I'm guessing that this coming Friday?  I will be heading up to the mountains for a 2 night stay, leaving Sunday morning to be back in time for church at 10:00am.  The area where my mother's property is at is not in danger of any current, active fires.  It is, however, nicely dried up there.  In fact, Arizona is currently in it's 20th year of being in a drought.  Some years get ample rain - far and few between - which is not enough to reverse the situation.  I'll give SRP - Salt River Project - big time kudos for their foresight to have prepared for this LONG ago and still be able to provide the metro Phoenix area with enough water that as of yet, there are no water restrictions.

The other thing that has greatly helped is "Reclaimed water".  It is non-potable (you can't drink it).  It is water that is recovered from waste treatment plants.  Yup, that's right: the piss and dung places where waste water goes.  They have been building more and more of them for years and years now.  There are lines run all over the place.  They water golf courses and landscaping along and in the middle of freeways and city streets.  They put water into large lakes and without them, well, a lot of that would have to disappear.  Businesses tap into them off of city streets to water all the vegetation they have planted around their properties.  I know this because my company deals in selling the piping, fittings and valves that supply this industry.  It also cools the Palo Verde Nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear generating station in the nation.

I got the mannequin head today.  I put it on a table that is right next to the pond in question that is being terrorized by a Great Blue Heron.  I have now eyeballed that creature twice and have let it be known it is not welcome here.  I will find a pole that will fit into that hole underneath the head and plant it in plain, open view.

I will be ordering a motion activated sprinkler as well.  I have further plans but money is tight so on hold for now.  I am taking whatever steps I can.  Sophie - the new doggy - is obviously taking advantage of the open gate when I am away at work as there is fresh dog droppings over there.  I am pretty sure a bird isn't going to want to be around any dogs.  I have too much invested into all of this to have some bird coming and taking it all away for dinner.

Tomorrow morning, Caleb and I leave on a road trip to Heber.  I think this trip, I will spend the time praying with him.  I haven't done that much of that with him, but I think it's time to start.  He's totally into the Lord and that's the reason he is going up there.  Not to please anyone on earth, but to please the Lord and to continue on the path of fulfilling his destiny in God's plan for his life.

It is nice, frankly, to be taking a day off here and there. I have put in for a 5 day off time next month during the 4th of July.  I have no confirmation of that, but no other drivers have put in for it, so I expect to get it.  I decided to take the 2 days off after 4th of July which is on a Wednesday, figuring that at least some contractors will take the entire 3 days off  as well - which makes it easier for the company to fill my position with someone from the main branch instead of having to bring in a temp driver.

I expect to spend at least 3 days and 2 nights at the property.  Maybe 4 days and 3 nights. Possibly go up on Tuesday after work and come back on Saturday morning.

The leaf-eating wasps - which are decimating my giant Yerba Mensa plant - are becoming extremely agitated.  I am spraying the same swath of already destroyed leaves every day with poison.  Those leaves aren't exactly taking the poison well, but they are doomed anyway.  The wasps have no clue and are flying around in "violent" circles attempting to land but not..........quite...........getting there.  I am not just going to sit idly by while wasps and birds take away what I have worked so hard to create.

I'm still quite amused by Obama stating one day that the economy is doing just fine and then stating the next day that it obviously isn't doing fine.  Are people so blindly faithful to a party to not even perceive what they are reading or hearing with their own eyes and ears?  Apparently so.  Which is hardly surprising.

Whatever.  If we have to live with 4 more years of this BS, so be-it.  I can only go to the voting booth and make my voice heard.

Enough for one entry, just got done with a bunch of stuff outside and now?  Cooking dinner.

Later.

ben