Got Oranges?

December, 2011.

The 1-year old tree yielded 9 oranges.

It's an Algerian Clementine Mandarin Orange.

December, 2014.

Don't know how many; 80 maybe?

We got zippity doo dah in 2012 and 2013, lack of pollination, I think.
The harvest starts this week.

In other plant news: I promised (blog post of 10/9/10) to provide a picture of the new plants in the lower terrace.  My faithful readers have been clamoring - in ever-increasing volume and frequency - for me to fulfill that promise.  The long wait is over!  Read on.

Before: lower terrace, October, 2010.  Ho-hum.

After: lower terrace, November, 2014.

Viva la difference!

Left to right: Blue Myrtle Cactus, Century Plant, Tubac Prickly Pear.

Valley of Fire II

Arches, balanced rocks, petroglyphs, slot canyons and magnificent colors abound here.  Here are a few of the best sights.

Atlatl Rock is a 10 minute walk from our campground.

This picture shows only a few of the petroglyphs there.

The atlatl, a launching stick for spears and precursor of the bow and arrow,

is pictured upper center above - the guy with his arms raised above his head.

It appears the guy is wearing a skirt, was probably a crossdresser.

Could be a woman but I don't think they did any hunting,

women's lib not being a popular concept at the time. 

The other images, period graffiti actually, are similar to others in

 various southwest locations: a hot dog on a stick, big horn sheep, a film strip,

 the Target store symbol, several snakes, 3-toed boogeymen and a dildo.

Above and below pix were taken on the 1.2 mile White Domes hike.

Slot canyons are spectacular but not a good place to be in a downpour.

Below, a wide range of colors in a relatively small area - amazing!

Fire Wave above and below, a 1.5 mile hike, round trip.

Poodle Rock

Valley of Fire

The visitor center blends in nicely.

Trish on the rocks.

A member of the Hole in the Wall Gang?

Valley of Fire, an hour’s drive NE of Las Vegas, is Nevada’s oldest and largest state park. And, it’s gorgeous!  We arrived here late Monday morning, just a few minutes behind our friends, David and Elaine; their 5W is parked across the road from us.  Spending holiday weekends at a campground is popular with RVers.  The best campgrounds are full to capacity, including this one.

We lucked out with the best site in the campground.  It has a huge, level concrete pad, electric and water hookups and is right beside the restroom/shower building.  It's a handicapped site, which we can use because Trish qualifies for permanent handicapped parking.

Above and below pix were taken just a couple blocks from our campground.

Side Effects

Three days ago I bent over to get a T-shirt from the dresser drawer when, suddenly, my back seized up.  This happens every few years for no obvious reason.  I'm just minding my own business, bend over to pick something up (in one case, bending over to wipe my butt) and zap-gotcha!  I'm frozen in place, afraid to move, afraid it will bite me again if I do.  I take a few deep breaths, wait a few moments, and then, very slowly and carefully, rise to a standing position by walking my hands up my legs to avoid using my back muscles.

Usually the pain eases off in a day or two and I'm back to normal in 4-5 days.  But this time it wasn't improving so I visited the doctor yesterday.  Diagnosis: inflamed/enlarged muscle is putting pressure on sciatic nerve.  Treatment: MethylPREDNISolone.  I've never used that drug but my favorite youngest sister, Marge, is using it to help her cope with a rare but nasty health issue.  She said that the possible side effects were off-putting, but that it was effective in treating her condition.

I don't normally read possible side effects warnings on prescribed meds but I did this time.  Let me tell you, they're enough to make brave men tremble - much braver men than I.  Here they are: bloody, black or tarry stools; facial flushing; feeling of whirling motion; hangnails; headache; changes in body fat; changes in menstrual periods; increased navel lint; chest pain; fainting; fever, chills or sore throat; increased hunger, thirst or urination; mental or mood changes; muscle pain; poor gas mileage; weakness or wasting; seizures; hairy boogers; severe nausea or vomiting; slow wound healing; rust or corrosion; stomach pain; sudden severe dizziness; swelling of feet or legs; bad karma; tendon, bone or joint pain; toe jam; thinning of the skin; unusual bruising or bleeding; delusions of adequacy; unusual skin sensations; unusual weight gain (lots of unusual here; where's Tom Jones when you need him?); vision changes or other eye problems; harelip.

Trish says it also tends to make people mean and short-tempered.  Medical professionals, who just love to give things the longest names possible, call it ScreamingAssholeSyndrome.

Aaron Sorkin

Most media viewers pay scant attention to the credits, I suspect.  The lead actor plus a couple more in supporting roles are the most visible and well known, while those behind the scenes - writers, producers, directors, etc - rarely gain fame.  It takes a real blockbuster or three to catapult a Hitchcock or a Spielberg or a Lucas into the spotlight.  Aaron Sorkin, the writer, was recently catapulted into our awareness via the current HBO TV series, The Newsroom.  A friend told us about it, we test drove it, and loved it. The second season just became available on DVD.

We're latecomers to this party.  Many folks who watch regular TV programming discovered Sorkin a few years ago via The West Wing, the popular, much-awarded series that ran 1999 - 2006.  I was aware of it's popularity but had never viewed an episode until recently.  Now, we're streaming it and enjoying it.  We backtracked and found another Sorkin series, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. We just finished it, and liked it also.

The 3 series mentioned above are similar in format: rapid-fire, witty dialog between behind-the-scenes people dealing with myriad deadlines and crises.  Before the presidential announcement, before the 'big-3' TV network anchorman goes on the air, it's a chaotic and ever-changing scenario for those doing the prep work.  There's plenty of humor in the dialog, much of it banter, inspiring frequent laughs from Trish and I.

Sorkin also did some fine screenplay writing, including A Few Good Men, The American President, and Moneyball.  I've seen them all and enjoyed them all.  If, you've missed out on Sorkin's work, give it a shot.  I wrote this because I wanted to share the fun and to provide a viewing hit list.  

Totally Nuts V

It's a big party and I'm the host.  It's at my home, a home that sports features from several  homes I've owned, yet is different in many ways.  There are several cars parked out front and about 40 people wandering around, most of whom I don't know.  Who are all these people?  Why are they here?  Who invited them?  I don't mind them being there, just curious.

We're sitting around a picnic table in front of the house, chatting, a few family members and I.  A flower delivery guy approaches the table and sets a large bouquet of flowers in front of me.  A few minutes later another flower guy appears and deposits a huge swag-style flower arrangement on the table.  The flowers are for me, sent by folks congratulating me for something, I know not what.

I mosey around to the back yard.  It has a gradual slope near the house, a steeper slope beyond that, finally leveling off at a thick growth of tall brush.  Just beyond the brush is a little-used public road. A half dozen cars are parked on the upper slope, including a black, sawed-off, little runt of a car, obviously foreign.  I'm talking to a couple guys when, suddenly, the little black car starts rolling down the hill.  It gathers momentum, keeps on rolling, crashes through brush and disappears.

It's nearly dark now and I'm thinking we have to go find that car; it may be on the road and somebody is going to come along and crash into it!  I run down the slope, expecting the others to join me but they don't.  They're afraid of something down there, won't budge.  I crash through the brush and come upon a small group of tents, large tents that have obviously been there awhile.  Homeless people probably live there but there's no one around.  No little black car either.  I retrace my steps and cut through the brush in a different direction, still looking for the car.

I wake up thinking that was really weird!  Although awake, I'm still concerned about that darn car being on the road and causing a terrible accident.  The hell with it, time for breakfast.

French Whorehouse

Would you want a valance like this on top of every window in your house or RV?

Not me.  It belongs in a French Whorehouse!

The fabric's okay but I hate the way the bottom's shaped.

I've never actually visited a French Whorehouse but I've been to Versailles Palace and this ugly piece of crap would fit right in there.  The style is Louis XV, I think, although that particular Louis isn't solely to blame.  A whole string of Kings, all named Louis, were involved in the design and furnishing of the Palace.  Apparently, if your name wasn't Louis, your chance of becoming king was nil.  Jacques?  Maurice?  Ralph?  No way.  Forget it.  Acquire a skill, get a job and pay your taxes to Louis XIII or XIV or XV so he can build his friggin castle. 

The valance was in our RV, along with several more, over 30' of butt ugly.  They're outta there now, to be replaced by new ones with tasteful fabric and straight lines; Trish will make them.  The new valances are just part of the project; we're also replacing the original shades with new ones.

Old shade on left, new on right

New one has 2 roller shades, black-out shade above, sun shade below.

This picture shows the night shade pulled down, sun shade rolled up.

The original day/night shades were pleated, mounted over and under, controlled by tension cords on the sides.  They were difficult to raise and lower, the day shades were ineffective as sunscreens and the night shades leaked.  They were better than nothing but just barely, and now they, too, are outta there.  Operating the new shades is effortless.

Installation was a bitch though, because the shades are quite heavy and the walls and ceilings are quite flimsy, like hardwood veneer on a hollow core door.  Had to jury rig L-brackets and spacers, and locate the studs, which are few and far between.

Why do they put these ugly valances in RVs in the first place?  Do lots of RV people actually think they're attractive?  Maybe so.  Trish and I strongly prefer a clean, sleek, spare look in our furnishings and window treatments; add colorful pillows and wall decor and we're good.  We strongly dislike busy, frilly, ornate, curvy stuff.  Folks that like Louis XV would sneer at our stuff, probably call it Scandinavian Whorehouse.