24/7 Chat About Anything

[maki2]

Gee Yuma sounds a lot like staying at one of the Quartzsite LTVAs. Except no constant noise from generators in the RV parks. It is an overcast day in Quartzsite the generators in the big motorhomes fired up early in the morning for making breakfast using the electric coffee makers and toasters and watching the morning news on big screen TVs. I do not need a generator to make breakfast and I dislike broadcast television news reporting. I prefer reading the news. But as there is a once a month newspaper in Quartzsite I do read it from internet websites ignoring all the video links to talking heads. In a couple of minutes I am finished reading what they take a half hour to say.

 

[Gr8ful]

There is Zeam.com that shows local news in most areas plus national news all for free with no sign in if you choose.

 

[maki2]

I do not sign in to read news reports as I prefer having multiple sources to look at.

 

[Morgana]

So in Yuma there is a used bookstore called Bandanna Books, in the touristy/old-towny Downtown area near the river, that is ... different. Really old paperbacks, good 1970s/80s authors, covered in cobwebs, super cheap, good condition once you get the cobwebs off. Somebody who enjoys bargain-hunting/rummaging could have a blast in there. I came away with two John D MacDonalds, one Elmore Leonard, and a Robert Goddard, for $6.

 

[maki2]

Doing a happy dance. One laptop repair accomplished! I fixed that laptop I found in a donation pile at the end of January. It needed a new power port that I got from Amazon. Now that that is installed the battery charge is happening and the power indicator light looks just right and the laptop powers on properly. I will wait until tomorrow when I have solar input to fully recharge it. Next up for it will be a fresh install of the OS and then adding the software and apps I use. That always takes time to download all that stuff so it won’t happen in just one day.

 

[LargeMarge]

An interesting intersection of two coincidences...

.
"coincidence -- a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection."
.
And you say you had two of those?
Astounding.

 

[Morgana]

So in Yuma there is a housing development named Cielo Verde (Green Sky) right next to a housing development named Sierra Montan~a (Mountain Mountains). Ya gotta figure that half these people's employees speak Spanish... you'd think they could have asked someone.
Or maybe they just had access to an exceptionally good cigar.

 

[maki2]

Since the RV parks are mostly occupied by people fleeing winter cold in the northern USA and Canada what they don’t know won’t hurt them

 

[maki2]

Spring cleaning time? Not really but in some ways it feels like it. One chore crossed of my list today with the assistance of a kind friend from this forum. He did the vast majority of the labor. Removed the old starter battery from my car and a put a new one in to replace it. The new one is the maintenance's free type, no need to add water. I really like that, one less chore to think about! Now I just need to take the old battery to Parker AZ and get the core deposit back. Then see if I can get new air filters from an auto parts store. The oil change and tire rotation can wait until April when I will camp near Lake Havasu City, AZ.

No outdoor work tomorrow, a windy storm out of the north is here now and the high temperature will only be the upper fifties. Going to be indoors over at my friend’s RV attempting to get a new copy of the OS installed on that laptop I grabbed out of the donation box left by the dumpster at La Posa South LTVA. I have installed OS before but not since the era when a CD was used. This time it is from a USB thumb drive and has to be done through the Bios. So I am very grateful to have an experienced tutor around to oversee and help me update my skills to this modern era decade.

 

[vanbrat]

We started on some spring cleaning. I was out with the chainsaw and started cutting up one of 3 trees down from this winter. Hubby was feeling good enough to help! Only at this rate we will be done by Christmas. I think I need to put on ad up for free firewood just bring your own chainsaw. We did that a few years ago and had lots of help with a few folks who really needed firewood to heat their homes. They were happy and we were happy.

I also started cleaning out my van, it sat unused for the last year and it has a tiny leak around one of the doors so it was damp and moldy. Yuk. it is getting dried out and everything is getting washed. Mold is going to get killed with alcohol and stuff is getting redone. All the fabric stuff I have made for it is getting run through the washer and things that need recovered are getting recovered. What a mess!

 

[RonDean]

We started on some spring cleaning. I was out with the chainsaw and started cutting up one of 3 trees down from this winter. Hubby was feeling good enough to help! Only at this rate we will be done by Christmas. I think I need to put on ad up for free firewood just bring your own chainsaw. We did that a few years ago and had lots of help with a few folks who really needed firewood to heat their homes. They were happy and we were happy.

I also started cleaning out my van, it sat unused for the last year and it has a tiny leak around one of the doors so it was damp and moldy. Yuk. it is getting dried out and everything is getting washed. Mold is going to get killed with alcohol and stuff is getting redone. All the fabric stuff I have made for it is getting run through the washer and things that need recovered are getting recovered. What a mess!

We've got a sunny week in Oregon too. I'm taking advantage of it to work on both my camper vans. Doing my Happy Dance.

 

[maki2]

My friend got my giveaway my pile laptop all fixed up with a fresh clean installation of the OS from
Microsoft. That new install even did an upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11. So bonus points for that! I am truly grateful for his assistance. It means a lot to me to know I have a second more recent laptop as a backup for my business needs.

I did notice when the light was coming into the van from overhead and was raking across the glass display screen that the glass display is cracked. I guess that and the faulty power port explains why it was in a giveaway pile. That is OK, I can get either a new replacement display screen from Amazon or from other sources a used one. I can install it myself which is good because my friend has other places to be long before I could obtain a new display screen.

Another day another chore off the list and yet another new one added to the list. Which means life is normal.

 

[maki2]

Tonight was the first one since October without the sound of a roaring open frame generators from multiple directions, not even the sound of one generator going! I was even able to stream a movie during prime time and that too has been months since that could happen! This mostly sunny day after the winter storm and the howling winds from the North passed must have triggered a major exodus from the LTVA in Quartzsite. I am in no hurry to leave as it not yet too hot.

 

[Morgana]

So my new location is 1.5 hours from the nearest walmart, and you have to close the gate really tight or the javelinas will come in at night. Even the inconveniences are picturesque!

 

[user 29855]

So my new location is 1.5 hours from the nearest walmart, and you have to close the gate really tight or the javelinas will come in at night. Even the inconveniences are picturesque!

I don't know if this is of interest, but despite some opinions, Javelina's or skunk pigs are really tasty!! Reference: https://honest-food.net/cooking-javelina/
Just sayin' .......

 

[Happy Camper]

I don't know if this is of interest, but despite some opinions, Javelina's or skunk pigs are really tasty!! Reference: https://honest-food.net/cooking-javelina/
Just sayin' .......

I had to look them up after Morgana mentioned them. Apparently they are considered game animals and are subject to hunting licenses. You can't kill one without a license to do so.

 

[maki2]

Lady Luck was not with me today. I was driving back to camp after a trip into town and a I heard a small rock hit my windshield. Not too unusual and they rarely hit hard enough to need chip repairs. But this one was a very unfortunate location, it struck just below my wiper blade and created a crack that immediately ran about 8 inches up into a curved line and down into the lower edge of the glass. Nothing that I can do about it in Quartzsite. It can wait a month or two until I get to Lake Havasu City where there is an auto glass repair shop that gets reasonably fast replacement windshield glass shipped to them.

 

[maki2]

I had to look them up after Morgana mentioned them. Apparently they are considered game animals and are subject to hunting licenses. You can't kill one without a license to do so.

Of course hunting licenses are always more expensive for non residents even when on federal lands. There are javelinas on BLM public lands near Kingman AZ. I saw their tracks by my campsites when I camped there last fall.

 

[VanFan]

But this one was a very unfortunate location, it struck just below my wiper blade and created a crack that immediately ran about 8 inches up into a curved line and down into the lower edge of the glass.

Ouch.

 

[maki2]

Ouch.

If it had been limited to 6 inches there might have been some hope of a fix to stop the crack (according to awell known auto glass repair company) without replacing the whole windshield. Of course some people drive around with cracks for years but in cold climates they can spread quickly if turn on heat on a very cold day. Fortunately I am not in that situation this spring or coming summer so no huge hurry if it remains stable. I will put a dot on the inside on it with a Sharpie marker tomorrow so I can keep an eye on what is happening. I am not moving from Quartzsite until it gets too hot for comfort or Aril 15 whichever comes first. Usually the too hot part happens first