No One Recognizes Me!

Now that I'm usually driving Frann's old ride no one recognizes me or thinks I'm Frann one. Her dogs still think its their ride to and jump through the windows when I pull up to her place (If I don't have the windows up too far for them to jump through. ) They are also hell to get out of it once they get in. I wonder if the below solution would cure both problems?

What Ya Think?

And on another Note...

It got pretty cloudy around here yesterday afternoon and I didn't want to be without the Swampy last night so I left it off all afternoon and just opened the two windows with screens on them and left the door open with the screen door closed. It was windy enough and the humidity was low enough that it wasn't bad in here. Cloudy days sure do cut down on solar power!

Looks like we may have some cloud cover off and on for the next several days so I guess I better get used to going with out the Swampy for a while.

 

Jicky's Land

I went by yesterday and picked up Frann and Jicky to go and try to find Jicky's land. Didn't have much luck at all because it looks like the road is pretty well grown over.

This was looking back at the direction we had to park the jeep and walk in. Never got close to her land though. They... (Frann and Jicky) thought maybe we could get to the land by going down Long Draw (A dry creek bed most of the year) since the road seemed to be impassible. That didn't work.

Frann seen here after saying "To heck with this!" and heading back to the jeep. Jicky is a fast walker and neither Frann nor I could keep up with her. Frann did take an alternative rout up a lower bank to see if she could find the old road, but where she went up there wasn't any sign of it. Jicky finally walked back to where I was and then we started trying to find frann, but she had pulled a disappearing act. We finally found her about a half mile further down on 170 and went to pick her up. To me it looks like the next step would either be to walk the road in and see how bad it is, but considering the distance the land is off of 170 that would probably be about a 4 mile hike and probably too far to walk in this high heat we are having.

Land as seen from Google Earth.

I've been intending to take a picture of this to post on my TFFN site because it is an old Ford Falcon Econoline. I finally stopped and snapped this picture on the way back home.

Good Trade / Odessa Trip

A few days ago Frann made mention that she might try to trade her neighbor her jeep for a small pickup he has. I said I'll trade you title for title for the F-150 pickup I bought from my neighbor a while back. She liked the idea so her and Jicky came over late last night to do the trade, but I wanted to be able to follow them home to make sure there wasn't any trouble so she took the jeep back home and I delivered the truck this morning. The pickup is much more suited for what she needs (Hauling dirt, gravel and stuff like that for helping build her earth bag house.) The jeep will work much better for me because I won't have to do a bunch of work on it before I could get it on the highway. I can also use it now. I think the trade came out good for both of us. Of course now more than likely she will be catching rides to Alpine with me instead of me catching rides with her. Jicky will likely be going to when we go.

The last three pictures were as we passed the Monahans Sandhills state park on the way back from Odessa. Growing up as a kid, through high school and for a few years after I got out of the Army my family and later friends and I spent a lot of time at that park. Sand surfing was a lot of fun there, but walking back to the top of the dunes after surfing down them was killer! Lots of fond memories of that park and considering the area around Odessa is basically desert like Terlingua is that was about the only attraction around that area many years ago. No water within about 100 miles and hundreds of miles to large lakes or 600+ miles to a beach so we made do with sand. Of course now that the area has grown up there is a large water park, malls and about anything else a person could think of to do.

In the last picture there is an arrow pointing out dwarf oak trees or in this case Oak bushes. The Sand hills are more or less covered with them and it is the largest oak forest (If you could call it that) in the world as the sand dunes cover a vast area of west Texas. The sand dunes are remnants of the Permian Sea that covered much of west Texas eons ago.

Ripe Tomatoes. :)

Almost, but NO

There was a large storm yesterday evening to the north and it looked like we we might get some heavy rain here. The storm was almost on top of this place when it abruptly changed course and bypassed here by heading to the south west. There were a few sprinkles here and I actually took a shower while it was sprinkling. There's no roof on the shower so I was getting the sprinkles along with the shower water and it felt pretty good. After that I could look to the west and see what looked like pretty heavy rain between here and the mountains to the west. There's another 20% chance today so maybe we will get some rain, but Frann Jicky and myself are going to be heading for Odessa so if it does we won't be here to see it.

Was going to upload photos, but it looks like another Blogger bug has reared its ugly head and the pictures will upload, but not display.

Damn Blogger!!! Why can't they just leave it alone while its working? I.e. If it ain't broke then DON'T Fix it! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Frann, Jicky, Just Me / Radio Fundraiser

Headed south this morning for a few supplies and to take trash in to get rid of it. Had breakfast at BBMI with Frann & Jicky while I was down there. I finally got to meet Jicky also known as The Desert Rose so now there's another great woman in the area. Didn't know that Just Me was also coming, but she did so we 4 had a good breakfast before heading our own way. I learned that I am to be the Pimp, in a photo shoot before long so I guess I need to be practicing up on how an early 19th century Pimp should look. ;) Dang... Can you imagine me a Pimp???

While we were all sitting on the bench in front of the BBMI cafe a woman was putting up fliers for the RADIO FUEGO fundraiser so I told her to give me one and I'd post it here. Sounds interesting and of course Frann accused me of taking it for the picture of the Hot Babe. I DID NOT TAKE THAT FLIER FOR THE PICTURE OF THE HOT BABE! I don't care if it is now plastered on the wall in here!

Oh and BTW Pepper/Athena IS BACK again! :(  Now what am I going to do to keep that CRAZY mutt from coming back??? Maybe if I quit feeding her and don't leave water out for her?

Sherri Needs Your Help / Athena

Well we all know her as Pepper. I'm babysitting her for at least today. When I opened up the door for the first time this morning she walked up so I guess she had been out there for a while. The owners (Sherri and Girls) are out of pocket so she decided to come visit me. Right now she's under the trailer in one of her old digs.

Please click on the link below to see what Sherri is having to go through once again. In my opinion Mr. Ramos is a sawed off asshole with a Napoleon complex. (Just my opinion)  I think a lot of other people think so also.

 http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Opinion/091726-2011-06-14-please-help-us-protect-our-rights.htm

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Lunch / Heat / No Ice / Smoke - Solar

Cheese substitute?

Well its a little crunchy, but not bad at all. Problem is that the Cheez-Its go good with peanut butter and just for snacking so they are hard to keep around. I guess each time I buy a box I could save some back in a baggy and only use them for sandwiches though. I have about enough left for one more sandwich. I think I'll try Cheetos for today's lunch though. The mayo was compliments of Chick-fil-A and my family saving stuff like that for me. The Jalapeno wasn't so good because they haven't been refrigerated since I opened the can a couple of weeks ago and then put them in a peanut jar. They are like Vlasic pickles (They just need to be kept cold!!!) I've come to the conclusion that buying tuna in packets isn't the most economical way to go because there is more in a can, the cans cost less (at least down here) and I can easily eat a whole can in one meal. Now Spam and other canned meats is a different story.

Heat advisory until Thursday goes like this.
... Heat advisory in effect until 7 am CDT Thursday...
... Excessive heat warning is cancelled...

The National Weather Service in Midland/Odessa has issued a heat
advisory for the Presidio valley... The Big Bend area... and Terrell
County... which is in effect until 7 am CDT Thursday. The excessive
heat warning has been cancelled.

* Temperature... day time highs 110 to 115. Night time lows 75 to 80.

* Heat index... 105 to 110.

* Impacts... sunstroke... heat cramps... or heat exhaustion is
likely with prolonged exposure and physical activity.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

If you plan to be outside... avoid prolonged exposure or strenuous
physical activity. Drink plenty of non alcoholic or non
caffeinated beverages. Wear lightweight... light colored... loose
fitting clothing... a hat to shield yourself from the sun... and use
sunscreen to reduce possible sunburn.

Humidity is staying in the mid to high 20s and not the usual 6% or so which doesn't help a bit!

To add insult to injury the damn ice company that is supposed to supply the Legion keeps bringing too little ice and selling it all down south so the truck just whizzes past the legion. They are out again and no telling when they will get more. Could be days or even a week which means if you want ice then you drive 22 miles to Study Butte. Looks like everything here is going to be Cowboy cold like it or not because I can't make a trip down and back every day for ice. I may fire the fridge back up and at least keep a few sodas in the freezer (Which doesn't freeze anymore on the hot days.) Which days aren't HOT?

The smoke is back today and the mountains are once again just silhouettes and the heavy smell of smoke is back. Boy! Am I really loving this place more all the time! NOT!!! Anyway the smoke in the air is effecting the solar panels so I've been having to run the generator some to make up for it. It looks like running the swamp cooler most of the night is going to have to stop to so sleeping may be a problem except in the wee hours of the morning.

I scrounged up some antibiotic samples and am taking it in hopes it will help me get over this crap. (What ever it is) I still feel like warmed over death and some around here tell me I look like it to.

And Life in Terlingua goes on....

Tomato Report / Feeling lousy! / Fire!

Roma is misspelled in the last picture. (Sorry too late to change that now.)

Well it looks like the Early Girls don't like it down here too good. (Can't say that I blame it for this time of year) Note the second picture. I can't tell it has changed much at all since Just Me gave it to me. Of course the soil isn't Miracle Grow like the Roma is growing in, but still I'd think it would have actually grown some. If the tomato on it has gotten any bigger I can't tell it. I guess it has another disadvantage to though and that is that its growing outside where the Roma is still inside. Both plants get about the same amount of sun light because the Early Girl is on the east side of the trailer and doesn't get the really hot afternoon sun.

Picture three shows where all 6 of the tomatoes are on the Roma, but one is hidden from view by two larger ones. One is actually pretty large and hasn't started ripening yet where one is about the size of a large cherry tomato and its almost fully ripe now. The Roma plant its self doesn't seem to be getting any larger, but it is still putting on blooms and looks like more tomatoes will come from it. The Early girl is not adding any blooms at all so the one tomato may be all it puts out and if it dies before it ripens then I won't get any off of it unless I fry up the one green one. From what I've read tomato plants will only put on blooms while its below or in the low 70s and so far it only gets down in the low 70s even early in the morning. I guess as long as that holds up maybe the Roma will keep doing good. It also gets the added benefit of the added humidity from the swamp cooler and the cooling from it even though it usually gets up to the low to mid 90s in here in the afternoon, but at least it doesn't see the 110 and higher the Early Girl is seeing about every day.

Some pictures from night before last.

And on another note I've been feeling like pure crap for about the last 4 or 5 days and this morning that hasn't changed any either. Frann lined me up with a ride to the VA in Big Springs yesterday, but I turned it down because I doubt that I'd have been admitted so would have been stuck there until I could have gotten a ride back or at least a ride back to Odessa. My little sis said she would have gone and picked me up, but by the time I talked to her the ride was already gone. I'm planning to ride to Odessa with Frann next week so will probably see if I can get some help at the VA clinic there if I don't start getting better.

Where's The Fire?

Looked out the window while ago and saw smoke everywhere and the thick smell of it. It is so smoky that I thought it must just be over one of the hills so I called Frann and ask if it was smoky there. She said Yes and very thick. Made me feel a little better knowing it wasn't just over the hill and headed this way. Maybe its in Mexico? That's the direction the wind is coming from. I guess I better stay inside as much as I can to save my lungs from getting any worse.

Pictures of my neighbors place and 9 points. Most of the other mountains around here can't even be seen.

 

All those Clouds / More Gov BS?

And no Rain here.

Maybe tonight or tomorrow? I think there's a 10% chance tonight and 20% tomorrow and that's about it. There was a hell of an electrical storm going on it the clouds in the second picture and I took 79 photos trying to catch some of it and missed it every time. The wind was out of the southeast while one storm was going on back in the southeast and after the storm moved out there was a heavy smell of smoke in the air. I'm wondering if maybe lightning started other fires?

And on another note I wonder how this will effect us down here? More Border Patrols maybe as if there weren't already too many!
state-congressman-pushing-for-violence-crackdown

Food N Trash / More Government BS.

Lunch yesterday. With the fridge not doing much more than burning up propane I've decided to do away with it until a cooler season comes along. I also plan to start buying as little ice as I can because that is pretty darned expensive. I guess I better get used to drinking Cowboy Cold drinks and that could range from 75 degrees in the morning to around 90 at the end of the day. Just something that is going to have to be done. I love cheese, but keeping it requires cold so I decided to go to the next best thing. That's Kraft Easy Cheese in a can because it doesn't require refrigeration. I'm going to start eating Vienna Sausage again even though I've gotten to where I don't care much for them. They are fairly cheap, they are meat, they are packed in aluminum cans for easy recycling along with soda and beer cans and one can will make a meal so no left overs that have to be refrigerated. Even the small cans of Spam are too much for one meal so I guess that's out even though it is also packed in aluminum cans. BTW the sauce in the picture was Arby's sauce and hot taco sauce from Taco Bell. I have a lot of both and they also don't require refrigeration.

I was going to cut the fridge up and re work it by using a medium sized ice chest which would probably allow me to keep a small abount of stuff cold enough and maybe expand the freezer capicity some to, but I'd forgot it has a metal case and the only way to cut that would mean using a grinder with a metal cutting blade in it. That would cause sparks though and would be against the burn ban so that's out for now.

TRASH

Rumor has it that the county commissioner for this area is going to have several dumpsters placed on county property next to the little airport between Terlingua and Study Butte. They are for the people down here to have a way of disposing of trash since we can't burn it.  That's all well and good, but its also about 25 miles away from here. Once more we in this area get the shaft.

More government BS

Use to be here in Texas that when you bought a vehicle all you had to do was take the title to the courthouse and have it transfered after paying the tax. Then it was changed to where you had to show proof of insurance on that vehicle. That wasn't bad because I think everyone should have an insured vehicle.

Now here is the BS! Now to transfer a vehicle you have to have proof of insurance AND show proof of an inspection. This is all well and good except in a case like the pickup I bought which hadn't been registered in years. It means that I'd have to drive the vehicle to the nearest inspection station which could mean driving a vehicle 60 miles to Alpine with expired tags, sticker and registered in someone else's name. Perhaps I could make it without being pulled over and given multiple tickets and maybe not since Alpine has Sheriff's deputies, State troopers and city police and I've yet to go there that I didn't see several of all three.

Now the pickup needs a lot of work so that means it will be a good while (Probably months) before I could get it inspected and also means that I can't have it transferred to my name until that happens. I'd call this latest law BS!

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How to Get to Nick Cooper's Place

Being how Nick Cooper (AKA Offgridterlingua) has it in his head to use a picture of me in his Blogger Profile and has been told a number of times to cease and desist with no change this is a PAY BACK.

3rd part of 3 to be added tomorrow. Stay tuned.

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Just Me's Loft

I took some pictures of this setup with Just Me's camera because I forgot my own and she was supposed to send them to me and hasn't so.... Here is my feeble attempt to show what went on last Saturday. Nick, Bob and myself went over to Julianne's (Just Me) place about 8:30 Saturday morning to help her setup the first part of her loft. She had taken 8' 2x6 planks and sandwiched OSB board between two of the planks to make beams to support the Z Purlin. She had made a total of 6 beams this way. What we did was to lift doubled Z Purlins up to the top of the beams which were not yet secured to the walls. That meant two people carrying  the 19 foot long doubled Z Purlins up 6 foot ladders and the other two people on the ground holding the beams so that they could be leaned out some so the Purlins could be placed in the notches Nick had cut in the top of each beam. Then the beams were forced back up against the walls and secured to the walls. I think the width will come out to about 12 or 14 feet, but I'm not sure which. Julianne's next step will be to cut 2x6 wooden planks to the proper length to fit in the cradles made by the bottoms of the purlins and then cover the top with 3/4 inch plywood which will be the floor. I think this will eventually become a living area, but will be used for storage until then. Should be plenty stout for both. Between cutting the purlins to the correct lengths, doubling them and screwing them together to make one unit out of each set, notching the top of the beams and the rest of the work it was around 3:30 or 4:00 Saturday afternoon when we finished. For lunch Julianne provided turkey breast sandwiches with all the trimmings and cold drinks for then and breaks through out the day. She has a fully functional restroom under it (With septic system and catchment) and plans to add a fully functional kitchen under the other side. She is on grid so powering appliances and so on won't be a problem. The finished loft will either be about 19' x 12' or 19' x 14'. There were a total of 4 doubled purlins to be put up because the center beams had a set on each side where the other two beams only had one set on them.

For those who don't know Z Purlins are made out of about 16 gauge steel and just one 19 foot long is pretty heavy and doubled they were a hand full to say the least.

Tote in a Moat

Finally set out the Early Girl tomato plant Just Me gave me. I had two different sized totes so drilled a few drain holes in the red one for good drainage and placed it in the larger blue tote for it to act as the drain pan like on any planter. Unfortunately it is too large to be inside here and I think the reason the first tomato plant is doing so good in front of the east window (Now it is loaded with tomatoes) is because of the humidity and usual cooling from the swamp cooler. Horn worms are another problem down here (and in a lot of other places) as they like to have destroyed my neighbor's tomatoes last summer and they probably can't get in here to do the same. I'm almost out of the quarter inch mesh I like to cover outside plants with to keep critters and birds from getting to them so probably need to get another roll of it because those things will screw up tomato plants as well as other plants. I placed the plant on the east side of the trailer so it will get morning sun, but be shaded from the HOT afternoon and evening sun. My 8 foot wooden fence took care of that back in Plano.

BTW I used about 50% peat moss mixed with about 50 potting soil that Just Me also gave me and about 10% miracle grow potting soil.

RAIN! well Maybe SPRINKLES

I kept watching thunder heads build around here late yesterday afternoon, but they all seemed to collapse about the time the sun was going down. Never the less a storm did come through and it more or less came a sprinkle for about an hour last night. I only saw signs of standing water in one place and that was in an inverted smoker lid. Hey... Its a start and I think there are supposed to be more chances this week. Of course it will probably be muggy today, but at least the temp is supposed to be a good bit cooler for at least the next 5 days.

Last night's Photos.