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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Old friends, Best Friends

I'm so tired I barely put can two together words. If my job on Saturday was plush, today was a blanket on a cement floor. Annie and I both chose Old Friends, the houses (Homer and Dolores) with elderly dogs. Elderly. Aren't they supposed to be mellow? You elderly people are mellow, aren't you?

There were six of us, including the staff caregiver, and all of us flat-out busted tail feathers all afternoon. How does she do it when there are no volunteers? I ask no one in particular. If you want to feel appreciated and useful, I recommend it.




I gave Tango the "special scritch," and at the midway point of her spine, she threw herself down on the ground and kicked. Then I did it to a dog.



I love how dogs are never embarrassed, unless they're caught pooping.


 Pluto found our attention uncomfortable, and kept leaving the room. He also found our company irrestible, so he kept returning.

The caregiver, Cherie, told us about Reuben, who lived at Best Friends for ten years. At twelve years of age, he was adopted by a family who built a ramp on their house for him. They loaded up his meds, and away went Reuben on a late-life adventure. It's never too late.

  Hughes and Judy are a bonded pair, and must be adopted together. They are personable, friendly, and well-behaved in public.

 The buffet was crowded, and everyone wanted to sit on the deck. Why not - the temperature was a perfect 80° F! Judy and Hughes shared our table and they were excellent company. We're hoping we run into them again around the salad bar this week. They are also travelers, much of the distance by RV, so check out their blog. They disclaim that it's only interesting to family, but they lie. Look how cute they are! You can forgive them.

Cat World's Biggest Loser, and Dogtown.

We made early morning appointments to volunteer, clearly forgetting who we are. We stumbled in and headed for our assignments; somehow I pulled the poshest "work" detail ever. I chose Sinjin's House, which is the home of Best Friends' fat cats. These guys need no socialization, so I spent three hours scritching and grooming them. Sure, my tongue is fuzzy, but my heart is full.

Millie:

 

Millie came to Best Friends at 31 pounds. Since she's been here, she's lost 3 pounds. You know what it's like to try to lose 10% of your body weight, so let's hear it for the girl. She's very healthy, but exertion taxes her heart. Walking hurts, as you might imagine, and makes her cranky. What doesn't make her cranky: scritches. 

She is a feature of the tour - everyone hears about Millie - so I felt honored to be in the presence of celebrity. One of the founders came through looking for her, gave her a pet and a pep talk, and left again.

Nora: <--- check out her "before" picture!
Nora gave me The Look only once this morning, and it was for this picture. She is affectionate and sweet, spending lots of time on my lap, and has no special needs that I know of. I sorta fell for her, but her house is so much nicer than ours! I was envious of her free access to a predator-proof sun porch. She would have resented me forever.
Aly is an attention-hog with a great voice. He wants your full attention, but will settle for the sound of one hand petting. Again, check out his headshots. They do a great job of slimming these big cats down, and replacing extra food with extra attention.
Buddah is the house's Biggest Loser, now that he's a slim, svelte kitty. Is this cat svelte? It is now - I just svelte him.
The caregiver, Barbara, described Orson as a hunka hunka handsome kitty. He is very friendly and cuddlesome. He does have special needs - he has meds for his glaucoma, and doesn't see fully. He probably suffered a car fan belt accident when he was younger.
Isabelle is shy, and enjoyed her cattery instead of enjoying me. I svelte like being alone.
Annie worked in Dogtown with the puppies, and she wants me to show you her fuzzy charges:

Bugs, who apparently eats anything. Shown: dirt

Hampton. He got adopted today! 

He doesn't have special needs - his junk was hot.

Not adoptable.

We signed up for four more sessions, including a PIG GIG on Saturday! SCORE!

You have better places to be.

Go immediately to The Midlife Cruiser.  Bring a plastic bag.