Update

[Brewdude]

Youse guys are just such a fountain of joy, ain'a?

ale:


Cheersd?


RR

 

[Jevverrett]

I have to say, that would freak out anybody the first time! I’m not sure moving to a desert is for me though. I like distinct seasons too much. We’re moving into cold, rain and leaf season here in New England.

 

[Brewdude]

No further scorpion sightings thus far. But I'm vigilant.

Did have the pleasure of dispatching a rather large and ugly cockroach the other night. Sucker was at least 3" long and very quick. I tried to squash it on a couple occasions but finally got it.

Never had roach issues before this and I keep my kitchen clean, but apparently they are a problem in this area as are scorpions. Need to check out my door weatherstripping.

And today I just saw that something is eating my newly planted cactus! Must be the bunnies that are prevalent here. Need to get up some kind of fencing asap. I paid like $400 for that!!!

:evil:


No Cheers,

RR

 

[user 2027]

$400 for a cactus? My God Man! You know how much tobacco that could been purchased! :fpalm: :tongue:

 

[Brewdude]

$400 for a cactus?  My God Man!  You know how much tobacco that could been purchased! :fpalm: :tongue:

Ya but I had it planted by the nursery since I didn't want to mess with it, and I got the extended warranty. Also it was the largest one they had at 3' tall.

I also encircled it today with a wire fence which should prevent the bunnies from eating it.

And as far as the cost vs 'baccy purchase, let's just say that I'm no longer buying and now in a position of selling!

:!:


Cheers,

RR

 

[Brewdude]

No further activity of critters eating my cactus since I put up the fence. I now check it daily. And the variety is called an Indian Fig Prickly Pear. Here's a pic -

Reaching out up to 10 feet, Indian Fig Prickly Pear Cactus cover a much larger span than the traditional Prickly Pear variety. This wider reach makes the Prickly Pear Cactus ideal as a screen or security border for landscapes and is also commonly used as a large specimen plant. The Indian Fig Prickly Pear Cactus grows a large cluster of paddle-shaped leaves that can propagate several edible and sweet purple fruit.

Native to Mexico, Indian Fig Prickly Pears are suited to our environment and are fast growers, so they don't require much watering or care after they're established. Indian Fig Prickly Pear Cactus are best used when you want to make a large desert impact on your landscape.


So, this was a major investment in my backyard landscaping as this is pretty common here and one in which I admired in other properties in my 'hood. So it was incumbent on me to protect my investment in light of the slow destruction through what seemed to be rabbits, which are plentiful here.

To be perfectly clear, I'm no gardener or landscaper. In fact I detest yard work.  Always have. So for me low/no maintenance is key. And the Indian Fig seemed perfect for the area, provided that critters didn't start eating it!


Cheers,

RR

 

[huffelpuff]

Great plant! Bonus points on the fruit too I bet they'd make a great addition to a brew pot. I used to make fruit leather out of them, very tasty.

Jim

 

[D.L.Ruth]

Mmm prickly pear, watch out even the fruit has spines on them. They are super tiny and there is a lot of them...Don't ask how I know

 

[Ozark Wizard]

What an awesome piece of flora there! Low maintenance too!

 

[Brewdude]

Hello from sunny AZ. The daytime temps here have now moderated to the low 80's daytime and a chilly mid-50's at night. So that makes it invigorating when I'm on my pre-dawn 3-mi walk around the 'hood.

I found a local recording studio that is a good fit for me in all ways and have had 2 sessions there in pursuit of my new surf project. And just today I had my first rehearsal with a local band in need of a lead guitarist. It went well, and they've decided I'm in!

The repertoire is eclectic and largely consists of 60's pop and country. Not a heavy R&R band and while that's what my tastes normally lean to, this group seems to be pretty solid. I'll enjoy learning some new music.

The other musicians are a rhythm guitarist singing lead vocals (very strong vocalist), bass, and drums. No keyboards. I contribute harmony vocals, and fit right in. They also left it open for me to choose some of the tunes I'd like to perform as well as singing lead on. Sounds good to me!

The rehearsal went very well and I was unanimously voted in! And they're all retired guys my age and seem to be very easy to work with. Think I'll be happy here, even if the material is a bit different from my normal routine.

They have a gig in about a week, and I'll need to familiarize myself with the material well enough by then. Much home study needed! Yet it's good to finally have a gig as I've been scouring the ads on craigslist and up until now nothing seemed to jump out. Time will tell if this works but for now I'm very happy.

Beyond that, last eve I found another effin' scorpion in the house, this time in the kitchen sink. Squashed it with my slipper and sent it down the garbage disposal. This one was the small and dreaded "Bark" scorpion, whose sting is the most powerful of all the species.

So tomorrow I'm planning on going to the local pest control business and get some diatomaceous earth (DE) to spread around my foundation. DE is very abrasive and is said to aid in killing creepy crawlies. I also need to see how I can improve the weatherstripping on my back door to the porch as I can see light through some parts when the door is closed, and scorpions and other critters can squeeze through. Yet there's many other ways scorpions can enter a house that are difficult to seal off, like through the plumbing or wiring.

Today I turn 66, and as a result will be filing for SS benefits tomorrow since the benefit rate goes up significantly at that time. I don't have anything special planned, so not going out for a fancy dinner or anything. I usually just treat it as another day, although I probably will smoke a cigar.

Forgot to mention that I'm still losing weight, and am now at 138! I'm certainly not trying to lose weight and seem to be eating as much as I always did. Must be down to the exercise I'm getting. I feel fine and don't have any signs of illness or anything like that.

I clearly remember averaging 146 for many years, and at the brewery was about 150, topping out at 154 a few months before I retired. I also remember once getting down as far as 136, so I'm not far off that now.

I still have yet to visit any breweries here since the drinking and driving issue is a problem. And I haven't tried any of the local packaged beers due to the cost, as it doesn't appear as though one can just grab a bottle or two from a 6-pk. I could be wrong about that and haven't asked, but at the store all the 6-ers are intact with no individual bottles missing.

Strangely it's not high on my priority list. I've been quite content with Coors since I moved here, and find it fits the requirements just fine in terms of cost and flavor. Looks like I've come full circle!

That's all for now.


Cheers,

RR

 

[D.L.Ruth]

AZ does have crazy drinking and driving laws, even if you are under the legal limit they can give you a dui if the cop "thinks" you are impared.

You can check out Taste of Tops (I believe that is what it is called) it is a build your own six pack (or 12 or however many). They have a lot of local beers, I'm not sure where exactly it is in relation to you but a Google maps search should help.

 

[Blackhorse]

RR -

Sounds like things are settling out nicely for you. Very good to hear.

Re your musical history being different than your new band (congrats on that by the way) maybe you will add to their repertoire and they will grow through you as you grow through them.

Re your SS plans.  I ended up taking early retirement and not waiting til 66. I sat down and calculated the total income from my early retirement date to age 66 and then figured at what age it would “equalize” if I started instead at 66. It ended up that it would be a tie at about age 83. So I went ahead and filed early.

When I can find it locally, a Coors longneck is my favorite lager...and my preferred warm weather beer. So it seems we’re alike there. Re only 6-packs being sold there...maybe you just haven’t found the right store yet. I can’t find longnecks sold here other than as a short case! That lasts me about a year. lol I think if you find the stores that sell the larger 22oz bottles of high end brew (Barleywine, Imperial Stout, Designer Porters, etc.) you’ll be able to find those as singles. Good luck.

Maybe you need to developed a taste for Rose like the little guy below!

 

[Ozark Wizard]

RR -

Sounds like things are settling out nicely for you. Very good to hear.

Re your musical history being different than your new band (congrats on that by the way) maybe you will add to their repertoire and they will grow through you as you grow through them.

Re your SS plans.  I ended up taking early retirement and not waiting til 66. I sat down and calculated the total income from my early retirement date to age 66 and then figured at what age it would “equalize” if I started instead at 66. It ended up that it would be a tie at about age 83. So I went ahead and filed early.

When I can find it locally, a Coors longneck is my favorite lager...and my preferred warm weather beer. So it seems we’re alike there. Re only 6-packs being sold there...maybe you just haven’t found the right store yet. I can’t find longnecks sold here other than as a short case! That lasts me about a year. lol I think if you find the stores that sell the larger 22oz bottles of high end brew (Barleywine, Imperial Stout, Designer Porters, etc.) you’ll be able to find those as singles. Good luck.

Maybe you need to developed a taste for Rose like the little guy below!

HA!

My pug likes to have a few bottle cap fulls of whatever beer I'm drinking. She seems to prefer hoppier ones though....