Y lightning road and the rain

I love early walks on Sunday mornings.i It's always peaceful. Today I began my walk in a heavy overcast sky. It looked like rain, but it only drizzled briefly. 

 

I wanted to walk a different route today. Rather than walking east on Hereford Road to the gravel pit, 1.5 miles from Hereford road and SR92, I opted to turn north on Y Lightning Ranch Road.  I had never been on this road for its entirety. Adobe and slump brick homes on 2-4 acres, mostly fenced surrounded by mesquite and prickly pear cactus, adorned the road. No frontyard dogs except one curious older Great Dane to bother Gretchen.

 

Y Lightning Ranch Road is just under two miles long.  More new construction is coming up to the east of the road where homes are selling at a starting price of $499,999. I turned west on Calle Alemendra, a dirt road along a wash that I'm sure is a flood zone during heavy monsoons.  Horses and big dogs live on the property here and the lots are smaller, but adorned with mature trees and yard junk. 

Calle de Alemendra turns into Jaxxel  and I continued south here, heading back to Hereford road and home.  Gretchen seems to enjoy this route, but once home I walked Sweetie for a block.

Overcast skies turned to rain clouds by  3:30pm and it rained steadily for several hours.  I walked both dogs one more lap before dark before it rained again, this time more gently for the rest of the night.

Miller Creek with Ellen, Reilly, Sweetie and Gretchen

I took Gretchen on a 2.75-mile walk at 5am along Hereford Road, under an overcast sky and a cool breeze.  But this was just a warm-up as we had Miller Creek on the schedule for 8am.

This walk was Ellen's idea.  Her nephew is in town for a week staying with her and Ellen asked me to join them on a morning walk today.  I agreed.  We met at the upper Miller C anyon parking area and walked downhill along the creek by 8am.  I took my RV dogs Sweetie and Gretchen

Despite recent rains, there was little water in the creek.  This has me concerned.  While this was Reilly's first time along the shaded creek, I have seen this creek before the 2011 fire, after heavy monsoons, and now in a drought.  Reilly jumped around the rocks, often with Gretchen following him, totally oblivious to what the creek should look like. He wanted to see the pools that Ellen had talked about.  There are three good pools of water to wade in during the height of monsoon season.  Today we only found one. 

But there wasn't much water in the creek at all. We didn't walk very far because of that.  But we still made it fun. It was a pleasant nature walk with the sights, smells and sounds of a struggling creek. Reilly enjoyed the freedom to explore and Gretchen stayed close to him while Sweetie sauntered behind me.  

Sweetie was another reason we didn't go far.  Lack of water and an increase in heat were other reasons. I took Sweetie off-leash because she was too slow this morning and I wanted her to walk at her pace and not mine.  After a short jaunt uphill to a look-out rock that illegal immigrants use, we turned around and walked back to our cars.  We completed 2.4 miles in 90 minutes.  This was as much as Sweetie could handle at once.

Reilly took very well to the dogs and they took very well to him.  We finished our hike with an early lunch at Culvers, and both dogs happily took chicken bits from Reilly.  (They also each got a pup cup of custard)  This was my one big meal of the day as the heat was getting intense.

Sweetie looked tired all day.  Was the hike too much for her?  She lay down in the cab on the way home, and then when I got back to the RV, she didn't want to get out.  Lesley came by to drop off iced coffee and as I was trying to figure out how to keep the dogs cool, Susan called.  She invited me to come over to let the dogs cool down in her shaded garden.  I took her up on the offer right away.

The day got hot fast It was only 1:20pm.  I didn't want to overstay my welcome, but today Susan wanted me to stay for a while.  She was in a good mood.  We sat down and chatted, both on her patio and in her living room, and every few hours we walked around her property.  Both of my dogs came along every time, and faithful Sweetie followed.  The best part was seeing how comfortable Gretchen is around Allie.  Those two dogs get along very well. Gretchen incites play with Allie, something she is too timid to do around her own siblings.

It looked like it would rain in the afternoon.  Dark clouds to the north looked threatening, but nothing really happened.  Watching storms from Susan's home gives one the entire range of the Huachuca mountains.  But despite the dark clouds, nothing much happened. 

I wanted to get back early enough to get more yard work done, but ended up staying until just after 8pm and by then fatigue set in. When I got back home, I went straight to bed, and Gretchen followed me

 

We finally get some decent rain!

Last week Arizona and most of the West experienced record-breaking triple-digit heat.  Even I was suffering.  I couldn't even muster the energy to fulfill my daily 5.5-mile walks. The RV registered 104F on Thursday and Friday.  I kept the dogs outside as much as possible, but came up with trips into town just to allow them some cool air in the truck.

Saturday was supposed to be a rain-out, but any rain fell west and east of me and never over my area.  I was greatly disappointed.

Yesterday I took the dogs into town for lunch at Taco bell and a visit to the San Pedro river by Charleston.  The water there is very low, but the dogs still enjoyed the cool dip. It was at the river that we had to cut the walk short from an intense downpour.  It was dry back home, but this area by the Charleston bridge got hit hard.

Today, the house, the yard and all the thirsty flora around it finally got some relief.

The day started out with a cool, overcast sky.  I walked Gretchen for 3.5 miles along Hereford Road, turning around at the Hereford gravel pit.  There was more traffic today since I didn't start the walk until after 6am.  I don't like cars speeding close to me, but this does help Gretchen get used to cars without the urge to run after them. 

I noticed some illegal trash left behind, like carpet shoes, camoflage clothing, and sun-burned backpacks.  I'm sure that area is a popular pick-up point for load drivers and illegals waiting for their ride.  Just west of the pit is a large culvert along the road where they can wait for their ride without being easily seen by passers-by.

It began to drizzle shortly after 3pm.  I walked the dogs once around the block to give both some exercise before the heavy rain began.  Dark clouds were already gathering over the mountains and it was raining to the north.  

It was a steady, cooling rain for three hours.  I had both dogs inside the RV and they didn't seem to mind, but at 6:30pm I took them on another lap around the block before I took on the dogs in the house. It was Sweetie's only walks today, but she doesn't seem to want to walk much.  She has been getting her 75mg carprofen every day but it will take a few more weeks before I see progress with her arthritis.

The rain didn't soften the soil that much.   I'm still working on Minnie's grave.  The dogs had fun in the mud in my absence.  Sahne looked like a white husky with her muddy fur, but I didn't stay long with them.

Sweetie goes to the vet

I made an appointment for Sweetie yesterday morning, driving into town and stopping at Dr Jackson's office.  I get faster results this way than calling in and being put on hold.  I got slotted for 2:30pm for today.  That was fast!  If I had called the Sierra Animal Hospital for an appointment, it would have taken a few extra days AND an additional $90 surcharge for expediency.  Gretchen was spayed at the Dr Jackson office and already has medical records there.  

I'm slowly moving my business over to Dr Jackson; I get better service there although this also means leaving Dr Jody Moffett, one of the most compassionate veterinarians in Sierra Vista.  I wish she would go independent like Dr Jackson and Dr Geiger have gone because all  veterinarian offices in Sierra Vista are managed by corporate billing offices who only focus on making a profit.

I hadn't slept well overnight and woke up after sunrise, still feeling groggy.  I walked Gretchen solo around the block before letting Sweetie out of the truck, still in a sleep stupor.  Both dogs then were tied up outside under the RV until my appointment.  They slept most of the time. I know this is not ideal, but until I have a front yard gate installed, this is all I can do.  Gretchen will run around the neighborhood barking at all the dogs if I don't tether her. 

I left Gretchen tied up out front while I was at the vet office.  It was still cooler for her this way than in the 100F RV.

I like the Dr Jackson crew.  Jackson himself is now getting old and he walked with a limp and a stiff knee when he examined Sweetie.  I asked him about his limp and he said he's still revcovering from recent back surgery. 

I requested a blood panel and Xrays.  I had to wait 30 minutes for the results of both.  I was fine with that as I had nothing else to do.

Valli, a neighbor of mine I met years ago at the Huachuca City animal shelter, was in the office making an appointment for her Cowboy's teeth cleaning. We chatted a bit.  She asked about Minnie, and I had to tell her that Minnie had passed.  I hadn't mentioned it on Facebook yet.  I wasn't ready to post it so quickly after Sadie's passing.  I was called back by an attendant to look at Sweetie's X-rays and Valli and I went separate ways.

The xrays revealed a few secrets of Sweetie's health. She has advanced arthritis in the spine AND hips.  Oh my.  That explains her strained  attempts getting up from a seated position.  Does it hurt her to walk then ? I don't want to cause further pain by taking her around the neighborhood a mile at a time. She is also developing cataracts.  Her blood is normal, although her kidneys are "high-normal."  As Dr Jackson said, "she's just getting old!" but is still healthy.  He prescribed carprofen for her, 50mg 2x daily for pain for a total of 100mg daily.  I still have a month's worth from Minnie's prescription that I can use.

The visit wasn't cheap. It cost me $465, for the bloodwork, xrays, carprofen and office visit, a standard price for an annual check-up. But at least I have some answers about Sweetie's health. I finally left the clinic at 4:20pm.

I stopped at Culver's on my way home, where I had a crispy chicken sandwich and Sweetie had a pup cup.  It was our personal time.  While I hope to have Sweetie around for a few more years, I've learned that death comes fast with dogs.  I will take good care of her in her final years, because she was Kevin's special girl.

Then we drove back home by 5pm.  Gretchen was happy to see her pal again.

Minnie has joined Sadie over the rainbow bridge

This came all too quickly for me.

I walked into the house late in the morning to check on the dogs, to refill the water and feed them their canned food.  Minnie was not in her usual location by the front door, where I often would give her her food if the other dogs were still in the yard.  Today she was not by the door, and that got me worried.

I walked around the house, calling her name.  She didn't answer, neither with a bark nor a wimper.

There was still plenty of water in the water bucket, more than usual.  I refilled the bucket and as I did so, noticed Minnie in the living room.  She looked under duress.  This wasn't good.  Her fur was wet around her torso.  Her gums were grey.  When she got up to move  toward some cardboard, she could barely keep her hind legs straight.  Now I knew that her tumor has pressed against vital nerves; Dr Moffett had warned me about this. 

Minnie still took her food, as did the other dogs.  This helps me get other stuff done around the house.  The dogs are busy eating for a good ten minutes and I can quickly slip back out of the house, but today it was bagging the trash on the floor, stuff that the dogs keep moving around. I was in the house for a good hour. There is so much asbestos dust on the ground here that easily gets me coughing when I stay in the home for long.

I cleaned up the area around Minnie, filled two bags of trash, then went back into the RV during the heat of the day.

"Let the tumor run its course" kept flashing through my mind.  I knew today that the tumor was now winning and Minnie was slowly dying. I couldn't get her to walk and I couldn't lift her and take her to the truck to get her to the veterinarian.

My Minnie.  I sobbed in silence over her.  She was always so full of life, loving water and fetching balls, sticks, stumps, logs. Her last visit to the hidden stock pond in early February revealed her never-ending desire to want to fetch, despite her arthritis.  She was always so graceful in water.  If I had had a few thousand dollars to spare, I would have erected an above-ground pool for her, just so she could paddle around and give relief to her arthritic body.  That may be something I can do for the next generation of dogs.

I went back into the house at 5:30pm to check on Minnie.  She was now outside, under the Italian Pine.  She has always enjoyed laying under the shade of this tree.  Her moving to this tree let me know that she was ready to die.  Skies were overcast and there was a calmness in the air.  It was a good day to leave this earth.

I gave her water, which she took with gusto.  But her voice was gone.   She didn't bark, whine or wimper. Her organs had shut down.  She refused the meat I had cut up for her and all the dogs, so I gave her slice to Wolfie.  She put her head down between her paws and accepted her fate.  Minnie, who always so easily wimpered in panic, was now silent.

Susan texted me asking me to come over and pick up Sweetie, who had spent the whole day with her.  I had been at Susan's yesterday to give the dogs some relief in her shade garden.  When I went back home last night, Sweetie didn't want to go inside the truck, so Susan agreed to keep Sweetie for the night.  Susan then told me for 90 minutes, Sweetie wimpered and paced back and forth, looking for me and didn't calm down until after midnight.  She then slept quietly until she and Allie got up at 8am.

So I went over to pick up Sweetie, staying there longer than I should have, walking with the dogs around Susan's property and having two gin and tonics.  At least the haze created a tranquil sunset over the mountains.

I dreaded coming back home.  Minnie had passed under the pine tree, facing the stump of the Texas sage brush that is now slowly regrowing from the fire.  She had a peaceful passing and died in a place she was familiar with.

I cried. Despite her heatlh issues for most of her life, she loved life.  She entertained me with her obsession for fetching anything that fit into her mouth.  She traveled well. She always had trouble walking, though, and easily panted, even when I first adopted her in 2012.  Her weight gain at five years old, or after 2016, slowed her down and I never took her on long, strenuous hikes after returning from my road trip to Washington state.  But I always enjoyed going on walks with Minnie in mind: slow, shaded hikes near water, whether it was along the San Pedro River or along Miller Creek. 

I've now lost the two dogs I knew I would lose before the end of the summer.  But both deaths so close to each other still hurts.

I will never have another Minnie.

Our first rain

It was a hot day that even crippled me.  I had to drive to Stan's Fencing to drop off my signed proposal for a front-yard gate. I didn't get there until 2pm.  I had this planned to give the dogs relief at the hottest time of the day; it's a 30-minute drive and the cool air in the truck felt good to me as well.

I stopped by Culver's for a strawberry-blueberry concrete mixer and two pup cups on my way back home.  They ate their treat with gusto.  Afterwards I stopped at the Dollar General to give each dog some cold cottage cheese.  Again, both dogs ate most of their pint.  I would have gotten them each a pint of vanilla ice cream if my cooler were reliable at 32F (It keeps defaulting to 42F).

By 5pm the sky became more cloudy and I told Susan I would stay home instead of bring the dogs over as it was cooling off.  And sure enough, I could see storm clouds and lightning during my late afternoon walk with the dogs around the 'hood.  Virga clouds again created a beautiful sunset.  The initial forecast called for only 19% chance of rain.  It was looking like it was going to storm.

It was a calm walk. And then Gretchen got her drama in. There must have been some slack in her choker collar as she broke out of it and pranced down the middle of Hereford Road, forcing drivers from both directions to stop for her safety. I had her leash and the collar in my right hand (looking, I'm sure, rather dumbfoundedly) with Sweetie on her leash in my left hand.   Oh great.  I hate when she does this and then just takes off running!  She knows how to wiggle out of her collar. She had her own plans to fencefight with the dogs on Madalein Road, one of the roads I walk to complete a mile.  She kept looking back at me but ignored my pleas to come back to me. 

Two barky dogs are in the corner yard along Brickey Road, one road further south from Madelein. Gretchen likes to fight with them, much to their owner's chagrin.  When Gretchen goes into her fight mode I get desperate.  She's bonding well with me, but she isn't losing her high prey drive. She only fights because she's secured by a fence that keeps the other dogs safe from her.  Otherwise she shies away from fighting. This drama perhaps lasted five long minutes, the time it took me to walk the 0.25 mile and tire her out.

I was barely back home when the sky got dark, the winds picked up, and at 8pm it began to pour!  All my stuff outside got wet, but I was inside enjoying the breeze and both dogs were chilling in the truck where they stayed for the night.  The other dogs in the house were again quiet overnight, the fourth day in a row.  I'm sure my neighbors are wondering what is going on.

This was our first significant rain since early March.  It only lasted 30 minutes, but the rest of the night was cool and breezy.  We are expected to get a repeat of this next Thursday.

***

Gasoline is now $4.79 a gallon at the Speedway gas station I use. San Francisco reported its first case of monkey pox, the latest virus du jour, and now 12 cases are suspected in California.  As for the coronavirus, the grand death total since March 2020 is now at 1,005,633 through May 2022.

https://www.npr.org/2022/06/10/1104235591/heat-wave-weekend-california-texas

Sadie has crossed the rainbow bridge

The muse to this blog has died. 

I knew this day was coming.  Sadie was getting weaker this last month and had trouble staying upright while walking.  It was no longer just her right rear ankle that would give way, but her entire leg. It was a struggle to stay upright. But until the very end, she had her appetite and drank her water.  I always made sure she had that extra large can of chicken and rice dog food.

She had died in the bedroom, where she always enjoyed sleeping when we still had a house.  She was 14 years and three months old.  She died of old age in the end.  Her heart simply quit.

She lived a good life with me, traveling all over the western and mid-western states, always wanting to hike.  She was my most traveled dog and traveled well, and an excellent guard dog.  

She was a full-bred German Shepherd Dog.  Kevin got her for me in June 2008 by paying half her adoption fee.  He knew I had always wanted a German Shepherd Dog since coming back from Iraq.

My only regret is that I was not by her side when she passed.  Looking back now, I realize that Sadie's health was fading in the last week, when she moved from her favorite spot along the backyard fence to back into the bedroom, a place she's known and been comfortable with all her life.  Our bedroom was her safe place.  The other dogs didn't bother her there.

Kevin wanted both Sadie and Minnie put down years ago since both had trouble walking.  But I didn't see the need as long as they weren't in any pain.  Minnie's meds right now are regulating her heart and she breathes better, with much less panting.  This morning she welcomed me when I went into the house to feed  the pack and refill the water both in the water bucket and in the doggie pool.  She's lost some weight and looks healthier, too, but her tumor is still there around her anus.

Sadie's good health began to fade over four years ago.  She started her slow decline a few months after returning from Alaska, when her dementia became noticeable.  In late 2018 she started having trouble walking without her hind legs giving way. I even remember her last walk away from the house, and that was Christmas Eve 2020 by the river with Susan, Allie, Minnie and Zeke.  I knew then that that would be her last walk with the pack.  I never forced her to come along for walks after that, nor did she show much interest in joining me past the walk to the side gate.  My ageless Superdog hiking companion was finally getting old.  For 2.5 years Sadie's world was her backyard. Her hip dysplasia developed, a fatty mass grew on her abdomen and in the last year she lost muscle mass.  She was fur and bones the past six months. I was amazed she lived for as long as she did.

The house has been quiet all day.  There was no loud barking from the pack overnight, or sundowning from Sadie. She was near blind and deaf the last few weeks and never answered me when I called for her, but she still had her sense of smell.  I had to come right up to her with a can of her favorite chicken and rice dog food for her to recognize me.

Her aging heart must have just given up. Her body could no longer keep up.  It was her time to go.  My stick fetching, chicken-eating hiking dog and enthusiastic spokesdog for the pack is no more.

***

I did my share of crying over the course of the day.  While I knew this day was coming, I also knew Sadie's death would also mean the end of an era.  Sadie was one gift from Kevin that meant a lot to me.  He was not much of a gift-giving person, so the few things he gave me have sentimental value.

I grieved all day, but had other things to deal with to take my mind off my usual obsessive thoughts.  I surfed through Facebook as I do every morning, reading about the suicide of local news reporter Zach Bennett.  He was only 26 years old.  His passion was to follow the police scanner and take photos of accident scenes, fires and human trafficking.  He apparently fought his demons from a rough childhood on the west side of town.  In Ocobert 2013, at 17 years old, he was arrested for being part of a gang of teens vandalising cars: breaking car windows,  throwing rocks at house windows, and setting fires.  My Ford Escape had the left rear window broken into at that same time.  He graduated from the local high school in 2014, but because of his felony record he was not allowed to get certified as an EMT first responder, for which he took classes.   He was one of the founders of the Sierra Vista News Network (SVNN) and was active on his Facebook page by the same name.

The RV was quickly warming up, reaching 98F by late morning.   I needed to find relief. The Uhaul place called me in the late morning to let me know I had left the storage shed open when I stopped by yesterday to drop off more stuff from the house.  I went there to close it properly.  When I asked the attendant why I wasn't called about this error on my end yesterday when I was there dropping off more stuff, the kurt reply was that it was my fault the door was left open.  When I asked about their advertised 24-hour surveillance, the man got snippy and said  "don't be pointing that finger at me" allegorically.   If the place advertises 24-hour surveillance, shouldn't I have been notified sooner of my mistake?  I never got an answer.  

I had the dogs with me, along with a load of clothes I wanted washed after my trip to the UHaul place.  This gave the dogs a chance to ride in an air-conditioned vehicle.  On my drive to Bisbee, the Carnett Clinic called to let me know that my bloodwork from yesterday showed a big improvement over the bloodwork from last October, and to continue doing what I'm doing. 

I stayed at the laundromat just long enough to wash the load of clothes.  I had a beer next door, sitting outside with my dogs because I  didn't want Gretchen to bully the sleeping border collie inside the brewery. Instead I had an interesting conversation with a smoker who claims he suffers from PTSD working law enforcement in the county.  The longer we chatted, the more he revealed about his life and his evil stepfather who is keeping him from having a normal relationship with his mother.  It was a conversation that was mostly one-sided with him doing all the talking. 

Susan invited me over in the afternoon, and I took her up on the offer.  She knew I was grieving for Sadie, but she also wanted to give my two RV dogs a chance to relax in her cool garden.  I ended up staying there for over six hours, walking Sweetie and Gretchen on her four acres and then across the street on some open land that Susan has used to walk Allie.  It was a lovely evening that took my mind off my grief, as the first semblance of rain developed.  We could see virga clouds at sunset, creating pretty pastel pinks along the horizon.  

We both got excited about rain after sunset.  Susan checked her weather app and it showed a storm cell coming from Mexico, moving quickly to the northeast.  Wind picked up and the smell of desert moisture filled the air.  She got excited when we felt a few rain drops while sitting on her patio.  Her flagstone got wet but it wasn't a saturating rain at all.  At least it is a good start.

It was soothing to see Sweetie and Gretchen so relaxed.  Sweetie is slowing down now, but she got a good mile in walking around Susan's land, then napping on the cool patio.  She is a dog with few demands.

I was back home again shortly after 10pm, again to a quiet house with no barking.  The winds continued, but there was no sign of rain on my little parcel of land. 

My Jackery 1000 had not charged up all day, showing a low 45%.  How could that be?  While the sky was overcast in the afternoon, there was plenty of sunshine. Oh, the woes of going all solar!

https://www.kold.com/story/23631243/sierra-vista-police-arrest-vehicle-vandalism-suspects/

Living off the grid, part 2

Our June weather has been hot and dry.  My indoor thermometer registered briefly 104F this afternoon.  This heat is hard on both the dogs and me.  The monsoon can not come soon enough.  We have a 24% chance of rain on Thursday.  I'm hoping it poors! 

To keep the dogs cool, I have them tied outside under the RV.  Getting a fence put in the front will cost me $750 and I may just do that so that I don't keep fighting with the dogs wanting to bolt down the street to fencefight with other dogs.

The dogs sleep most of the heat away under the RV, but I try to take them on car rides as much as possible.  Yesterday I took them with me to The Toad, where I sat with Steve inside sipping beer for almost three hours, getting home by 6:30ish.  Today I took both dogs with me to the Carnett Clinic, where I had blood drawn for my post-October check-in (to see if my cholesterol has dropped;  I weighed in at 124.8 pounds but the phlebotomist did not take my blood pressure).  That was at 8:30am

To give the dogs some relief, I took them down to the river, stopping on the north side of SR90 near the San Pedro House.  Here I walked the maintenance road until I hit the first wash, then took the wash to the river.  This is a short, level loop.

There was deep water here which both dogs enjoyed, but it smelled like effluent.  At least the dogs could cool off some.  We stayed in the shade for the return walk, crossing the open grassy field near the water gauge, returning back to the truck.   Everything along the field was dead and dry; very few flowers were out. 

This is an easy 1.75-mile walk that I last did over a year ago with Susan and Allie, after taking Hansel and Gretel on some refresher training with snake avoidance.  Susan and I haven't been getting together as much since the house fire.

It was already 85F when we got done with the walk at 9:30am.  We encountered no one, although an SUV was parked off the road nearby.

As for off-grid living, I'm getting used to the more primitive lifestyle.  I've made several tasty meals in the SunOven.  I make a big chicken-vegetable dish and eat on that for 2-3 meals before the dogs get the rest.  It's easy cooking as the SunOven does everything.  All I do is throw in the meat and veggies and sauce. This helps me cut down on my fastfood meals.

I can't handle this heat, though.  I'll need a few powerful solar panels to completely cover the RV and the air conditioner, but I'd rather have a fence installed so that my RV dogs can walk around the front yard undisturbed.

My last big purchase for off-grid living was a 50L Lion Cooler.  I got it last week but it struggled to keep my food chilled while outside.  I brought the cooler inside the RV and it's doing much better, powered by a 90W solar panel during the day, and a lithium battery at night.  It's a well-made cooler, but I can't seem to keep the temperature at a steady 40F.

My next focus is clearing out more debris from the house.  I'm still finding sentimental items, like my mother's typed autobiography, a golden "G" clip from my father to keep his ties straight, and some art work Erin made while in middle school.  I still have quite a bit to do, though.