MEET CHARLIE!

November 7, 2018

I adopted Charlie on November 6, 2018 from our local rescue center here in Truth or Consequences.  I wasn't there to take home a dog, I just wanted to look.  You know how that goes!  LOL  He seemed so bright and friendly and I fell in love with him!

The TorC Animal Shelter found him wandering around alone on the local streets and he didn't have a collar or a chip, so they couldn't identify his owners.  He had just come off the waiting period when I walked in.  Charlie is a Blue Heeler, about 4 months old when I brought him home.

This is our history so far, starting the day I brought him home up until today. When he first came home he was teething and not yet potty trained, so we had a lot of work to do.  I don't remember having a puppy before, and he sure kept me busy.  I didn't take my eyes off him.  We went out to the backyard every time he was done eating, sleeping, or playing - all day long!  He had some accidents that I didn't catch in time, but all in all the potty training went pretty fast.

It was the teething that I REALLY had to watch out for.  He was chewing on furniture, drapes, rugs, EVERYTHING!  So I was up and down all day, and in bed by 8:00 if I lasted that long.

At this point, he's potty trained and pretty much done with the teething.  That's SO nice!  He's worn out and sleeping from 6:00 pm to around 9:00 pm and then I take him outside for a final potty and then he's in his crate until 7 am.  He's sleeping really well, long hours overnight.

This is from what I posted on FaceBook - it was easier to copy it over than to start from scratch.

November 9, 2018:

Charlie loves playing with his tennis balls, and he loves chasing them when we're outside. He's behaving better and better every day. (That's Katie's bed, he didn't fit in it for long.  He was 18.4 pounds when I got him on November 7 and on December 14 he was 29.6 at the Vet's. That was 8 days ago, and I've loosened his harness and collar twice since then.  He's growing like a WEED!)

November 12, 2018

Storage box under my desk - Charlie likes to climb up on it. He's so funny.

November 15, 2018

Charlie yesterday afternoon - he's laying under the plum tree with his ball. Picture taken by my friend, Irene. Thanks for the Share, Irene! 

November 15, 2018

Charlie has a new trick. His water bowl was empty and he dragged it under the kitchen table. I took it and put an inch of water in it, and he again tried to drag it under the table, of course spilling some of the water. He's such a monster puppy. If I live through this, he'll the the BEST DOG EVER!



November 17, 2018

CHARLIE - He's so funny. Today was such a good day, I spent part of the day working in the backyard raking leaves and picking up sticks. I've already cut back the grapes and other bushes that the frost affected - and that Charlie was always trying to chew on. So the yard is pretty dog-proofed right now. He follows me everywhere, so he got a lot of exercise walking around with me and running away from me with a stick in his mouth. LOL We also played a lot of ball, he loves playing ball. When we came in the house at 3:00 he was pooped and went into his crate for a nap. He moves around a lot when he sleeps. I looked up and he was laying on his back, completely stretched from front to back in the crate.  He cracks me up!



November 22, 2018

The Ocotillo tasting - which he couldn't figure out. Charlie is teething and trying to chew everything.  He's determined to eat this Ocotillo, but it's not cooperating.  He was frustrated, I think.  He tried to eat it, then touched it with his paw, then backed up and just looked at it.  Then he ran up the hill further and dug a big hole.  LOL





November 24, 2018

I spilled spot remover on Charlie. Now I can't find him. 😁😂



November 24, 2018

First he steals my heart, then he steals my chair! 💕  Then he chews off part of the arm on my chair. 😞

November 27, 2018

Charlie loves to watch himself in the mirror. The second photo is where Charlie is every day on and off. If it's warm enough I open the front door and drag over a padded storage box. He jumps up on it and watches the neighbors go by.

November 27, 2018

One of Charlie's favorite toys - a squeaky donut. When he'd had enough food and water yesterday, he got his donut and put it on the bowls. Sometimes I wish I knew what he was thinking!

November 27, 2018

I took Charlie down to Elephant Butte Lake to see if he liked the water.  When we were walking back to the truck, Charlie peed and pooped, and when I bent down to pet him, he grabbed the poop bag out of my hand and proudly carried it all the way back to the truck. Sometimes he's just so darn cute! Then he was back in his crate, and not too long after being home, sound asleep. He still sleeps a lot.

December 6, 2018

I came back from town - after being gone less than an hour - and found this. At first I thought, "Oh, how cute, he's burrowed under his bed."  THE NEW BED THAT WAS DELIVERED THE DAY BEFORE! I got out the camera, took a picture, then zoomed in and saw the carnage. Little brat!

December 14, 2018

We visited the vet today and confirmed that Charlie is deaf. But I already knew. I spent Thursday online finding good hand signals for words I want Charlie to know - I have three pages of typed commands with instructions - 37 of them so far. I'm sure I'll be adding to that list. But for now, only the most important ones, 10 of them, are at the top of the list. I have to learn them, and am practicing the most important ones, but Charlie already knows some... We're doing short practice sessions of a couple signals during the day.  Once he knows the essential signals, I'll add others one or two at a time.

I ordered a couple of books on the subject - and the Dictionary of ASL is a good reference, too. Many people use those signals, but I want to have only "one-hand" signals if possible.

For his safety, in case he gets away from me, I ordered him a Deaf Dog harness.

I've also made some labels to stick on the back of his collar tags, and I called the chip ID place and they noted that he is deaf.  If he DOES get away, it's important that people know he's deaf so they won't punish him for not responding to them.  It's pretty easy to make up hand signals for come, sit, etc. that he would probably understand, but if they talk to him, he won't be able to get what they're saying. And if he isn't looking at them, he won't get any hand gestures, either.  So....  I don't particularly like this vest, and might look for something a little less obvious, but for now, we'll use it.

December 17, 2018

I think this picture is hysterical - I break out laughing every time I look at it. It looks like it's gone through an app to make him look funny, but this is how he looked.

Charlie was a "crazy tired dog" this afternoon, so he napped in his crate in the living room. This is him noticing that I noticed he was awake. Before this he was playing quietly with his toys. Funny thing is, I've been trying to see his teeth, his adult teeth are coming in, and he wouldn't let me. Well, I've sure seen them now!

December 19, 2018

Charlie's puzzle. This is a Level 2, and I have two Level 3 puzzles for him when he gets this down really well. He gets to find the treats every morning. At first I had to help him, the directions tell you how to get them used to it, then he got the red sliders by himself, and now he can do it all. He LOVES it! We'll keep using this one until the gets bored with it.

December 20, 2018

I got Charlie a big bag of flat rawhide chew toys. Every time I give him one, he takes it out in the backyard and buries it up on the hill. So the other day I blocked off the door to the yard so he couldn't scratch the door to get out, and then I gave him the chew toy. He knocked down the fence blocking the door, and killed his fox. 🤣🤣🤣 I opened the fence more and put part of it behind the bakers rack so he couldn't get it down. And of course, he roamed around the house looking for an INSIDE place to bury it. This - under his bed on the couch - was the best he found. Later it ended up buried somewhere up on the hill. 😏🤣

And our final photos from today:

December 22, 2018

Charlie's Bumble Bee toy - BEFORE and AFTER.

Charlie is just an adorable dog, so smart and funny.  I'm enjoying him so much.  He's very different from Katie, like night and day, but if Charlie turns out to be as good a companion as Katie was, I'll be a happy camper.  He has so much energy and personality.

BTW, even though he can't hear, he can smell really well, and is very aware of his surroundings.  I wanted a dog partly for protection and thought that because of Charlie's deafness he wouldn't be a protector, but I'm not worried about that any more.  A neighbor was visiting, he came in when Charlie was in the backyard, and when Charlie came in though the open kitchen door, he stopped on a dime, raised his nose in the air and sniffed, and slowly walked behind the couch to where I was sitting.  He slowly climbed up on me while growling at my neighbor, a man he had met and liked outside during walks.  But in HIS house, it was different.  He was growling for a while and I finally got him to stop. He didn't do anything aggressive, but he let my neighbor know that he was protecting me.  So even though he can't hear, I think he'll be a good protector.  He's only five months old, and did a good job of warning my neighbor without aggression.

And yes, for those of you wondering, he is DEFINITELY trying to herd me.  And he's really strong.  Sometimes our walks around the yard into the house are interesting.  But I'm still bigger and stronger, so I'm going to be the boss!  :)

I have a few other news items that I want to post about - and will do that before long.  So Charlie and I will be back soon.  I need to change my header - makes me tear up just thinking about doing that.  😥

See you next time!

Me and Charlie  💓💓

The end of an era and a new beginning

It's been more than a month since I lost Katie.  That was such a sad post to write through my tears.  Thank you all so much for your kind comments, they helped, for sure.  I still miss her, of course, and think about her often.  I'll adopt another dog - I'm not ready yet, but I love having a dog, so I know another little critter is in my future.

There have been lots of changes in the last month.

Before I lost Katie, I started looking for a house to buy in Elephant Butte or Truth or Consequences, NM.  I've been thinking about this for a few years now, and suddenly the time was right and all the elements needed to do it came together.  I've been considering this area, and really only this area, for a while.  I really like Cottonwood, AZ, too, but all in all, New Mexico beat Arizona for me.

When I arrived at Elephant Butte Lake State Park in February I decided to start the process by becoming a New Mexico resident and we lived in an RV Park for four months while establishing residency.

I insured The Palms in New Mexico and got her registered at the MVD here, and when I had met all the requirements and had the proper paperwork, changed my Driver's License from CA to NM.  I've been doing some freelance writing, and got a business license in new Mexico to set up a legal business here.

Then I started looking at houses in Elephant Butte and Truth or Consequences.

We had a family vacation planned for July up at Lake Tahoe in California, and before we left Elephant Butte, I did some house hunting, found four I really liked, both in EB and in TorC.  I finally decided on one that was a keeper.  It has everything I wanted and needed, was move-in ready, is in a good neighborhood, and fit my budget, so I made an offer on the house.  The seller countered and I accepted the counter.  The morning we left town the home inspection was done, and the house came through with flying colors.  Nothing negative on the report.  😁

It was so hot in Elephant Butte I was happy to leave the area for a cooler climate.  I packed up, and Katie and I started the drive to King's Beach, CA, where I was meeting up with the kids and grand kids at my son and daughter-in-law's beautiful house in the lake area.

Before we drove on to Lake Tahoe, we stayed a couple of weeks in Flagstaff, AZ, mostly camping at A-1 Mountain Road, where it was much cooler than in EB.  Sadly, two days before I left for Tahoe, I took Katie in to the Vet for the final time and said goodbye.  I'm doing fine so far, but it'll take time for all the emotion to calm down.  😥❤.  I keep thinking I'm over Katie, then it hits me. Whew... 

I drove on to King's Beach alone and spent time with my son's and daughter's families, and it was a really good visit.  Here's a photo of all the kids and grandkids out for lunch:

And on another day - the photo is a small size, so I can't blow it up, it gets too fuzzy.

And here's me with all five grandkids:

Then I left and drove back to the state park at Elephant Butte.

Meanwhile the home loan and home insurance were in process.  We had a closing date of July 31, but ended up closing a week early, and now I've been here in the new house in Truth or Consequences, NM for almost a month.

I've been setting up house - I haven't done this from scratch since I was a newly married young woman, and it's been fun (but expensive!).  Thank goodness there's a Walmart in town!  It has almost everything I've needed so far.

My son, Tom, and I were talking about my new house, and I said I didn't have a stick of furniture, but I'd camp out inside the house as I accumulated what I needed.  I've done that before and don't mind it a bit.  I'd bring in all my kitchen and bathroom stuff, the mattress and bedding from the rig, and I have camp tables and chairs to use, as well as my clothes, TV and computer.  AND I'd have a large swamp cooler to keep me cool, a full kitchen and a bathroom with a bathtub and lots of water!  The Palms would be parked in the driveway and I'd use her to get around until I found a little car that I liked. 

Tom has been flipping houses for years now, and when I told him my plan, he said he was glad I mentioned that - because he had some staging furniture that he wanted to thin out.  So when we were in Tahoe, Tom and I went through photos on his computer of all the furniture, and I got to pick what I wanted.  How nice was that?

AND...  he also gave me a small truck that he was rotating out of this company's fleet. It has high mileage, but is in super condition and runs like a top.  One of Tom's employees who has a commercial driver's license trucked out the furniture and truck a week or so ago, so now I'm all set.  I still have some decorating to do and small things to purchase, but I'm so far ahead of where I thought I would be at this point!  Thanks, Tom!  Your generosity has been overwhelming and is so appreciated. 💗💗💗

I've met some of my neighbors and they are all very friendly, nice and helpful.  It's a small neighborhood of similar homes to mine, all pretty well maintained.  My house was in move-in-ready condition.  Yards were clean, the house looked like it was newly painted inside and out, appliances looked new, the carpet and tile bathroom floors and wood laminate kitchen floors looked brand new.

With all the homes I've bought and sold over the years, this is the first one that had absolutely nothing to repair or replace - or even a negative comment on the Home Inspection Report.  It was all good.  Truly move-in ready.  I just wiped things down, vacuumed the carpets and then had them professionally cleaned, and that was it! I was really lucky. The seller took very good care of this house and I look forward to many years of living here and enjoying the house, yards and neighborhood.

There's room on the side of the house for The Palms.  It doesn't quite fit because my large swamp cooler is attached to the side of my garage, but my next door neighbor very kindly said I could park her on his property at the side of his house so she would fit. Luckily he has no windows on that side, and she won't be visible or in the way for him. So she's parked between our houses.

And BONUS!  One thing I hadn't thought about when buying a house in TorC was that I wasn't leaving the sunrises, sunsets, bunnies, quail and other birds, or even roadrunners when I left the state parks.  They live here all over the place!

I was happy to learn I have a little cottontail bunny living in my backyard.  I'm told his name is Charlie, and he lays in the shade of a grape plant that is growing on the fence. The swamp cooler drains into the dirt under the vine, and since it's cool and shady, it's a perfect bunny spot on a hot day.  He also has a little depression he's made under my plum tree's shade that he lays in, as well as other spots in the yard.

My bed is in front of the bedroom window overlooking the backyard and when I wake up I look out the open window and some mornings I see him hopping around the yard, as well as lots of quail and other birds.  So I still have lots of nature out the windows to watch and enjoy.  I've rigged up a bird bath in the side yard for the little birds.  It's right out the window by my desk, so I look out often.  They are investigating it, but so far no birds have jumped up into the water.  I've seen lizards there, too, rooting around and sunning themselves.  I'm wondering if they will investigate and find the water.

My house faces west, so I still get to see the gorgeous sunsets here in New Mexico from my kitchen and living room windows. And my bedroom windows face east, so I see the sunrises in the morning.  That seems so lucky - sunrises every morning without even getting out of bed, and sunsets out my front windows in the evening.  Perfect!

And guess what?  I'd heard there's a Roadrunner in the neighborhood, and I just saw him running along the street in front of my house!  I love that!  😍

So now, instead of The Palms being my home, she's my "ticket out of town."  I bought a New Mexico State Park annual permit again, as I do every year, and whenever I feel antsy or need a change of location, I'll load her up and move to a state park for a get-away.  Even if it's a "stay-cation" 12 minutes away at Elephant Butte Lake.

It's hard to believe I'm settled again and no longer full-timing.  It's the end of a 7+ year lifestyle that I loved and will never forget.  That seven years fulfilled so many wants, dreams, issues and needs I've had for years, and I wouldn't change a thing.  I learned so much, met so many people, stayed in so many cool locations.  Only full-time RVers will understand what I'm saying.  It's one of those things you have to do to really understand.  And I will forever be grateful and happy that I had a chance to be a fulltimer for so long.  And so, so grateful that I had Katie with me the whole time.  She really made the difference in so many ways.

My only regret is that Katie isn't with me now.  She would have loved this house and yard.  But, I'll get another dog.  I'm thinking I'll probably rescue a medium size dog instead of a tiny one, which is what I've always thought my next dog would be.  A medium dog would be fine in this house.  We'll see what the future brings me.

So...  I've loved writing this blog and appreciate all my followers.  There are a lot of you who posted comments (that I LOVED reading) and many more who read all the posts without commenting.  Thank you to all of you - without your support blogging wouldn't have been half the fun it's been. You are the reason I posted so often for so many years, and now I have a wonderful travel and life log for the past seven years.  A wonderful, special time of my life that I can read about in the future, and my kids and grand kids can read, too, if they want.

So long for now,

Barb  ❤

P.S.  Even though I won't be posting much now, I'm still checking in on your posts to see what's going on in the RVing world.  I'll be keeping up with what you're all doing - I don't want to totally lose touch!  😉

A very sad post

I lost my best girl Katie on Tuesday.  It's the hardest, saddest thing I've ever done.

I rescued Katie when I was in my San Diego condo when she was a year and a half.  That was 11 years ago.  Katie was with me almost 24/7 once I retired, and she was my constant companion, protector, mouser and traveling buddy for the last 7 years.

She was the best, I couldn't have asked for a better dog, especially being a full-time RVer.

Lots of you knew Katie, lots of you recognized me when we were walking from the photos of Katie posted on this blog.  Many people stopped their vehicles and said,"  Is that Katie?  You must be Barbara."  And we made new friends on the spot.  She wasn't much of a dog person, but loved people and had lots of good "people friends," - and a couple of special ones.

Over the years Katie developed various chronic health conditions, and I knew this day was coming.  I thought about it, talked to a couple of people about it, but it wasn't something I could plan, I just couldn't plan it in advance.  I woke up Tuesday morning and knew.

Katie had a good afternoon and even though she was on a restricted diet, I gave her cookies and boiled chicken, two of her favorites, and other treats.  We took two walks on grass and smooth sidewalks, and she was a happy girl.  I'm so glad she had a happy afternoon.  Then at 4:00 we drove to the pet hospital.

Katie passed laying comfortably on a big fluffy blanket on the floor of the Comfort Room at Canyon Pet Hospital in Flagstaff, AZ.  The room was comforting with low lights and a small faux fireplace burning away, very quiet - we had time to say goodbye.  I was laying next to her, petting her and talking to her, telling her what a good girl she was and how much I loved her.  She was asleep almost immediately after receiving the medication, which didn't hurt, thankfully.  Then Dr. Karen gave her the final shot and she was gone.

I have to give my sincerest thank you to Dr. Karen and the entire staff there.  They were so kind to Katie and me, so gentle with Katie.  Katie wasn't even afraid to be there, usually she hates the vet, but their procedure at Canyon Pet Hospital was not like a vet visit.  I am so grateful.

Here are some photos of my Sweet Baby Katie.

 I know you're resting in peace, sweet Katie.  

I love you.  I miss you.   

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Much needed UPDATE! :)

Time has flown by so fast, suddenly it's over 60 days since I last posted.  Have I ever lagged that much before?  It seems like I just posted! 

Lots happening, I've been super busy, the temps are in the 90s to 100s in Elephant Butte, NM where I'm camped, and things have finally settled down a bit.  It's still hot, but honestly after a while you get acclimated to the high temperatures.  It just slows me down a bit!

Some of the things that have impacted our lives in the last couple of months:

1.  I'm now a New Mexico Resident!

I've been wanting to leave California since I got on the road over seven years ago, but I didn't know where I wanted to land.  I love Arizona and New Mexico and it was a hard decision to make.  Now that all the paperwork is done, I have a New Mexico Driver License, The Palms is licensed and insured in NM, and my Medicare stuff has been transferred and all THAT paperwork is done, I think I made the right decision. 

Transferring residency is different depending on the states, I imagine, but since I've gone through it here I'm going to do a separate post letting you know what is needed to get it done. It's really fairly easy, but time consuming.

2.  Our cabin door lock broke, and I couldn't get the door open!

I called Chip Baker of Baker's RV Service, who is highly recommended and very good at all things RV.  He came over and looked at it and said he'd never seen this before.  He finally got the inside plate of the lock off and we could see the broken piece, but he couldn't release the lock to get the door open.  He thought he could do it with other tools he didn't have with him that day.

I told him I'd order the lock on-line and call him when it came in, so he could come back and fix it.

Of course a few days passed before the lock arrived, and when I called Chip, he was booked for another three days.  I am very lucky that I have a Class C so Katie and I could get in and out of the rig through the driver door, but that's such a pain. 

I didn't want to wait another three days so I called another RV repair guy, Dave of RV Mobile Repairs and he was also booked the next three days. 

We're lucky to have two different Mobile Repair companies here in Elephant Butte who are highly recommended and know what they're doing.  They are also priced low to moderate from what I've seen.  I've been very happy with both Dave and Chip when they've come out to repair things for me on The Palms.

Next I asked a man here in the park, Max, if he would mind looking at it.  One of the problems is that the outside plate of the door, the part with the locking mechanisms, was solidly stuck. 

Max tried this and that, got more tools, and he managed to get the rest of the lock out!  Whew, that was a relief!

Then getting the new lock in was not an exact fit, even though I paid more than $125 over the Amazon.com locks that were comparable to my old lock.  I went right to the manufacturer and she said their locks cost more because it was an exact fit to the old lock, which was no longer made.  Well, that wasn't necessarily true!  But Max was able to work around the issues and get everything to fit, securely in place, screwed in, and it worked!  YAAAAY!

I'm kind of amazed watching these guys with mechanical know-how and lots of experience working around problems - the way their minds work is an amazing thing.  I was really impressed.

A BIG THANK YOU TO MAX!!!  He wouldn't even take a glass of cold water on a hot day, he insisted he didn't need a thing.  He said he was happy to see how these locks worked, then if his rig had the same problem, he'd know what to do.  What a guy!

You don't really appreciate that door until you can't get it open!

3.  Katie has been sick!

If you don't like reading about diarrhea, move on to Item #4.  :)

Her heart and kidney issues seem to be under control with the meds she's on.  And they have really booted up her system.  She likes walking again and seems younger, so I'm thinking she's had some issues for a long time that just weren't caught by the vets she's seen for the last few years, and I've also blamed her slowing down on her arthritis for the last few years. 😟

Then on May 14th, Katie woke me up trying to jump down from our over-cab bunk.  I jumped down fast and got her down, threw on clothes and took her outside.  She was vomiting and had diarrhea.  Then we walked - a lot - and came back to the rig.  (I've discovered during this episode that Katie LOVES walking at night!)

From that point on she's had problems.  She only vomited one other time but we're having a problem getting the diarrhea under control.  She literally leaked when she would sit or lie down.  You can imagine the mess that makes.

I kept her in "kitchen jail" since that first morning, blocking off the linoleum flooring from the carpet and couch/dinette seats.  I used my windshield sun screens and two rows of decorative boxes.  No way was she getting around those!  (Notice the clean rags in the baggie and the Clorox Wipes. Also baby wipes for little Katie and small clean-ups and I had a Clorox spray bottle for the floor.  I was using them constantly and finally just left them out so they'd be handy.)

She was SO GOOD accepting that she couldn't go past the barriers - but of course, I was "high stepping it" every time I moved around The Palms.  A real PAIN!

I was waking up three or four times the first three nights to take Katie outside and we'd walk and walk, she didn't want to go home.  Her bed was covered with a blanket, and I'd change the blanket so she'd have a clean surface to lay on, and we'd go back to sleep.  Soon we'd be up again...

Finally I was so tired, I just told her to poop on the floor.   I was too tired to get up and the floor needed cleaning every morning anyway, so...  I needed to sleep.
 
Those first days I'd wake up, get her outside and we'd walk till she was done "pooping" and then return to The Palms.

The second thing each morning was cleaning up - I'd be on my knees with the spray bottle sanitizing the floor with two or three passes, then I'd take her bed and blankets outside and clean them, then lay them out to dry.  Then I'd fill a plastic tub with warm water from my outside shower and clean Katie up.  She wouldn't let me clean her poopy body parts and yelped like crazy if I went anywhere near her tail, so I had her sitting in the warm clean water, then showered her off.   What a deal, huh?  Katie always seemed to like it, though, so I was able to get her pretty clean each time.

I went to town and bought some small cheap blankets and another dog bed. I just couldn't keep up with the mess!  Luckily there's a laundromat in the RV park we're in, and when I had a load, I'd take it over and run them through the washer/drier.

I couldn't take her outside to walk when it was in the 90s because the gravel was too hot for her to walk on.  I'd pick her up and walk her over to some shade to do her business.  One time when I got to the shade, I had dog poop running down my shirt and shorts.  Thank goodness there was no one around!  😯😧😝☹ 

That went on for four days.  In addition to on-line research I had called the vet and was given suggestions on what to feed her to get the diarrhea under control, and after four calls to the vet I went by and picked up some meds for Katie.  She was still eating and drinking and acting normally, so that was good.  The first Rx didn't work, and it should have worked by the next afternoon, so I went back to the vet and got another dose as well as an antibiotic.  The next morning things started getting better.

This is Kitchen Jail, Phase 2.  I removed one layer of the barrier to make it easier on myself and she still didn't try to jump over.  She's such a good girl.  I did put up the windshield barrier at night, though.  Just in case. 

 

(BTW, that thing attached to her collar is a lead I bought so she can be attached to the rig and go inside and outside, but still stay in our campsite.  She loves it!  She lays under the rig in the shade, or out on the rug in the sunshine in the morning and late afternoons.  It's given her a lot of freedom.)

We're not back to normal and it's been over two weeks.  But we're getting there.  I'm still feeding Katie the white rice/bland chicken meals along with bananas, canned pumpkin, cut up baked potatoes, things like that that she can have and are easy on her stomach.  And I'm introducing her regular food back into her diet very slowly.  She really prefers the home made meals at this point.

I went to the vet yesterday to pick up more prescription food, which she eats now for her heart/kidney issues, and weighed her, and she's lost one pound since this started.  She actually needed to lose that pound, but you don't want to lose weight because you're sick. I also got her a canine probiotic kit that has a capsule you break and sprinkle the contents on her food, and a paste also that helps firm the stool.  If it was a bug that the antibiotic knocked out, the probiotic will get her little tummy back in a good healthy condition.

Katie is out of kitchen jail now, but I'm not letting her sleep up in my bed. This is a good time for her to sleep "down" anyway because of the heat.  We're both more comfortable, I think. 

So, Katie is on the mend.  Have any of you had an issue like this with your pets?  I've never had a dog that went through this. I couldn't think of anything else to do to help her - did I miss something that would have gotten her better quicker?

4. Guess what?  My door wouldn't open again yesterday!  

Max said he'd come right over and look at it and get it working...   It was so hot, I told him to wait till late afternoon or the next morning or late afternoon, no hurry because I didn't mind using the truck driver door. 

You know - lots of RVers only HAVE ONE DOOR!  Thank goodness I'm driving a Class C with the two truck doors!  Otherwise Katie and I would have been climbing in and out of a WINDOW till the new lock came in the mail, and again when the door wouldn't open the second time.

That afternoon I thought I'd at least start the process and save Max some time, and took out the screws of the inner plate and tried turning the locks and playing with the parts and WaaLaa, the door opened!  I couldn't believe it!

So I screwed the inner lock plate back on and stood outside trying to figure out what was happening.  As I was closing the door slowly, it seemed to be harder than normal to close it, something was catching and I noticed the two metal thingies - I don't know what they are called - seemed longer than they had before.  These two metal, round things attached to the door itself, not part of the lock.

 

They fit into the door jamb plate when the door is closed.

I've read that they shouldn't be messed with - if there's a problem, call a professional locksmith.  Now I know why:  you could lock yourself out of your rig. 

I noticed they were loose and extending out further than they should, so if I slammed the door, they would have gone past where they should be and the door would be stuck again.  (Or something like that.)  So I got my screwdriver and tried different lengths to see what worked.  Finally they were at a place where they went securely where they should be without catching on that metal plate and there was no problem getting the door closed or open. 

That was a good lesson, I know more about these locks than I ever thought I would need!  But if I ever feel that little feeling where the door isn't closing easily, that little "catch" and a metallic sound - I won't close it.  I'll check those two round things to see if they are positioned correctly first.

And finally...

Well, it sure sounds like my life has been horrible, but other than Katie being sick, I'm happy as a clam as usual.  You all know we have things pop up from time to time and we just have to take care of them then life is wonderful again.  It's only frustrating if the fix isn't easy.  Right?

But I have a new job which I'm loving, and I'm really enjoying being a New Mexico resident.  I'll post about those next time and I also want to tell you about  my new Medicare plan here in NM.  I freaking couldn't believe how good it is!

Check back soon, I'm in a writing mood and might just write the next post to publish in a few days!  I have a list of nine things to post over the next week or so.

Oh, also - and this is a BIGGIE!  I don't know if I have an ANGEL, or lots of ANGELS, but as you probably know, I'm an Amazon Affiliate.  I have links here on my posts that will bring readers to Amazon.com to browse around and make any purchases they want/need.  Whenever someone buys something from Amazon.com after using my links to get there for their first search for that item, I get a small percentage of the sale.  It's not more expensive for the buyer, Amazon takes a bit from their profit and gives that $$ to it's affiliate.  Win/Win for you and me, because it's easy for my readers to get there through my links, whether they buy something or not, and then I earn some money through their purchase. 

BTW, you can click ANY of the Amazon links on my blog to be taken to Amazon.com, then search around to where you need to go.  Anything you purchase during that particular shopping time  - a small percentage will be credited to my account.  💕

Normally my proceeds aren't very high except sometimes around the Christmas season, but I just checked this morning and SOMEONE or a bunch of SOMEONES have been making a lot of purchases through my links!  WOW!!

THANK YOU for your purchases - I appreciate it so much when my readers use my links to go to Amazon.com.  That was such a happy surprise!  😍😘 

I'll end this here - I'm WAY too long, sorry about that.  And More to Come...

Have a wonderful day, everybody!  😊❤😎

A cool little purchase...

When I was in San Diego staying with my kids, my daughter-in-law, Trish, had a diffuser.  She has all kinds of oils that she uses for various things - they seem to help different aliments, moods, etc.  I had heard of diffusers, but hadn't seen one in action.

I was still getting over my flu - which I now think was bronchitis.   I was feeling great, but had this dumb little cough that I couldn't seem to get over.  I mentioned it to Trish, and she got out her diffuser and put the correct essential oil into the water and turned it on.

I realized the next day that I hadn't coughed since the previous day:  the night before - no coughing, and the next day - no coughing.  There must be something to these essential oils other than smelling good.  Which, actually, would be enough for me, but the healing properties of the scented air wafting around the room is an added bonus.

I told her I was going to buy a diffuser, and she gifted me with my favorite of all my oils.  (Not that many really, I still want a few more.)  The one she gave me is Christmas Spirit, by Young Living.  It smells SO GOOD!

As soon as I got settled in New Mexico and had an address, I ordered this diffuser on-line:

There are so many to choose from, different sizes, colors, functions, materials and prices. This one is only $22.99.  Plus rocks/soil and plants/faux foliage.  🌿🎍🌿

The thing that was different about this one is the space where you can put some soil and little plants.  I saw photos where people had small live plants, grass, etc. growing, and that was my plan.  But then I thought, I'm in the high desert, really dry air, very small planting area.  I'd be watering it all the time, trimming it, and having to be SO careful that I didn't knock it over.

As I was walking through Walmart, I noticed the faux succulents they had for sale - $1.98 each.  Four of those and another plant stem with little white flowers that I cut up to add in between and a bag of pretty rocks, and waa-laa!

I love it.

These are my current crop of essential oils:  Tea Tree, Rosemary, Eucalyptus, (all blended with Coconut Oil), Sweet Orange, Lavender, Frankincense, Breathe Easy (Eucalyptus, Basil, Tee Tree and Peppermint blend), and the middle one in the photo is the Christmas Spirit which is an Orange, Cinnamon and Black Spruce blend.

Mine - this model - has buttons on the front that you press for how long you want it to run - one hour, three hours, or six hours.   There's also a lighted area around the diffuser - see the white line above?  Well, with different buttons pushed you can have white, red, blue green purple, or yellow in that lighted area when it's turned on.

It's easy to fill, easy to clean, and really cool to use.  I turn it on first thing every morning and six hours later, fill it again, and then maybe again till bedtime.  I love the different scents diffusing through The Palms.

I don't know if  using these for different moods or health issues really works, but...

1. My cough went away.

2.  I was working on a project and couldn't settle down and DO it.  I researched, and futzed around, read information, copied it into folders on the laptop for future reference, then researched more.  This went on for DAYS.

Then I thought:  I wonder if there's an essential oil to help with concentration.  I looked it up and - Yes!  Frankincense helps to Stay Focused, Centered and Relaxed!  So I bought some - came back home, added a few drops to the water in the diffuser, sat down and finished my project.  Ha!  It worked!

Was I playing mind games with myself?  Who cares?  Whatever caused me to sit down and get the project done, mind games or essential oils, the project got done.

So, that's my new thing.  I can't really call it a toy or an RV mod, but it's my new favorite thing and I wanted to tell you about it.  NOTE:  See my P.S. below for info about pets and essential oils.

Just in case you're interested, here's a link to where I got mine at Amazon.com:

 My Very Cool Diffuser/Planter

There's never a dull moment with me and my Wonderdog, Katie - some big changes are going on in The Palms lately.  I'll tell you about those in the next post.

From Me and Katie, have a great weekend, everyone!

P.S.   My first two comments were about certain essential oils not being good for pets, so I did a bit of research and found a couple of good websites on this subject, and I'm sure there are more.  It turns out some essential oils are NOT good for pets, while others are BENEFICIAL.  

Click on those links to learn more.    Organic Aromas    Essential Oil Vet 

Here's a chart that was on Organic Aromas that I thought was pretty good (you may have to enlarge your screen to read it.)