sweethearts of rhythm, hitching a ride, and nubs



It started warming up at night so I positioned the Nash for the summer. No longer needed the sun to shine in the back window first thing in the morning to warm up the inside.

I like this spot, and most of the time it’s quiet, which I need. But no way is it going to be my Last Sands. Last month I talked with someone who grew up in a nearby town, not even a town, Wikipedia labels it a hamlet. Landan (his mom was a fan of Bonanza) made it sound pretty good, lightyears above Timberon. He gave me the name of a realter, and I plan to drive over and talk to her next month. I need to buy another piece of property somewhere.

I heard a short interview on NPR with one of the surviving band members of the Sweethearts of Rhythm. They have been referred to as "the most prominent and probably best female aggregation of the Big Band era." I read a bit about them on the web. Wikipedia covered what the band had to go through when touring the South during the Jim Crow era.
I downloaded an album. It’s hot. I would love to have seen them on stage. A secondary reason for purchasing the album was the group is a part of herstory. And there is way too little of that.

I was down in Alamogordo on a town-run, when my truck’s speed started to increase, I mean really increase, with my foot off the pedal. Not good. I drove to my mechanic and luckily, he had time to look at it. The throttle cable was coming apart. Guano. It’s not a common cable so it had to be ordered. The taxi fare back to Timberon after some extra mileage and tip was $100. Wasn’t any other way to get home. And I thoroughly enjoyed talking with the driver the whole way. Money well spent.

I purchased my 2004 Ram 1500 back in 2012 for $13,000. Since then, I’ve put nearly $9,000 into unexpected repairs. I’m not talkin’ tires and upkeep. I planned to purchase a newer used pickup in 2022. Now I’m thinking I’ll purchase a 2019 model some time this year. I heard purchasing a pickup just before the 2020 models come out could save money. I need to look into how to purchase a new vehicle for less, such as finding out what the dealer pays for the truck, for options and whatnot.


I made signs to get me back down to the valley when my pickup was fixed. One to get me to the post office. Standing along the road there would offer a lot more opportunities for a ride. The first car that came by that was going all the way to Alamogordo picked me up (the others stopped and told me they weren’t going far). That was so nice of them and I did not know them. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation during the nearly hour and a half drive. The lady told me a story about a dance over in Weed that she and her husband went to a number of years ago. One fellow mentioned that he grew up in a ten-acre house. She knew there was a way that made sense, but she couldn’t think of it (either could I). He said he had seven brothers and sisters and their name was Acre.
The two made a point to write down their addresses and phone numbers in case I needed some help in the future. I thanked them and left gas money on the back floor since they wouldn’t take it.
There are ways to get rides from people here but one needs a land line, hence, new pickup.


Nubs are starting to show.

The ball is in your court. Pick it up.

April sixty minutes sixty years—1800 minutes
April Triple 18—upper: 1800; core: 1800; legs: 1800

Every book, you’ll find, has its own social group—
friends of its own it wants to introduce you to.
Caitlin Moran, writer


RVwest article ‘Following a Free Spirit’

RVwest article ‘The Spaces Between the Places’

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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