LAZYDAYS KOA RESORT~Tucson-AZ

January 4th: We had spent the night alongside the freeway, in Marana-AZ.

We were about 20 minutes from Tucson.

When we hit the road this morning, we were thinking about boondocking at Ajo (ah-joe) … but while listening to a local music station, we heard a report of a 24-degree evening chill on Sunday (!!); hearing that unwelcome news, we decided to fork the $$$ out for an RV Resort spot. We have a KOA Membership - so, we pulled over, Holland gave the local KOA a jingle, and Elohim worked things out so we could snag a spot for a week.

There is still Sonshine behind the clouds :-)

Forecasted 'bitterly cold' and 'freezing'!

Newer downtown Tucson-AZ

Tucson-AZ: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tucson,_Arizona)

Tucson's skyline features five mountain ranges; don't know what this one, is.

Fancy - and very expansive. It's a HUGE layout.

It's very nice … I like this type of adobe housing, so being surrounded by it is exciting, to me :-)

I LIKE! And when the rains let up, I intend to explore the grounds. Thoroughly ;-)

Holland can't afford to get sick with a chest cold; and he's already been coughing pretty hard and sneezing - and that is concerning to me. So we need to be where we will have consistent heat … boondocking doesn't allow generator usage after 10 PM. Coughing and sneezing can't automatically be shut down at specified times that suit strangers' stringent restrictions. He can't afford to please other's at his own health's expense - and I can't afford to lose my new husband to a lung infection.

And with my asthmatic lungs, I can't afford to get wet and chilled, either.

MURPHY IS NOT OUR FRIEND

January 3rd: We had spent two nights again in Quartzsite, and woke up to search the internet for warmer weather … it has been bitterly cold here, evenings and mornings: so much so, that last night Bleu was whining about the chill and Holland allowed him to come sleep atop the bed, with us, where his bones weren't so chilled (big concession for Holland ;-)).

As we drank our coffees and was wondering what to do with all this cold weather, morning internet information was telling us that Winterhaven-CA seemed to be 3-degrees warmer; so we packed up Independence, and aimed Betsy's nose for the LTVA land there. It wouldn't be that much warmer, but Holland was coughing and sneezing, and 3-degrees warmer temperature seemed prudent.

The Sonoran Desert is beautiful to me any time of the year, but a trip to ER is not in our Plan at all.

And having my husband around for the foreseeable future means more to me than a cold, secluded, boondocking experience.

Pulling stakes at Quartzsite-AZ to chase the sun.

Off like a herd of turtles ;-)

Pulled out of La Posa Tyson Wash LTVA … headed towards Pilot Knob LTVA.

We drove into town to fill the propane tanks to make sure the 5th Wheel would be well equipped with warmth: more rain is in the forecast - with local evening chill hovering around 35-degrees :-(

First stop - fill the propane tanks.

RV Pit Stop from LTVA Tyson Wash; 5 min (3.3 mi) via US-95 N

Our pesky nemesis, Murphy, strikes again …

The chink in the link … thank God the pin went back in, easy.

A warmer atmosphere is trying to make it's way thru the cold front.

Border watch 'eye in the sky':  (https://www.atec.army.mil/ypg/tenant_ab.html#:~:text=Hovering%2015%2C000%20feet%20in%20the,thing%3A%20low%2Dflying%20airplanes.)

Bleu's creosote bush "pit stop"; Yuma-AZ. Creosote Bush blossoms - out of season, but following an unusual rainy spell of weather.

Creosote Bush: 

(https://www.skysthelimit29.org/creosote-bush.html#:~:text=Yellow%20flowers%20generally%20appear%20during,a%20ring%20of%20single%20plants.)

The frontage back road to Pilot Knob LTVA; Winterhaven-CA

As we neared Winterhaven-CA, our phones alerted us that a 2-hour rainstorm was settling in. We looked at each other, and I said, "I don't want to set up in the rain; you can't afford to get a chest cold, Holland." Holland said, "I don't want to be sitting in the truck for 2 hours, waiting the rain out. Let's go to Phoenix like we planned to before the rain started - the temperatures seem to be consistent across the board: you've never been to Phoenix, and that was The Plan - and there's LTVA land there, too."

So, that's what we did ;-)

We did not want to set up in a rain storm … so, we turned back - and headed towards Phoenix-AZ

Phoenix-AZ from Winterhaven-CA; 2 hr. 49 min (187.2 mi) via I-8 E

Rainstorms everywhere along the border route … no sunshine warmth to be found.

A little white 'ghost cloud' gaslighting a huge gray front ;-)

A dust storm; I-8, near Gila Bend-AZ

As we got to Gila Bend-AZ, Holland said, "How about we go to Tucson (50 miles either way from Gila Bend), instead; you haven't been there, either, and that's really where you'd rather visit - there's more to see there, too."

He turned towards Tucson: (((YAY!)))

Ambrosia - 'Biggest Part of Me' song: 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5gOehkLUTk)

Tucson-AZ from Gila Bend-AZ; 1 hr. 45 min (120.7 mi) via I-8 E and I-10 E

Around Marana-AZ, Blue looked like he was praying for a place to sleep tonight … soon. LOL

We were so tired when we passed through Marana-AZ, that we pulled over … parked, slid the bedroom slide out out: and spent the night on a shoulder of freeway on-ramp.

And the night temperature was warm enough for Bleu to sleep in his kennel, instead of in our bed ;-)

We may not be doing our adventures like most people would (big, flashy vacation spots: I prefer backroad rural sights) - but we are having fun and making memories.

Our memories :-)

LIFELINE PRAYER

I am a Prayer Warrior.

My spirit is just naturally attuned to the prompting of the Ruach HaKo'desh - when someone is constantly in my thoughts … I start praying for them; sometimes, I will track them down and ask how I can be of help.

I am grateful for those people who held me up in prayer when all I literally could do was fall at Yeshua's feet and whisper, "Help me, please. Help me."

If you are a Christian, and someone is on your mind 24-7, PRAY!

Yeshua is using you to be their lifeline.

********************

4 Years ago FB Post/January 4th, 2020

THANK GOD FOR THAT PERSON That prayed for me!

I would not have survived otherwise.

There were days I could barely function … prayer wasn't even on the agenda. And I am a Prayer Warrior! But, I just couldn't. On those rare days when I tried, all I could eek out was, "Help me Yeshua. Please. Help me. Thank You."

I was a walking zombie.

For the 1st time in my Christian walk, I was lost.

Floundering,

Drifting.

Missing Bob with a pain so acute and so deep, I numbed myself to survive the loss of his presence in my new life.

I didn't want to feel.

Prayer involves feeling …

Later - in March - when I started venturing out of the house; and started shaking off the numbness, friends (and even strangers neither one of us knew), would hug me and say, "I've been praying for you."

Yeshua had helped me, as I pathetically eked out in my weak cry for help: He pricked those people's thoughts and opened up their hearts to me - to keep me always in their thoughts and prayers.

Though I was unaware of their prayers, the prayers strengthened me and nourished my soul.

They literally saved my life.

I am grateful.

CASH

I copied this from someone else. Very interesting and it really made me stop and think about using cash more often. 

I have really never thought of this has anyone else? 

💲Please understand what NOT using cash is doing.

             Cash is important. 💸

Why should we pay cash everywhere we can with banknotes instead of a credit card? 💳 

I have a $50 banknote in my pocket. 

Going to a restaurant and paying for dinner with it.

The restaurant owner then uses the bill to pay for the laundry. The laundry owner then uses the bill to pay the barber. The barber will then use the bill for shopping. 

After an unlimited number of payments, it will still remain a $50, which has fulfilled its purpose to everyone who used it for payment and the bank has jumped dry from every cash payment transaction made …

But if I come to a restaurant and pay digitally - Card, and bank fees for my payment transaction charged to the seller are 3%, so around $1.50  and so will the fee $1.50 for each further payment transaction or owner re laundry or payments of the owner of the laundry shop, or payments of the barber etc.

Therefore, after 30 transactions, the initial $50 will remain only $5 😫 and the remaining $45 became the property of the bank 🏦 thanks to all digital transactions and fees. 

Small businesses need your help and this is one way to help ourselves too. Pull small draws of cash out at a time and use that instead of tap, credit, etc.

When this is put into perspective, imagine what each retailer is paying on a monthly basis in fees at 3% per transaction through their POS machine. 

If they have, for example, $50,000 in sales & 90% are by Card, they are paying $1500 in fees in ONE Month. $18,000 in a year! That comes out of their income every month.

That would go a long way to helping that small business provide for its family!🏦♥️