Nature Lover and friends keep in touch

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I used to watch condors flying around the wetlands in Oregon they are fascinating. I had one get grumpy at me ones on the beach it had a really big fish or? that it was eating and me and my little dog got to close. It held its ground, and we went far around as it watched us. It was mid-winter and there had been a storm so lots of 'stuff' had washed up. Which was why I was out there!
I am glad you are getting back out there. Is there any place you could set up a bird feeding spot close by? I set up a spot just outside my window for the kidos and then my mom and dad. This year as hubby is doing his thing he is really enjoying it. The winter birds showed up this week. The D$%& squirrels and other rodents are a pain but the wood rats are under control with bait traps and the squirrels are their own kind of fun as our dog keeps them moving. My son has a few crows that watch his house, and he has gotten them to be almost pets, every time he goes out, they gather, he talks to them and gives them peanuts or?? they have started bringing him treasures.
 
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This snowbird is heading further south this week. That has to do with the forecast for wind directions and strength of gusts. The next few days the wind is going to come out of the north and I am heading south. Might as well go while the going is at the best this week for making the trip. It is not a really long drive, only about two hours long, it would take less time than that for most people but I am towing my travel trailer. Lots of curves and ups and downs winding through the hills between Lake Havasu City AZ and Quartzsite, AZ. Beautiful drive for most of the way to Parker, AZ. But fairly flat from Parker to Quartzsite and not nearly as scenic.
 
Hello, nomad friends. Greetings from the person formally known as nomad. I’m free at last. I’m going to be able to get out of my apartment to go to the store on my own and to the park down to the creek. My new vehicle has a 26 mile range on one charge. Being that it’s 1100 miles to where I go in Florida every year, how many times will I have to recharge? This vehicle was not made for living and sleeping in so I guess I’m stuck in Pennsylvania.

in 1970 I brought a brand new Ford four-wheel-drive, F150 explorer, my first new vehicle. I paid $4000. This new vehicle, probably the last new vehicle ever own, cost me 3500, isn’t inflation wonderful.

I didn’t get much for the van. I sold some of my equipment and still have more for sale. My son helped me a bit and a couple of friends helped. I borrowed 1400 so I could buy this year end model, because the price will be up another 500 next year. How can you save for something when the price keeps going up?

But don’t worry about money we’re getting a 3.2% increase in Social Security. Whoopee! I think we should get the same raise that the president and the congressman have every year. I’d like to have their health plan too.

God bless all the nomads! Get out there and collect those memories. You may end up like me stuck in one place and memories are all I have. But they’re all good. I’m glad I did it. Everybody said I couldn’t do it but I got out there and did it for almost 5 years. I’m attaching a picture of my new vehicle And the license plate I’m putting on it. 1955 was a good year. My mama had a little baby boy.
 

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Congratulations on your new wheels. Get out there and enjoy the extra fresh air!
It a color match for my car and travel trailer,and not all that much smaller🤪
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Congratulations... I hope you get the 26 mile reach they advertise. All you need now is a little trailer that will haul a generator and a bed roll and you can escape! Haha. But really, I hope this gives you the mobility you need. I hope your physical issues are stabilizing and you will be able to enjoy many outings at the park or wherever you can escape to.
 
And your phone in case you need to get a woman’s phone number 👍
 
And a side car for said woman…
Nah he just needs to find one who has a car which is easier to do now that he has wheels. Of course he might need bait that fits into that basket. An adorable little dog makes great bait or even a cat as there are rumored to be lots of crazy for cats ladies around. A man using such bait pretty much becomes an irresistible attraction. Just have to offer to do some dog sitting now and again versus actually owning one. 🙃
 
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Here we go again, it’s been a week since anyone posted here. And I can’t Forget my nomad friends. I’ve never met any of you except on here. I’ve never met Bob but we’ve emailed back-and-forth long enough that I calling my best friend. I never met. Lots of you are in that category too.

The scooter is going wonderful. I’ve been out in a nice woods, with that beautiful smell of the leaves rotting in the fall. There’s nothing like a hardwood forest. Although I wouldn’t call this one, a forest, there’s probably 10 acres of wood in the park and another 20 acres connected. The scooter gets me around very well. Even on trails that are marked not handicapped accessible. I feel like I’m driving a 4 Wheel Drive Cadillac.

Most of the women around here are fat. But so am I. The fat ones are slow so they’re easy to catch. But I’m so fat I couldn’t get to them. But now with the scooter I’ve got an advantage. Once you try fat, you’ll never go back.

I’m still a nomad, but I have a 26 mile limit. I haven’t tested that limit yet being that I weigh 280 pounds it might be unreasonable to get the maximum mileage out of it. I think that’s what they call “hauling ass”.

God bless all the nomads, as the fall migration is upon us.
 
Don’t let the squirrels sneak up on you! A comedian used to wear an old thick wool overcoat out in winter and put bird seed on his shoulders. Birds would always be around him. Took a while for people to figure out how he attracted so many birds!
 
BULLFROG ! Love your story of the comedian and birds. I'm a bird watcher and nothing make me happier than to see and hear birds.

NATURE LOVER, It is good to hear your scooter is bringing you much joy and entertainment. Considering where I live I think I'd call 30 acres of trees a forest, at least a mini forest. Hardwood forest? What is that? The only hard wood trees we have here people planted in their yards, except the cottonwoods in the river bottoms. River bottoms, yep, that is what they call them. It is hard to know if you are a new comer to this area as we have been in drought for so long.

Maybe we will become best friends, too. I've just recently arrived. I'm hoping to be a nomad before the winter is over. Things are moving very slowly on my van build out. I've been on several trips and camped in it helping me figure out what I wanted in it and how I want the layout. If I didn't have building knowledge and skills it would be difficult to tackle. And everything takes so much longer than expected. Using it has resulted in a lot more work because I learn something wasn't how I wanted it so it gets changes. It has been good though. I think, in the long run it will save me getting something put together and learning it isn't what I want.

Keep enjoying your new found freedom. I hope to hear more of your adventures.
 
Hello Nature Lover and friends. I love your new wheels, NL, and hope they serve you well.

I'm also grounded now - watching my new house being built and feeding feral, stray and abandoned cats. They think they own me and that every time I walk down the stairs of my trailer it is only because I should give them more cat food. One likes to walk directly in front of me, slowly. I've discovered cats hate the smell of vinegar and that it is not harmful to them. Now I carry my spray bottle of vinegar every time I go out, for self-preservation.

The house is nearly done - they've been working on it since August. The contractor said it should be ready to move into before Christmas.

Then I will really be in sticks and bricks again and... well, really, no bricks. But I'm still having thoughts about building something more comfortable inside my van. I'll just have to get someone to come feed the cats so I can spend a few days away.

I've been thinking of getting a dog.
 
So, with all those hardwoods are we going to be seeing some more of the bird photos again? We have started the feeders outside our windows again and boy have we had tons of birds!!
 
re: the recent comments here on college sports...

A bit of a tangent, but am I the only one who finds it strange that institutions of higher learning have become a sort of minor league system for professional sports? Where college football coaches often have higher salaries than college deans? When we discuss different colleges and universities we seldom refer to what they teach best but instead to what sports they excel (or not) at. Just wondering...
 
re: the recent comments here on college sports...

A bit of a tangent, but am I the only one who finds it strange that institutions of higher learning have become a sort of minor league system for professional sports? Where college football coaches often have higher salaries than college deans? When we discuss different colleges and universities we seldom refer to what they teach best but instead to what sports they excel (or not) at. Just wondering...
Follow the money if you want to know why higher education puts a lot of focus on having a great football team.

The universities make a lot of money from their football teams. Alumni’s love them and that keeps the alumni’s in touch with the schools and that means lots more donations to the school. The schools also earn money from broadcasting contracts. The professional teams also make considerable donations to the schools that have good teams. Of course donations to Universities are tax deductible as they are typically set up to be not for profit organizations.

The college bowl playoffs can easily sell out a professional sports field. So lots of money to be made. Of course the betting industry is another big draw for keeping college football alive.

So follow the money and it all makes sense. It is a money making industry that helps support higher education and also helps scholarship funding.
 
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re: the recent comments here on college sports...

A bit of a tangent, but am I the only one who finds it strange that institutions of higher learning have become a sort of minor league system for professional sports? Where college football coaches often have higher salaries than college deans? When we discuss different colleges and universities we seldom refer to what they teach best but instead to what sports they excel (or not) at. Just wondering...
May as well, since academics is now so low on the priority list…
 

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