential rains and below normal temps we are enjoying our third desert winter. About 2/3 of the annual rainfall pummeled us in January. Great fun taking Atma out to pee, me with an umbrella in one hand, leash in the other, dog twined around my feet and a wind trying to wrench the bumbershoot out of my hand but only succeeded in turning it inside out!

Friends Bob & Elaine deserted us, how dare they! They read this blog too and I cannot resist doing one more guilt poke, They bought a house in Phoenix (actually they ‘stole’ it), sold their 5th wheel and moved. The upside is they have 5, count ‘em, five bedrooms (!) and we, including Solomon and Atma, can visit. Heaven help us if we came without Atma!

Speaking of said dog, we have friends and neighbours fighting over who is at the top of the list to get Atma in our Will. In order to not get murdered in our sleep over a dog, I just tell everyone they are at the top of the list and not to tell anyone.

Ahhhh, the citrus blossoms are popping out on the trees and a heady fragrance wafts tantalizingly past out noses. It is odd for us to see a fruit tree, which just after the fruit is picked, immediately blossoms.

Grapefruit Greg

The pink grapefruit were so juicy and sweet, DB got the squeezer out and within no time he had a gallon of the good stuff.  Hmm, wonder how you make grapefruit wine??

An annual feast around here is the Monnonite fund raising dinner.  Oh groan, I ate like a piglet!  All the food was made by the Mennonites and pretty much all if it was home grown.  For dessert there were eight different kinds of pies and all served with home made ice cream. Well, we had to help them raise money for their kids’ school!!

Are you familiar with the famous author and psychic Sylvia Browne?  If you are a big fan, you are going to be soooo jealous!  She was here in Yuma!  And I got tickets to go! AND MY TICKET WAS DRAWN TO BE ONE OF THE AUDIENCE MEMBERS TO BE ABLE TO ASK HER A QUESTION !! Fifty questions keep flashing, one at a time, like a neon sign in my brain.  We could only ask one and I couldn’t choose, so when I got to the mic, I just blurted one out.

I have been working like a sandbagger with water lapping at her heals. My book is done!  It is now in the publishing stages, currently on inside page design.  The covers are AWESOME! I can’t wait for you to see it. Feedback is also AWESOME! (For a writer I seem to be suffering from adjective-lack). My excitement knows no bounds as I imagine holding my book in my hands by the end of April.  Title? “Inspirational Goaling”, sub-titled: How Intuition, Passion, & a Taste for Adventure Create Goal Victory When Other Methods Haven’t. It is a weaving of the story of my Nepal adventure and what it taught me about a brand new way to set and reach goals. You’re gonna love it!  Of course I had help….

Who's the Author?

Oh! Did you want to know what question I asked Sylvia???  I asked how my book was going to do on the market.  She said “Very Well”.  From God’s mouth to her ears!

Other than a birthday party with free Margaritas and huge spread of delish goodies, I won’t tell you anything else to make you long for early retirement.  It’s getting near my bedtime so I’ll let Atma and Solomon say ‘Nite, Nite’

Heading home first week in April.

Cheers!

Lynn

Zzzzzzz

"Napper" Expert

Been down the mine & survived!

THIS time I did not fall into an abandoned mine.  Determined to overcome crushing claustrophobia, I walked into it with my trusty dog and three companions. For those of you who are snake phobic (add this one to my list too), I have been thoroughly assured that they are all in hibernation at this time of year.  All I would need is to see the hind end of one slithering away from me and I would instantly climb a Saguaro cactus screeching all the way to the top.  Sidewinder or rapier sharp cacti barbs?  No brainer for me.

Armed with three flashlights, the four of us and Atma picked our way on a downward sloping, loose rock strewn mine floor.  As I kept glancing over my shoulder I could see the daylight of the entrance way getting smaller and smaller and then disappearing.  Pitch black without those flashlights. A fair ways down we came to an area which gave us a choice of several branches of tunnels.  Our friends, Sue and Dean, had been in this mine a few times before and mentioned that there is one branch they just won’t go down because you can really feel the passageway getting warmer the further one goes.  I don’t believe in this place, but the word ‘Hades’ comes to mind!

I had turned myself around a couple of times while shining my flashlight down the various tunnels and suddenly realizing I did not know which one was the way out.  I put a 100 pound manhole lid on my panic and was at the front of the line when Dean said, “Let’s go back” and pointed down a tunnel that I would not have chosen. 

Don't let go of my hand!

We stopped to take pictures by flashlight on the return hike on a now upward slope when Dean pointed out a murky green glow coming from a wall about 50 feet back from where we had been.  OOkayyy, I’m outta here!!  Finally seeing the daylight in the entranceway it felt like the Pearly Gates beckoning and I was so happy to climb over the last few rocks, out into the world again and succeed in not giving in to the claustrophobia.

BTW, Dean finally told us the

Welcome back to daylight

 green glow was just the phosphorous in the rock wall that had retained some of the light from our flashlights for a short time.  If you come across a man with a long white beard and a ball cap pinned to a Saguaro cactus by a few hundred long barbs that’s Dean and that’s where I put him!

We're saving up to buy this beauty

We’ve been to a taco fair, a tamale festival and a balloon glow.  Three separate events.  Loved the tacos but could very nicely live without eating another tamale (Atma ate most of mine).  All was made well afterward when we went to the date farm and partook of a succulent, thick date shake.

The balloons were magical.  The baseball field was crammed with a plethora of eye-popping colour in the form of propane heated orbs bobbing lightly in the currents of air. 

Glowing balloons

The general public was welcomed onto the grounds to explore, inspect and ask questions of the pilots.  At this evening event, the balloons did not actually leave the ground, but as dusk approached and it became gradually darker, the voice on the loudspeaker would do a countdown whereupon all the balloons would turn on their burners and every balloon would instantly glow from within.  Of course it was more and more spectacular as the darkness deepened and the contrast of light and dark caused the myriad of colours to produce a chorus of oh’s and ah’s from the onlookers.  The sound effects of all those burners hissing and roaring only added to the excitement. It was a perfect night with no wind and an infinitely clear sky.

Atma got her first haircut!  You may recall seeing her

Atma before first haircut (there's a dog in there somewhere)

very first picture earlier on this blog where she is hairless and scrounging for any morsel of food that might be left in an already cleanly picked over garbage pile on the side of a Kathmandu street.  We were so thrilled when her hair began to grow that I was loathe to cut it, but her face had disappeared behind a thick veil of hair growing in several

Ah-Ha! I knew she was in there

directions and she was soon going to be tripping over her own hairy feet! When she ran and played with other dogs she resembled a flying blanket.

 I found myself the recipient of a rather stimulating 45 seconds while in the Bath & Body Works store recently.  It started out as me looking for a practical substance with which to treat my onion-skin thin, dry epidermis which passes for my skin while I live in this arid desert climate. I quickly became thoroughly lost in the enjoyment of a phenomenal sale of exquisite scents, bottles, colours and variety of products with which to pamper myself.  I had been given a store shopping bag while I browsed and had been filling it with luscious sounding lotions, shower gels and crèmes with names such as Coconut Lime, Dancing Waters and Sandalwood Rose that I barely realized the earth was moving.  It was only when bottles started tumbling from the shelves and hitting the floor that I was stunned into the realization that an earthquake was happening!

The brain says ‘earthquake’, the body just stands there, the brain again says ‘earthquake’ and the body still stands there but the eyes look around as if there is a safe place to go.  By the time the brain and the body connect, it’s over.  All the customers chatter and nervously laugh with each other as we all stoop to pick up bottles and return them to the shelves. 

I have been remiss with this blog since arriving in Yuma for the winter.  I usually write at least once a month.  We had a sad event take place in early November and knowing I would want to write to you about it, it has taken some time for me to be able to do it without being plunged deeper into a grief that I am just now beginning to cope with. 

In my last post I kept you entertained with the struggle to keep Sid, our cat, in diapers, medicated and regularly bathed in the bathroom sink.  It was all worth it to get his problem healed and him back to normal, and he was well on his way back to that.

Sid, artistry by my friend Sue

Two days before driving our RV up to Las Vegas for a business event I was to attend, we took Sid to our Yuma vet for a simple enema.  The vet made a decision to do a small surgery on his rectum instead.  While in Vegas Sid became very sick and we doubled his antibiotics and increased the Betadine cleansing of his surgical area, but he just got more and more ill.  Five days after his small surgical procedure we rushed him to the Las Vegas Emergency Animal Clinic where a wonderful Vet took him well in hand and literally saved his life.  We were told that if we had not brought him in he would have died by morning.He was in shock with temperature too low, had a vicious bacteria in his colon slowly killing his tissue, in pain, dehydrated and in need of drains and strong intravenous antibiotics.  The exceptional people at this hospital kept him alive and comfortable until the following Monday morning when he could be transferred to the Las Vegas Veterinary Referral Hospital where tough cases go and surgery for Sid to be performed.

A renowned surgical veterinarian spent a fair bit of time with us explaining all the possible scenarios and outcomes and Sid’s chances were 50/50.  Just after beginning the surgery he called us to tell us there was a tear in Sid’s rectum through which feces had entered his abdomen and caused the infection.  Unfortunately this tear was in already dying tissue and could not be repaired.  We had to make the devastating decision to allow Sid to go.  We went to the hospital to be with him where I held him, soaked his head with my tears and sent him over the Rainbow Bridge. The worst was that he did not have to die.  Both attending Vets agreed that it was the procedure performed by the vet in Yuma that had caused the damage, it should only have been done by a specialist if at all. 

After a few weeks DB and I went to visit this Vet and quietly and calmly spoke with him about Sid’s case telling him we were not interested in pursuing litigation, but that we felt he should reimburse us the cost of Sid’s care in Las Vegas.  To his credit he took ownership and responsibility for his mistake, did not try to defend his position, was very apologetic, thanked us for coming to see him and a few days later we received his cheque in the mail for the full amount of the Las Vegas costs.  It was thousands of dollars.

The bottom line is we lost our beautiful, inside and out, Sid and we are still adjusting.  He was a very special soul. How do we cope with the fact that he died ‘needlessly’?  Well, many of you are aware of my philosophy to create value in all things.  We all have a life purpose including our pets and if one of Sid’s reasons for being here was to teach a Vet to be a better doctor for subsequent patients, then so be it.  It was the choice of Sid’s spirit and we have to honour that.  We enjoyed and exchanged such love with him for almost 12 years and for that I am supremely grateful.

We are also extremely grateful for those of you upon hearing the news sent us your love, support and comforting words.  They helped so very much!

We wish you all a very Happy New Year with your dreams of 2010 unfolding into abundant reality for you and your loved ones. Bless you in this exciting and energy filled new year.

Cheers!

My Boy Sid

False Start

 Okay folks, I mean I just love to entertain you on this blog with stories of our mild and wild escapades during our romps around North America in our home on tires accompanied by our now three four-legged humans with fur.

 AND in order to entertain you it is necessary to have those little unexpected events occur, BUT now it’s gone too far!  Have you ever tried to diaper a cat?  And have it stay on?? Hell with claws. 

I’ll back up a bit. The week prior to our departure south for the winter, Sid (cat) is observed by us trying valiantly to produce something solid in the litter box.  Not happening. Off to the Vet where he is fed stool softeners, enema-ed, anesthetized, ‘emptied’ and cleaned up. The ’matter’  had been accumulating for some time, apparently.  I used to think I wanted to work in a Vet Clinic……NOT!

So he’s back home the next day and we watch him carefully  making sure this problem doesn’t recur.  Everything’s normal so we head out on the way to Yuma and make our first overnight stop prior to crossing the border. Next morn, what is Sid doing?  He’s in and out of the potty box making a Herculean effort and producing nothing, we call our Vet on the cell phone for a discussion. 

Result?  We retrace our steps back to Vernon and the Vet Clinic where we are again told Sid must have an enema.  Within two hours he has produced.  The Vet now shares the news that Sid, in all likelihood has suffered some anal nerve damage and is unable to control the process of producing on his own either expelling or retaining.  It may right itself or it may be permanent.

How many scenarios within a split second fought for a place in my brain, I wouldn’t be able to count, but none of them were pretty, so I chose denial as we once again set out on our journey. Denial is such a nice, cozy place to be, I thought, until, while standing in a state of confusion in front of a huge array of baby diapers, I made the decision to flip a coin as to a choice of size that might fit a cat!

So it’s definitely the coin’s fault that it took until the third purchase before getting a fit anywhere close. After cutting a hole in the guesstimated area for his tail DB and I struggle with a 13 pound Olympic Champion Slinky with the ability to slither through four human hands and arms in the speed of a blink. Amid cat howls, human grunting and cursing, claw punctures, twisted arms and cat eyes filled with revenge, DB and I look at each other panting and sweating and smile like conquerors.  We did it! The diaper is on. We set him down on the floor to see how he will navigate and he promptly walks out of it.I leave to your fertile imagination the particular shade of blue the air became. 

Don't you dare take my picture!

We do the “put diaper on and repeat” and after a modicum of success  DB and I are disheveled, scratched and and panting for breath. Sid was faced with the final indignity of a neck cone to prevent him from tearing at the diaper with his teeth. Then a third chunk of insurance is put into use by placing Sid into his cage for the night. 

You took my picture!

Morning comes, a cautious peek at Sid reveals …..no diaper.  He got it off.  What happens when you remove a soiled diaper?   Why, clean up of course!  The difference between a human baby and a cat is FUR.  Have you ever bathed a cat?  Now we have a wet Olympic Champion Slinky.

 Another diaper thrash-about followed by a wrestle with a dose of medicine, a change of clothes for me, Sid back in his cage and I have a couple of hours before the next go-round as bathing is required between each diaper change.  Hints of many, many years ago when I was a young mother with the only difference being I could not put my children in a cage or I would have been put in jail. Dang!

Cat bathing

Carefully sitting him facing the bathroom sink, his hind end, legs

and tail over the edge, I hold him under his front legs with my left arm while with my right hand I scoop cups of warm, soapy water over the ‘area’.   I feel like a surgeon in an OR with nurse DB assisting by handing me baby wipes, paper towels and powder. The vocals would be hard to describe in any language, but Sid got his profound displeasure across  by making certain my entire front was dripping wet by bath’s end.

By the end of the second day we have finally mastered the trick of the diaper according to the strange anatomy of my cat.  It will always be a two-person exercise.  But now he can be free to roam the house crashing into furniture and walls with his head cone.  Into the cage he goes for the night. 

I hear meowing about 2:30 a.m. and although my body says go back to sleep, my heart says get up and check on Sid. The heart won and up I get.  I look at the cage….no cat!  There he is, pleased as punch sitting on the couch with the diaper still on. YES!! I must have left the door slightly unlatched so I give him a drink and back into the cage he goes.

6:30 a.m. Up for the day and I go to see Sid.  The cage is empty and he sits blinking at me from the passenger seat. The cone makes him look like a flashlight and I swear I detect a smug smile in his beam.  Obviously he has mastered the latch. But the diaper is still on!

Watchin' over my ailing bjuddy

 Couple of Days Later

 We have met up with our friends Sue and Dean at their home in Yakima, Washington to travel in tandem to Yuma.  What a pleasure this is.  We look forward to setting up our après long-day-many-miles-of-motoring snack table between the two motor coaches, adding four folding chairs, relaxing and enjoying the concrete view in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The one in Bakersfield, CA had rows of Oleander trees in bloom. Bonus!

Back to Yakima for a sec, I must tell you about Sue and Dean’s home which is the most eclectically decorated house I have ever seen.  In the beginning, many years ago, it began as a tiny, elderly farmhouse to which they added rooms as needed in a haphazard yet very functional manner.  Their view is amazing as one looks out over the river valley dotted with the sunrise yellows and fireside reds of trees in fall foliage.

Sue & Dean's home 1

 Sue is an artiste par excellence (French pronunciation s’il vous plait) and former high school art teacher while Dean owns an antique business dealing mostly in oak pieces over 100 years in age and of very high quality and condition. I wore a bib the whole time I was there to catch the drool

Sue & Dean's home 2

Sue & Dean's home 3

Dean & Sue at home

Dean's Antique business

Sophie (a “Basherd”, Basset/Shepherd mix) and Atma became instant friends.  Within a few hours we found Sophie calmly and quietly sitting in front of our RV door simply waiting for Atma to appear

Sophie the 'Basherd"

 Atma was also introduced to Jack and Jill, two Springer Spaniels next door, and with acres of grass available the three of them ripped at mach speed in the damp grass, around and around the trees with Atma in the lead and uncatchable as usual.  She can reverse direction faster than I can type one key. What fun and hilarious to watch! I would take a video but she is too fast to follow with the camera.

Atma leads by a football field!

We have over-nighted in Eugene OR, Corning CA and Bakersfield CA.  Now, many diapers, yowling protests, wrestling matches, clean ups and scratches later, we are on our way into Arizona. Solomon continually meows in several octave varieties attempting to regain the attention he is missing while we concentrate on Sid’s needs.  Atma snuggles beside Sid in an attempt at comforting him I’m sure, but she has also decided she does not like her food.  When served this high priced, highly nutritious delicacy, she looks at me with accusatory eyes sending a message akin to “Why are you trying to poison me?”

You can't catch meeee!

My response? “Take it or leave it”.  She leaves it until a few hours later when hunger overcomes the accusation and I hear surreptitious munching going on in the corner.

Caring for Sid has been an exercise in great tolerance and patience and supreme love. Every diaper change requires a ‘wash’ in the sink.  He is very irritated and sore and he tells us so.  I seem to be able to calm him so DB still acts as scrub nurse and hands me the various tools I need.  After a bit of a sitz bath, powder application and diaper attached, he purrs in forgiveness and understanding and we know that he knows we are doing this to help him. 

I’m talking non-stop to the kitty Angel to come on board and help return his bowel function to normal.  If the nerve damage is permanent and he continues to be incontinent the alternative is unthinkable.  He is so healthy otherwise and has always been the most loving, blasé and cuddly puss.  He and I have had such a close bond over the past eleven years and the thought of having to put him to sleep when he isn’t really sick is something I can’t even tolerate the thought of without having to fight back copious tears.  And yet, having to wear diapers, endure many cleanups per day and a cone on his head to keep him from tearing at the diaper is no life for him.

Thus this trip is overlaid with a sense of sadness and impending tragic consequences.  Keeping my feelings stuffed down whenever they threaten to erupt caused me to awaken in the night with a headache so horrid I was wishing someone would ‘put me to sleep!”  Triple migraine meds did nothing.  Finally a couple of Anacin did it.  DB pointed out the next morning that we were camped in the midst of at least 30 electricity towers with a power plant two blocks away.  This could very well have had a bearing on the headache.

Hey!  We just passed ‘Twenty Mule Team Road’ and wouldn’t you know, there’s a boron (Borax) mine within a mile. We are in the Mojave desert at the moment.

Well on a lighter note, DB just proved he can get lost even when following someone else! We were climbing in the Sierra Madre mountains following Dean.  Dean pulled over on an exit road and stopped on the roadside.  We pull in behind and wait.  Several minutes later Dean pulls out again and off we go.  In my head pops up, ‘something is off’. On closer inspection, that’s not Dean up ahead!  Same colour coach, towing a vehicle, except the vehicle is not a Jeep and the coach is not a Monaco!! 

Turned around and on the right highway once more we race to catch up.  CB antenna only has a range of about a mile and we are ALONE!   Eventually we spot Dean and Sue’s rig patiently waiting on the roadside for us wanderers to finally turn up.  Peals of laughter later we head toward the desert with Dean chattering on the CB that it takes a good man to admit when he screws up. 

The best laughter is had when one can laugh at oneself!

 Be-yoo-tee-ful Site

 Our final night on the road is spent at La Paz County Park www.co.la-paz.az.us just 8 miles north of Parker, AZ.  Smack on the sandy beaches of the Colorado River the four of us eat dinner at a floating dock restaurant while we gaze at the stars, quarter moon, California on the other side of the river, and enjoy the light touch of a warm evening breeze. 

 After sauntering back to the RV’s Sue and I leash up the doggies and walk them along the water’s edge where Sophie chooses to go for a swim just to get soaking wet before lights out and Atma refuses to go near the large body of water having never experienced one larger than a Nepali puddle during monsoon.

Left AZ, Right Calif.

After more Sid bathing and diapering, we settle for the night.  Morning brings another day of clear skies and sunshine and we just can’t leave before another doggie walk, this time dodging about a hundred sprinkler heads popping up and spewing two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen without warning.

Sunset on the Colorado

Just before noon we roll into Yuma and Sun Vista RV Resort. There is great cheering, hollering and leaping up and down from our neighbours, Barb & Tim, on our north side. Wow, what a reception!  Turns out, their excitement stems from the fact that our huge rig is going to supply their patio with shade from the hot southern exposure!  “Here comes our shade! Oh, with Greg & Lynn and the cats too.”  I tease.  It was a great reunion but sad to learn that little ‘Stevie’ dog passed away during the summer.  Now they have ‘Dani Sue’, all of a pound and a half of Chihuahua/Pomeranian.  Barb could tuck her in her bra!

Five Days Later

I love having two home bases!  Twice a year we get to travel ‘home’, settle in and have a ball renewing friendships and acquaintances.  Each time we arrive in Vernon or in Yuma it feels like “we just came home”. 

The weather has be warm and sunny, pets are happy, especially Atma whose whole world has telescoped down to one focus…bunnies!  There are many, many bunnies in this park and they are mostly seen around dusk or after dark.  She spotted one under our citrus tree and every nerve in her body twanged! Now she asks to go outside to pee but it is just a ruse.  She wants to go bunny hunting.  She tore out the door, right angled left to the citrus tree, ran to the end of her leash and did a back flip when it ran out.  Good thing DB had a death grip on it.

We have been to the vet with Sid.  Vet is optimistic, from the details we have given him, Sid will gradually improve.  He said, “You are here for the winter now, we will monitor him closely and I’m sure we will get him well.”  I looooove this man!  We made a couple of adjustments in his laxative dosage and are able to leave him without a diaper at times.  Gotta keep that cone on his neck though, cats are very clean animals and he overdoes the cleaning causing more problems.

Next week we are on the road again. Yup we pull up stakes and file the ‘flight plan’ for Vegas.  I have a 3 Day business event at the Venetian hotel.  Don’t get too envious, I’m not staying in the hotel. Circus Circus has a KOA RV park and that is where we are booked.  The first day of the event, Nov 5^th, is my birthday (did I tell you that I am now going backwards in the number of years? Yes, I will be another year younger, not older, and that thought keeps me out the psych ward) and my gift to myself is to go into Circus Circus and pray the Krispy Kreme donut store is still there!  I’m getting six glazed heart attacks and going to eat them ALL! The sugar high and a cup of coffee, which I rarely have, should keep me vibrating from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. which are the seminar hours.  Hey, a girl has to celebrate!

We travel back to Yuma on the 8^th and stay put for the rest of the winter (I hope!)

Stay tuned, and I’ll entertain you with Vegas stories soon.

Enter comment below, would love to hear from you! 

Cheers!

Atma, Sophie & Me

The sun, once again, appears. Hooray!  Wayne comes over for a final cuppa  before we take off and I must make one country store stop at Sandi’s Willow Tree.  I forgot tea light candles!

By now I’ve taken so many muscle relaxants for my back spasm my eyes are crossed, ears ringing and even my teeth are relaxed!  Back still hurts.  Pooh.

 A few quiet hours pass as we motor along the flat, straight highway out of Saskatchewan into Alberta.  That quiet is broken with a huge bumping feeling as the coach suddenly leans to the left, something crashes and breaks on the floor, dishes are doing the Makarena in the cupboards and the sight of weeds and tall grasses are flying past the window in place of a highway.  We continue careening through the flora for some distance until we finally come to a stop…upright  in the saddle!

We are in the wide, grassy median dividing the four lane highway.  The prevailing, northwest wind is doing it’s infamous prairie gusting necessitating the driving instincts of Indy 500 drivers, except our vehicle has 43 feet for the gusts to broadside.

The left of the double lanes on this stretch of road have no shoulders and drop off at least 6” on the edges to a small strip of gravel.  We are in the left lane when a particularly forceful gust pushes the front wheels just over the left edge causing us to tip left.  An ordinary driver such as myself would probably have yanked the wheel to the right in order to get back on the pavement.  Not so DB.  In his very quick thinking manner he realizes this tactic would cause an even greater lean to the left and we would likely have tipped over.

The safest course is to drive straight down the median and hang on until safely stopped.  Within seconds of coming to a stop we hear a knock on our door and it is two Medics who just happen to have been behind us and are checking to see if we are alright.  Thankfully we are if I can just stop my shaking!  The only casualty is the shattered coffee pot which shot shattered glass in all directions and required a vacuum job before we do anything else.  DB does that while I keep four puppy paws and eight kitty paws out of danger.

Driving back up onto the pavement is safe and easy if done at the proper angle and we are back in the saddle with only a bent generator muffler and no coffee pot.  Both easily remedied.

Big wind, narrow shoulder, 6" drop

We finally arrive at Bob & Elaine’s home in Medicine Hat, receive a very warm welcome, delicious dinner and spend the evening in their glassed-in porch overlooking the South Saskatchewan River flowing past between banks of thick greenery and high, valley walls.  Bee-yoo-tee-ful!

Our expected stay of 3 days turns into a week during which time I lounge in the hot tub and swimming pool babying my back, going for strolling walks (which is painless for the ol’ back), and touring the great little city of Medicine Hat which impresses DB and me.

 Wanting to treat our friends, we took them to dinner at Ralph’s Texas Bar and Grill.  Now this is a place for all cowboy ‘n cowgirl wannabes!  Just take a look at Elaine and I doin’ some tricky ridin’!

Shhh, in all honesty the ‘bull’ was not moving for these pictures, but don’t tell anyone!

 Atma won’t walk on one of her hind feet one morning.  Next day the same and off we go to the Vet.  Under sedation it’s found she has an abcess under a toenail which requires drainage, antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.  She ends up wearing the cutest little pink sock!

The time has come to head back along the trail to home.  Through the Rockies once again to home on the other side of these magestic, glacial sentenils. It’s been a great adventure travelling the wide open spaces of Canada’s Wild West again.   ”Oh Canada, our home and native land!”

Stay tuned for the next travelling saga

Cheers!

PS: Would love to see your comments!

Now we reverse directions and head back west again although along a different trail (Trans Canada Hwy #1) from the eastern one.  I see the sky brightening to the west after last night’s storm.  The air is fresh and clean and the breeze feels like the brush of a gal’s silk skirt it’s so gentle and cool after such heat and humidity.

Highly recommended by Bill & Lin is “Bill’s Sticky Fingers” rib eatery in Portage la Prairie just 50 miles out of Wpg.  So as we drive right past it, we stop and place a ‘to go’ order for our campfire grub later in the day. 

Bill's Sticky Fingers

Waitin' to Get Sticky

We continue trotting west for another seven hours of flat, straight highway and arrive in Moosejaw, Saskatchewan by 7:00 PM.  Once again we set up in ‘Wally World’ camping lot. Just what would us trail riders do without these types of water holes along the way?

Within an hour we are reunited with DB’s daughter Sandi and granddaughter Taryn who greatly surprises me by telling me I’m the greatest grandmother in the whole world.  And this from a 14 year old!  Wow, these are the moments in life to be treasured.  I tell her I am flattered and honoured to be held in such high esteem.

Taryn has completely morphed in the past two years since we last saw her.  She is no longer a young ‘un but a young lady.

Instant Pals Taryn & Atma

 August 14, is overcast and cool, but reunions have a way of keeping you warm!  Best pal, Best Man, & Dan’s godfather Wayne (Weiner) is knocking at our door and it is soooo good to see him! 

Another friend from Air Force days looking good and doing much better than two years ago.  We all know how life lasso’s us now and again, but we also know that we can survive and end up with new widsom.

Wayne Relaxes with Atma

Chief Wayne BBQ Cooker

We decide to see if we can find a spot in an RV park and are successful at River Park Campground.  We’re among the trees and it is lovely.  The five of us enjoy a group dinner ‘round a blazin’ campfire. So much laughter, love, hugs, fun and camaraderie.  What a fabulous day!

Chowing Down

Saturday we went to the Willow Tree Collection store where Sandi works .Hitched the 400 horses to the parking meters and I bought out the store!  Fabulous natural, soy candles in 60 scents all made with aromatherapy oils.  Candles, perfume, crystal quartz tea light holder, body lotion and deodorant all rustled up in the store with all natural ingredients were some of my purchases.  

Sandi Loves Her Job

I took the photo opportunity to capture some of the other exquisite items.

The sculptures are all Vitruvian inspired.

Lithsome

Scorpio Fairy

Upon leaving the  shop, for no apparent reason, my lower back suddenly feels like it got pinched in the saloon door! Musta been all them thar long days in the saddle.

 Again, we finished off the day with a picnic table loaded down with salad, buns, blueberry pie and ice cream!  Great coffee awaits at the ‘ol campfire.

 Sunday dawns cool and blustery with more rain.  No cattle trail today, we all spend a quiet day indoors, just as well as my back needs complete rest and lots of meds!

Meds, meds, meds

Cheers!

PS: Your comments are most welcome!

The last part of the trail east is a quick one.  Only an hour to the ‘Peg.  Again and still the sunshine follows us.  There’s a Good ‘ol Wal Mart a few blocks from Kelly’s family (DB’s son) and before long he and Shirley roar into the parking lot on their Harleys just back from the Sturgis rally. Yes, Shirley rides her own Harley!

 Love reunions!

We make phone contact with friends we have not seen since the Air Force days in Portage. Bill & Lin have us over for a delicious dinner.  When was the last time you had a REAL baked potato?  You know, the kind that is baked in a real oven, not steamed in a microwave.  Fluffy dry inside and crispy skin on the outside.  A bit of butter and sour cream and I tell myself, “I don’t see a calorie anywhere.”

Several things combine to remind my sweat glands of Nepal.  It is a hot day, the kitchen is warm from the potato baking, I have had a good share of wine, Manitoba is a sweat box from it’s humidity and I have laughed myself inside out….result, dripping sweat.  So now I am down on my knees in front of the air conditioning vent desperate to dry off! I think Lin got a picture of me in that not-so-flattering pose, but thankfully she has not sent it to me so I don’t feel compelled to post it. Whew!

Back to dinner….Combine that exquisite treat with steak, salad, green beans and follow it with blueberry pie and ice cream….oh boy, this here cattle drive is turning out to be a mighty fine gourmet delight.

The best treat was the non-stop conversation about present days and them thar days of old.  Memories are so precious and can give such laughter, pathos, and warm feelings as we look at them from the distance of years and through the eyes of experiential wisdom.

Lin Trying to Steal My Dog

Bill Talking Her Out of it.

It’s back to the covered wagon where we find all three animals anxious to be first to share excited greetings which also mean, “Where were you and what took you so long?”

August 13, 2009

Leaving Bill & Lin’s last night we didn’t get far.  In fact not even an inch out of their driveway.  As we didn’t bring our car this time, Kelly had loaned us his truck.  Turned the ignition key,….click. The dreaded starter click.  Don‘t you just hate that sound!

Well Bill & DB were not aircraft mechanics/car mechanics/truck mechanics for nothing.  Twenty minutes later we were on our way. Gave that dern horse a kick and away she went.

So today, Kelly & DB spend the afternoon putting a new starter in the truck.  Kelly is also a truck mechanic.  These cowboys are all very handy!

Shirley's "Demon"

I spent the day with Shirley and her zoo, Mooshie, Kitty and Demon (feline) and Lacey (canine).  Demon is the size and shape of a basketball, has no tail and his colouring would have him blend nicely with a herd of Holstein cows. Atma and Lacey never stopped playing all day.  I did laundry, oh joy.

Shirley & Lacey

Six of us, as Kelly’s treat, went out to dinner at “The Paladin” in St. Boniface.  Home cookin’ at its best!  Servings are large and as a result half of mine is sitting in the fridge for lunch.

Me & Stepson Kelly

Shirley's Tyler & Braedon

Shirley & DB

We were treated to a flashing, crashing, rolling thunderstorm with rain for most of the night. Sounded like that ol’ gunfight at the OK Corral!  Nothing like a prairie storm to send one off to slumber.

Zzzzz FLASH! Zzzzz RUMBLE! Zzzzz

Cheers!

PS: Comments?

We are on the trail at 7:00 AM after showers, coffee, and an Atma walk to greet the sun in an endless prairie sky.

 The miles roll by and we cross into Manitoba about Noon.  The landscape now begins to have a few rolling sections. The greenery and increase in groves of trees speaks to the more moist climate. (Manitoba has 10,000 lakes!)

We arrive in Portage la Prairie which holds many,many memories as it was our homestead for 12 years when DB was with the Airforce.  We were married here and son Dan was born here in the city’s centennial year, 1970.  As we mosey down the main street I recognize nothing!  Heck, it’s only been 32 years!  Just one of the little irritating reminders of how much time has gone by.

We circle the wagons in an RV park among the peace of trees.  Distanced from traffic, we rest well.

Siiigh.

Cheers!

PS:  Leave a comment??

Our wedding anniversary today!  Won’t tell you how many years ‘cause then we’ed seem old! But a clue is it’s over 40 (by one).  Yes, we were married at 12!

Up at 7:00 am to a fresh, sunny morn and we prepare the wagon to hit the trail.  All cupboard doors latched? Check.  Pocket doors locked? Check. Nothing left on counters? Check.  Towels stuffed in dish cupboard? Check.

#1 slide pulls in and locks, #2 slide, #3 slide, #4 slide…#4 slide?…#4 SLIDE?? Why aren’t you moving?? Dadgum it, first it’s the stuck awning leaving Vernon now it’s the stuck slide leaving Edmonton.  So much for the early take off.  DB gets out the manual. Dan & he get out the tools. One & a half hours later they trace it down to a bad connection which is easily fixable and I give the Talented Two a standing ovation. After parent/kid goodbye hugs we are on our way east on cattle trail #16.

I never cared for long road trips in cars, especially across prairie vistas of endless, strait highways disappearing into the distant horizon as if they fell right off the edge.  Now in an RV it’s a pleasure!  I can read, write on the computer, heat a cup of tea, sleep on the couch, use the bathroom and all the while separated from the world of TV, internet and anyone I don’t want to talk to.

Today I did all of that as the sun shone, DB whipped the horses and I enjoyed hours of field upon field, occasionally interspersed with small towns, of canola crops wearing their bright yellow flowers stretching up t’ord the sun.

More Canola

It was at one such town, Lanigan (2,300 population), that we stopped, right smack dab in the middle of the province of Saskatchewan, to thoroughly enjoy an anniversary dinner in an old-fashioned Mum & Pop eatery with the welcoming name of Grandpa Sam’s Family Restaurant.  Vittles of roast beef dinner stuffed me to the roots of my hair, while DB feasted on a cutlet dinner. Deelicious!

Mom 'n Pop Diner

A few days later, after we trotted into the big city of Moose Jaw, DB bought me a gift called “Blowing a Kiss”.  The beautiful sculpture is pictured here. Ain’t I just the luckiest gal in the West?

Blowing a Kiss

After a walk through the neighbourhoods with Atma, it’s time to call it a day and rest up for the next day on the trails.

Nighty Night.

Cheers!

PS:  See how creative you can get in the ‘comments’ box.

We have no idea which leprechauns are responsible, but from what I have read, they rather like to live up to their reputation as wee tricksters.  One such example is making my digital bedroom clock ‘race’.  Yes, you can make time go faster!  I set the alarm for 7:00 AM last night in order to be back on the trail to Edmonton in good time.

The frickin’ alarm went off at 2:30 AM! But the clock read 7:00. Figure that one out.  No amount of fresh air and stream gurgles were going to soothe the beast in my breast at that moment.

The reasonable hour of 7:30 A.M. brings morning mists, sunrise, wild flowers and a reasonable hour to again put me in the shutterbug mood.

 This shot was taken right outside the RV door.  What a view!

A quick smoothie for morning chow and off we set through rain and highway construction to Calgary then north to Edmonton. 

I spend the drive writing this blog and working on ‘The Book’.

Setting up camp at the Flying J Truck Stop on Hwy 16 in North Edmonton, we settle in and can’t wait to call our son Dan to say howdy. The evening is full of catching up and hugs all ‘round including all three four-legged, furry people.

We mosey on over to the Wal-Mart camping lot the next morning ‘cause it’s only a two block trot to Dan’s home.  Dave & Val Fiddy, from the ‘ol Air Force days in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, come on over for several hours of remembrances, belly laughs and wonderful camaraderie. We were all busy having babies during those days and of course those babies have now had babies. It’s a sunny day in Edmonton and so much cooler than the swelter smelter at home.

Dan the Solomon Hugger

Dave the cat 'hater'

Being in true cattle country has us hankerin’  for one of Alberta Beef’s best steaks for dinner, which we found. Drool!

Full of happy feelings and great eat’ns it’s time to catch some shuteye.

Val the Dog Lover

Following morn, a visit with Dan’s new kitty ‘Spook.’

Dan the Cat 'Spook' Hugger

We’re invited to a hoedown!  We move the ‘bus’ to Kevin’s diggins (Kev & Dan have been best buds since age 12) which is a large piece of property outside of the city set among stands of Birch and Poplar trees.  The outdoor stage has been set up, killer sound system that could blow those trees over, laser show, DJ and live band all ready to go. 

Laura & Taylor Rock it Out!

Cowboys Discussin' the 'Hawgs'

Many people, campers, motorcycles, cars arriving.  Bonfire roars to life after dark, music and laser show in full swing.  Good food, good company, good libations, great music and a grrrreat time.

Just TRY to Come Between Me & My Beer!

Kevin Applauding His Bonfire

Smokin' Lasers

We say a reluctant adios after midnight aiming for an early start in the morning.  It’s been a great visit with son Dan and his friends

Yaaaawn, time for the ol’ bedroll.

Cheers!

PS Be sure to give some feedback with your comments. Sure ‘preciate it!