Two Satisfied Customers (We supplied the hat, they supplied the love...)
Leaving the hardcore metaphysics aside for now (and promising to return soon), here’s a taste of what our days have been like, strictly for the curious among you…
Sunday, June 5. We loaded up our van, Augustina, with the necessary belongings (hats, gemstones, and personal items), and headed out from our gracious friend Donna’s home in Scottsdale, up the mountains to Cottonwood. There, we paid for a booth for two days at the Verde Valley Hay Market, and drove out on a dirt road to camp by the Verde river. It turned out to be too close to the neighboring farmhouse to be a great site, but it worked. Cougina coached the twenty-somethings to take the side road out through the cattle gate, rather than waste more time trying to climb out the dirt road on which we had entered.
Monday. We had a decent day at the market, selling a few hats. We decided to park Augustina in our friend Guacamole’s yard for the night, even though he was out of town visiting his family. We hadn’t been parked five minutes when Guac walked out to his truck, headed into town to buy vodka. He was vomiting and shaking as Cougina walked him to our camp chair. We told him he absolutely could not go into town to buy vodka, and gave him some of ours (a provision for Grandmothers, a ritual drink). He was dejected at missing his airport shuttle. His cancer and colostomy have got him thinking he may not last much longer, and he certainly wanted this visit with his family. A call to American got the flight changed to the next morning. A little more liquor and some food got Guac settled down. This was my first time to witness D.T.’s.
Tuesday. We left at 5:30 am and drove 110 miles to the Phoenix airport, where we dropped Guacamole safely at the American gate. From there we swung by Donna’s place in Scottsdale to pick up some new gemstone arrivals, and then headed back to Cottonwood. We had the booth open by 11:30, but there was no business after a couple of hours, so we headed up close to 29 Mile Lake, and spent a pleasant night in the high country, next to two trees that were occupied by souls. I shot a gun for the first time in my life (not counting my little brother’s BB gun), Cougina’s 22-calibre Ruger target pistol. Cougina said that high calibre weapons aren‘t necessary for a skilled shooter, and until I am, to just keep shooting until all 10 bullets are unloaded.
Wednesday. We drove down into Payson for a cheap and delicious chicken-fried steak breakfast at the Knotty Pine Café, highly recommended if you’re ever in Payson. Then we headed back up the mountains to scout summer booth locations situated in the cool climate of the high country. The first stop was the store at Forest Lakes where there was a happy reunion with Lane and Roxie, who had a 14-month old son in addition to the five year old daughter who Cougina remembered. They suggested checking out the Red Barn in Heber, where many vendors were setting up. From the Red Barn, we headed to The Cabin, one of Cougina’s favorite bars. Raynita, the owner, was delighted, and immediately called Max, novelist and publisher of the recently defunct local newspaper. Max was there in no time. Raynita and Max had concluded that Kactus must have died, because the last time they had seen him, he was so distraught over his wife Rose’s death. They were obviously relieved and happy. Max told me stories: about the bluegrass concerts put on by Kactus and Rose to raise $250,000 to build the local library, about the dirty dancing in The Cabin, and about the two teenagers who had ended up hospitalized after jumping the old man who walked home drunk every night with a pocket full of cash. We picked up fine and reasonably priced strip steaks and fixings at the Overgaard Market (owned by a Pakistani family in a predominantly Mormon community), grilled them at Max’s, and sat for a sweet spell in her hot tub looking out on the mountains. Back inside the house, Cougina discussed hermetics with this open-minded Lutheran for awhile before we headed to our comfy little bed in the van.
Thursday. While we were alone together, Max expressed her happiness for both Cougina and me that we had found each other. She said that it will be a different life for me, but a good life, and that Kactus is a good man, though he sometimes goes off on that hermetic tangent as he did the previous evening. Max fixed us a sweet ham and egg breakfast, I indulged in my first shower since Saturday, and we headed out for the scenic drive cum fiasco which you have heard about in an earlier post, ending up in the Cottonwood Wal-Mart parking lot.
Friday. First thing in the morning, we got a new tire installed at Wal-Mart for $162. We set up at the Hay Market, then drove Augustina across the street to Reese Tire Co., a business that Cougina has trusted for years. By the end of the day, we had an alignment, including replacement of shims on the front end, and a carburetor adjustment, for a total charge of $76. Sales were decent, plenty to pay for all the repairs. Cougina said that whatever expenses were incurred, he was happy for what had happened, because the way we had worked together throughout the crisis had finally convinced him that I truly love him, old man that he is. Of course, I was happy to hear that, and also to find that Augustina was performing better than ever: tighter steering and quieter and smoother acceleration. We spent a quiet night in the Safeway parking lot, another business that is friendly to RV’s.
Saturday. Another day at the market with decent sales. The rear-view mirror had popped off when we put up our new windshield sun visor the day before, so we scouted out a replacement mounting system. We got a spare tire and rim at Navarro’s for a reasonable $30, and that completed van repairs. Cougina did a reading on Skype, and sold a beautiful (the kind you regret parting with) Amertrine pendant designed for the client’s health concern. There was a call from a client to whom Cougina had several months prior recommended a stone to prevent breast problems. She had just been diagnosed with a lump, and wanted to be reminded which stone to wear. We had a towel-bath from the water tub at the stand, and spent the night at Wal-Mart.
Sunday. Last day at the market for now, a slow day. Talked to a nice Midwestern couple who were touring the West. They bought a hat and a pendant. C told a woman in a nice Lexus who didn’t want to pay the $40 hat price to leave. She returned and said she was offended because he wouldn’t bargain with her. As you can imagine, that got her nowhere, and her husband stayed in the car. On a side note, the hay market, which is run, as far as I can tell, by traditional rancher type folks, has vendors from two different Mexican mafia organizations. We packed up pretty early and drove up to the top of Mingus Mountain for a couple of days of recouping. Both of us, C especially, benefit from recharging in country that is closer to its natural state.
That’s how it is out here. Next time I hope it will be back to hermetics…
THINK GREEN
BLESSED BE
COUGINA & AGGIE
