Everyone has a junk drawer.  At our house back in Kentucky we have several.  These are places where we throw things that we are hesitant to discard and too lazy to do anything else with.  This cache of collected junk piles up until the drawer no longer opens or the cabinet no longer shuts.  At some point we either find a new place for more junk or finally purge.  We actually have a small version of a junk drawer out here in our RV.  A plastic container sits on our cabinet that collects those things that have no other place to go.

I thought about all this as I sat down to write this morning and realized I have a lot of little stories that I need to do something with.  Individually, there is not enough to write a complete post with but I really don’t want to throw them out.  They have just been sitting in my writing junk drawer for a while.  Time to purge.

The Hairdryer.  We had a hair dryer once that would automatically shut off when it became too hot. Maybe they all do that – I don’t know.  I figured out that when in a hurry I could blow into the front of the thing to cool it off quicker and get back to drying my hair.  A little “click” could be heard from somewhere deep inside the device and that was indication it was ready for more drying.  While drying my hair the other day here in our RV – our hairdryer stopped working.  Being a newer hairdryer I was unsure if my blowing trick would work but I thought I would give it a try.  I proceeded to blow into its end and listened for that “click”.  Nothing happened after about a minute and still it would not work so I continued blowing.  I blew until I started to feel a little dizzy only to find that it still would not turn back on.  Finally, I looked for some other possible solutions – like plugging it in.  Just glad Lisa was not home to see that one.

Manzanita Trees.  Lisa and I are headed back to Los Angeles this weekend to pick up twenty Manzanita Trees.  Twenty.  Let me back up.  Our son is getting married at Disney World in November with a reception planned for mid-December in Owensboro.  As part of the reception decorations – Lisa has the idea to decorate Manzanita branches for all the tables.  She saw them while shopping in the LA wholesale district and asked me if I could create them myself and save the cost of buying them.  These branches are pruned into the shape of small trees and are good for decoration because of their shape and durability.   After learning it was illegal to cut Manzanita branches in Arizona – and seeing these were already attached to a wooden stand and painted white – and after learning we could buy them for ten dollars each – I told the man we would take twenty.  Done!  Now all we have to do is figure out how to get twenty Manzanita Trees in our truck back to Arizona and then where to put them in our RV to get them home in November.  I have a feeling we will have Manzanita hanging, laying, sitting – even sleeping with us for the last few weeks.  This adventure continues.

Waiting for a Decision.  The hospital where Lisa works is trying to hire needed Ultra-Sound Techs in order to avoid using travelers.  However, they are still short-handed and have talked to Lisa about returning for another stint in January.  Lisa and I talked about it and if contracts could be signed before we go home in November – we will leave our RV here in storage and return to it in January.  If that cannot be guaranteed we will consider other offers – preferably one closer to home.  Getting all our stuff home in just our truck (including twenty Manzanita Trees) is another issue.

Follow Up.  Lisa received a call from the Long Beach Police Department to follow-up with her about the Disneyland ticket scam I wrote about in “Racing With the Pigs”.  They are begging us to follow through on testifying against these scammers since they have had so many victims of this crime in the past.  It may require that Lisa and I both return to California to testify after the first of the year.  If we are here with her job it will be no big deal.  If not – that is a long way to go for a testimony.  We’ll see.

Pirates in Los Angeles.  My beloved Pittsburgh Pirates play in St. Louis tonight for game five of their best of five National League Division Series.  Since the Dodgers have now eliminated the Braves, there is a possibility that I can see my Bucs in LA this weekend.  But first they must win tonight in St. Louis – a tall order but here is hoping. Let’s Go Bucs!

What is a Jolly Roger?  Our daughter, Heather, is one of a kind – in a really, really good way.  She is a terrific new mom, a strong wife, and an incredibly reliable employee.  We are extremely proud of her.  She also makes Lisa and I laugh – hard.  The motto this year for the Pittsburgh Pirates is “Raise the Jolly Roger”, a reference to the name of pirate flags – the ones with the skull and crossbones.  I don’t know where that originated but it has been the rally cry for this year’s Pirate baseball team.  I often post that saying on Facebook after a Pirate victory.  Recently I received a text from Heather asking “What is a Jolly Roger?”  I explained and she replied that she thought it was a candy.  ‘Raise the Jolly Rancher’ just does not have the same effect.  God, we love her!

A Desert Halloween.  This will be the second Halloween in a row that Lisa and I will be away from home.  Last year we spent Halloween in Gettysburg Pennsylvania.  I cannot think of a better place to be (except maybe Transylvania) than Gettysburg at Halloween.  The ghosts stories of Gettysburg as told during the various “Ghost Tours” that are sold there – make it one of the (so-called) most haunted places in America.  We have no idea what Halloween will be like here in the Mohave Desert.  I suppose they tell ghost stories out here as well.  My guess is they will have something to do with tarantulas, scorpions, and coyotes.

Have a great day!

Steve and Lisa