I took a break from writing this blog for about a week and a half. I bemoaned the high prices in my last post. I’m sure everyone is feeling the squeeze of inflation and high fuel costs. High fuel costs creates more inflationary pressure as the cost of transporting goods rises.
I usually fill up our Nissan Frontier whenever we get down to about a quarter of tank of fuel. I could fill up for less than $30 a year ago. By January of this year it was costing me nearly $50. Last week I paid almost $70 for the same fill-up.
The cost of diesel fuel is higher than regular unleaded gasoline. We have plans to get out of the heat here in central Arizona and spend the summer months in southwest Colorado, New Mexico and northern Arizona. This means we will miss spending time with family and grandchildren this summer.
In my last post, I wrote about our swamp cooler here in our park model home. Even with temperatures reaching the upper 90s, we have yet to run our air conditioner this year. This is a great saving in energy costs and the house maintains a comfortable temperature in the mid-70s.
The thing that has been uncomfortable for me is the pollen levels. It seems like everything is blooming and my allergies have really kicked in over the past month or so.
Last week on Wednesday, April 27th, we were up before dawn. I drove Donna to Sky Harbor Airport (Phoenix). She had a flight to Albany, New York to visit her parents in Bennington, Vermont. Her father fractured his hip and had to stay in a rehabilitation facility until it was healed well enough for him to begin putting weight on that leg. He was due to come home on May 2nd. Donna wanted to help out around their house and be there to assist him when he returned home.
That left me in temporary bachelor status while she was away. Donna served up a couple of fine meals before she left. She started this meatless Monday thing, which I’m not exactly crazy about. On the Monday before she left, she made a spanakopita pasta casserole.
The day before her departure, she served blackened tilapia over cheesy grits with green beans on the side.
I didn’t observe meatless Monday while Donna was away. I also didn’t quite meet her standard of meal preparation. She returned late last night and now we’re preparing to close this place and hit the road. We plan to pull out of here on Tuesday.
While Donna was away, we had daily highs in the low to mid 90s. It’s forecast to hit 98 on Saturday before we cool down to the 80s on Monday and Tuesday. That will be a relief while we load up the motorhome.
Mike, this is Mike Justis from near Fern Ridge Reservoir in Eugene, Oregon. We met while you and Donna were at Richardson Park. It’s near impossible to ignore the soaring costs associated with these crazy fuel prices, and I can tell you, it won’t stop there. You may remember that I own a small hazelnut orchard. We fertilize just as buds break on the trees, usually early March. This year the cost of the nitrogen that I put down was up 100 percent and the cost of herbicide was up 250 percent. These cost increases to farmers will be passed on to consumers, along with rising fuel costs effecting retail prices. It is a frightening future.
Glad to here that you are doing well despite the current conditions.
Stay well.
Of course we remember you. Loved the hazel nuts. I wasn’t aware of the drastic increase in the cost of agriculture.
It’s Karin and David from Parks, AZ. We met in the mid west while RVing.
I recently read an article in Natural Grocers monthly magazine about Quercetin. It’s an amazing “anti” for many every day health challenges that we experience. Of particular interest to me and David is how much our allergy situation has improved since taking this. Check it out for yourself and see if it is worth trying.
Best to you both and your cat.
Thanks Karin. I’m all for anything that improves my allergy situation, I’ll check it out.
We just came north from Florida to New England, I fueled up in Montgomery, NY at T/A, $6.399 per gallon, after TCS discount $6.079. I think this summer will be a lot of front porch sittin!
Yikes! Diesel is currently at $5.59/gallon here.
I was just in Vermont visiting my parents and diesel was $6.13/gallon. We cut back on our travel plans this year. I’m hoping to use the savings to paint the house in the fall!
I’ve followed your blog for a while now and enjoy the comments you make and the information I get. We were filling our F450 and Chevy 3500 for less than $100 in December of 2020. Now half a tank is over $120. Fuel costs are causing a financial burden to full timers. Now finding Fuel at $4.99 a gallon is a blessing. I would have laughed if I was told this was going to be the lowest price knowing it was a lie. I’m in Texas now and see rusting oil pumps sitting idle. We have the oil.