Mowing Day Today

Above, Barking Spider Acre three years ago. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today is mowing day for me.

Since the temperature today in Jamestown, New Mexico is expected to reach 95­° today, I plan on getting on the mower around 8:00 this morning before the temperature soars. 

From the National Weather Service: 

Today

Sunny, with a high near 95. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest in the morning.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest after midnight.

Tuesday

Patchy smoke between noon and 2pm. Sunny, with a high near 92. West wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. West wind around 10 mph becoming south in the evening.

Barking Spider Acre's brush isn't too high, but I will concentrate around the RV garage (GOCO Beast Barn) and some areas where it has gotten high from the recent monsoon rains. I will also concentrate on the back yard behind the house and garage. That has started to get a little overgrown from the rains. 

I have about a half a tank of gasoline in the mower, but I do have some in gasoline containers just in case.

Deer In Yard

A few minutes ago, Sierra caught my attention as she was looking out of one of my bedroom windows. 

I took a look and a female deer was munching on some plants. 

I managed these to shots:

 

New Roof

Above, the new roof. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The roofers arrived around 9:00 this morning and immediately got to work. They brought their equipment in through the back gate. It was a good thing I cut down the overgrown brush in the backyard weeks ago.

Above, unloading their trailer. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Within an hour or so, they had the old shingles off and installed the cap layer. Within a few hours later, they got the new shingles mostly installed. It started sprinkling in the afternoon, so it was good they got the new roof on.

Above, a closer view of the new roof. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

They will likely finish up tomorrow. 

House To Get A New Roof

Above, an aerial view of the property. 

Due to homeowners insurance issues, I have to re-roof the house. I had to change insurers due to area wildfire hazards and the inspector for the new insurance company came out to inspect the property.

In preparation, I did a lot of yard work to clear brush. Apparently, they didn't complain about the trees on the property as only a couple are near the house and the land was clear of brush hazards.

But, they did find that the roof was in need of replacing and they sent me a cancellation notice. I called my agent and he said that the cancellation would be rescinded if the roof was taken care of. I have until March 21 to do so.

So, I had to get a home improvement loan at my bank to get the roof replaced. It was a cinch getting the loan as I had a good credit score. 

The roofers will be starting tomorrow morning. 

Last Night's Snow

Now that the sun is (somewhat) up, I took a look outside at last night's snowfall.

Supposedly, we're to get more from this storm today. There is also another storm coming in around Wednesday/Thursday.

I took a couple of pictures of the front yard a few minutes ago:

How To Prepare Land For Full RV Hook-ups

Above, during the time I lived in the motorhome after moving to New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I first moved to New Mexico, I lived for about 11 days in my Class C motorhome in my driveway while waiting for the moving company to deliver my furniture and other belongings.

I was able to do so as I was able to use the shower and toilet in the house so that I needn't go to a dump station so often to empty the holding tanks. The motorhome was plugged into the house electricity.

Living on one's own private property full time permanently was not even a consideration, but RV Travel has posted an interesting article on what it takes to prepare private land for RV full time living.

They begin it with:

Turning raw land into a livable RV site takes planning, patience, and a lot of trenching. In the video at the end of this post from the team at Midlife Mile Marker, we follow a real build in upstate South Carolina, from tall grass to a full-hookup pad. It covers site access, utilities, septic, and the layout choices that made move-in day possible.

The RV site sits in the middle of 14 acres. A spring-fed stream marks the boundary with a neighbor on one side. The setting is quiet and green, with space for trails and future builds. The place is being called Camp Tucker for now. The name may change, but the excitement is real.

To read the full article, go here. 

How To Find The Cheapest and Best Home-Base RV Properties

Above, I was living in my RV when a snowstorm hit. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One thing about RVing I have never done was to become a full-timer. I can see why some people do so as, on average, it is cheaper living than in a bricks and sticks home.

I lived in my motorhome for about 11 days in my driveway when I first moved to New Mexico. I did so until the moving company delivered my belongings. 

Some full-timers will purchase vacant lots (for home base properties) to park their RV and live in it. This practice isn't legal in many places. 

RV Travel has posted an article on how to find cheapest and best home base properties.

They begin it with:

Tired of guessing where full-time RVers find legal, affordable places to park with peace of mind?

Here, the team from Travels with Dottie shares a simple method to uncover real estate listings in minutes, plus a range of examples from dirt-cheap to resort-level. It is fast, doable, and friendly to beginners.

How to find RV lots fast

• Type RV lots for sale into Facebook and join a few active groups.

• Ask an AI tool for resources to buy land or long-term RV pads with utilities.

• Browse listings on RV-focused marketplaces like RVProperty, then filter by state.

If using technology feels challenging, a librarian, a friend, or a community center can help get you started.

To read more, go here. 

How To Keep Your Home Safe While You Are Away

In my community, we have a neighborhood watch. It is a relatively safe place as friends and neighbors look after each other. Most residents are armed, so it would be foolish for a burglar to try to rob someone while they are at home.

Whenever I travel, I have neighbors and friends keep an eye on the ol' homestead. I do likewise for them.

Keeping one's sticks and bricks abode safe is the topic of an article in today's newsletter of RV Travel. 

It begins with:

We all take steps to keep ourselves and our RV safe while on the road. But how many take extra steps to deter burglars from our homes while on the road?

Pages have been written here and elsewhere about staying safe from crime while RVing.  However, little has been written about how to deter burglars from burglarizing your home in your absence while RVing. Full-timers no longer have to worry about a sticks-and-bricks house, but what about the rest of us? Personally, my home has been burglarized twice over the past 40 years while my wife and I have been traveling. After the last burglary, I studied up and doubled down on the steps I take to deter burglars from my home. So far, so good.

Here is what I learned and the steps I take to deter burglars:

To read more, go here. 

Oh, Deer! (In My Yard)

Here's something I've never seen before.

A couple of deer were in my inner fenced yard. I spotted one and took the photos below. Then I spotted a second one. I seen deer here, many times, but not in my inner yard.

I opened the front gates so they can get out.

Here's some photos:

 

Pending Home Sales Tumble To Record Low

Above, the home I bought in New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I bought my home in New Mexico seven years ago, I couldn't have timed it better.

The price was way under $100,000 for the house on two acres. I bought it outright without the need of a mortgage loan.

Since then, prices have risen and so has the mortgage lending rate, hovering around 7%.

According to Newmax, pending home sales tumbled to a record low last month.

They begin their article with:

Contracts to buy U.S. previously owned homes plunged to a record low in January as higher mortgage rates and house prices reduced affordability for prospective buyers.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said Thursday its Pending Home Sales Index, based on signed contracts, dropped 4.6% last month to 70.6, an all-time low.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast contracts, which become sales after a month or two, falling 1.3% in January. Pending home sales decreased 5.2% from a year earlier.

"It is unclear if the coldest January in 25 years contributed to fewer buyers in the market, and if so, expect greater sales activity in upcoming months," said Lawrence Yun, the NAR's chief economist. "However, it's evident that elevated home prices and higher mortgage rates strained affordability."

Signed contracts fell in the Midwest, South and West, but rose slightly in the Northeast.

To read more, go here. 

Home Preparation For Wildfires

Since it has been a dry winter, the Gallup/Jamestown, New Mexico can face wildfires like California. 

The Gallup Fire Department posted the following on Facebook (thanks to Victor Gomez for passing it on):

With the wildfires happening in California, your Gallup Fire Department has been getting phone calls on what citizens can do to protect their home in the event of a fire like that here. We wanted to share some tips with you that you can use at your home. If you have more questions please do not hesitate to contact us at 505-722-4195.

Old Dishwasher Went Kaput

Last weekend, the dishwasher decided to go kaput. I don't know how old it is, but it went completely dead. I have been here seven years.

I immediately ordered a new one after taking the measurements of the opening. It is to be delivered this afternoon. I arranged for its installation with a local plumber that I used before. 

Since the new one is to be delivered this afternoon, I'll have to take care of business down at the Flying J in the morning.

The old dishwasher:

A Little Problem With The Garage Door

When I got home last Friday from the Iowa trip, after unpacking, I went to get the Jeep out of the garage so I could go down to the post office at the Flying J to get my mail.

Above, the garage door after hitting it and getting it fully opened. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After starting up the Jeep, I started backing. Looking with the rear-view and side-view mirrors, it was clear for me to back out of the garage, or so I thought. Then, suddenly, bang! The top of the Jeep, where one of the roll bars is located, hit the roll-up garage door. I thought I opened it completely, but about 18" of it was still down. That's what I hit. 

The Jeep hit the bottom door crossbar and bent the bottom panel. It knocked the door off one of its tracks. I did manage to fully open the door thanks to a handy crowbar. After getting the Jeep out, I went to the post office and got my mail. There was no damage to the Jeep (thank God).

I decided to keep the Jeep out of the garage and parked the motorhome up near the door so nobody could get in (not counting critters). I then called some garage door repairers and arranged to have one look it over. He came over today and said the door was repairable. He also managed to get the door all the way closed. He will be back to do the repairs in a few days.

When I first called him, he asked me how long have I lived there. I told him over six and a half years. He replied, "And this is the first time you hit the door after six years?!" Apparently, this is a common occurrence. A friend, who shall remain nameless, backed into his garage door twice. 

I then put the motorhome into the GOCO Beast Barn so that it would be protected from the cold night we're expecting tomorrow night. The temperature is expected to go down into the 20s.

Since the garage door is now securely closed, I can go to Gallup for some grocery shopping tomorrow.

Oh, well. Shit happens! 

UPDATE (10/30/24):

The door was fixed this morning for under $100. Whew!

At Least The Day Wasn't Dull

Above, relaxing while charging the Jeep battery.

Yesterday was repair day or trouble manifestation day.

For the trouble manifestation day, the Jeep wouldn't start. It had plenty of power and cranked fine at first, but wouldn't kick over. I suspect it is the fuel pump. But the starting attempts ran the battery down a bit, so I hooked it up to the charger.

Next, the swamp cooler was started the first time this season, it ran fine for about 20 minutes, but stopped. Friend Nandoh checked it and one of the water squirter gizmos came off and water started shooting onto the motor, essentially killing it. So, it's off to Home Depot to get another motor. 

A few days ago, I had some electrical problems in the kitchen. I had an electrician come in and check the circuits and we found that one outlet in the master bedroom was fried, thereby knocking out one circuit. That was repaired and all is good on that.

We thought the circuit involving the kitchen was okay, but another outage in the circuit happened for about five minutes last evening. It would be pointless to have him come back if the circuit is back on. I'll have to wait until it stays out before calling him back. 

It is just as well that these happened this month as my bills were lower than usual. This freed up cash so I can deal with these problems. Ah, the joys of home ownship! 

At least the day wasn't dull.

Snow and Ice

After having some lunch (carnitas tacos) and talking to my cousin, I took a little walk outside.

The ground still had snow. It is about 43° outside, which isn't thawing things very fast. There is stil some ice on the road, so I had to be careful not to slip and fall like I did a year ago.

Some spots have been thawed out. As this is going to be a dry week, much of the snow and ice may be gone by the end of the week. 

I took these pictures during my walk:

Snow Photos From Yesterday Afternoon

After my next-door neighbor scraped my driveway and I got my trash container out to the road for today's pick up, I took a few photos of the front yard, road and of Barking Spider Acre.

Here's some of them:

 

Got The Trash Container To The Road

Above, the trash container ready for today's trash pick up. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Thanks to my next-door neighbor, I was able to get my trash container out to the road. He came by and scraped my driveway. So it is level and smooth. Otherwise, I would not be able to bring it out due to the foot-deep snow. (Well, I probably could have and have a heart attack in the process.)

It appears we have a day or two respite from snowfall, so I could get a few things done.

Right now, we have a "tropical" temperature of 3° as I am writing this.

Lotsa Snow For Jamestown

A little while ago, I shoveled the walkways. I had to put on two layers of gloves as it was very cold out, 19°.

I think this was the most snow we've received since I moved to New Mexico six years ago. The snow on the ground was about a foot deep. I don't see how I can move my trash container to the road.

The snowpack on the roof is something I've never seen here before. 

I hope it gets a little warmer as I have to go to the Flying J. This definitely calls for the Jeep!

While I was shoveling, I took some pictures:

 

Overhanging Roof Snow: I'd Better Not Sneeze

One of my neighbors posted some pictures of snow hanging over his roof. I kidded him about not sneezing so not to cause it to fall.

I just took a look outside and saw that I also have snow hanging over from the roof. I'd best take my own advice and not sneeze.

That must've been quite a storm for Jamestown! I've never seen this happen here before.

 

Some photos:

Today's Snow

The snow on the walkways was about an inch deep, if even that. Still, before it turns to ice (or, even worse, black ice), I went out and shoveled the walkways.

It is currently 32° outside.

I took a few photos while I was outside: