Additions to the Side bar

For those interested in where we've been so far this year and the states we've traveled in so far over the last eight years, I've added a couple maps to the lower right hand side of the page. Which states do we have yet to explore? And we don't count states if we've only driven through them to reach another destination--we have to spend time in the state before we add it to our collection.

The snow that was predicted didn't make it as low as 3600 feet, which is our current elevation. However, the mountain ranges to the north of us do have a coating of snow and it is still much colder than normal around here. No tanning yet for this snowbird.

Speaking of birds, my sunflower seeds have attracted white-crowned sparrows, Gambel's quails and a pair of Pyrrhuloxias for Patches' entertainment as she sits on the window sill. There's also a little tan creature that looks like a very small prairie dog or a very large chipmunk without stripes. That's something I'll have to research online so I'll have a name for him. I have a feeling I'll be buying more sunflower seeds soon at the rate the little critters are eating what I've tossed out to them. But the cat isn't the only one being entertained by their presence, so it's worth it.

We are enjoying just being in one place for a while. We had a problem with our black water tank valve handle that Denny managed to fix without needing the assistance of a RV technician as we had thought. Whew. Black water tank problems are not pleasant, but this turned out to be an easy fix. It's been too cold to do any outdoor activities with the two of us recuperating from colds, but I did join in a beading session where we made Valentine's Day heart-shaped earrings which turned out very nicely even if I do say so myself. Hmm, maybe I'll post a picture tomorrow. The activities director told me she shows up for water aerobics at the scheduled time and has the class if anyone shows up but it's too darn cold for that, no matter how warm the water may be. I think Casa Grande will be warmer and I'll jump into more activities there. We're still winding down from a very busy holiday trip/visit and our after-the-holidays cross-country jaunt. Okay, in plain English, we're just hanging around being lazy and loving it. Hey, we're retired, right?