Spring in the Sonoran Desert - Tucson

It's nice to have a good think, or a good non-think, outside in the morning air. That's what I thought.

Franklin Whitey still hangs around here day and night for some reason (Trader Joe's Lamb and Rice), and he's a good non-think companion, until...

He loves to chase cows. Who doesn't? They run from him - WHEEEE! - until he barks. That's a gamechanger; a steer stops, turns around, and chases Whitey. WHEEEE! Whitey remembers where I am! WHEEE! Whitey comes to find me! WHEEeee...?

 Lesson for today: We're all always wearing a bathing suit.

No pictures!

 Spring makes you take pictures of birds. Just try to stop yourself - can't be done.

 I waited so long for this ocotillo to leaf it's like I birthed it. Hope you're all birthing something great.

Annie's away again having a crown adjusted. I think she's feeling like royalty.

~~~~~

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Tail of two kitties - an animal story

The Truth About Franklin

 There are things dogs will make you look at: morning.

Franklin the Dog settled into the Duck and got more comfortable. That's when he started attacking cats. It wasn't the Disney version; more like Wild Kingdom. Jim pulled the wild dog off his prey, and I stayed in the Jeep narrating.

Franklin has mad walking skillz

We got him away from them, and then we were distressed and sad. What do we do now? We can't re-abandon a dog in the desert. We can't keep him inside at all, which means we can't keep him at all. That was a very tearful night.

Very, very early the very next morning, Annie walked Franklin on a lonely, deserted road and met Emma. Emma is 14, had missed her bus, and was walking several miles to school. Franklin recognized her! Then he got sheepish; he had been made.

"Is this your dog? He looks just like Whitey!" Emma spilled Whitey's entire story. He has an owner nearby, but he casts a wide net in search of companionship and kibble. At least two people (that we know of) feed him when he shows up. Why was he so thin when he got here? I don't know.

He fears a leash because he only wears one when he's being loaded into the car (he hates that).

 He still hangs out here, outside the cat pen (the motorhome). Now that he's been outed, he's a different dog. Happy, carefree, relieved that he can live openly as himself. He won't go with us when we leave, and we'll be sad all over again. There's bitter with the sweet.

Annie meeting Emma on that particular morning was a very happy coincidence. We know we could give Franklin "Whitey" Jackson a posher life, but I'm not sure it would be happier. He is never perkier than when he's chasing a wild cow for sport, and we just could never provide that kind of rodeo.



The Desert Isn't Deserted

Traffic here is very quiet, and must happen at night. Maybe these are hyper-obvious geocaching clues.

Other Dogs Make Us Feel Better

Polly when she's not Wheeling It

 

Polly and Nina came to comfort us. Franklin was hanging out at one of his other houses.

Stumpy and Cyndi

These guys were hanging out at their house by the casino. We sat in the sun, and I was warm for the first time in two weeks.

Cyndi told me that, while you're staying for free in the parking lot, you can use the casino pool and spa. WHAT. Could I drive the Tracker over there, park in the lot, and do the same thing? Could I ride my bike? Could I just be passing by?

Windows to the soul

Stumpy and Cyndi just got back from the Rubbertramp Rendezvous, and had great things to say about it.

Al Gore. Gore Vidal. Leslie Gore. Stop me if you've heard these.

When I was little I thought only boy cows had horns. I'm pretty sure someone told me that. Maybe the same person who produced Barnyard.

Big Sky Country is not just for Montana

Arizona and Mother Nature are such kidders. Snow. Ha! Ha! Knock it off.

Looking toward Tucson

Kitt Peak. My pique.

Not great skies for our batteries. Just turn off the distractions and go outside.

This is a good example of the kind of property you'd find for sale around here. This piece would be nice for driving onto; it has no ditch, and is fairly level. Nice view!

The problem is I found this walking. We tried to drive to it in our rugged little 4x4, but no way. Impassable from both directions. We suspect this was purchased sight-unseen.

Where we're staying, a good neighbor drags the roads after precipitation. That keeps things very accessible here, but we're learning that's a rarity. 

You will be off-grid on this land (and probably stay that way), and there are no water or sewer services out here. Roads are not maintained - put on your big-girl boots, city gal! On the other hand, you'll pay the kind of taxes that indicate you're not getting any services.

One of the "maintained" roads. Don't wait around for county services - you don't pay enough taxes for that.

Enough of that nature-y stuff. WE MET NINA AND PAUL! They're pretty busy with their own stuff right now, but we're so happy they could be badgered and cajoled into joining us for lunch! They're exactly as fun as you imagine them. Nina has been so extremely helpful to us in living this way. She educates us with her blog, and she has always been great about answering my questions in a way that didn't sound like she was rolling her eyes.

Brenda and Karin introduced us to Blue Willow in Tucson. She suggests that it's the perfect meet-up restaurant, and she may be right. There's a gluten-free menu and a vegan menu, besides a lot of conventional choices. 

Nina and Paul tell us that the Benchmark Atlases are worth every penny. I keep hearing that, so we'll invest. We'll start with the ones we're likely to use first, like Arizona and New Mexico.

Nina is a long-time dog trainer, and gave us some good advice about Franklin Jackson. In just a few hours of using her tips, he was more relaxed and focused on us. He sits for food, and before going outside. He has a naturally gentle disposition, and the cat situation is going well.

The G-A-S problem has subsided. Franklin's is better, too.

*****

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