Saturday, October 12, 2013

Quartzsite landscapes and sunsets

I wore my MP3 player yesterday during our afternoon and evening walks and we walked at least twice as long as we usually do.  What a difference it makes.  I'm listening to The Silver Linings Playbook.  So far its really good, kind of sad, kind of funny.  It's the type of book that makes you wonder, as you go through it, what happened in the past and what will happen in the future.  I'm only on Part 3, so I have a lot to listen to still and maybe those questions will be answered.

This is where we go on our walks - unless we take the road in the other direction. 


Here is a photo at sunset the other evening when we had a cloudy day.  The sun came out as it was setting, and lit up the mountains in the east.   I remember this from last year.  Sometimes the east is prettier than the west when the sun is setting.


I had forgotten about the pink sky we get during Quartzsite's sunsets.  The other evening, I swear, even the air around me felt pink.  All over the desert as far as the eye could see it was pink.  Look at these colors looking eastward!



I added this one below to my desktop slide show photos.  I think it looks like a watercolor painting.

 
Here's another beautiful evening sunset with a waxing crescent moon:


And one more - look at all the colors.


Little Katie has again discovered the lizards.  We call them "critters."  Now that she knows the critters run to the bushes and fire pit rocks, she always wants to stop at every one on our walks.  Do you know how many bushes and fire pits there are in Quartzsite?  I read somewhere that "Leave It!" is a good general command when you want your dog to leave something alone.  We're working on that and she's doing pretty well.

I know, I know, rattlesnakes.  That's why I don't let her do this anymore. 

This was a huge fire pit that a lizard ran into.

I have a quick question:  Katie has started hesitating when trying to jump from the couch seat to the top of the seat back when she wants to lie up there in the sun and often just gives up without trying.  Also occasionally just jumping on the couch or dinette seat from the floor.  She's only 6 years old, which seems too young for arthritis, and she just had her yearly exam and the vet said she was doing fine.  This has been going on for three or four weeks now.  Any ideas or suggestions?

And one more:  What do you guys do with your garbage when you're staying in the 14-day BLM campgrounds here in Quartzsite????   Katie and I always take a daily walk to the campground dumpster to get rid of our garbage, but there aren't any here.  I've been accumulating my little Wal-Mart garbage bags and putting them in a large black trash bag, but it started smelling, so now it's sitting on top of the hood on my entry rug.  I'm going to town soon for water and some supplies and can't exactly drive up to someones dumpster and throw in my large black plastic bag.  What's your trash removal routine?  Help!

Welcome to our newest Follower, Anne Henderson!  Hey Anne, do you have a blog?  If so let me know so I can check it out.  Thanks for following along with me and Katie, and Welcome Aboard!

From me and Katie, have a great Saturday, everyone!  :)

27 comments:

  1. Can't help you with either of your questions, but I sure enjoy the pretty sky pictures.

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  2. A sharp "Leave It!" can save a dog from dangerous things they might get themselves into. I think it's the most useful command I ever used with Lady.

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  3. Barbara, You're killing me here with those gorgeous shots of the desert. What is it about the desert that we love so much.

    As for garbage, I brought mine to one of the two big truck stops and they have a gazillion garbage cans outside - especially towards the back where the big 18 wheelies back in. I think Pilot is the best one.

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  4. Denise - THANK YOU! I didn't even think of those places. That's what I'll do. :)

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  5. Gorgeous colors! Doris likes to lizard-hunt too. Just think of all the lizards they wouldn't catch together.

    I did what Denise did this year at Q - one of the truck stops (I think Pilot?) - around back where the semis park.

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  6. Beautiful pics. So glad to see Katie on a leash so you can keep her safe out on the desert. She may have pulled something, baby aspirin may help. Does she have any problems with the stairs?

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  7. I like to listen to Podcasts when I take my walks.

    Roger

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  8. Barbara, if you are going to the pit stop for dumping and water, and propane, they probably have a dumpster for their customers as well.

    Great pictures of the sky, mountains, and of course Katie. I agree with the baby asprin comment.
    Let us know how she is.

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  9. Haven't comment in a long time but I always read your blog. Your pictures are beautiful!!
    As for Katie it may not be her legs but it could also be other thing ,like her eyesight.

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  10. Barbara, there is a supplement that is supposed to help with arthritis in animals. I used it on our Llamas, but there is also one for dogs. For the life of me I cannot remember the name. I even took the "people" formula for my arthritis. If Katie is 6, she is close to 45 in human years. Arthritis is a big possibility. Do not think eyesight since she spots the lizards.

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  11. Love the desert sunsets..beautiful! Hope Katie isn't starting to get arthritis. She's so tiny to have to hurt.

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  12. Jumping is very strenuous on the joints and ligature. Think about how many times in these 6 years a dog jumps up/down on/off something. If we would do so, our hips would be shot in no time.
    Try the aspirin, if that doesn't help I would ask a vet. NO Ibruprofen. I did that mistake once, years ago. That is a NO, NO for dogs.

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  13. It all looks so familiar! And, it also looks warm! Maybe doing the coast route wasn't the best idea.

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  14. For garbage there is a free refuse station a few miles north of town.
    ->Trash can be dumped at the Refuse Transfer Station north of Quartzsite just past mile marker 115 on Highway 95. It’s open from 7:30 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday. There’s no fee to dump household trash at the transfer station.
    Nina

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  15. We give both Bubba and Skruffy Glucosamine & Chondroitin with MSM. There are different "levels" of strength. Because Bubba has a torn ACL and shows signs of arthritis we give them level 3 from Pet Smart or Petco....I think next time we are getting it from Amazon. They don't like it, so I crush them with a garlic press (we just happen to have one on our RV) and mix with peanut butter. They love it. Bubba gets a full pill, Skruffy a half, but what I do is crush 1 1/2 pills, mix with a good teaspoon of peanut butter, then give 1/3 to Skruffy on the spoon while Bubba eats the rest out of their food bowl. Does it work? Two months ago Skruffy stopped jumping up on the bed, the couch, etc. Now she is back to normal. Bubba is doing very well with his leg, but has an occasional bad day caused by his feeling so well he starts running around like a young dog again, then he starts hurting and slows down. Dave (Marcia and Bubba and Skruffy) GoingRvWay.com

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  16. I was in Q-zite 2 years ago at this time, at HiJolly BLM, and because I was using Wifi from Pilot, that is where I disposed of my refuse.....the cans in the back are big and will hold many little Walmart bags!

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  17. Love your photos. I had no idea that the BLM lands were 'open' during the shut down.

    We have stools in our RV for our doxies to jump on and then up onto the bed or the sofa or the dash. Hesitating to jump means they have injured themselves and something hurts. Watch your dog for a few days and see if she improves. Meanwhile lift her up and down. She doesn't look overweight which could be another factor.

    Observe her on your stairs.

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  18. I don't have a suggestion for Katie, but I do know that my 6-year-old Chihuaha mix injured his front leg jumping off the couch earlier this year after dozing it for years wIth no problem. Needless to say, I don't let him jump off things anymore.

    Garbage suggestion: I do this at home, because I live alone and it takes me a couple of weeks to fill a tall kitchen garbage bag. I take one of those plastic grocery bags, put anything that would smell into it (fruit and vegetable peels, chicken dregs, etc.) and stick that on a bottom shelf in the refrigerator. It lasts much longer in there, sans stink, than in the garbage can. Then, when it's time to take the garbage out, I combine that bag with the non-smelly stuff and dump it all.

    Hope that helps!

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  19. I suspect Katie may have simply injured something - like a pulled muscle, especially if the vet says all is well. Hopefully a few days and she'll be feeling better.

    Lovely photos as always!

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  20. Great answers to my questions, thank you ALL! :)

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  21. My little girl, Misty, stopped jumping up on and down from the couch when she was about Katie's age. I took her to the vet, and he said that she most likely sprained a muscle in her back. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory, and after a week or so she was back to normal.

    He also recommended giving both of them a dog version of Glucosamine & Chondroitin. I found it at Trader Joes at a reasonable price, and I've been giving it to them for about the last 5 years or so, and I can tell the difference. They jump up and down all of the things that they used to, and are almost as active as when they were puppies, and they'll be twelve next month.

    I hope this helps! Have a great week!!

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  22. Katie may have strained her back. If it was a leg/foot injury she'd probably be limping or licking it. Be cautious with aspirin. I used to give baby aspirin to my show dogs on occasion when they had a strain but my vet now tells me that even that is not good for dogs. We have a Chihuahua mix (Abby) who travels with us in the RV and on the sailboat (in MX). Love following your blog. Keep enjoying life!

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  23. Some of the catalog stores, like Fingerhut or Carol Wright has little mini stairs for dogs to go up 3 steps to get on a sofa. Maybe something like that would not take up too much room and make it easier for her to get onto the sofa? Love the pictures of the desert. I heard Grand Canyon is reopening, how about Quartzsite?

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  24. Leave it! is an important command. After 7 years of obedience, that is still the best thing I ever taught my Katie. Practice it by putting something she likes on the floor and walking past. Say a strong 'leave it!" and praise her and treat her when she leaves it alone. Do a little bit every day. Someday you will be grateful when she immediately responds in a dangerous situation.

    Also agree with the possibility of back sprain. Might be worth stopping at a local vet to check.

    LOVE the sunsets!

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  25. I just wandered in from your link from Bumfuzzle, and what a different sort of adventure you are on! A dry one! My sister's dog looks so much like your Katie. I know she must be an excellent travel companion! Love and light, Hil

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  26. Drove past the turn off for Bluewater Lake today on the I-40...thought of you. Didn't realize you had left for Q already. Hoping to catch up with you in Q in Jan if you're still there.

    Leave it and Drop it are both great safety commands for the fur kids.

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Thank you for your comments - we LOVE them!