The Three Amigos... Sage, Dixie & Wingnut!!!

Ya know, I never did mention that the raddest wingsuit pilots have hit 200+ m.p.h., not just 150+, yeah???

It's a pretty radical sport, and it is a sport, ya don't see too many chubby dudes rippin' down those narrow-@$$ canyons, LOL...

One day, if mankind survives the evil globalist plot happening now, the race will explore other planets for purposes of colonization, and these wingsuit pilots are gonna be JUST THE KINDA GUYS NEEDED FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION, DOUBLE-QUICK PRONTO...

JUST A THOUGHT ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON, 10-4??? WTF, THE SPACE CREWS MIGHT NEED MONKEYBIKERS TOO...

Won't work without some sort of atmosphere.

Correctamundo…

Well, I managed to severely injure my left foot yesterday, not exactly sure how, but it hurts like bloody hell this morning... good news is I think I might have a buyer for the house, some Native American artist (Hopi) who makes Kachina dolls and does other artwork. Met him and his family yesterday, nice folks, can't think of better people to assume ownership of the property... they loved the tall trees and the bird life, not to mention the nice breeze flowing through the house.

Gonna be laid up today, hopefully there are no lookie-loos scheduled to tour the house. Man, I don't even know how I injured my foot, but it's sure kickin' out some serious pain. I foresee cold beer in the near future, but that might make the problem worse, hobbling back and forth to the fridge and the p!sser. Maybe I'll just lie down, elevate the damned thing, and read a Western or two. You know pain is bad when ya don't even want to eat... I used to be hardcore, but this growing old bull$h!t really sucks with everything falling apart.

Lately I've been thinking of trying my luck in the Pacific Northwest, even though WA is a blue commie state. I could probably get around the high taxes by purchasing a modest home outside town limits, and if this CDL-A of mine is truly worthless, well, the minimum wage in WA is slated to rise to $13.50 by the end of next year, compared to $7.25 in OK or NC. Sad to say, I must now consider such factors... the other option would be to retrench here in AZ, downsize a bit and try a little harder to find steady full-time work.

I was thinking of the forested NE corner of WA, rather than the coast... property is too expensive on the coast, or it's all run down and looks like some maritime ghetto. There is the liveaboard option, but that would mean getting rid of the cats and most of my gear, which I'm not really prepared to do. Plus I hate the idea of paying any kind of rent, be it house rent, moorage & liveaboard fees, whatever... better to own the property outright. I can buy a nice place dirt cheap in OK, but I'm worried about the job situation. F#%, I really didn't need this foot injury on top of the stress I'm already experiencing.

Y'ALL BE GOOD, I GOTTA GO LIE DOWN AND GET OFF THIS FOOT... CHIME IN ON THE RELOCATION IF YA WANT, I'M OPEN TO COMMENTS, ESPECIALLY REGARDING THE ECONOMY UP THERE IN THE NORTHWEST.

Well, this is the weirdest injury... this morning, I couldn't even set my foot down, it hurt so bad, but now I'm hobbling around WITHOUT the aluminum walker, go figure. I thought for sure I had fractured one or more of those little bones in my foot (metatarsals?), but evidently I just stressed the hell out of the muscles and tendons which extend from the ball of my foot to the toes. No lie, I thought I'd have to go to the clinic for X-rays, same way I went after the knee injury, but it seems to be backing off now... I had it elevated all morning, then I took a scalding hot bath, alternately rubbing and elevating the injured foot, then I slathered lidocaine ointment on it afterward. That helped out big-time, I even boxed up some stuff to donate to the local historical society for their fund-raising sale tomorrow, some fireman showed up to collect the boxes. Meh, I need to streamline things a bit, and it's for a good cause... y'all may recall that I brought heaps of stuff with me from CA, but a lot of this stuff needed to be put back into circulation. I'm even thinking of going through the boxes I already packed to lighten the load even further, I can always donate stuff to the White Mountain Humane Society, they do good work up here, I've seen worse shelters too, believe me.

If and when I leave Arizona, I just wanna take the best stuff with me, I don't need or want another 20' U-Haul truck crammed with stuff for this second relocation. A lot of the stuff I donated today consisted of European souvenirs from the '60s & '70s, craft materials left by women in the family who have departed, kitchen stuff I never used, that sort of thing. A big ol' punchbowl set (never used) which was nice, but I'm a beer man, ya know? What am I gonna do, pour beer into the bowl so it goes flat? PFFFFFFT... I told the fireman to donate that to the Senior Center or some other worthy cause, it was a nice set but the fact remains that I'd never use it, 10-4? Now, OLD CT, he'd be washing parts in it, maybe engine heads, LOL.... that goldurned knucklehaid!!! Hey, man, I still may relocate here in AZ, that remains to be seen, I'm just weighing options right now, and it seems like OK & NC are off the table because their minimum wages are so low... I gotta take all factors into consideration, you understand. Meh, I'll figure it out, and ya never know, I may wind up driving a log truck to a Boise Cascade plant up there in NE WA. Hard to say in this Brave New Third World, I might wind up hauling explosives for the growing Muslim population in BC... drag that crap down to CA where it can be put to good use, blasting scumbag Moonbeam & Cronies into low earth orbit, LOL.

I can just see myself now, pulling up to the criminal den... er, I mean State Capitol in Sack-O'-Tomatoes, no placards on the wagon, having the guard sign for the load before I dump it (not drop it, no landing gear involved, but dump it), light the fuse and bobtail outta that cesspool with the hammer down and the tractor going about 90 m.p.h., LOL. Hey, I'll wear a Nixon mask when I arrive, and be sure to wave at the cameras before I split, victory signs a-flashin'... "I AM NOT A CROOK!!!" Sheeeee-it, I'd be doing mankind a favor, and citizens of Kalifornia in particular... true citizens, I mean. Blast those criminal political scumbags to smithereens, and good riddance. I wonder what kinda money the cheap b@stardswill cough up for hauling the load... I reckon I'd better make 'em pay cash up front, throw in a fuel surcharge and 72 virgins while they're at it, I can always sell 'em into slavery down in Tijuana, LOL. They'll ride with the explosives for the first leg of the trip, then crowd the catwalk and hang on for dear life as I fly down I-5 at 90-plus, clear to the bordellos in Old Mexico... better put a brush guard on the rig, maybe a cow-catcher off an old locomotive, that'll help clear the interstate, especially during rush hour on the 405 in Smell-A, that nasty Third World $h!thole.

AH, YES, ONE CAN DREAM... DREAM OF A BETTER WORLD WITH NO SCUMBAG POLITICIANS OR GLOBALIST TRASH IN IT. WHO KNOWS, THE WAY THIS CRAZY WORLD IS GOING, SOME CONCERNED NATIVE CITIZEN MIGHT BEAT ME TO IT, LOL.

Y'ALL BE GOOD, I'M OFF TO GRAB A COLD BEER... "ALLAH BE PRAISED, MY FOOT IS NOT BROKEN!!!"

[Practicing my MuslimSpeak there, same for this next line...]

"LOAD THE GODDAM EXPLOSIVES, YA FREAKIN' HEADS, AND DO IT PRONTO!!! RAPIDO, PINCHE JOTOS!!!"

Stay right where you are, moving sucks and who is to say finding a job would be any easier WHEREVER you go. Try harder RIGHT NOW youse knucklehead!

That is one option, plus this is a red state instead of a blue commie state... a big incentive to stay here and simply flip the house, downsize, and get on with the business. But remember, we're at elevation here so almost everything is seasonal, plus I'm still dealing with the Mormon Factor. Now, I have considered relocating lower down toward the desert where things aren't quite as seasonal, except for the miserable monsoon humidity... ugh. And the way my job search has gone with this license, I'm not sure whether I'll ever drive again, 10-4??? It's frustrating, believe me, because I have the heller experience to climb into a truck and drive clear to Bangor, Maine, and back no problem, in the dead of winter to boot, but everyone wants "recent trucking experience." That or they want ya to team forever, not an option for me... I'd wind up killing the wanker and dumping the body somewhere in the desolate Southwest, LOL. Moi to dispatch when the truck stops:

"I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE WANKER WENT, HE DISAPPEARED FROM THIS TRUCK STOP LATE LAST NIGHT..."

[Corpse dumped in a remote canyon 1300 miles back...]

But no worries, I don't mind flippin' the house, I've had good times here but I don't HAVE to live right here on this corner either, aye? I DO need to free up some cash, so the sale is going through, ya know I already tried the room rental scene and THAT was a disaster... well, all were cool but the one wanker, and I had to go to court over THAT fooliot. I miss the good ol' days when Arizona was just a territory: I could have SHOT the pogue and dumped his corpse out along the Rim Road, nobody but the buzzards would've ever found it, LOL. A cheerful thought, to be sure, but no point in dwelling on it, that saga has ended. Hey, I DO like the idea of my primo bachelor pad going to an appreciative Native American artist and his family, they sure liked the setup... I think he's keeping the pool table too, if not I'll break it down and take it with me, I've had fun with that table. Now you're gonna nag at me for shootin' stick instead of pounding the pavement for a J-O-B, LOL.

MEH, I'LL FIGURE IT OUT BEFORE I BAIL, MIGHT BE A SHORT TRIP, MIGHT BE A LITTLE LONGER...

MAYBE I SHOULD START COOKING METH IN A ROLLING RV, STICK TO THE BACK ROADS IN BFE TILL THE PRODUCT IS READY TO SLING, LOL...

Er... that meth line was a joke, y'all know I don't like tweakers or crackerheads, LOL. I've been thinking of retrenching right here in this area, then going all out to find steady year-round employment. I could buy a home free & clear in Lakeside, which would put me a lot closer to the businesses in Lakeside and Pinetop... I never really searched down there because I felt it was too far from my present location, and I didn't want to waste time & fuel in commuting. So maybe that's what I should do, there are bound to be some businesses down there which are NOT run by Mormons... I think my CDL-A is worthless, given how much time has elapsed since I drove a truck, but I might be able to find something, working in a store, gas station or restaurant. I'd rather be behind the scenes, I'm not so good at dealing with the public... some jackhole might say something to set me off, then I'll be losing the job anyway, ya know? I like to think I'm more patient nowadays, but patience has never been my strong suit... I have to work at it to attain any kind of Zen-like state. Probably why I was so good at sailing out to the islands... no people around, just moi and a few thousand critters chillin' out in wildlife sanctuaries.

I've also been considering what OLD CT said: moving sucks, and who's to say it would be any easier to find work up there in WA? Plus I'd have to go through the whole rigmarole of swapping out license & registration, etc. I think WA is like CA, don't they require vehicle/smog inspections and all that bull$h!t? Between all that and the high property costs & taxes, I might not save that much. Might be worse off, LOL... whereas I love many aspects of this state, the choice weather, the cool outdoor venues, the general awareness of many that Big Gubmint sucks, etc., etc. I reckon I need to get out of this slump I've been in and find gainful employment, that's the priority issue. The minimum wage in each state might not be such a factor: by January 1, 2020, the minimum wage here will be $12, I believe, while it'll be $13.50 in WA. Maybe the difference isn't a factor: I keep my cost of living down by buying stuff on sale, right down to value packs of meat in the supermarket, so the average cost of living as quoted in reports does NOT really apply to me, all my life I've stretched a dollar clear to Bangor, Maine. Of course, gas costs will be universal, no way for me to reduce those except through less driving.

Anyway, I'm looking at some listings here in Navajo County, as well as a few in neighboring Apache County... that's something else I've been considering, relocating but staying here in AZ, not necessarily in Show Low. But I know I don't wanna live in the Valley, with all its crime and traffic and humid monsoonal slop and bad attitudes... to heck with that, I left CA to get AWAY from all that cr@p, LOL. There are other communities at lower elevations, but many of 'em are smaller than this area in terms of development and potential job opportunities. I wouldn't mind living in the desert, but there's not always a lot going on down there in the way of work, 10-4? Probably why they call it a desert, LOL. Bunch of skeletons lying around, picked clean by the buzzards... ObamaCare at its finest!!! The individual mandate still applies to those consumed by vultures, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Damn. Well, OLD CT, you'll be happy to know that I'm probably gonna follow your advice and just keep trying here in the White Mountains, which are still a regular paradise on earth. WTF, my license & car registration will still be good for what? 3 1/2 years???

Hey, that place in Lakeside isn't bad, the property has plenty of trees on it, though not all are the majestic Ponderosa Pines... but there are still a number of Ponderosas there, and plenty of shade too. I've kinda gotten used to living as one of "The Forest People"---Big Mike the Injun said I was one of 'em when I first moved into this house, and the moniker fits too. I've come to love these tall pines and all the wildlife, even the comical skunks & coons with all their shenanigans. I'm gonna miss these banks of picture windows in this house, can't remember all the times I've gotten up in the middle of the night to look out and see some wildlife stooging around... the cats wake me when they hear critters outside, not by meowing but just by alerting and turning their heads toward the sound. Cats must have really good hearing, not once have I beaten 'em when it came to realizing that a wild critter was just outside in the middle of the night. There are times when both cats will jump onto the nearest window sill and watch the skunk, coon or whatever else as the critter stooges around in plain view. Often enough, they come in pairs or trios, and it's cool to watch 'em stooge around and do their thing.

WELL, TIME TO GET ON SOME OTHER TASKS, BUT I'M LEANING TOWARD STAYING HERE IN ARIZONA AND TRYING TO FIND WORK... I REALLY DO LOVE THIS AREA, I'M JUST CONCERNED ABOUT MONEY RUNNING LOW AGAIN, YA KNOW???

AT LEAST I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO FLIP THE HOUSE, RETRENCH AND KEEP TRYING... WITH A LITTLE MONEY BACK IN THE OL' BANK ACCOUNT. ONE OF THESE DAYS I'LL GET IT RIGHT, OR ELSE I'LL DIE TRYIN' AND IT'LL NO LONGER BE A PROBLEM, LOL.

CHEERS, YOUSE KNUCKLEHAIDS!!! YA KNOW I VALUE YOUR OPINIONS, SO DON'T HOLD BACK, AYE???

Keep up on the job search and good luck. Keep us posted.
Look for singles night events and find yourself a woman that has a job. You might want to stay in that house after all.

First good rain after months of drought... felt so good this morning, enjoying quality time with the kittehs on ye olde rack with all the windows open and that cool fresh air flowing through the room. You can feel the dampness of the air, the trees are loving it... hope it rains all day, Lord knows the forest could use it.

Summer rain...nature's Zen meditation

Sure has been an enjoyable day, never got out of the low 60s, still cloudy & cool now with light sprinkles every so often...

I might still retrench here in AZ, been checking a lot of listings lately... I could even retrench at lower elevation, not in the Valley but in the high desert where it cools off at night.

The other option seems to be the Northwest, I found some properties in WA that would be within my range, and some even had reasonable property taxes, which is NOT usually the case up there, LOL...

Shots of Crackhead lying on a window sill in the Pool Room... I think I may take that table with me wherever I go, the folks interested in the house don't seem to want it there anyway, pfffffffft. I may have to pay some hand to re-felt the table later, but it'd be worth it, just to have the table with me after the move. If the home I buy is smaller than this one, as it most likely will be, I'll put the f#%r in the goddam living room, LOL.



I threw in some shots of yesterday's rain, you can see how the drought has turned my "lawn" into dirt. I've managed to keep most of the bigger stuff alive through timely watering, but the wild roses in the hedgerow have not gone off like they did last year... meh, they're still alive, and so are the Ponderosa Pines, though one small sapling looks as if it's toast. I said I would be a good steward to these trees, and I've done my best through this infernal drought.

Pulled a 135-mile triangular recon today while checking out three properties for sale: one in Pinedale, one in p, and one in Holbrook. The Pinedale property was


too far from resupply points, while the others were just too darned close to neighbors... even though the Holbrook home was a big house on a decent-sized lot. I'm beginning to think that I need more space around me, even if that means commuting a bit, ya know? There's a place on 38+ acres over in Apache County, not far from here, but the well is currently inoperable... might just need a new pump, but it also might need to be drilled deeper, aye? Meh, I'm just looking around at what I can buy in my price range, I even stopped in at the county gubmint complex in Holbrook to ask about tax lien sales & bank foreclosures... after those Montana Boyz scored such a good deal, I reckon I'll look into that whole scene further, doesn't mean I'll go that route but it won't hurt to look it up for an hour or two on the Internet, 10-4? Anyway, here are some pics I took today, some of the road trip and some taken here in Show Low... that's the neighbor's cat drinking from my birdbath, the varmint!!!



That first pic shows how abrupt the transition is from "Cedar Country" to high desert... there were burn scars along that route, might have been the fires started by the idiot dragging a trailer ramp down the road. No lie, the dumb@$$ made the local rag after starting at least ten fires, but he's in the $h!t now since they caught the fool. What a moron... Stage 3 Fire Restrictions and he's dragging a metal trailer ramp down an asphalt highway, pffffffffft. And how exactly does some idiot NOT know that ramp is dragging & sending out sparks?!?

Here's a rail I saw for sale in Taylor, a small town up AZ77... I came back that way from Holbrook, a straight shot across the high desert to Snowflake & Taylor, tunes cranked in the Camry all the way, LOL. Saw this rail and pulled around the block to bag some pics, it's not the burliest rail I've ever seen but it'd do the job on Rim Road 300 and other trails. You'd need sand paddles for any dunes, but the Rim Road is more of a dirt road on steroids, it stretches at least 90 miles between Show Low and the Payson/Pine area. I always wanted to run the length of it, don't know if it'll happen but it might if I downsize and buy a bad@$$ dirt bike or quad, LOL. Anyway, here's the rail:



Gotta remember, these rails are relatively light, so a motor like that one will power the rig no problem... after taking that dirt bike spill on the Rim Road last year (knee f#%d up to this day), I'm beginning to think it's okay NOT to go TOO FAST. A sure sign of old age, Boyz, or maybe just COWARDICE, LOL.

Y'ALL BE GOOD, IT'S TIME FOR A COLD BEER... I'M NOT BIG ON DRINKING & DRIVING (EXCEPT ON DIRT, LOL), AND I CROSSED SOME HOT COUNTRY TODAY IN THE CAMRY, THAT HIGH DESERT GETS TO BROILING WITHOUT ANY COVER, YA KNOW???

Forgot to mention that I like the LED strip for night driving... that'd be cool to run the Rim Road at night, just slow down a bit so ya don't wreck the rail and bust yerself up, LOL.

Hmm, the rail pics made it, WOOHOO!!! Alright, where's that crazy fool OLD CT??? Need a test pilot to run this rig over rush hour traffic on the GW Bridge... yes, that's right, UP & OVER the vehicles sitting in traffic on the bridge. Might wanna get liquored up first, maybe smoke a bowl o' chronic... worst-case scenario, you'll feel better as the cops eventually lead ya to your cell, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Remember, SAFETY FIRST!!! Fasten your seatbelt before ya wind up the ol' rig!!! Never know, ya just might make it across and get lost on the streets of NYC before they have a chance to apprehend you, LOL. I have faith in ya, OLD CT!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

That would be good in the sand dunes with paddles. Where's the nitrous button???

Some gal came by for the second time to look at the house, minus the realtor, which is fine with me... she brought an older hand to check the furnace, plumbing, etc., and both of 'em were pleasantly surprised to find that the furnace, water heater, etc., are fairly new. This gal really likes the place, she may be the one to buy it... suits me, I'd like to know the place was sold before my birthday next week, give me an extra reason to par-tay, LOL. And no worries, I've seen some cool properties I can buy as I downsize, the homes are smaller but there's more land involved, which is cool. This gal likes the trees on my property, which is a good thing, I'd like to sell the placed to someone who will take care of these magnificent Ponderosa Pines.

Saw a place in Lakeside which might work for me, decent home on three times the acreage (.6+ acre), plenty of trees for shade on a small knoll, plenty of room for the kittehs to roam... I want as much elbow room as I can get on this next home purchase. Thing is, the septic tank is cracked and there are tree roots growing in it, which ain't so hot. However, I could probably beat the seller down to around $50K, put in a new tank alongside the old for about $3K, and have a decent place to live. Closer to all those businesses I never checked for work in Lakeside & Pinetop, but still in Mormon Country... so I may just load the rental truck, toss the kittehs into the Camry on a tow dolly, and hammer down for Washington State, LOL.

I saw a cool place in WA on 1/3 acre, the landscaping and background scenery are beautiful, and it's minutes from the bay & beach. Got some big employers nearby as well, including a sawmill within a mile or two. Place needs some fixer work done to it, mostly painting, a few plumbing fixtures, maybe a little roof work, but the yard is primo... the kittehs would have fun playing in that yard, LOL. There's also a nice little shop building on a concrete slab, 24' x 24', and that would make a good Pool Hall for my table, yeah? Gal doesn't want the table anyway, so I reckon I'll break it down, load it up, and haul it with me wherever I go. WTF, I paid several thousand dollars for that table, and I could reassemble most of it on the other end... might hafta pay some pro to level the slate and re-felt, no worries.

There are other options open to me as I key this message, but I gotta tell y'all, I'm hearing the siren call of the ocean up in WA state, I'd hafta deal with the rain but there'd be fine weather as well, fine sailing weather for this old hand who misses the good ol' days. Hell, even a little skiff or runabout would be fun, I've been checking the ads on C/L and I could pick one up pretty cheap. Trick is to buy a home with lower taxes, that way it'd be feasible... some properties & associated taxes are sky-high in that blue commie state, due to location and local legislation, no doubt. Gotta avoid those places like the plague, I've seen some cool fixers in the $50-60K range with relatively low taxes, not much more than I'm payin' here, so f#% it.

I may still relocate here in AZ, but I'm starting to wonder if my destiny lies in the Pacific Northwest... I can buy another place here, a smaller home on more land, or I can head up there to WA and buy a place which suits my budget. Doesn't hafta be on the coast either, there's some pretty country in the northeastern corner of WA, question is whether there'd be work for a guy in my position. That's my primary concern, so I'd sooner go with the drizzle on the coast and be closer to work opportunities. Meh, might not be a factor, I may still relocate in AZ, up here in the White Mountains or down in the high desert... that's why I'm spending so much time on web research, I wanna make sure I pick a place that will offer everything the kittehs & I need.

ALRIGHT, YOUSE MONKEYBIKING HEE-ROES & CRUSTY DEMONS O' DIRT, CARRY ON WITH YOUR MADNESS, LOL...

Kittehs & I are enjoying the wonderful cool-down period at dusk here in the mountains... sure feels nice with all the windows wide open, the small fan cranked (no need for the big industrial fan at this point), and a cold beer at hand as I surf the Interwebs. Threw together some homemade turkey soup today, bought a bird earlier this week and I don't want the boiled-down carcass hanging about in warm weather... I'm being extra careful about that because some rotten garbage went off a week or two ago. Tomorrow's our trash pickup day, best to get rid of the carcass before it turns into bear bait, LOL. Hey, speaking of bear bait, here's Sage doing his impersonation of a dead rock star:



Gotta use your imagination for the dead rock star scenario... you see, that catnip mouse is actually an empty whiskey bottle, while that orange ball with the bell inside is a heroin syringe or an empty pill bottle, take your pick, LOL.