Be Prepared.
J.P.
Getaway.
We spent the weekend in Flagstaff. We haven’t reached our one year anniversary of living in Arizona yet and it’s weird to me to think of the Grand Canyon as a reasonable weekend destination by car. Stopped traffic on Interstate 17 notwithstanding.
We were to go away for a long weekend this weekend as a celebration of Earl’s birthday at the end of February, but work plans interrupted that plan and when I knew what my work schedule looked like we were able to make some last minute reservations and find ourselves a place to stay in Flagstaff. The small reminder of winter weather was a nice change of pace.
This was our second time to The Grand Canyon and it’s still as beautiful as it was the first time we visited over 20 years ago. I was a little surprised at how much Grand Canyon Village had grown. The south rim viewing area and visitors center was busy but not overly crowded. COVID-19 precautions are now uneven at best. We make do with what we have.
We had a very pleasant drive and some nice meals and a very relaxing weekend away. It was good to get recharged.
Caturday.
Truman was kind enough to let me know where the hose and accessories for the central vacuum system is stored. Mind you, he didn’t offer to clean, but he did offer to help.
Wait.
Earl and I spent nearly two hours just north of milepost 246 on Interstate 71 north of Phoenix. Actually, we were just north of Black Canyon City and not quite to the Bumble Bee exit. Traffic was stopped for a crash at milepost 249. The electronic signs told us the left lane was closed but then traffic came to a grinding halt and we sat in the same spot for nearly two hours. I am thankful it wasn’t in the heat of the desert. Actually, the pre spring breeze was quite pleasant, and we were amusing ourselves in the darkened car by watching others in their cars. Plus we played on our phones.
Then everyone started turning off their cars because gas is expensive these days.
When traffic started moving again, the truck ahead of us couldn’t get going on the hill, so we drove around him. When we finally crawled to the accident site, it was evident one or more cars had gone down the sharp hill off the left side of the freeway.
Just a wild assumption, but don’t use your phone when you’re driving.
Perch.
Truman insists on getting situated on the highest perch available in the house to see what’s going on with these two puppies that are now part of the household. I don’t like him getting up there as it seems awfully tippy, so we’re buying him a cat tree that will provide a larger and safer platform affording the same views that he enjoys from his little perch.
Meanwhile, all that use four legs seem to be getting to know each other. There have been no hisses from the long term resident, but there have been a couple of growls. Truman maintains his distance and dominance. We’ve re-installed the gate that was at our bedroom area when we bought the house; Truman can jump over it but the puppies can not.
This works out well for the feline.
Growing Family.
So two new additions joined the family this evening. Jamie, Chris, and Mike have been wanting a dog or two since we moved to Tucson, so tonight we welcomed a brother and sister Husky-German Shepard mix pair of pups. Truman has been fairly hospitable.
They don’t have names yet but at two months old they’re full of energy. Here’s Truman saying hello to the sleeping sister of the pair.
Rant.
I haven’t been on Facebook in a while and I hadn’t ranted on Facebook in a much longer while, but I couldn’t keep my mouth shut anymore.
It’s been decades since I’ve sat in a social studies class, and even when I sat in a social studies class I wasn’t really that enthralled with the subject. But, I do remember that gas prices in a capitalistic society are determined by supply and demand, the free market in general, corporate greed, and probably too many taxes. No one in the US government issues a decree declaring what gas prices will be. Demand a year ago, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic was low. Now that folks are out and about (since COVID is “over”?), demand is high. Because of worldwide angst, supply is low. The US Government is releasing barrels of reserve to help with the supply. Supply and demand + corporate greed (you don’t see oil corp profits declining, do you?) = higher prices at the pump. If you need to blame someone, blame an oil exec while they fan themselves with money on their million dollar yachts. Yes, prices are absolutely painful. Yes, there’s a lot of turmoil in the world. Yes, all governments involved in all of this could do a heck of a lot better, but when you drive a large vehicle that requires a lot of gas, it’s going to get pricey in times like these. Trade in for a Chevette or plan your trips to the market a little better. And yes, this all sucks.
LG.
The new refrigerator arrived today and it fits like a glove. It’s a bit bigger than the previous refrigerator, which has bene relegated to the laundry room. Having a backup refrigerator for a family of five men will prove to make the marketing easier.
The glass panel is NOT a touchscreen, they’re too prone to bugs and crashing. While the new refrigerator is connected to the WiFi, two knocks on the darkened area turns on the light and shows us what’s inside. If we want to grab something from the convenience shelf, the dark panel opens up like a door within a door.
Later in the week we discover what craft ice looks like.
