Patchouli Problem SOLVED

If you remember a few Blog entries back I had a personal crisis!
A Patchouli Problem
The patchouli oil I had used for years was no longer being sold, and I couldn’t find it anywhere else.
But eureka! A guardian angel was looking out for me. ( It was really my sister in California) She found the particular scent of Patchouli oil there and sent me a bottle by personal courier ( really my mother and father) So it seems my personal crisis appears to be solved!
How do I know it’s the same Stuff?
Well I have a secret weapon. One of the ladies at work has an amazing nose for scents ( I mentioned her in the previous blog) She has indeed confirmed that that it smells the same (see the email below) (Names have been redacted to protect the innocent)

I have even found a supplier online in Tucson AZ That sells it in bulk.
Kumba Made Tunisian Patchouli Oil
There is however a dark side to this happy tale off personal redemption ( Hey! take your personal redemption wherever you can get it!)
This particular type of Patchouli Oils is fairly rare. Its called Tunisian or sometimes African Patchouli and it is much more expensive than the run of the mill Patchoulis that are out there.

It also seems that it is often used as an ingredient in Witchcraft! (see the excerpt from the Wiccan and Pagen shop below)
http://www.wiccanleanings.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=50012_50117_119&products_id=5065

So now we now why this particular brand has served me so well over the years. It has mystical powers of mastery and love!
Beware coming to close to me while wearing my Patchouli oil as it may cast a spell over you!

The First Mini Road Trip (A Big one!)

A great two weeks vacation is almost over, and a new MINI Cooper S convertible waits in the driveway... ready to take its first road trip!

We're Off!

Up at 5:00AM a quick breakfast and the final touches on the closing up of my parent's Arizona place for the summer. Shut off the electricity, water and lock up the last door before hitting the road for the 3 day 1840 mile trek to the likely still snow bound north lands of Minnesota.

Cloudy skies and light traffic at that time of the morning, as we whizzed north in the speedy go-cart like little Mini Cooper.

The little Cooper is a fast car. It likes to drive 80 in 6th gear and has no trouble at all keeping up with the bigger cars in the fast lane on the high speed Interstates.

Just outside of Phoenix we saw a funny sign. Winter driving conditions? What the hell? It’s summer. It was 95 yesterday. This must be a test or a mistake! Onward!

About an hour later as we approached 7000 feet in Flagstaff the sign began to make sense.

There was blowing crystals of snow whipping across the road. No worries we just have a few miles before we turn left onto Interstate 40 east and go down hill from Flagstaff, AZ towards Albuquerque, NM where I’m quite certain there is no snow.

Just a couple of more miles before that left turn. Seems like the snow is getting a bit heavier!

Wow! The Mini does quite well in the snow. Who would have thought that! Did you know that Mini Coopers drive pretty well in a blizzard?

At last 4 or 5 miles west of Flagstaff the wind blown snow lets up and there is clear skies!

The front that was causing the blizzard in Flagstaff sure was windy. Looks like its starting to pick up some dust!

First a blizzard, now a full blown sandstorm this was suppose to be a road trip not an adventure trip!

After stopping in Winslow, AZ for fuel and a bathroom break we learned that the roads in and out off Flagstaff had just been closed. Seems like we made it just in the nick of time.

We did see lots of Motor-homes pulled off to the side of the road waiting out the wind. The little Cooper with it low profile wasn’t really affected that much by the wind.

Well things did eventually start to get better as we moved further east towards Albuquerque,NM. The wind did get a little less violent and now with some ground cover in the fields it’s at least not blowing sand anymore.

Santa Fe was the stop for the night at The Hampton Inn. We checked in around 4:00 with about 560 miles under our belts and 8 1/2 hours of driving. Looks like we thankfully left the snow and sand storms back in Arizona.

However the little car is a mess and has to be cleaned so it’s off to find a car wash to clean up the Cooper before tomorrow's ride. Then of course a stiff happy hour drink.

About a half hour of milling about asking questions and running up and down side streets produced a good old fashion high pressure wash bay where the Cooper got its first bath.

None the worse for wear from the snow and sand after cleaning it up the Cooper looks good as new again. All shinny and sparkly!

Up and on the road at 6:30 again after a free Hampton Inn breakfast the intrepid road trippers zoom north towards the Raton pass and another 7000 foot high Interstate experience.

Fortunately this time there is no snow, and we have a pleasant drive into Southern Colorado. Heading toward Colorado Springs and our old stomping grounds we can see Pikes Peak in the distance.

Ten years ago our home was in beautiful Colorado Springs for a couple of years!

After not having seen the big mountain for some time I had forgotten how beautiful the mountain was against the blue skies when it was capped with snow.

Just for giggles we went up to see our old house in Colorado Springs. This was the view we looked at all the time from that house. Tell me again why we moved back to Minnesota from here?

The longest and most boring road on the planet is the section of Interstate 76 from Denver to Nebraska. Even this boring road was exciting in the MINI Cooper! We did eventually make it to Nebraska along with a few insect friends on the windshield.

The Hampton Inn in North Platte Nebraska is where we washed the bugs off the front of the little Cooper tonight.

Up again at 6:30 and on towards:

Traveling through downtown Omaha around 11:00 in heavy heavy traffic and whack! The Cooper takes a rock to the windshield

Gasp!

Seems like the first ding on a new car is always the worst.

East across Iowa stopping to pee along a gravel road because Iowa has a road sign every 20 feet, but no wayside rests on their Interstates. North at Des Moines and soon we find ourselves in Minnesota. WOW! No Snow!

Three days of driving the New Mini Cooper. 1846 miles and it found its way to Minneapolis. Stay tuned for more MINI Cooper Convertible "ROAD TRIPS"!

The M…. C…..M…. C…..Road trip

Life with me can be interesting. Sometimes!

So what’s this “The M…. C…..M…. C…..Road trip”

Well it’s really “The Margaret Curry Mini Cooper Road Trip”
It started out as a normal vacation in Arizona. One like we have done many times before. Fly in fly out, two weeks, a little work, lay by the pool, a few hikes, close up the place for the summer… all good.
It was a Tuesday midway through our vacation and we were going to go shopping and look around Scottsdale. Off we went down the 101 to Scottsdale Drive North to go south into Scottsdale.
Oh look a Mini Cooper dealer! (I should tell you we had been looking at Mini Cooper convertibles in Minneapolis,but didn’t find any nice ones. One of Margaret’s dreams is to do a road trip in a Convertible Mini Cooper)
Lets stop and look we have time were on vacation! We walked around the lot and didn’t really see anything interesting and were about to go when a salesman in a golf cart pulled up and said hop on there is a bunch more Minis way out back . I can take you.

He was right way out in the back there must have been a hundred brand new Mini Coopers. We walk down a few rows and look what we found! The most gorgeous black convertible Cooper S you could imagine!

Brown luxury leather interior, Super charged! (that’s what the “S” is for) Sports package.

We talked with the sales guy he made an offer. We told him we could do better in Minneapolis, and asked him if he knew a place for lunch. He recommended a place near by. We left him our phone number and went off to lunch.
Lunch in the garden at "Gordon Birch” in Scottsdale. Great beer, good pizza!

Just as we had gotten into the rental car to move on down the road my phone rang. Our little sales guy had talked to his manager and managed to find another 1000 off the sales price. Imagine that! What do you think Margaret it’s part of your dream?
Short story: That’s me signing papers. All that’s left of Margaret is her hat. She is busy pacing the floor in a cold sweat wondering what she just did!

All shined up and ready to go.

But where to go? This is Arizona? Phone calls,canceled airline tickets, travel vouchers for future trips, refunds for rentals cars, hotel reservations…………… ROAD TRIP!
Back at the Arizona homestead for a few days of cruising with the top down in the Arizona sunshine before taking off. It sure looks good in that car port doesn’t it?

Boy Oh Boy the neighbors are sure talking now! (We told them we sold the park model to pay for it!)
We were going to leave Monday the 11th on an airplane but now we will have to leave a little early for the Margaret Curry Mini Cooper Road trip!