I visited the new Farmer's Market here in Quartzsite a week or so ago - it's held every Wednesday morning from 8 am till noon.
I bought some great fresh fruits and veggies - a huge bag of chard, cauliflower, broccoli, yams, Fuji apples and beefsteak tomatoes:
I've eaten all the chard, one apple, one tomato and one yam. Everything else is still in the fridge, and in very good shape. This was all really fresh when I bought it and has lasted over a week so far. I usually eat lots of veggies, but I guess not so much lately. I'll eat them before they go bad, though. Maybe time for New York Pie - the layered rice, veggie, spaghetti sauce, cheese and sour cream dinner again. (I haven't made this in a while, but it's a great way to use broccoli and cauliflower.)
If you are interested in seeing what's available there, it's at the east end of the showgrounds property at the west end of Kuehn Blvd. Just past the Exit 17 off ramp corner.
I also went all over town to various stores looking for new wheel covers, a new coat for Katie, candy - I have such a sweet tooth sometimes - all kinds of things. I was gone forever and spent a fortune!
I'm always re-arranging and making little changes to The Palms - this week I hung a vase with a little twig from a desert tree - sometimes I'll put a flower in this vase. I move it around. Here it is over the couch, and right now it's in the kitchen.
I got some inexpensive Christmas decorations last week at one of the Dollar Stores - this is my snowman:
So - I guess it's time, but I bought an older phone - it's actually new, but not a new version. I called Verizon to make sure I was switching from the old 3G to the new 4G the right way, and wouldn't loose my unlimited data plan. I'm okay there, but the first Customer Service woman seemed to know less than I do. She had me remove my SIM card - which she said was under the battery. I was concerned that removing the battery would disconnect us, and she said it was okay. So, wondering if there was enough power in the phone for a period of time without the battery, I took it out, and of course the call was disconnected. But I did take out the card and insert it into the new phone. I did more research on-line, and finally called Verizon Customer Service again and got a different person. She was really good. I told her I tried to put my SIM card into the new phone and it didn't work.
Get this: She said the older smart phones don't have SIM cards. What the first woman was trying to get me to remove was a MicroSD card. Luckily it seemed to be the same size and I was able to remove it from the new phone.
So... I don't have a SIM card and the new phone didn't come with one. Verizon is sending me one - for free with free 2-day Fed-Ex shipping. That was nice, and it should be here Monday, and then I'll call again to be sure I do it right. According to the second woman, when I took out the SD card from my current phone, there was a procedure to follow so the card isn't ruined. Obviously that procedure wasn't followed since the first woman thought it was my SIM card. I'm sure they have lots of new employees because of the holidays and all the sales of electronics this time of year. They must be super busy and training will take some time. And probably most calls to their call center don't involve a phone this old. LOL
It will be nice to have a 4G phone, where hopefully my speeds won't be throttled back by Verizon as they sometimes are with the 3G. And I'll be able to download apps again. Ever since John told me about his MayMyWalk app (and I see it all the time on his blog), I've tried to download it, and it's just not happening with my current phone. He walks a lot and keeps track with this app. I've found if I have something like that, I tend to walk more.
From me and Katie, have a great Sunday, everyone! :)
I love farmers markets! We have a permanent one just a few blocks from where we're staying! And you will love Map My Walk! I have been using it on our hikes down here!
ReplyDeleteCheck with VZ, but I'm about positive that all of the unlimited data plans are restricted to 3G only. That's how VZ is trying to eliminate those unlimited plans. No fast 4g access.
ReplyDeleteI was told by lots of people right before they stopped offering the unlimited data plan that I should upgrade to a 4G, but I was worried about it, so I didn't. I've talked to Verizon a couple of times, and also Verizon customers who have upgraded and this is the deal: If you buy a new phone from them, at their free or very low price, you need to sign a new contract for 2 years and choose a new plan. They no longer offer unlimited plans to anyone, as far as I know.
DeleteBut if you purchase a phone at full price, from Verizon or another seller, you are okay. You just switch out the SIM card and call Verizon to give them the new phone's ID number and you keep the unlimited data plan. My 2-year contract ran out two or three years ago, maybe longer, and I've never upgraded my phone so I've been able to keep my plan.
That's why I called a few times with different questions, and always asked if I'd lose my plan if I bought a full-price phone. They always said I'd be okay. That's also why I didn't buy a spanking new version of the smart phones on the market now. I got a new phone, but it's an older version of Droid Razr.
The produce looks great! I love chard and always keep some in my fridge. I could (and usually) do eat it every day.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that Verizon always has something good to offer. We just need to read all the lines. So happy to hear of the Farmer's market. Seems to me that you have struck gold!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous looking farmer's markets. I love checking them out. I guess they waited until we left to set up shop!
ReplyDeleteIt started on November 5, so it's been going on for a while. It's not in a place you'd notice, though, unless you were going right past it while it was open. You can check it out when you're here in January. :)
DeleteGlad you got a new phone, Barbara, and I think it's good that you are getting to keep your unlimited internet! I did the same thing a couple years ago, and am glad I did!
ReplyDeleteThe farmer's market sounds wonderful.. I will try it later this month!
Thank you for the info about the farmer's market--we love those too & it's such a good way to support local farmers. Did they have any organic produce?
ReplyDeleteYour NY Pie looks delish--I see you use paper. We decided to do that. I've been able to tweak dishwashing a bit to decrease water use but it's not enough. Washing dishes in a basin & then pouring that into the black tank helped but not enough for us to stay in place for 2 weeks, which is our goal.
Congratulations on the new phone and getting to keep your unlimited plan! We use Verizon & have found that their customer service is quite variable. It seems that when I get someone who is knowledgable, we get disconnected! It can literally take hours to get a resolution on an issue. Oh well. Don't imagine it's much different with any other phone carrier--at least we know what to expect with Verizon.
How long we can "last" depends on the size of our tanks, and how many people are there. With just me, I can go 10 days before getting water, 20 days before dumping the grey, and around 30 before dumping the black. My water tank is 25 gal, and the grey and black are 27 gal each.
DeleteIt would be nice to have a larger fresh water tank. I usually get water every 10 days, and every other time I dump also. I guess most people have a schedule and are always trying to extend the times. :)
Hi - found your blog by googling "witches AND rv lifestyle." My hubby and I are thinking an awful lot lately about RV'ing (part-time now, full-time later). It's great that you have been writing about your experiences, and thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, middleworldwitch! It's funny, but that one post, "Welcome. The witch is in. And Boulder Creek property" is by far the most read post I've written. Lots of people doing research on witches. :)
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