Once upon a time when our family was young, we bought a movie camera. From then on, except for the occasional grabbing it away from me, I saw everything we did through a movie lens. That didn’t stop, even as we went into using slides or regular film (way, way, way before digital), I saw it all through a tiny glass lens.

I lived in an apartment after I sold my house, thinking that would be my way of life. Think again! However, it was a step that I didn’t know I had to take. Moving from our acre of heaven in the country, forced me to downsize. If it didn’t go to my kids, it went to neighbors, friends, garage sales, and an auction. After making the decision to go on the road and live full time in an RV, I downsized again. Among the things I couldn’t downsize and felt I needed to take with me was a huge Wal-mart container full of movies and slides. They traveled all over North America with me for the next 20 years. Then I stored them in my AZ shed for a few years.

Do you drink coffee? Do you like coffee? I kind of like it. Sometimes I forget to fix it, which tells you something. Most died-in-the-wool coffee drinkers would give up their first born for their first morning coffee. There were rare moments when I would have given mine up for a lot less than that but that was a long time ago and another story. When I get bored or sleepy, I remember to go fix a cup of coffee. I have a blue speckled camping coffeepot for heating water.

I just discovered Folgers Cappuccino in mocha chocolate and French vanilla so I throw a spoonful of one of those in my two-cup coffee cup, along with a spoonful of whatever brand of instant coffee lives in the cupboard and a couple spoons of creamer. After putting the hot water in, I add flavored creamer to cool it down. A true coffee drinker would already blanche and say, “That’s doesn’t even resemble coffee!” and they would be right, but it works for me. I seldom finish it anyway. I get busy on the computer and the next thing I know it is cold. I put it in the frig for the next time I need a drink, and then I reheat it. I can hear you now, “Gag me with a fork!”

I read somewhere recently that an RVer thinks that RV campgrounds should provide plastic bags for dog owners. I say it is very nice if they do. But, in the story I read, the owner’s dog had done his duty and someone was really giving him what for because he didn’t pick it up. He said he had intended to but he didn’t have a plastic bag with him. When was he going to pick it up? You DO NOT hope and pray that the RV park has a box with plastic doo doo bags at the ready. If you own a dog, it is your responsibility to carry a pocket full of plastic bags with you whenever you take that dog on a walk.

A friend of mine (or I thought he was) was introduced to another friend. They realized they knew each other through their dogs. The dog park is an exercise enclosure for dogs and a gathering place for owners where friendships are often formed. My friend proceeded to tell this other fellow that “Charlie doesn’t like dogs.” I was stunned.

Nola Cook and I have been friends for many years, sharing our love of Saguaro Park that abuts my property. She, among others, gives the park tender loving care and I get to enjoy it. We took off in her car for a day of exploring. She drove the route via Skull Valley and through construction, wound her way around Prescott and Prescott Valley. A pleasant surprise for both of us was seeing a rather large herd of antelope. We used to see them all the time but with Prescott Valley housing encroaching on their habitat, neither of us had seen any sign of them for years. They were happily grazing and we happily watched them. We headed into the Prescott National Forest above Jerome.

Nola was a full-timer with her late husband for many years and a solo RVer since so she isn’t afraid of anything. She turned on to a gravel road and diverted around a locked gate where we really wanted to go. Their season is May through October so we were a bit early to visit Potato Patch Campground (6,930’) with its 40 sites and Mingus Mt. Campground (7,645’) with 24 sites. Not to be deterred from our wooded adventure, we took off a different direction. Eventually we turned around, parked, and just enjoyed the forest. It had been a while since I had ventured beyond the high desert and sniffed a pine forest. It was admittedly extremely dry but trees prevailed.

I was invited to a “Hobo Stew and Food Bank Drive” celebration of the 41^st, 47^th, and 47^th anniversaries of three North Ranch couples. The hosts, Mark & Kathy Guidry, listed the canned ingredients you might bring ahead of time and at the same time you could leave non-perishable foods for the local food bank. Although I have had many a Hobo Stew during my years as a Girl Scout leader, I hadn’t heard that title for many a year.

Actually, I make a version of hobo stew every couple of weeks in my crock pot. I brown whatever meat I have or snakes I’ve caught (just kidding) and add what should be removed from the refrigerator anyway (cauliflower, broccoli), then add canned goods (vegetable medley, diced tomatoes, red beans and great northern) to fill it up. I use chicken broth to add liquid if needed and maybe a bouillon cube or two plus plenty of spices to kill anything lethal (kidding again). A little rice adds some thickness to it. A few crackers or better yet, fresh cheesy bread, and it is a meal for the gods. It never turns out the same twice but it is always delicious (well, almost always).

North Ranch offers Woodcarving Week first, with Beading Week immediately following, both taking place roughly the end of March. I’ve reported on woodcarvers in the past so this time I wanted to tell about Bead Week that is as highly attended as the woodcarving. The campground is packed with RVs and the Activity Center bulges with those who teach, those who volunteer, and those who want to learn. Knowledge is shared and creativity experienced. Ideas run rampant. Talent is definitely on the loose. Everyone pitches in to make it a fun and fulfilling experience for teachers and students alike.

Some people come for both weeks. This year Bead Week presented twenty-five classes that covered a wide variety of bead-weaving stitches, nine classes of polymer bead techniques, six classes of wire working, three classes using stringing techniques, three classes of kumihimo braiding, two classes of fancy knotting, plus resin pendants and bead crochet. They learned basic stitches and skills, found solutions to beading problems, and enjoyed seminars on color theory, seed bead basics, bead stringing basics, and tools of the trade. 

Easter Sunrise service representing several small local churches, exceeded expectations and a couple of us brought out the lawn chairs from our cars. Beautiful morning and beautiful message.

Usually I avoid the big Escapee Easter dinner, mainly because I’m too lazy to prepare a dish for 10 and since I have so often written about my cooking expertise (or lack thereof) and my reputation precedes me, I bring ¾ of it home. This year I was invited to dinner somewhere in the desert wilderness.

While I write this tongue in cheek, the message is that living alone is not always easy for women, especially in your let’s-just-say-over-60 years. I know there are many died-in-the-wool women libbers out there who will blanche at my comments, but as my husband used to say, “You are a staunch women’s libber until you get into trouble.” And he was right, and I get into trouble often.

I have always been willing to take off with my RV/car on a road, or something simulating a road, to the end of nowhere without giving it a thought except to have good rubber tires. However, reading instructions and putting together anything, specifically this morning, a vacuum cleaner, is completely daunting.

Spring is here! I suppose I can’t be totally sure of that since we had huge flakes of snow falling thick enough we couldn’t see through them right here at N. Ranch less than two weeks ago. But, all the green plants growing in my rock-covered yard that looked like weeds weren’t! I went out to rake up everything that the trees emptied on to the ground making room for new leaves and discovered all those green plants were Mexican poppies readying to pop. Three of them bloomed into the beautiful bright yellow and orange blossoms that will fill the yard within the week.

Other signs of springtime will soon show themselves in tiny green buds on the trees. One day you look and bare limbs and the next, every branch will be decorated with green spots. They seem to wiggle into being overnight. I love springtime and it is so welcome here in the desert. We had enough rain this year that when I look out across the desert just beyond my lot, it is green and lush just like a Michigan cow pasture. Actually, there are cows out there on occasion so I’m not all that far off.