Visiting spirits or... ?

So... a few months ago a neighbor asks me if I've seen anybody suspicious around her home as she is missing some stuff. I asked her what was taken and she says over $15,000 in cash! Well, I had not seen anybody suspicious... other than the one or two vehicles that often visit her.

About a month or so after that she tells me that somebody is definitely breaking into her house because some other stuff is missing. Then two days ago she sees me outside and asks the same question and is interested in getting a neighborhood watch going. This time she is missing three bottles of prescription drugs.

I ask her if there has been any signs of forced entry and she tells me that there is not. Further, she assures me that she has installed new deadbolts on her doors (in case anybody might have original keys - it is a rental ;property) and that she has secured all of the windows.

So... am I sharing this with you because I am concerned that a possible crime wave has entered Deception Gulch? No, I am not. There is a little bit more information to share on this situation.

A few weeks ago this same neighbor knocked on our back door obviously in an extremely altered state trying to sell us some, shall we say, "illegal substances"! This person was stumbling with her words, weaving as she stood at our door and basically way over the limit of whatever she was on. I have known her for many years and have seen her in many altered states but never like this.

After we were able to assure her we were not nor ever had been interested in her offer, she stumbled away from our door heading in the opposite direction of her home. I decided to follow her to make sure she got off our property safely only to discover that he wandered into another neighbor's yard and was completely unsure of her whereabouts... she was totally lost and only 100 feet from her home!

Time passed and when she asked me for the second time about "suspicious" visitors in the neighborhood I questioned her about her recent episode at our home... she drew a complete blank. To this day she has no recollection of that incident!

This afternoon she called me wanting to organize a neighborhood watch. I don't think we need a neighborhood watch as much as we may need to watch this particular neighbor!

But then... sometimes that's life in Deception Gulch.

Maintain, co-exist and; Rise Above It All!

Old Uncle Noely

So much has transpired since my last post. Both in my life and the life of Jerome as well as Deception gulch! Friends and family members have literally moved on to new realms.  I'll just leave it at that...

It is now May and Spring has finally arrived and the freshness of the immediate environment is a welcome change for our little neighborhood. The national political scene seems so far away from this place and I have to say that I find that a comfort. Living so close to nature as we do here in the Gulch helps to provide a healthy perspective to what is real and important.

I have decided to attempt to update this blog on a regular basis and I suppose we'll just have to see how that progresses! For now I can say that life is good and future is looking better. I hope you are able to say the same about your life.

Until the next time...

Maintain, co-exist and; Rise Above It All!

Old Uncle Noely

Katie Lee Stories...

Katie Lee has added some of her stories to her website.

You may read them HERE

Maintain, co-exist and; Rise Above It All!

Old Uncle Noely

2010... What's next?

So... another year to start off. Wonder what this one will bring?

Life has been pretty darn good here in The Gulch... at least me and My Lady feel that way! Weather-wise we've had a little bit of snow and some rain but we can certainly use more moisture before the summer months hit us. We have our health and our loved ones appear to be healthy as well. Work still comes in... sometimes a mere trickle... sometimes a nice steady flow.

The Town is moving right along. I find it quite amusing to read some the "Jerome, Arizona" Google alerts I receive from time to time. There are evidently many people from all over the planet who write in their blogs or Twitter, Facebook and such that are now experts on our little community. I've lived here for over 25 years and I know I don't have it completely figured out... so I am thankful that I can read the numerous postings on the Internet to learn what is actually happening.

I'm looking forward to playing more gigs this year. I've got some new equipment as well as some new material to try out. Always an adventure! The new year feels promising I must say. Of course, I'm basically a positive kind of guy so it always looks somewhat promising from my perspective!

I hope this year provides us all with reasons to think and act positively. As the good news comes to the surface I will do my best to report on those episodes that have bearing on us here in Deception Gulch.

In the mean time... "Play honest. Be good. Keep a song in your heart."

Peace,

Maintain, co-exist and; Rise Above It All!

Old Uncle Noely

Fall has Fell...

It's been a long Summer. Life in Deception gulch has been interesting. Jerome has become a bona fide tourist town. Actually, it has been moving in that direction for several years now, but with the economy in the shape it's in more people are showing up every day.

It doesn't adversely effect us down here in the Gulch. At least not directly. With a little planning we can make our daily visit to the post office without too much outside interference. It used to be that a local could just tend to stay low on the weekends and pretty much have the town back to "normal" (a term used very loosely here) during the week days. Now it just ain't so.

I really am not complaining. The town can certainly use the revenue and the quality of merchandise available in the shops has improved significantly over the past 20 years. I don't think you can buy a rubber tomahawk in town any more. There's just too many strangers wandering around these days. It wasn't so long ago I could walk up town and at least recognize every third or fourth person I saw. Those days are fading into the history of the town.

However, it is still one of the best communities I've had the pleasure to live in.

Life in Deception Gulch tends to move on at its own pace. We had a neighbor's cat go A.W.O.L. for almost 72 hours but I'm happy to report the critter decided to return home and the cat patrol has been able to stand down. A couple fo fall/winter gardens are starting to show some promise. The paradise and black walnut trees are changing color and dropping leaves.

The only real sad news is that the hummingbird population has dropped off dramatically. I knew it could not last, but this year our house finally rated top billing with the little creatures. I was going through about a gallon of sugar water a day there for a while and it was great fun! In past years the hummers have shown a decided preference to our neighbor's feeders. A decided difference! We would walk down to his house in the afternoon or early evening and there would be 30 to 50 birds hitting on his feeders. While on our property we would have about a half dozen. Not this year, though! They finally decided to have the party at our house and it was great fun!

Music is in the air again. I've been managing to play an afternoon gig at one of the local pubs on the weekend once or twice a month. Getting my chops back in the hopes of actually putting an album together. It's been a dream for a long time. Practice, practice, practice!

I'll see if I can't come up with more interesting tidbits on a more regular basis.

Thanks for dropping by...

Maintain, co-exist and; Rise Above It All!

Old Uncle Noely

One Gulch Rat Helps Another...

This may come as a bit of news to the 3 other people who read this blog...

It appears that the person who lives in the smallest house in Deception Gulch (and quite possibly the smallest house in Jerome) has invited a Deception Gulch neighbor (me) to perform musical interludes at the grand opening of his new gallery in Uptown Jerome!

Patrick Lincoln of Lincoln Gallery, LLC has gone and set himself up a new gallery. I'd give you the URL to his web site but he has not built it as yet. The gallery is part of the venture owned & operated by the Jerome Historical Society called the New State Motor Company building. They have down a very nice job refurbishing the old building and have created 7 little shops.

Anyhow... the grand opening is Saturday, March 7, 2009 at 2:00 pm. You can call Patrick at the gallery here 928-649-5888.

If you're in the area come on by and we'll do our best to entertain you.

That's it for now...

Maintain, co-exist and; Rise Above It All!

Old Uncle Noely

Some Like It Hot!...

One of the first people I met when I moved to Jerome from Sedona more than 25 years ago was a local character named Kim Talbot. Kim first discovered Jerome way back in the 1960's and basically fell in love with the little ghost town and the mountain it is perched on.

Kim and I have been neighbors in Deception Gulch for many years. Besides saying that he has been and remains a very good friend... it is difficult to "pigeon-hole" him in any one category! (And why would I want o anyhow?). You could ask the legion of friends that Kim has gathered over the years to describe him and I would bet you would have as many varied descriptions as he has friends. He's just that unique a character. Suffice it to say that Kim is the only "Redneck Hippie" I've ever met! (And that is meant in the highest form of a compliment I can imagine).

So what is this blog entry about, you ask? Well, I'll tell you... for as long as I've known Kim, he has been making and gifting his home-made salsa. He eats it every day and attributes his robust health to that habit. After years of experimenting and perfecting his recipes, he has finally decided to go into business by sharing his wonderful concoction with the rest of the world in the form of "Salsa de Border".

We just put a web site for the new company and you can view it here:
http://www.salsadeborderonline.com/

Kim and his lovely Lady, Caroline, invite you to drop by for a visit and, if you're in the neighborhood, swing by their store at 9 South 10th Street in Clarkdale, Arizona (just down the hill from Jerome).

If you enjoy good authentic salsa, you will be glad you did.

Kim makes it in 3 flavors...
There's the Mild flavor of El Salsa Sissy and the medium flavor of El Mucho Macho.
But because Some Like It Hot... there is Kim's favorite... El Burno Gringo!

That's it for today, folks.

Maintain, co-exist and; Rise Above It All!

Old Uncle Noely


[NOTE: Salsa de Border is no more! My long time friend, Kim Talbot, left this earthly plane.}