Quartzsite to Houston via Pickup

After losing all our belongings in the fire in October 2012, we spent a few months in Quartzsite, AZ, sharing a vendor booth with our dear friend Eric.

We haven't mentioned that, just before the fire, Aggie had contracted MRSA, the antibiotic resistant, recurring staph infection. It got into my system through a thorn that got deep into my knee. When the doctors finally figured out what it was, I got the right antibiotic and it was gone in ten days. Just a few weeks later, I scraped my shin on my bicycle pedal. After a couple of weeks, I realized that it wasn't healing. On top of that, I had an ear infection. Off to the Quartzsite clinic for another round of antibiotics and topical antibiotic for the shin.

It was obvious that it wouldn't take too many more of these infections to destroy my health. Cougina started researching and found a Chinese herbalist who thought the MRSA could be permanently removed from my system, because he had had many previous successes. The only catch was that I needed to take regular baths. We were living outdoors in Quartzsite, and the only bathing we had access to was the shower at the laundromat down the street.

We began to make plans to settle down, in order to have access to a bathtub. We found a charming 1985 Toyota pickup, with 340,000 miles, for $1000, that could take us where we decided to go. We gave her a new battery, two new tires, a cleanup, and a coat of grey primer. Aggie loves her 5-speed transmission and her narrow body. The owner promised 30 mpg, and, sure enough, she did that on the highway.

As we discussed where we would settle down, Quartzsite was having its winter cold spell, and Aggie ended up with the flu that was going around. Fortunately, our trusty pickup was ready to go. We hopped in and drove to Houston. After a week in our usual Studio 6, we found an apartment and settled in.

Up next, a look at our apartment in Houston...

THINK GREEN
BLESSED BE
COUGINA and AGGIE