Cate Mueller

Winter was nearly over in Quartzsite when I received a request from my editor in Idaho where I worked summers as a reporter. ‘Hey – need a pic of a labyrinth for a photo illustration. Mine’s under 4 ft of snow. Heard there might be one in Quartzsite. Pic please?’ An odd request. I mentioned it to an RVer camped …

Another Quartzsite adventure … Boondocking snowbirds Bob and Sarah hosted a Christmas potluck out in the BLM camping area south of Quartzsite. Bob wanted to deep fry a turkey and Sarah promised to make her famous ambrosia salad, complete with “mandolin” oranges. A dozen of us boondockers joined the fun. We enjoyed each other’s company; none of us had a …

I scored a humongous turkey – 23 pounds – for a killer, can’t-refuse price and thought ‘Wheee!’ Then I realized 23 pounds was about three times bigger than anything I ever shoved in my oven. Yikes! I wound up making a huge foil pouch, creating a wine steam environment, and roasting at what sounded way too hot 450 degrees for …

I love Hallowe’en. I love the scary decorations, haunted houses, and especially trick-or-treating. When I was a child I made my own costumes, built around the most hideous mask I could find. Confession: I trick-or-treated until I was a senior in high school – scrunched down to try and blend in with the kiddies – but the neighbors caught on …

My fourth year as full-time RVer found me not skipping off to my newspaper job in Idaho, but stranded in Quartzsite after a local publisher stiffed me for three month’s work. Oh, goody. Summer in Arizona. More new experiences. I landed a gig where I could park my rig and hired on as caretaker for some large, closed-for-summer facilities. That …

In the early 1980s I lived near Las Vegas, Nevada, where I met a group organizing a barter system for exchanging goods and services. They wanted nothing to do with money, they said, because the government was putting magnetic strips into the fabric to track the money. “They could drive by your house,” the barterers explained, “zap it with something …

Foodie, well maybe The last of my snowbird neighbors left early this morning, cheerfully honking as they flew away. “Welcome to SUMMER!” I bellowed and cranked up the radio. Sometimes snowbirds jettison the contents of their coffers before they migrate to cooler northern climes. Sometimes I am the lucky recipient of their unusual treats. Sometimes the treats are delicacies rare …

During a Josh Savino’s The Little Bit More Show last week, Josh announced he might have a problem. He wondered if he is addicted to the Internet and especially Facebook. Josh said he found himself checking Facebook during movies, conversations and even while he was driving. Okay, he was stopped at a red light, but still! Josh may have touched …

Josh threw down a challenge last Friday for me to write some limericks. This website being mostly G-rated, I tried to keep these clean. Enjoy! There once were two lads on the air And one of them went to the fair He rode all the rides And tossed his insides So much for his nice pizza fare. There once was …

I won a gift certificate from KLPZ’s You Call it Friday contest for a free four-wheel alignment from Bradley Chevrolet in Parker. My Sable eats tires and I knew it needed an alignment. I called and made an appointment and limped the Sable 30 miles to Parker. I surrendered the Sable at the service desk and was banished to the …