MY HEART GOT A WORKOUT TODAY; Quartzsite-AZ

As soon as the sun as fully up this morning, I was dressed and out of the house: I pushed my walk a little further … and worked body strengthening exercises into the mix, too :-D

During my loop walk today, I saw some pretty things, my heart got a workout, and Elohim put some critters across my path - and a mountain view that made me smile with gratitude.

The mournful howls, and frisky yips of coyotes serenade me to sleep most nights … and on my morning walks, I have seen many Inca Doves sitting on telephones wires strung overhead, a couple of brown wild rabbits, a covey of quick-stepping quail, and a road runner dart across the street.

All my life I have found solace in the mountains of WA State - but the desert is what captivates my sense now, and I am beyond happy to be in AZ; being here, is truly a dream come true. But it is nice to have the mountainous backdrop to see, as I walk home to Holland after my invigorating morning walks :-D

Oh! I love the color of turquoise … my birthstone. Quartzsite rocks are beautiful.

My heart got a startled workout, here. LOL

Today, as I walked closer to the water ring around the tree trunk, my heart got a start when I thought a rattler was nearby (mentally, I could hear Holland's voice echo through my head, reminding me that rattlesnakes seek out watered places); my eyes panned the immediate area … and were relieved to see, that instead of a noise-making-snake, a water sprinkler had kicked on - and that was what was making the buzzing sound.

I let out a shaky sigh as my heart calmed down, and my feet picked up their peppy pace as I continued forward down the sidewalk (and Holland and I laughed about it, when I got home. He said, "Yeah, those water sprinklers do sound like a rattlesnake's buzzing" ;-))

This feather brought to my mind a Ferlin Husky song - I mentally sang that song, my entire walk ;-)

Ferlin Husky - 'Wings Of A Dove': 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynpASFuwJ7k)

Oops - I almost stepped on this baby Agave …

Agave: 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave)

I decided to extend my walk, here; aiming for 2 miles, today.

Across from the Freedom Park; Quartzsite-AZ

La Paz County Justice Courts; #555 Plymouth Rd, Quartzsite-AZ

A sprawling Bougainvillea.

A little Golden Barrel Cactus.

Spiky Ocotillo branches, leaving out ;-)

I turned around and started backtracking, at the Water Plant; Quartzsite-AZ

Living in the desert - Elohim is gracing me with a mountain view ;-)

Tipa tree (tipuana tipu) blossoms.

A little hummingbird darted from the Tipa Tree to a tree across the street.

The Orange Tacoma Sun Trumpet 'Vine' - that's some vine!

Inca Dove; internet pic (the doves along my walk, were too fast to capture in frame).

Desert Cottontail Rabbit; internet pic (the 2 rabbits along my walk, were too quick to capture in frame).

Quail; internet pic (the quail covey along my walk, were too quick to capture in frame).

Roadrunner; internet pic (the doves along my walk, were too fast to capture in frame).

A bit over 2 miles; I'm happy.

When I got back home, I made a cup of coffee to enjoy; and I watched travelers pull in and out of The Pit Stop's graveled lot. The RV Parks & LTVA spaces are filling quickly this month - traffic has been ongoing 24/7 here at The Pit Stop. I like watching the comings and goings as I drink my morning coffee. The Pit Stop is a small RV Park, but it's the main hub of Quartzsite - propane, water, and dump site is in high demand.

The Pit Stop is not as fancy as other RV Parks … but that's okay with me; I'm not fancy, either ;-)

In Yuma and Quartzsite, BLM is considering raising campground fees from $40 to $200 for 30-day permits and from $180 to $600 for seven-month long-term visitor permits. It would apply to the Imperial Dam and the La Posa LTVA sites, whose infrastructure hasn't been updated since 1983. The BLM is seeking public input on the proposed changes.

I'm thinking that people are fleeing CA in droves due to the escalating housing prices, and nuscum's radical economy destroying mandates; and flooding the LTVA sites. However … the BLM fee escalations are ridiculous: the land is desert. No amenities. There is nothing there to {upgrade}. There are dumpsters on site, that's true. There are one or two water stations where one can get a quick 2 gallons of water; but that's it. You have to drive all the way into town to dump your black tanks and fill your gray tanks for showers, and dishes. There really is no reason (other than pure greed) for the price escalations.

Holland says we'll stick to RV Parks for those prices (here, we are only paying $380/mo for full service - and that high, only because the electricity never turns off at our place); and I'm in agreement with Holland. The escalating BLM prices do not include electricity, water, or sewage hookups - people camp there to escape the high price gouging. If the BLM is "seeking public input" … they will not like what they will be hearing.

I also whooped and did a victory fist pump when online I saw that President Trump has officially named another member to his administration's line up: President Trump picked Kristi Noem to serve as his Homeland Security secretary - a sprawling agency that oversees everything from US Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the US Secret Service: good news! She'll be a good addition to his administration :-)

Trump Picks Noem: (https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/12/politics/kristi-noem-homeland-security-secretary/index.html)

Susie Wiles, yesterday … and Kristi Noem, this morning 👏👏👏👏

It seems to me, that our Man for the Job is "surrounding himself with strong, intelligent, 'educated' women" 😉

The obamanites "ridin' with biden" can go suck eggs 😛

Thinking of eggs, got me thinking about Supper … so, I got busy on that: and Holland was casting an eye in my direction with every chop of vegetable. He was carefully watching me prepping for tonight's meal - and when he saw me getting ham out of the freezer, he let out a big sigh of relief, and said, "You are good woman; for a minute there, I thought you were going vegan on me." I laughed, and said, "I agree with you: I am a good woman … and I'm going to remind you of that fact, every day."

Then we both laughed.

It is good to be joking & laughing together, again.

My husband put this smile on my face: this is a GOOD & PLEASANT heart workout :-D

I like lentil soup, so I pulled some of my recipes - and chose the one I thought would best appeal to my husband: it is loaded with veggies and a generous bit of meat ;-)

I am posting the original recipe … with notations of tweaks that work for us, in the moment (1) I cut the recipe in half - and that is what I am posting (2) I used Ham instead of knockwurst (3) I added mushrooms because they are healthy … and needed to be used, before needing to be tossed.

German Lentil Soup Ingredients.

GERMAN LENTIL SOUP Recipe ~ Serves 2 (generously)

1/4 c. Butter * 3/8 c. all-purpose Flour * 6 c. Beef Broth * 4 ounces dried Lentils * 3 Celery stalks, sliced * 2 small carrots, sliced * 1/2 large Onion * 1 small Tomato, diced * 1/2 c. Ham, diced * 1-1/2 TBSP dry Red Wine * 1/8 tsp. grnd. White Pepper * 3 ct. med. boiling Potatoes, peeled & diced * 1/8 c. Red Wine Vinegar

Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat; whisk in flour, and stir mixture for 3 minutes. Set roux aside.

Bring beef broth to a boil in a heavy saucepan: add lentils and boil until tender - about 1-1/2 hours.

Add celery, carrots, and onion to the lentil mixture, and boil until tender (about 15 minutes). Add tomato. Reduce heat to Low & blend roux into the soup. Add meat, red wine, and white pepper: cook 30 minutes.

Increase heat to High, add potatoes to soup mixture & boil until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in vinegar. Serve immediately.

YUM! And, Husband says it's a repeat meal ;-)

After Supper I did a few loads of laundry … and with every up & down motion on the stairs from one level of the house layout, to the other … counted that bit of domesticity towards more heart workout ;-)