I Like Girls…

Yep, always have.   Rollie and Gina had their first Granddaughter Abigail,  less than a year ago.  Now they were just blessed with their second Granddaughter, Jolee Adair Jenkins.  Check out the initials on her little cap.

This is little Jolee shortly after her arrival. What a beautiful little gal, and look at that smile! Yes, I like girls. Oh, but I like boys too!

Now, in about a month, we will be presented with TWIN Great Granddaughters.  Son Patrick’s daughter, Shala, that lives in Lincoln, Nebraska is anxious to deliver these two girls as  they are mighty heavy to carry around. We are all quite excited about that. Shala’s Mom, Michelle, and first time Grandmother, is in Lincoln to help get things ready for the big arrival and son Pat is headed that way soon.   That is FOUR girls brought into the world in less than ONE year.  We also have 3 more great granddaughters in Florida....Brianna, Age 6, Kylie, Age 4 and Eavan, Age 3.  The girls are taking over!! But that’s OK, like I said, I like Girls!!



Remember this picture of Shala that I posted on a previous Blog back in early March?  That was almost two months ago when we visited her at my son's place in Lake Havasu. AZ.  She was uncomfortable then....I can’t imagine how she feels now. Congratulations to all these proud new Parents, Grandparents and Parents and Grandparents-to-be.


Speaking of my son Patrick, he just stopped by and paid us a visit Friday. It sure was good to see him. He is one proud Grandpappy-to-be.  Sorry he had to leave so soon but he did stay for Happy Hour and a Buffalo Burger.  I am sure proud of this boy and his family and see, he is "purt-near" as good lookin' as his old man. :-)  He’s an ex-marine and retired from the railroad after 30 years where he worked up to an engineer.  But now for the last 5 years or so he is a Federal agent for the railroad and travels  all over the US with his work.   I pray every day for his safety and ask God to look out for him.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

We have been quite busy around here on,,,,,,,,Yep....you guessed it.  Another Project!  Just when I thought we had no more projects. But that will have to wait until Wednesdays blog…………Hope you all will stop back….I'm headed off to Church...

We want to Welcome our latest follower,

Encourage One Another

Glad to have you stop by......I like your theme. We do need to encourage one another for sure!

God Bless you all.....

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

If It's Not Broke, DON'T FIX IT!!!!

This will be the 3RD summer we have had our house here at North Ranch near Congress, AZ. We leave the A/C on 89* when we leave and with the place all closed up it doesn’t have to run very often but we know it runs some. This house is extremely well insulated and the A/C unit is well sized, but we figured that just for safety’s sake, it would be a good idea to have it serviced. We definitely don’t want it to quit while we are gone.  Although Paul and Nancy check the place quite often and I’m sure they would notice it right away, we decided to do some preventative maintenance. So we called the local A/C service company that was highly recommended to us and they came out and checked the unit out. They even got up in the attic and checked the air exchanger.  The repairman gave us a perfect bill of health and said the unit was working fine.  OK, got that taken care of, now we shouldn’t have to worry about that!

It just so happened that a couple days after we had the unit serviced, it turned unusually HOT. I seldom ever turn the air on, like I said this house is so well insulated and with the ceiling fans we just don’t need it. But about happy hour time it was really warm.  I had been working hard getting this Rampage motorcycle loader ready to ship back East.  So I decided since we just had the A/C all checked out, I’d fire it up and cool the place down a little. I fired it up, it kicked on fine and was blowing away. I went back out in my “man cave” and was thinking “It will be cool in there in a few minutes” as it doesn’t take it long to really cool that place down.  Hmmm, I went back in about 10 minutes and WOW, it didn’t feel as if it was cooling at all.  I checked the thermostat and yep, I had it set right. Must be my imagination but I swear the thing is not working.  Oh come on, it has to be working, we just spent $70.00 to make sure it was working!!

Maybe it needs some more time, it is really HOT.  It was 95*, the hottest day of the year and a record breaker. So I waited a while longer, Ms. Pat came home from a project she has been working on and she asked “Why is it so HOT in the house?  The A/C doesn't seem to be working."  I told her “Oh....it's got to be working....we just had it checked out and it's working”!   Well, I got my Infrared Dot Laser thermometer that I use on the RV tires, axles, etc. and measured the temp of the air coming out of the A/C ducts.  Ugh!  Bad news! It wasn’t workin!!  Of course that was Saturday evening.  We spent a HOT night trying to sleep and all the time I’m muttering a few choice words like “If it ain’t broke, DON'T FIX IT”!   Sunday was another HOT one and just for the heck of it, we tried to call the service company on Sunday.  No answer…of course, didn’t really expect one.  Did you ever notice how these things always happen on the weekend? Always!! 

Sunday evening and night was another scorcher...we had fans blowing everywhere.  I almost went and slept in the Motorhome. In the wee hours of the morning, it starts cooling off, then until about 9-10 o’clock it's fine.  Monday morning at 7:15 am, we called the service company.  We didn’t really expect an answer but sure enough…they answered.  Told them the problem and he said “ I have a man working just a couple blocks away, I’ll have him come right over”! WOW, that was a piece of luck.  I figured we might have to wait a day or two.  A short time later, Brandon came over and started working on our unit and it wasn’t long until he said, ”I found the problem, a capacitor went out”. “I have one in the truck”.  Funny how that thing went out just after they checked it all out like that. I’m the suspicious type....but I suppose things like that happen.  It could have been weak and the testing did something that made it go out. Just as well now than later, when we are 1200 miles away.  So we're COOL again!!   Boy does it feel good!!


When Al and Kelly from Bayfield Bunch stopped to see us a while back, I asked Al if he had any trouble finding us.  "Heck no",  he said, "they have a sign painted on the street right out in front of your house “MPH” -- Mike and Pat's House!!"  I thought that was pretty clever!

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

We are so happy to report that we received a call yesterday and a few emails from our "kids", Rollie and Gina, that their daughter Ashley, had given birth to a beautiful baby girl!! Jolee Adair Jenkins came into the world tipping the scale at 7 lb. 14oz. Our love and congratulations go out to them all.   Wow.....another Great Grandbaby....we are so BLESSED!!  Praise the Lord!!



Mike


This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Hey....That’s Too HOT For Me!!

They recorded 102* in Phoenix yesterday.  It’s never as hot here as it is in Phoenix but I recorded 95* on my weather station on top of the house here at North Ranch. Now, that’s too HOT for me, especially when I have some heavy work to do. I was putting this Rampage motorcycle loader on Pallets getting it ready to ship. That thing is HEAVY! Although I was under the carport out of the direct sun, I was still soaking wet while I was lugging the thing around. I went through about 3-4 bottles of water. I got it ready for the truck to pick up and I hope he gets here soon. I’m tired of walking around that thing.

Soon it will be on its way to South Carolina and I will be on my way to Custer, South Dakota, where the high yesterday was 46*.  Sounds good right?  I don’t know about the 26* it got down to during the night though. Don’t know if I’m ready for that or not.  Oh well, it will be about a month before we depart. We have set May 24TH as our departure date…….


Last Sunday I was having a tough day. If you remember from my blog it was my son Mikel’s Birthday.  I was just feeling a little low and I was looking forward to getting to Church and listening to our favorite Pastor deliver his usual wonderful message from God. He did just that and delivered one of his most powerful sermons that I had ever heard. Most of the congregation was in tears, including me.

Then at the end of the sermon, he got real serious and dropped the BOMB. He said that God had spoken to him and told him it was time for him to move on with his ministry.  He will be moving to Hawaii. His last day will be May 13th.  Everyone was shocked, and couldn’t believe their ears. Sobs were heard everywhere. I was doing my best to hold my emotions back but when I walked by Pastor Dean to shake his hand and wish him well, I broke down. As I hugged him, I mumbled through my sobbing, how much I was going to miss him and I asked him to stop and see my son Mikel, who is buried at the "Punchbowl" Military Cemetery there.  Mikel was stationed in Hawaii for a good part of his Military career and he loved it there.

He assured me he would do that.  Pastor Dean is one of the finest men and pastors I have ever known.  When Mikel passed away, he and his wife, Rhonda, came to our house and prayed with us. It was such a comfort to Pat and I. Many of our friends that have gone to Church with us while in the area also marveled at his power in delivering the word of God. Rollie and Gina were especially fond of Pastor Dean.  He has been here in Wickenburg for 11 years.  We know he will do well and we know that he and his wife are excited about the move.  But let me tell you, NO MAN will ever fill this man's shoes in MY BOOK. God Bless you Pastor Dean.  YOU made a real difference in MY LIFE and "Thank You God" for letting me know Pastor Dean.  He has strengthened my faith many times over.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Now we are headed in to Church, in hopes we can hear Pastor Dean, just a few more times…… Praise the Lord.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

It’s a Done Deal

We finally struck an agreement with the Company that built our Pole Barn, for them to build the “lean to” to park the Motorhome under. Signed the contract and sent a deposit so they could get the material ordered. They pushed us on the start date and said they could start on it the middle of May. We have so many last minute Dr appointments and other details that there is no way we could be there by then. “Oh, that’s OK", they said, "We can do it before you get here and have it all done by the time you arrive."   Uh....no I don’t think so.  I want to be there while they are doing it……thank you just the same.

So the start date was set for June 4TH.  We moved our departure date from here at North Ranch up a few days to May 24TH. We need to get there a few days early and get a building permit and I want to have the surveyors check the location of the lot line. I don’t want to violate any regulations. You must stay at least 15 feet back from the line and I want to make sure!

So our minds are starting to think about securing this place and getting everything all wrapped up and ready to go.  We will be mighty busy for our last month before we leave. However, I’m getting a little anxious…..of course!

Here is Ms. Pat yesterday at her ladies pistol training class at the Wickenburg Sportsmen's Club shooting range. She is trying out a new gun and receiving some “one on one” personal training from Caryl, the Instructor and Range Safety Officer.  Pat is trying to learn how to use a gun with an external "safety".  Her Glock doesn't have an external safety so this is new for her.  She has enjoyed these classes every Tuesday for the last couple months and they only have one more class left for this season.


I spend a lot of time behind my new Dillon RL 550B Progressive Reloader. I have enjoyed this new found hobby and I’m about to pass the 3000 mark in reloading bullets for us to shoot. Each time I pull that handle down a new bullet is made!  Keeps me out of trouble while Ms. Pat is up Line Dancing four days a week…. her favorite hobby.


We were so happy to have some long time faithful followers of our Blog stop by and say hello. This is Paul and Marsha of Where's Weaver . They were visiting North Ranch and exploring the area. It's good to put a face on these fine folks that we feel we’ve known for years.  Thanks for stopping by Paul and Marsha!

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks so much for all the thoughtful and caring comments on my last Blog. God Bless you all!

Lots of folks are on the move and our Park is almost empty.....so you all travel safe, ya hear?

Drop back Sunday morning if you get a chance, we would love to have you!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

April 15TH ....Lots of Memories

April 15TH always means TAX TIME for most people but for me it was always Mikel's Birthday!!

He was my "little" Cowboy.....my pride and joy.

Today, April 15TH is his BIRTHDAY.  He would be 57 today.  Ms. Pat and I dedicate this  Blog to Mikel and his brother Scott.


The three MIKE’S............This was taken on March 31, 2010 when Mikel and grandson Mike came to see us here at North Ranch. That was a great visit. 


Here they are as they leaving, headed for a little trip up to the Grand Canyon before they headed home. I had no idea that it was the last time we would ever see him again. It was on May 11, just a few weeks later, that we received word that Mikel had passed away during the night. Complications from pain medicine, coupled with some antidepressants and other "mood altering" drugs the Doctors had him on, was just more than his system could handle.  

So many Memories of the wonderful times we had together. Our time together was cut short but it was a wonderful blessing that God let me have this boy in my life for 55 years.  The memories go on and they will go on as long as I live.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKEL.  I love you and miss you a lot!

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!



This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

First Baby Buffalo Born

“GFP News - April 9, 2012”
First Buffalo Calf of the Season Spotted at Custer State Park
CUSTER STATE PARK – The first buffalo calf of the spring, a heifer,in Custer State Park was spotted on April 7, 2012. It was found by park staff in the south end of the park near the south fork of Lame Johnny Creek. The park has about 900 head of bison going into the spring and is expecting around 400 calves. The herd size should be around 1,300 at the Annual Buffalo Roundup in September.  “Spring is a perfect time to view wildlife in the park, and with the winter moisture everything is greening up,” said Chad Kremer, buffalo herd manager. “Deer, antelope, turkey and buffalo can be seen throughout the park right now.”
























 Remember Chad, he is the guy we buy our processed Buffalo meat from…

We had a wonderful Easter and thank all of you that commented, called and emailed us. Our Pastor delivered a strong and meaningful message to us all and his three adult children sang a special musical presentation that left us all in awe.  Wow, what outstanding voices Pastor Dean and each of his children have. It is such a pleasure listening to them as we have for years. What a blessing it is to have this wonderful Pastor and mentor in our lives.  Praise the Lord!

The weather here in Congress, AZ. is warming up!!  This morning when we got up is was 57* and it has been getting into the low 80’s during the day.  That’s pretty enjoyable weather and I noticed that it was 23* in Custer, SD. this morning.  Brrrrr......still a little cool for us to be heading that way. But in another month, we will be looking for some cooler temperatures.


Remember the construction project we started last summer?  We are in contact with the contractor that built the building and getting a price for an extension and we would like him to start on it right on June 1ST, shortly after we get there.



It ended up being quite a project.. We got this far and I was afraid our building might cave in.



So we built a retaining wall !   Which was a lot of work and blew our budget all to pieces! Isn't that the way it always goes?



This was the finished product taken right about the 1ST of August last summer. It has been settling all winter and should be ready for our roof extension.  So hopefully we will have a project going right away when we return this summer. I wonder what other complications we will run into? I know there will be something, there always is!! It will be another FUN project, but I will be glad when it completed! Then, please remind me NO MORE CONSTRUCTION projects...PLEASE!!!

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!  We are headed for the big city this morning....another medical appointment to get out of the way before we leave.

Thanks for stopping by.  Travel safe out there!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Happy Easter !!

              All I need to know
I learned from the Easter Bunny!
          Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.
         There's no such thing as too much candy.
All work and no play can make you a basket case.
        A cute tail attracts a lot of attention.
Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.        
 Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.
Some body parts should be floppy.
        Keep your paws off of other people's jelly beans.
Good things come in small, sugar coated packages.
        The grass is always greener in someone else's basket.

To show your true colors, you have to come out of the shell.
        The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.

May the joy of the season fill your heart.

        AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU!
(borrowed from my buddy Greg)

               

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by……….See ya'll Wednesday.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

It’s Motorcycle Weather.

The highways are full of Motorcycles this time of the year. That makes me miss my Harley Softail a lot. I think of it all locked up in my Cargo trailer and inside of the metal building up in the Black Hills of South Dakota.   I carried it with me for years and years but as we cut down on responsibilities and obligations, the decision was made to leave it home in the Hills.  That is really where I enjoy riding it the most and I really didn't enjoy having to haul it around everywhere and unloading and loading it all the time. A lot of the winter here is not good bike riding weather and it would be sitting around anyhow and I’m not one that can leave a bike out in the weather. So I am still glad we made the decision not to bring it with us but I do get the "hankering" to ride once in a while.

In fact, my mind has been thinking about the wonderful Black Hills a lot lately, but it always does at this time of the year.   A lot of folks are heading out somewhere and the place gets quieter and quieter around here. In fact, the campground here at North Ranch was full to the brim just a couple weeks ago and now it's almost empty! 

However, Spring is unbelievably beautiful around here!  When we see the pictures of the snow and cold in Montana on Mike and Janna's Blog, it makes us happy to stay right where we are for a couple more months. We have fought the hitch itch off before and we will do it again.  We never used to fight it off, we were on the go constantly. But as time goes on things change, things you just have to accept and live with.  We are still on the go, constantly running here and there doing all this different stuff, dancing, shooting, shopping, doctoring, etc.   It's just that we don’t change our place of residence like we did for 15 years while we were full-timing.

It’s a life style change and it takes a little getting used to.  But in a way it’s a good thing, a necessary thing, a part of life that is going to happen to everyone sooner or later and we are coming along just fine.  We continue to thank our Father in Heaven for the wonderful life and so many blessings that he has led us through.  Soon enough I will be cruising in the Hills on my Harley, taking in all that beauty and fresh air. It’s a special place to us, where I talk to God and my Boys a lot, because it’s the closest thing to Heaven here on earth that I have found.

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Welcome to our newest follower:

Lady Dyna Rider

It's good to have you riding along with us and look forward to your riding with us this summer.in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota.

We are so glad to report that Al and Kelly should get to their home in Bayfield, Ontario, Canada today. They have been driving long days as we followed them on their rush journey home. 

God Bless you all and Travel Safe!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

April Fool Everybody!!

There's no April Fool's joke in this Blog but April Fool's Day means only one thing....it's a short two months until it's time to close up shop down here in Arizona and make our way to the Hills of South Dakota. It seems it was only the other day that we arrived here at North Ranch.  But in looking back at the calendar, I can see that was on November 15TH, four and a half months ago.  Time does FLY when you're having FUN!!!

It makes us both so happy to see the Motorhome all sealed and shined up. Can’t help but notice it sitting there so pretty. Thanks again Larry and Geri!!

Some gentleman stopped at the house and wanted to know where we got those wheel covers.  He said they were the best looking covers he had ever seen and that he would like to get a set for his rig. So Ms. Pat provided him with the website of MCD Innovations and told him thanks for the compliment. We have had several others ask about them before.

Thursday, we decided to do something different.  Jerry and Caryl, our newly found friends and Pat's shooting instructors, stopped and asked us if we would like to go to the Prescott shooting range for one of their scheduled "Action" shoots.  Yes....we both jumped at the chance.  Wow, what a big range and there was a lot of shooters but a real friendly bunch.  They were very well organized and had a lot of different scenarios to shoot.  It was fun and something new and different for us.  We both shot about 130 rounds and enjoyed it. The weather was beautiful and it's a little cooler up on the "hill".  It was a long, busy day and I was worn out by the time we made it back home.  I was so busy running from bay to bay and reloading my mags, I forgot to take any pictures....maybe next time.

Friday, Al and Kelly from the Bayfield Bunch stopped by to say goodbye as they were leaving early the next morning.  Ms. Pat wasn’t home....she was up at Caryls working on a special project.  Al and Kelly told me that their dear loving Cora, i.e., Motormouse, their long time pet, had gotten sick again and they were extremely worried about her.  Ms. Pat was so upset that she wasn’t here and didn’t get to hug them and say goodbye.  When I checked Facebook early Saturday morning I was deeply saddened when Kelly posted that they had lost little Cora during the night.  We know this was devastating to them and our hearts and prayers are with them as they continue on their rush trip home to Ontario. 

Saturday morning we were up early and headed to a Gun Show in Prescott.  So Ms. Pat asked me if I would swing by Al and Kelly’s place in case they should still be there so she could say goodbye and give them some BIG HUGS, hoping maybe they hadn’t left yet.  We were there shortly before 8:00 am and they were already gone.  Ms. Pat was so disappointed she had missed them but said a little prayer for them as they travel on their long, sad journey home.

I read this morning in Al's Blog that they made it almost to Albuquerque,NM last night.  I am sure they are up and gone by now this morning.  I know Al is driving through tears and his heart is saddened as he heads to Bayfield, Ontario.  We are riding along with you dear friends and so is little Cora.  I am so glad I got to meet her if it was for just a short time.

The gun show was a pretty big show and lots to see.  It was held in Tim's Toyota Center in Prescott Valley and we walked around and around for 3 solid hours.  We saw a lot of neat stuff, spent a little money but sure wore ourselves out.  But wait!!  We still had Sam’s, Costco and WalMart to do…UGH!  I made it through the first two, but WalMart I had to skip. I sat in the truck and played with my new iPad.  After filling the truck with fuel to the tune of $75.00 , we turned it towards home…pulled in about 5pm. We were totally wasted.

Another busy GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thank you all for stopping by, we’re off to Church.  Then this afternoon, I’m gonna rest.  HaHa!! I'll be busy reloading more bullets for next week and checking out my new purchases from the gun show.

Travel Safe everyone and enjoy traveling this beautiful country while you can.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..