Feels like out of Africa after returning home from winter travels

Well we have been home now a couple of weeks. Long enough to see all the yard work we have to do but I think we’ll enjoy doing it as we can be creative and make it ours!! Lots of rocks to move and bunch grass to replace.

before planting begins & rocks get moved to right places!

sort of where new rock patg will go

The house came through the winter with no real problems. The pool stayed healthy-in fact very healthy…and it’s pump is on and the temp is supposed to get better so we expect its 60 degrees to increase to 80 quickly. The outside air temp is due to hit 80 for several days which will turn on the solar hot water panels-YEAH…my body needs this!

I planted seeds before we left for Portland a week or so ago and they did germinate so I put them in greenhouse where it got too hot and they all died   I Had to replant and bring them back inside until they sprout then to pots.

Hospital stays were amazingly smooth and painfree. Anesthesia has gotten better and not having being put to sleep is the best. You don’t remember, hear, feel-until afterwords-ha! I am impressed with the VA’s out patient surgery. As long as they don’t try and replace an organ on an outpatient basis I am ok with day surgery. I think they push some cardiac procedures but there is no doubt you heal better at home or with a loved one.

Here I am now about to begin another spring with the man I wish I had met so many years ago, a man I love so much and who has captured my heart and my soul…my partner in crime….Jerry.

HOWWWWWL

While in Arizona for March we started looking at routes to take back home. After last years adventure to Moab, UT. we have had a honkering to return to do some rock hounding.  We decided to watch the weather and see if it would be warm enough to return but this time we wanted to go into the mid-central part of Utah where the rock hounding is well known The weather did indeed look good so onto Utah!

Our first stop into Utah took us to Bryce Canyon. The day we arrived the weather was sunny but cool and we were expecting very cool nights so we decided to go for a hookup at the Bryce Canyon resort. We spent one half a day playing tourist at the canyon getting some very nice photos. One of the reasons we stopped at Bryce was to take a possible ATV tour into the area. When we checked it out we found we could do our own tour and were lucky enough to get a free map and directions. We set out on a beautiful sunny day and went a total of 44 miles into a red walled canyon known as  Casto Canyon. On the way in we came to a spot that had tons of red and blue agate! We never expected to find agate where we were riding and didn’t even take tools with us. We did scarf up some nice sized chunks of the agate and hope its not too chippy to work. We encountered several very large boulder sized rocks that would have taken a winch to move!

an arch at Casto Canyon

Our next stop took us to the small Mormon town of Delta. This is the location we really wanted to find as there are several rock hounding areas around Delta. Our interests were in the Trillobite area and Dugway geodes. We spent the first few days in the town of Delta due to very cold weather. The second morning there we woke to several inches of white stuff (snow) on the ground and freezing temps. We had planned on going to the fossil dig the next day so we just hung out and enjoyed a faster internet connection while staying at an RV camp. The snow melted by the late afternoon and the following day we were able to go out to the Trillobite area. We dug for 4 hours at $30/apiece and could split the shale in any pile we wanted. We are coming home with one 2″ trillobite that is quite nice and several smaller ones. It was incredibly hard splitting the shale as the bigger Trillobites were found in the largest rock. The rock was heavy to lift and after 4 hours we were both exhausted and had very achy knees!

We then moved onto Topaz Mtn. area to be closer to the Dugway dig. Topaz Mtn. is known for its gold brown topaz. When we arrived at our camp we did a scout around the Mtn. and didn’t so much as spot anything that could resemble topaz. Our main interest was geodes, so we decided against hard rock digging for topaz which is mired in very hard rhyolite and was going to require too much effort, if we could even find it. We are purchasing a sample of the topaz at the local rock shop!

As I write this we are still in the Topaz area and have spent one day digging for geodes. We scoured two digging sites (finding nothing), before finding some rather large geodes at the last dig site we found. Jerry got into a nice pocket and pulled some large halves out. They are quite nice with blue chalcedony and quartz crystals lining the cavities. We found two smaller geodes that have unusual crystals of yellow and purple amethyst  crystals. Again this was intense digging-the more dirt you move the more likely you are to find the geodes. It is interesting to note that at the first two dig sites we moved a lot of dirt but there was no evidence of broken geodes and the layers of ash/dirt just didn’t look right. At the third site we found a lot of broken pieces lying around and noticed a very large amount of perlite, some in very large chunks. Perlite is a great indication that one is in the right layer for finding eggs and geodes. All in all we are coming home with about 20 geodes. When we arrived back at camp we decided to have a final campfire to use up some wood we didn’t want to take home. It was a great evening, warm and still, so we also decided to eat by the campfire. While setting up the table I glanced at the truck and what did I see…a flat tire. We were so lucky to have gotten back to camp and have a flat rather than on the road back. I guess we struck a sharp enough rock to punch a hole in the tire.

We are spending our final night at Topaz Mtn. area tonight and will be heading home tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be good today and nasty starting tomorrow. Weather at home is rainy and cold at night. We are happy to be heading home with such great rock but aren’t looking forward to a couple of months of spring weather.

I have gradually been getting some strength back and just this morning found out I am getting my left hand repaired from Timmy’s dog bite from last year. I had pretty much decided to just deal with it, waiting till it got much worse before turning to an outside surgeon, when the VA called and scheduled me. So when we return home I will be assaulted by my hand and my bladder. Might as well get them done in the same week! My back is hurting a bit less but I have noticed I must be careful at over exerting myself. Jerry has been very patient with me and is a great one to remind me not to overdue things. I so want to help dig but am learning I am not as strong as I would like to be. I look forward to using the pool at home for an entire summer, hoping to improve my strength!

Up on the trail coming out of Casto Canyon-a small version of Bryce!

Topaz Mtn. Camp, Utah

Dugway, Utah geodes

The geodes from the above picture were pulled out of Jerry’s hole. These are quite large for this type of geode…we were given a whole one by a friend who dug here last fall. We now know why he only gave us one-they are quite hard to find whole. We are very happy with these big guys as their faces can be cut and polished nicely!

We spent a few days back in the Turtle Mtns. outside of Parker,AZ. We did some searching for Chalcedony but only came back with a few roses that are quite nice actually. We then got a tip from a friend and went across the highway from where we were camped and located some unusual agate that looks to be opalized agate. It has some good color to it but is kind of chippy so we won’t know till we get home what can be done with it. We did find out it sells for $7/# and we have many pounds.

We are camped out on Shea road outside of Parker now and have been for a couple of days. We left expecting a wind storm and stopped to get groceries before we settled here. The wind started then…it was a hellacious storm! We couldn’t even set up our whole camp due to a dust out! It was so warm that day we had to open the windows so the dirt just kept coming in. This seems to be the year for wind and warmth. We are finally getting warmer temps and the wind is still with us!

Both of us are a bit stir crazy…at least where we are now we can use the internet so that has allowed us to get caught up on some photos and emails. I am amazed at how spoiled we are in this computer age…it is hard for us to go very long without it but we do rely on it for communication.

More Botox in my bladder come first of May. Maybe that is what’s going wrong? My bladder has suddenly come alive with spasms again. I didn’t want to wait until I got home to schedule it so I did it a week ago and already have the work scheduled.

I feel very fortunate that I have a supportive husband who understands that I am struggling right now. It pains me to be this way after not having any real relapses for 5 years! I guess maybe I was pushing the envelope a bit and it gave!

We have been playing with our Rzr ROV. It has taken us into some isolated areas; places we wouldn’t be able to take a Jeep even. We have found rock to collect and some cool petroglyphs. We are meeting up with R&R in Bullhead in the next 2 days to find some more petroglyphs. I have wondered if the Rzr is helping to irritate my spine by the bouncing but I don’t feel like it hurts when we ride. Afterwards though I seem to get more spasms. I think I just have to relax and not grip the hold bar so tight and to adjust it a bit more.

Jerry getting Randy the RzR ready for our ride!

We name all our vehicles. I feel like the RzR is a girl but Jerry disagrees. We couldn’t seem to come up with a girls name to fit it so we decided if its got a pirate flag it should be Raunchy or Randy (ie).

I am home alone today resting while Jerry takes Randy to Lake Havasu to park it overnight so we can tow Gypsy there tomorrow to get our trailer brackets welded on. We can’t tow it without the trailer so that’s the next step. Then we’ll go onto Bullhead to ride. We still intend on going to Winslow to collect petrified wood but need to let it warm up a bit. It’s been really cold at night and not real warm during the day. Here it is in the 80′s for the past 2 days. It feels really good to be warm. It feels really good to be resting and taking care of myself. Jerry knows I would go with him but he so coyly looked at me last night and said “you don’t have to go with me tomorrow you know, you can stay here and rest”. I was so happy to hear that because it means he knows and can tell that I need it. I love this man for his ability to help me deal with this body lately. I haven’t had as much energy this winter as last; most probably due to my thyroid surgery and switching the dose of my Copaxone simultaneously. Bad move I think. My Thyroid levels dropped significantly so my body is trying to adjust to that. I have just felt different. I was also taking too much Diazepam I think so I have tapered it. That may account for more spasms. I had to go back on Tolteridine again as well because my lovely spastic bladder has come back to haunt my night sleep. I have already requested being put on Dr. D’s schedule this spring for more Botox to my bladder. It lasted almost 10 months and that’s great. I think it will be even better if I can get it done before it’s completely worn off. Maybe it won’t take so much this time.

Ok with the bitching. I hope anyone who reads this will see that this is my way of releasing some frustration but also show that it’s imperative to keep moving no matter what. Here are a few pictures I have taken of our last couple of weeks.

Barbells on the rock are quite significant I guess.

Phacelia in bloom in the desert.

We have these at home in our yard but they don't bloom till July!

A harsh dry desert produces incredibly beautiful & dangerous plants.

?? fire in this nice sized pocket of red agate

Grade A fire agate plates

The above plates were dug up by Jerry after finding a really nice seam. He was doing some pretty hard rock digging as these were hammered out with a sledge and chisels. We have a bag of smaller pieces dug and picked up that are fire as well.

closeup to show the banding and color;under that white chalcedony we hope is color

Jerry found a peacock fire agate in float here last year so we are hoping we get lucky again. Peacock is prized for it’s beautiful purple along with all the other colors it can have.

Today was a day we had planned to dig but after double checking the weather forecast we decided to wait one more day. We were glad of that decision as we had a big storm with sleet, snow, rain and terrific winds come through. It had gotten to about 52 and it dropped to 28 during the storm. It is only 32 now so we expect to get cold tonight. The sun is back out so we anticipate digging in the am.

The following day we expect to leave for Parker, AZ to pick up our new toy-our Polaris 570 Razr ATV. We are having a custom trailer built in Lake Havasu that will carry the Razr as well as bikes. I never expected to be an ATVer but I’ll tell you after carrying heavy rock bags, lunch, water and extra clothes, not counting tools on my sore back-I am looking forward to being able to offload some stuff onto that quad when we are rocking. I don’t expect to do less climbing once we get to a site but we can get closer to some of them so the walking isn’t so far in and out. We’ll explore at home too.

Rhodochrosite stalactite Tucson 2012 This specimen has Hematite and Pyrite in bands.

The piece is about 4.5 inches in length and will make some beautiful slices. It actually gets thicker in the middle so it should be very interesting to see if we get more eyes. You can see the black and gold bands in this one; they are the minerals Hematite and Pyrite. We were told it had silver too but I can’t see it.

I got a chance to get to my True Blue bead show and have two great focal beads and some beautiful natural Pearls. I also found some more findings for steam punk and we finally bought a stamp set.

Poor Timmy and Cleo have been “home alone” for days but have been such good children. Here are some cute pictures of our kids as they spend another year travelling!

Cleo relaxed to the sounds of Andrea Bocelli

The two important men in my life!!

Timmy just curled up on Jerry’s shoulder and rested his head there. Made a perfect shot. Travels with Timmy has become Travels with Timmy and Cleo and Steph and Jerry. Our little family.

We do carry orchids also and they are blooming like crazy. My large one is putting out two new shoots for blosoms. I can’t wait to see what the flowers look like. I have been giving them orchid fertilizer weekly. I soak the bark that they are in with it and drain it well. I am having incredible luck keeping them alive. They love the light in the RV as well as the warm consistent temperature.

Beauty of the islands in the middle of SW

Jerry and I have decided to buy a Polaris 570 ATV. It sounds kind of silly but it makes a lot of sense considering some of the trails  we are on at home. We will sell the Jeep when we get home which will recoup half of our money we spend. These guys are side by side ATV’s and drive much  like a car. They are agile and tough and are $9999!!! Then there is the $3500 for the trailer to haul it so we can use it with Rocky and Egor alone.  We rented a Rhino to check them out and realized at our age some of the areas we go into we need help carrying the rocks out and we need to cover more land which we can do with an ATV. The fun factor is there too! We are excited to explore some sites in AZ and thought we would have to wait but we have ordered the trailer to be done in 2 weeks and we have a Razr on hold in Parker,AZ. OMG another vehicle to name. I think it’s gonna be a girl too!

We have the same campsite we had last 2 years. I like it here. Rich and Rosanna are just a short distance from us. We’re far enough from them we don’t hear their generator. Ahh the sun is now coming out, perhaps our rain for the day is gone! I was wrong about the rain. We are an island in a sea of desert muck. Not as bad as before when our camp sat lower-the skys opened up yesterday and let loose. I guess the desert needed it. Ooh it should help the wildflowers in Death Valley. It’s approaching that time for rain to bring them out. I would love to see them at their best this year.

Well that post above was written in Dec. and it is now the end of Jan and we have come and gone from  Quartzsite, AZ. In fact we just arrived in Tucson,AZ about an hour ago. I don’t have nearly the setup Jerry does and he’s tired from the all day drive. We are staying on BLM land outside the city so we can stay 2 weeks here and move onto Safford, AZ. We are both excited to look at a Polaris dealer here for a Razr quad. We have already decided to do it so we’ll order the trailer in a month or so and pick it up on the way home. We are going to see about buying one here and having it shipped to Lake Havasu where the trailer is. Then we could go on home intead of crisscrossing AZ in search of one.

We are thusly going to curb our spending here. We always enjoy the really artistic display and I had thought about buying another fossil but I’d rather look for them myself in Utah. We thought about going home via Utah again but that would mean crisscrossing Arizona with the trailer and Razr. We don’t even know yet if we are going to have to order one. That and getting my thyroid adjusted are our two priorities for now. Rocks and gems will come after blood work and a visit to Tucson’s wonderful VA center. We’ll see what an experience I have there!!

We are almost ready for the road again. A bit more packing to do and we are off. The pool is all closed down for winter and the yard is as put to bed as it will get. I do have some bulbs to put in today as I am growing a whole row of flowers in the garden this year so I can have some cutting flowers. I am tired of letting the bunnies get my lilies and pretties. The rest of the front yard will wait till spring for when the ground is a bit more moist and we can get a chance to buff it up a bit. It got packed down so much by workers its like concrete to dig up right now. I planted a whole row of poppies that I hope will come up this spring and should be gorgeous if they sprout. I have more seeds in reserve!

My body is adjusting to my loss of thyroid with nastiness. I can really tell the difference. My levels are whacked but they want to wait another couple of months to see how I adjust without altering my dose and I have gained about 5 # since then. My clothes still fit thank God but I don’t like the sluggishness I feel. Fatigue from MS is one thing but I just feel lethargic at times for no reason-that’s the thyroid shit. Somewhere along the road in Dec I will be having the levels rechecked. I am also now on every other day of Copaxone since my body has decided to be stingy with injection sites. I readjusted the syringe a lot to accommodate my lack of subq. tissue and I really like not having to give it nightly. I do have to keep better track of it though now that it’s not daily. Calendar everywhere we go so I know what I am doing!

Next post will probably be from Livermore, Ca sometime around Thanksgiving when we will be visiting with Morpheus, Shannon and Tim and Sandy. We are looking forward to our visits and hope the weather isn’t as cool as last year so we can spend more time.

It was amazing and is still amazing to me how involved cities throughout the globe have gotten involved in this movement. It has spread to Alaska, Italy, Greece,Spain, England, Brussels and oh so many cities. The media has downplayed the number of cities on purpose. I do believe that this has put the government-I know it has put the replutocrats on notice. They are scared by the numbers of people who are telling their own personal stories of what it means to be in that 99% of the world who isn’t wealthy. When 1% of this country controls the other 99% through being wealthy there is something wrong with the system.

One of the most poignant moments in NYC’s protests was a speech by an ex marine who served tours in Irag and Afghanistan. He was speaking to a number of NYC police officers some of whom have been seen macing and physically assaulting non violent women-yes women! He commented that while in Irag his unit was accosted but responded in peaceful, non violent manners. His point was to express to the NYPD that there is no honor in beating down non violent people in our own country when it is expected of our fighting troops to treat those who are threatening us with kindness and respect. These police officers were dumbfounded by this rather large black man. He had their rapt attention and the looks on their faces said a thousand words. They were humiliated by this man who had a a chest full of medals on his uniform (he was retired but wore his combat uniform on purpose), and did not respond verbally. It wasn’t necessary. The people listening to this young black man were entranced by his words and he has emerged as a hero in some eyes for speaking such honest words. “There is no honor in this”….we need to treat each other better in this country.

To me this is the tip of the iceberg. There is such an underlying current of anger and disparity in our world right now that needs, wants, and will get expressed. I hope most of it can be done non-violently but it has turned violent in some cities such as Rome. Many in the US have been arrested in cities such as San Francisco and Chicago but they have been non violent protesters. What does that say to the rest of us who want to protest? We must be vigilant to stay focused on our message and not turn to violence to be heard because we won’t be heard that way, and yes even if we do protest non violently we may risk getting arrested-we are willing to get arrested. Thus the reason for my suit on Nov. 1. I am protesting big money involvement so I will dress like a banker and show people I can represent myself professionally despite my “radical”, in some eyes, thoughts.

I want this movement to spread everywhere in the world, especially countries that are in need of food, healthy water, and clothing for their children as well as educational improvements. We shall rise in these cities and be heard if nothing else. We will get our message out there and let our politicians know their jobs are not necessarily guaranteed for another term unless they too make some changes in the way they interact with each other and we the people who elected them. We must be held accountable as well for we elected these men and women to represent us in Congress. Congress is not representing the 99%; they are the 1% and that is part of the problem.

I can tell my body is trying to adjust to loosing part of my thyroid. It is so subtle at times and other times just down right uncomfortable. I can get too warm quite easily then quickly get too cold. Sort of like menopause but I am on low dose estrogen so don’t think its that. I’ll be getting TSH, T3 and T4 done today so we’ll see where I am. I would like to get through this next year without any new problems or issues with my body. I have had enough thank you very much!