HOW TO SAFELY REMOVE A TICK!!

A friend sent me this hint on how to safely remove a tick. It sounded good to me. In fact, it sounds good enough to share. The next time we find a tick, let's remember how to remove it!! Let me know if it works!!

This method is great because it works in those hard to get to places: ex. between the toes.

Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20). The tick will come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away.

ARIZONA WILDFIRES

Jun 08 - Jun 10 - Many of our family and friends have contacted us, asking if we are all right out here in Arizona with the massive wildfires. Thank you all for your concern. We are very fortunate that we are about 200 miles west of the fires. The winds seem to be taking the smoke and ash to the east, away from us. So far, we have not seen any evidence of the fires here in Cottonwood.

I read in The Arizona Republic Wednesday 8th that authorities believe the fire was started by an unattended campfire near the area of Bear Wallow Wilderness, thus it is known at the Wallow Fire.

The Wallow Fire is now the second largest in Arizona history, covering more than 380,000 acres. The blaze has cast smoke as far east as Iowa and forced some planes to divert from Albuquerque, about 200 miles away. Haze and smoke also were visible in Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas!

It has become the No. 1 firefighting priority in the nation due to the rate at which it has been spreading, the resources at risk, structures threatened, the evacuations in effect. And there is no end in sight.

Please keep Arizona in your thoughts and prayers.

Update Friday, Jun 10 - This afternoon we took a drive about four miles up the mountain side to the historic mining town of Jerome. Looking out to the East, the skies were hazy and there was the distinct smell of forest fire in the air!

VERDE CANYON RAILROAD WILDERNESS TRAIN

Jun 08 - We spent a delightful afternoon as pampered passengers on the Verde Canyon Railroad Wilderness Train. This historic train travels slowly through the Verde Canyon, affording a unique view of its beauty accessible only by rail.

We left from the old Southwestern-style depot in Clarkdale, AZ, only a mile from the Clarkdale Elk's Lodge where we are staying for our "week out".

Our coach was known as the Scottsdale.

The train passes towering crimson pinnacles.

Ancient Indian ruins. Here, a cliff dwelling.

Below, a cave containing ancient artifacts.

The route follows the Upper Verde River as it meanders through the canyon.

Here is a rain gauge that measures the depth of the water in the river; thereby providing pertinent information to determine the amount of water available for irrigation.

This is known as the Table Bridge because it was built using an old railroad turntable.

When we left the station, the Scottsdale car was near the front of the train. We were able to get this picture of the Caboose as it crossed the Table Bridge behind us.

Here we are entering a tunnel. Pictures inside the tunnel were black!! Imagine that!

And the Verde River flows on.

It was such a beautiful day, we spent some travel time enjoying an open-air car.

Among the red rocks, this is known as the Lincoln Rock because they say you can see Lincoln's forehead and nose. Look near the bottom of the cliff, far left.

This formation is easier to find. This is Turtle Rock.

Wow! This is cutting it a little too close!!

The four hour rail journey travels from Clarkdale to the Perkinsville ghost ranch and back. At the ranch the train stops for a short time while the engine is taken from the front of the train and moved on a second track to the rear of the train for the return trip.

A picture of the depot at the Perkinsville Ranch, taken through the opposite window.

On the return trip, the Scottsdale car was near the rear of the train, so we were able to get this picture of the engine in front of us.

We had a great time on the Verde Canyon Railroad. Our only regret -- we did not see the Bald Eagles that reside in the canyon!

TUZIGOOT NATIONAL MONUMENT, CLARKDALE, AZ

Jun 09 - Tuzigoot Ruins are located on the summit of a long ridge that rises 120 feet above the Verde Valley. This National Monument is only about a mile from the Clarkdale Elk's Lodge -- a treasure right in our front yard.

This Sinagua Indian village was built between 1125 and 1400. The original pueblo was two stories high and had 77 ground floor rooms. Unlike the Shoofly Village Ruins in Payson, much of these ruins were stabilized during the excavation process and you can see the outlines of many rooms.

As we were leaving the Tuzigoot Ruins, we could see the historic mining town of Jerome perched on the side of the mountain in the distance. It is only about four miles from Clarkdale.

UUMMMM, GRILLED CORNISH HEN BY CHEFS KEN AND FAYE

Sun. Jun 05 – This article is dedicated to Mitch and Barb, Keith and Marie, and Joe and Pam, the best RV Chefs we know!! It is also for everyone else who wants to prepare an elegant, delicious entrée on the grill– and it’s soooo easy!!!

I know our favorite RV Chefs mentioned above have probably prepared Cornish Hen many times, but Ken and I have never even thought about it, believing Cornish Hen was beyond our skill level! One day in WINCO, we saw frozen Cornish Hen, and we thought the price was right – we should give it a try! The plan was to have them for Easter Dinner, but something else came up.

We finally prepared the Hens this Sunday afternoon. This is the recipe we used. I got it from Cooks.com. It was wonderful!!!

Grilled Cornish Game Hens

Quote on the website: “I love grilled game hens. In fact, I won't cook them any other way. In this recipe you split the game hens in half which makes them easier and quicker to grill. Splitting the game hens is easy, just cut through the breast then flip it over the cut down one side of the backbone. It is really easy if you use a pair of kitchen shears.”

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 65 minutes

Yield: Serves 2

GRILLED CORNISH HEN RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 2 Cornish game hens (1 to 1 -1/2 pounds each)
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Remove giblets and reserve. Split game hens in half lengthwise. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl combine lemon juice, pepper salt and olive oil. Place hens in a shallow baking dish and pour marinade over. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Preheat grill and prepare for indirect grilling. Remove hens from marinade and place on grill, skin side up away from the direct heat. Baste with remaining marinade during while cooking. Hens should take about 45 minutes. Test for doneness before removing from grill.

Note: We used gallon Ziploc bags to marinade the hens, The recipe did not call for flipping on the grill but Ken flipped the hens for the last 15 minutes of grill time.

This is a picture after we had eaten our fill!! I didn’t think of taking a picture until too late.

We were quite impressed with our own success!! Give it a try – you’ll like it, too!!