Catching Up

I thought I should catch everyone up since I've not posted in almost a year. It's been a roller coaster ride for me, to say the least. From learning I was suffering from anemia and having my hemoglobin level dropped to 6.2; getting to visit my sister who I hadn't seen in several years; having my first, and hopefully only, blood transfusion; suffering from anxiety attacks; finding out I had cancer; my youngest daughter going to live with  her father in Wyoming; moving to Wisconsin to stay for the winter; my father dying; to being diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

Living in Wisconsin has had it's challenges as well. Moving off the bus and into an apartment effectively chained our wandering ways. Since my husband, Alan is disabled and depends on Social Security, and I'm in no shape to try to work, we were forced to apply for medical aid. I've been placed on a waiting list for state aid, since I no longer had any children living at home. I was finally accepted into a grant-based program through the Marshfield Clinic. I pay a low monthly premium and have coverage for my medications and doctor visits. No hospitalization, though. I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth, though, the coverage given is deeply appreciated and worth the premium.

So far I've learned that the good news is that they got all the tumor when they performed the historectomy in Arizona. The bad news is my cancer - a low grade endometrial stromal sarcoma - has the chance of returning at any time. I take tamoxifen to reduce the odds, but as my oncologist has told me, this is a long term treatment. Recently he has upgraded me to being seen once every three months instead of monthly. It's the little blessings that count, some days.

A turquoise necklace, earring, and bracelet set I created



Green Man painted on a stone.

My latest afghan to brighten up the apartment.

I'm determined not to let either the cancer or the fibro take me out. I'm starting to eat healthier and in smaller portions to rid myself of some of the weight I've managed to pack on over the past few years. Exercise is not an easy thing, since I walk with a cane, but I do some walking if the weather permits. I'm hoping when Spring hits I'll be able to get out more. It helps to continue to work on my art. I enjoy painting on canvas and rocks, crocheting and knitting, sewing, embroidery and beading. I created a page on FaceBook called "A Healer's Art" where I post pictures of my artwork. Getting comments or praise on my posts really helps the self esteem.

About a month ago, Alan and I decided we weren't going to sit still after the winter snows melt. We've already made plans to give the bus a good cleaning and sorting. We'll replace the tires, get a tune up and oil change, then it's going to be repacked and we'll move back on. We may need to keep it to short trips for some time so I can continue to see the doctors, but travel we will. My gypsy soul insists I travel while I still can since there are no guarantees about tomorrow.

In The Desert

I spent the winter in Southwestern Arizona to get away from all the snow. It's been an experience since my husband, youngest daughter live on a 40 ft. bus. There have been adjustments by all parties, since extra room is really non-existant, but we've done pretty good.

My favorite thing, to date, is the beautiful scenery that can be found in this area. You wouldn't expect a desert to bloom, but it does. Early spring is heralded by ocatillo blooms waving like red pennants from their tall stems, several species of prickly pear cactus putting on a show that would rival the best kept rose garden, and wildlife in abundance. Late spring boasts saguaro cactus blooms that seem to march up and down the ribs of these goliaths.

The past week we've been boondocking along the Colorado River with it's several species of palm trees, stands of bamboo, and aquatic grasses. Just the other morning I caught site of a couple adult Gambel's Quail and what seemed to be several dozen little fuzzballs on legs. Very cute! There are white-winged dove and what I believe are a small population of ringed turtle doves pairing up, and of course, the many great tailed grackles preen and strut for the ladies.

Now that the daughter is out of school for the summer, plans are in the works to start our trek north and east to cooler climes. Temperatures hovering in the high 90s and low 100s this early in the year are more than I'm prepared to deal with. For now, though, I'm enjoying the warmth while hearing tales of snow from our northern friends, and when the heat gets to bad, the river is right there to cool us off. Believe me, the Colorado River may be flowing through the desert here, but it's temperature is still reminiscent of the northern states where it has it's headwaters. I've yet to brave it past my knees, but Alan and Heili just dive right in. Give me a heated pool any day!

Hanging Out in Quartzsite, AZ Area

For the past month we've been staying in the area around Quartzsite, Arizona. It's been an enjoyable experience for the most part. A couple of peeves:

Quartzsite, although it is filled with RVers and is known for it's rock and mineral shows, is getting extremely expensive. We naively thought that I would be able to set up a table quite easily to sell the jewelry I make. It's not quite as easy as you would have thought for a place that is supposed to cater to vendors of stone products. First of all, you must have a place to park that is recognized by the city, such as one of the many show grounds, or have a permanent COMMERCIAL address. Either of these options are extremely expensive, there's just not a lot of places for the little guys any longer. Next, you need a vending permit from the city. When we checked into it, they wanted $50 for this season, which is basically over with at the end of February. The city also collects the fees for the state of Arizona and requires you have an Arizona EIN (another fee depending on where you plan to sell). We decided this was a little much for someone who probably would be pushing it if they had $200 worth of stock.

The other pet peeve is in a little town on Hwy 72 called Bouse. We stopped in on a day when they were holding their townwide swap meet/yard sale. As the laundry was kind of piling up, we decided to get it done, and while washing it, we'd just pop into the little cafe next door and have some breakfast. The sign out front neglected to warn travelers that it wasn't extremely friendly to non-locals. We sat for approximately half an hour at a table, no menus, no water, no silverware, and no acknowledgement from a waitress. There were two of them working. One had her hands full clearing tables, taking money from patrons trying to leave, and sitting at a table by the front door taking her break(s). The other waitress was busily running at full speed, accomplishing such masterful things as carrying a single catsup bottle while standing beside a table debating if it should be cleaned off. She also managed to carry a single plate of toast, a cup of coffee, and one plate of food (not at the same time, mind you) to patrons in the back of the restaurant. Her "look at me, I'm so busy I can't think straight" act didn't really wash with me. Call me demanding, but I really feel that half an hour is plenty of time to at least tell someone you'll be right with them. We finally left in complete disgust at the lack of service, and weren't the only ones to do so.

Now for the more pleasant part of our stay: We did find a nice little place called the Vicksburg Swap Meet along Hwy 72 and Vicksburg Road. For a very reasonable fee, we could park for the month with electric, water, and sewer, and set up a table to sell our wares and a few yard sale type items we needed to clean off the bus. The other residents were very friendly, celebrating an 80 something birthday with a cake, and another by letting the birthday gal pick any item she wished ffom the other tables. The owner, Jan, and her husband are very sweet people, allowing everyone to use their address to receive mail, and basically stopping in periodically to just chat. I haven't sold any jewelry as yet, but gleaned some great tidbits on which wholesalers are best to buy supplies, where the better shows are to set up and sell, and made some new and dear friends.

Along highway 95, between Lake Havasu City and Quarztsite, is a pleasant little town called Parker. The Colorado River Indian Tribes maintain a casino with decent odds at their slots, and a fantastic buffet for a very reasonable price. They have a small RV park, but don't seem to mind if their parking lot is half full of campers and motorhomes enjoying a day to a few day respite from the road. They have free internet available in their lobby with several very comfy chairs and sofas to relax in. We've been here on two separate trips to Parker, and will probably visit it again once or twice more before we leave Arizona. The view of the Colorado River is beautiful, worthy of a photograph or two. Don't miss the indoor swimming pool with it's Aztec architecture waterfalls. Even if you're not staying in the hotel, it's a site worth seeing. The Wal-Mart is also camper-friendly, and a great place to meet other full-timers, stock up on a few necessities, and just take a break from the road. Don't be surprised if you even get a welcome from the management when you stop in the store.

This week, we've got plans to attend the inaugural Lighthouse Ministries Street Fair as a vendor. Set up is free with the opportunity to make a donation if you so desire. All proceeds will go towards their homeless program. For us, it will be a time for some exposure of my jewelry, paintings, and staffs in the Parker area. I'll have to let you know how it goes in my next blog. Until then, enjoy the open road...

Boon Docking at Lake Mead, Nevada

It’s time to catch up on my wanderings since I’ve been out of internet range for a couple of weeks now.

First of all, I have a new pet peeve: Lake Havasu City, AZ. You really don’t want to go there! Yes, seeing the real London Bridge was interesting, and knowing it was the same stone bridge that had survived the German Blitzkrieg of WWII was cool. However, this has got to be the snobbiest, most unfriendly place I’ve ever traveled, which is saying a lot since I’ve been from coast to coast of the great land. The only upside to our very short stay there was I got to go to an In and Out Burger. These little restaurants serve only hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fresh fries, soda and shakes. Price-wise, they’re comparable to most fast-food places, but the food is head and shoulders above what you’d get at your local McDonalds or Wendy’s.

After reaching our temporary destination of Lake Mead in Nevada, we’ve really enjoyed ourselves soaking up the sun, solitude, and beauty of nature. I’ve painted some great scenes of the lake from our camping spot in Government Wash. This is a free “boon docking” type of campground. No water, power, or dump station, just a graded road with pullouts, a bathroom, and a couple of dumpsters. Pay showers and coin laundry were available at the Callville Marina, about 8 miles away. We’ve woken to coyotes singing a morning serenade within feet of our bus, and seen several road runners, jackrabbits, a blue heron, herring gulls, grackles, and blackbirds. The two latter could be counted on to show up every time we swept the bus out, to pick through the dirt and rocks to find bits of cat food Chloe and Crissy had strung over the floor. The rangers are super friendly, especially when we entered the area. It seems Al’s Golden Age Passport had been de-magnetized, so our ranger just smiled, made up a new one, and told us to enjoy our stay.

I have a nice collection of flat stones on which to paint now, thanks to Al and Heili’s frequent walks along the lake. A couple of Al’s staffs now have my creative touch with beading and wire wrapping. Several pieces of jewelry have also been completed since I’ve been more or less stuck at the bus upon arrival with a sore leg. Not sure what I did to it, but it gets tired quickly and starts swelling if I spend too much time on it. I teasingly tell Heili she must have stomped on it in my sleep, even though she vehemently denies having done so.
The weather has been pretty good for January, with days in the 60s. The last few nights have dipped kind of low, but no freezing temps. Nothing like the snow, wind, and cold we left in Oklahoma during our Christmas run for the sun. All in all, we are having lots of fun and interesting times here.
Heili’s home schooling is going great even if she did fight us at the beginning. Math is taught out of an Electrician and Radioman’s bible; she reads one book from our library each week and keeps a daily journal for English; American history is currently finding out past events from the Lake Mead area and writing a report each week; for Home Ec/Life skills she is required to prepare one full meal each week and help prepare grocery lists and budget for January. Art and Design class is painting with acrylics on canvas and stone throughout January and we’ll switch to pottery from native clays in February. Science for the next two months is observing and preparing a PowerPoint presentation on the flora and fauna of Lake Mead National Recreational Area. All in all, she’s getting a much more well-rounded education, and is allowed to work at her own speed. The most eye-opening thing I’ve noticed is that she works much faster in algebra and understands much more than when she was in traditional school. Her grades are in the A and B range and don’t think we grade on a curve. She definitely earns her grades.

Snow, Snow Go Away... and Don't Come Back

When the winter storm warning came through for the Northeast Oklahoma area, we decided we'd just go ahead and hit the road. Figuring south and west would be a good idea, we packed up Heili, the cats and headed out.
WRONG! We no sooner hit OKC than the temperature started dropping rapidly. Optimistically, we kept going on towards Clinton, OK. At a truck stop there we learned we were heading right into the heart of a wonderful winter storm with a blizzard warning. BLIZZARD!!!! This is southern Oklahoma! Okay, I'd like to know who was praying for a white Christmas around here. I would gladly kick their little butts and more than likely be joined by several hundred truckers who were trying to get home.
We noticed our LP tank was getting low and thought it just might be a good idea to find someplace to top it off. Just in case we wanted to stay warm throughout the night, you know. Off to the closest Flying J which is just past Elk City, OK. For some reason the kid dispensing the LP heard 20 gallons, not 20 dollars. Merry Christmas to us! The manager said she wasn't about to charge us for LP we hadn't ordered. Not sure who had to eat the extra charge, but the fuel was appreciated since the night brought that blizzard and freezing rain they were predicting.
I believe this trip is going to fall under the heading of "Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men". Anyway, the afternoon has brought some sunshine, decreased winds and the truckers on the CB are saying it's looking pretty good on towards Amarillo, TX. With any luck we'll get to Cline's Corner, NM or someplace else with more warmth.
I'll be sure to keep all updated on the travels and travails of our "Run for the Sun".

Lake Greeson, Arkansas

After a nice visit with Al’s daughter and her family in Malvern, Arkansas, we headed south to see Crater of Diamonds State Park. We arrived rather late and found that the park closed at 6:00 pm, which didn’t really give us much time to look around. We toured the gift shop and watched a couple of videos, but decided not to pay the entrance fee to the diamond field, since time was so short. The attendants recommended a nearby campground that we reached after dark. We initially paid for a five day stay at Lake Greeson Campground, but this turned into a lengthier stay when we decided not to take the planned trip further south to the Gulf Coast just yet. It turned out to be a wise decision, since a hurricane had chose to hit the same time we had planned to be there.

The fall weather cooperated for the most part with warm temperatures, very little rain, and only small breezes. It was perfect weather for me to get in a couple of paintings of the lake and surrounding scenery. Lake Greeson is the result of the Narrows Dam across the Little Missouri River near Murfreesboro, Arkansas. It is a beautiful area consisting of stone bluffs, pine, hickory and oak trees, and plenty of wildlife. Deer were common visitors, as well as several squirrels and a few crows. Al saw one Pileated Woodpecker and we heard Blue Jays most mornings. The buzzards around the area take advantage of the warm updrafts coming from the dam area to reach greater heights.

We enjoyed taking walks among the fallen leaves and acorns, and even gathered a few hickory nuts. Al took the opportunity to do a little maintenance on the bus, which seems to be a never ending chore. We had neighboring campers off and on during our stay. With hunting season starting, the weekends seemed quite a bit busier than other days. Al especially enjoys when the other campers arrive since it gives him a chance to speak to others from around the country. We met several locals, people from Texas, Wisconsin, and Florida. Of course, many people stay here when heading out to the diamond mine, since the campground for Crater of Diamonds is closed for maintenance this year.

The marina on the lake offered a small store, boat rentals and cabins. A few people decided to winterize their boats during the mild weather, but we did see people out on the lake enjoying the weather and fishing. Because of the rains before we got here, the dam was open letting water out much of the time and fishing was affected.

Internet service was not available around the campground, but we could go into Murfreesboro every few days to catch up on emails and such. The sites were only equipped with electricity, but there were showers, toilets, water, and a dump station available. Our winter rate was only $10, which was cut in half with Al’s Golden Age Passport. Not a bad price for the amenities offered, and a very enjoyable stay in southwestern Arkansas.

On The Road Again - South We Go

We’ve had a nice visit with my dad and sister; and have made sure the two younger kids are all situated. Heili is the one I wanted to make sure would be okay, though. She is only fourteen, and I wanted to give her every opportunity to change her mind about staying with my dad. She is a very determined young woman, which makes me very proud of her. As parents, we all have our doubts and hopes with our children. It’s good to get the reassurance that our children are headed on a good path through life.
On our way once more, we are headed into Arkansas towards Malvern to visit with one of Al’s daughters and her two youngsters. We stopped off at Siloam Springs along highway 412 to play at the Cherokee Casino and have dinner. Neither of us are really gamblers, which I believe I’ve stated before, but we both enjoy the entertainment of the slot machines. We limit ourselves to $10 each, which isn’t but the price of a night out at the movies. The buffet at the casino was excellent. Southern cooking at its best, with Mexican, Asian, Barbecue, a Local Favorites, Salad, and Dessert bars; the selection just about covered every taste. They even had a nice selection of sugar free desserts, a must for Al who is diabetic.
We continued on the first night to I540 until we reached the Hilltop Truck Stop to spend the night. Free Wi-Fi was a bonus to be able to check e-mails and play on Facebook. Both of our families subscribe to this internet community, so it is an easy way to see updates on family members and friends, see the latest pictures of grandkids, and post our own comings and goings. I am heavily addicted to Farmville, a game sponsored on the site, since my eldest daughter sent me a virtual cow. Now I grow virtual crops, care for virtual livestock, and build or expand my virtual farm. I also can help my virtual neighbors who are also friends and family. My only problem is playing a little too long sometimes. When Al and I looked at the clock and it was 3:00am, we figured we’d better head to bed.
The next morning found us only a few miles from I40. Al spent some time outside the bus checking things over and chatting with neighboring truckers. I did some last minute e-mails, and then it was off again. It was slightly greener along our route but the leaves are definitely turning and some trees are already bare. I love the Ozarks anyway for their absolute beauty, but fall is really a time they shine. The “hills and hollers” with farmsteads and little towns provide a picturesque scene. My fingers itch to paint them, but not while we’re moving. Al can take some pictures for me to paint from before we leave the area. Just off I30 and south of Little Rock, Malvern is a bustling community. We stayed parked at the Wal-Mart near the interstate, since maneuvering the bus through city streets is not for the faint of heart.