Saturday – Camping Out at Home

campsite.jpgWe’re now occupying our new Arizona home. We have been “moved in” since Tuesday morning but since we haven’t furnished the place, we’re still “camping out,” so to speak.

All the appliances are here, the utilities are all turned on and we had our first trash collection on Thursday. We can shower, wash clothes and dishes, store food in the refrigerator and guns in the safe and sleep on our new mattress set (sans bed frame). Most of the furniture we have in California will stay there since I promised Damsel all new furnishings for our new retirement home. That will take time.

In the meantime, we’re eating on a 2×4 folding table (the same one where our laptops sit), we’re sitting on a couple of canvas folding chairs and our entertainment center consists of a 17 inch TV, a little round table, a cooler used as a table and a couple more (patriotic) folding chairs.

Like I said in a previous comment, “Spartan Opulence.” But the euphoria of being in our retirement home lets us look at all of this through rose-colored glasses. It’s a great feeling. We will get where we want to be in a matter of just a few weeks.

Pyrrhuloxia

casandro-cardinal.jpgI think this is a pyrrhuloxia or cardinalis sinuatis, according to an image I see in my “Birds of Arizona” booklet. I wonder why ornithologists come up with all those gigantic, unpronounceable names for pretty little birds like this one?

The colorful little bird, let’s call it a Casandro Cardinal for now, perched briefly in the creosote by the road before flying down to get some of the wild critter food that I put out this morning. We also saw cottontail, jackrabbits, desert chipmunks, quail and a couple of days ago, we saw a mule deer bounding through the rear of our lot.

Last night, the coyotes serenaded us with howls and barks. Quite a change from the South Bay suburbs. I like it!

Footnote from Cap’n Bob:

four-k.jpgThis morning, the Site Meter ticked over 400,000 visits. Thanks to everybody for reading us over the years.

Moonrise Over Pencil Cholla

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I went out on our patio this afternoon and noticed the moon above this pencil cholla (pronounced choy-ah) cactus. I went and got my camera to capture this photo of the half-moon in the blue sky with the cactus in the foreground. Click on the image to enlarge.

Why I Won’t Buy Another GM Product

First, there is the matter of General Motors taking the government bailout. And now, there is a candid admission by GM’s North American President, Mark Reuss that they really don’t care what their customers think.

From Henry Payne via Planet Gore:

The Government Auto Show

With four inches of snow blanketing Detroit outside Cobo Convention Center and flakes falling on 49 of 50 U.S. states (Florida excepted), GM announced at the Detroit Auto Show this week that it is developing an all-electric vehicle fleet to combat . . . global warming.

Americans are flocking to snow-covered dealer lots to trade in their compact sedans for four-wheel drive SUVs, but The General also rolled out a new Chevy subcompact and the first Buick compact.

GM’s North American president, Mark Reuss, made it clear what’s driving product development. “Forget about gas prices. The regulatory environment through 2016 is going to dictate what we do,” he said. “You got to plan your portfolio to be there from a CO2 greenhouse gas standpoint.”

In a rare candid moment, a major auto executive admitted that what motivates today’s auto production is not the consumer — it’s the government.

For complete auto show coverage, go to The Michigan View.com.

Emphasis added.

High Speed Internet and CATV Complete

I felt sorry for the technician who performed the installation because he had to install a temporary coaxial cable in a trench he had to dig because the PVC pipe to the cable terminal was blocked. The company will send a special unit later this week to complete the permanent installation.

But, as of today, we have our high speed internet and can watch the BCS college championship game between Oregon and Auburn!

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