Thursday, October 31, 2013

Happy Halloween

Had to do a little housework this morning before Keith arrived. Was cold again this morning...around 38° when Hiker and I got out of bed. I normally do not do Halloween. Ben and I welcomed Trick-or-Treaters when we first got married, mostly because my oldest niece Darrah was about 3 years old and we knew she was coming by in her costume. When we moved into a mobile home park in Pacoima, CA, we stopped because the park would not allow kids inside the park. They would set up tables at the entry gate and give out candy there. So for the 11 years we lived there, we got used to not giving out candy. When we moved to Canyon View Estates where I live now, we didn't do the candy thing because the community was so new, there were not very many people here at that time, so we never continued the custom. But since Keith is here, he and I decided to get some candy and sit out on my front porch to hand it out. Didn't want the kids actually coming to the door because Hiker will be freaked out enough as it is. We went to have some pizza and salad for lunch then went buy Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. Got some candy for tonight's kids at Wal-Mart and some other things I needed at Sam's Club.



Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Do Nothing Day

Slept in some this morning because it was only 38° when Hiker woke me up at 6 am to go outside. Even at 8 am when I finally got out of bed, it was still only 40° on my patio. Just a quick message today (Keith will be happy to hear that LOL). Plus sending it out early. I just sat round watching TV all morning because I have to take Jean over to the Kaiser in Panorama City at 2:15 pm to have a growth removed in her doctor's office. She found a growth awhile back and they did a biopsy on it. It showed as “per-cancerous” so they want to remove it completely. Got up to around 70° today and was breezy. Keith will be coming up from Orange County tomorrow to stay with Hiker and me for a few days. Hiker will be so happy to see him.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

It Was A Dark And Cloudy Day

It was cold here this morning. Around 42° when Hiker woke me up at 5:50 am to go potty. As of today, my “jury status” online shows that I do have to report the first day of jury duty but I am in the process of trying to get my duty postponed until next summer. Because of my retinal problem, my retinal specialist has told me that I should not drive in the dark and since it would be dark both going to and coming home from the courthouse during this time of year, I thought if I can change it to summer, it won't be dark driving there and back. I'm waiting for their reply as I requested it via their website. If I do not hear from them in a couple of days, I will call them. Also I'll talk to my retinal specialist when I see him in 2 weeks and see if maybe my eye problem can get me a excuse not to serve. I'm also considering taking the metro-link train from my area down to Union Station in Los Angeles instead of trying to drive in all of that traffic. I've never ridden the train before so I think I'll see if my friend Jean would go on a “trial run” on the train with me to see how it all works. I'm also thinking about talking with my regular doctor to see if my blood pressure problem could get me an excuse from duty. I went to my grief group this morning. We had another full house plus we had two new people. One lady who lost her husband of 62 years and a young woman who lost her father 4 months ago. Our discussion was pretty somber today which is not normal for us, but now and then it is that way. I did not go to lunch with the ladies because I wanted to get home and call the courthouse to see if I could postpone my jury duty until next summer. Stopped by KFC to bring some lunch home. They granted my request for postponement. I got to thinking how dark it would be going to the courthouse in the morning and coming back home in the evening during those 2 weeks and I am not supposed to drive in the dark according to my retinal doctor. They rescheduled me to be on-call for jury duty starting July 8th. In the meantime, I'm going to talk with both my retinal doctor and also with my regular doctor to see if maybe they can get me a permanent physical excuse from jury duty due to my eye problem and also my high blood pressure. When I received the summons, my B/P spiked pretty high and the result made me feel sick the next day, plus the high B/P can cause more problems to my eye. The stress of going to court may cause me health problems. However, just in case, Jean and I are going to plan a day to take the metro-link train from Canyon Country down to the Los Angeles Union Station so I can learn how the system works. The courthouse is just a few blocks from the train station so I would be able to walk between the two and not have to face the rush-hour traffic going to court and coming back home. So now I have a little over 8 months before I have to think about jury duty again. I think what bothers me the most is getting there and back home since it is 35 miles each way in heavy traffic and then also Hiker would be home alone for about 12 hours. She is sometimes home alone for 5 to 6 hours but never long than that and I'd be worried about her even though Jean said Hiker could stay over at her house while I was gone. It has been cloudy and gray here all day long and only got up to about 58° here today.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Not A Happy Camper

Got up early to do our every Monday dog walk/play date with Jean. It was very dark and cloudy outside and the wind was blowing a little. When Jean got to my house with her dogs, it was starting to sprinkle, so instead of doing the walk, we decided to just let the dogs have a play date in my backyard. It was the wind that was blowing the sprinkles out of the clouds, but we didn't want to get out walking with the dogs and have it start pouring on us. It was very cold sitting on the patio. Had some breakfast and then Hiker went with me when I went over to Wal-Mart. It was still extremely cloudy. When we have this kind of weather, I let her go with me and she sleeps in the car while I'm in the store. I am NOT a happy camper today. I received a jury summons for Federal Court which is in downtown Los Angeles. What is bad about this situation is that if I have to report, I will have to be there no later than 8:15 am. I live 35 miles from downtown Los Angeles and the traffic Santa Clarita to Los Angeles (all freeway) is bumper to bumper in the early morning. They claim I am only 40 minutes away but they are not thinking about the traffic. I would have to get up around 4 am and leave around 5 am to make sure I get there on time and I have never driven myself to downtown Los Angeles, so I have no idea where I would be going. Also, if I have to report, I'll have to see if Jean can take Hiker while I'm gone because they told me the court closes at 5 pm so I would be gone all day and traffic coming home will be just as bad as it is going. Plus it will be the last week of November and the first week of December so it will be pitch dark outside both going and coming. I'm not used to driving in the dark and if it rains, it will be even worse. The only good thought is that I'd be on-call for 2 weeks. I would have to call the Monday of each week to find out if I had to appear at all on either week. If not, then I would be done with the on-call duty. I hope and pray that when I call in, they tell me they do not need me.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Restful Sunday

Got up early so Jean and I could go to our local swap meet this morning. It opened at 7 am but we waited until 8 am because if you arrive at 7 am, a lot of the vendors still are not set up and ready to start selling. I have not been to the main Sunday swap meet in years. Ben and I used to go all the time back before we were married even though we didn't live in this valley back then. The swap meet is held at the old Saugus Speedway. They have not used the race track in more than 15 years, but the use the grounds for the swap meet and other events. The speedway was originally a rodeo arena way back in time. Below is a link that will take you to the chronological history of the speedway. We were there for a little over an hour. It sure is not as good as it was back in the 1970's when I used to go there at least once or twice a month. They just don't have any good stuff anymore. Jean bought a few things including 2 rose trees. I only bought a couple of yard decorations because they were so inexpensive. One is a humming bird on a metal stick that it's wings flap in the wind and the other is a flower on a metal stick. When I got home, I did some laundry and did some vacuuming. All the running around I've been doing (Friday evening, all day Saturday and this morning) really made me tired. When I was young, I never got tired from being out running around. I actually fell asleep on the couch around 1:30 pm and didn't wake up until around 3 pm when Hiker came in and started licking my face.

Saugus Speedway/Swap Meet


Saturday, October 26, 2013

My Day Today

Jean picked me up around 9:15 am and we went over to the Patrick Henry Middle School in Granada Hills for the “Crafty Ladies” semi-annual craft fair. There was a lot of people there. Jean used to go there every year but had not gone for about 2 years. It was my first time there. They had a lot of cute things and Jean bought about 5 or 6 things. I only bought 1 thing and that was a Microwavable Baked Potato Pouch. I hate waiting 45 minutes to an hour for a baked potato in the regular oven and when I try to cook them in the microwave, the insides don't always cook all the way and the skins dry out. These pouches are supposed to make the “perfect” baked potato in the microwave after only 5 minutes. Several people at the craft fair said they use them and have given them as Christmas gifts. When we left the school, we headed back to Santa Clarita and went to Bed, Bath & Beyond. I wanted to buy a new egg poaching pan and they had one on sale. It is a Farberware, so it is a good brand. It was $19.99 and I had a $5.00 off coupon. Then we went to PetSmart, but didn't buy anything there. Had lunch at Alamo Rotisserie which is a little Mexican restaurant. On the way home, Jean wanted to stop at the new Harbor Freight store that just opened. Since our Orchard Supply Hardware closed down, we don't have any good small hardware stores in town anymore, so we wanted to check them out. Got home around 1:30 pm and Hiker jump all over me and kissed me. Was 92° on my patio when I got home. Hope it cools down again. Jean and I are going to take off again in the morning and go to the Saugus Swap Meet. Hiker is not going to like me leaving her again.

Me on the slide at our community annual Halloween party last night


My friend Jean and my other neighbor Chris talked me into a fake tattoo at the party

Friday, October 25, 2013

Halloween Party Tonight

Got up early this morning because Hiker and I had a dog walk with Jean. When we got up at 6 am, it was once again very overcast and foggy outside but it burned off quickly. It did stay very cool outside during the morning. When we were out for our dog walk, it was only 45°. Decided to do my laundry today. I usually do it on Saturday morning but Jean wants me to go to a craft fair with her tomorrow morning. Also she and I are going to be the judges for the costume contests tonight at our communities annual Halloween Party. Went for a 1 mile walk around the park after lunch. It was hazy outside but had warmed up to about 80° by that time. If I take any pictures at the Halloween Party tonight, I will share them later.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Friday Eve

I am getting so mad at myself because I am getting to where I want to sleep until 8 am every day. I know that I'm retired and have no one to answer to but I was always so used to getting up early...4:00 am when I worked then no later than 7 am after I retired. I used to love to get up and head right out for a long walk or a hike on the mountain trails. Now I'm getting so lazy that all I want to do is sit on the couch and be on the computer or watch TV. That is NOT retirement is supposed to be. I feel bad for Hiker too because I'm not getting her out as much as I did before. When I let her outside, she will stop on the steps and look back at me as if asking “aren't you coming out to play?”. I need something to give me a kick-start again so I get out more. Was all socked in and overcast all morning, so that didn't help my mood much. The sun came out around noon so after lunch I took Hiker down to the park. Could not measure my walk because for some reason, the MapMyFitness app on my iPhone didn't want to connect. We just wandered around. Hiker sniffed everything.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Hump Day

Slept in until 8 am this morning. My stomach was feeling better but I was still having a little bit of a problem with it. I was afraid to get too far from home, so I didn't take Hiker out on a walk. I did however, go to the bank and also did my grocery shopping but didn't stay out very long because I wanted to be near a bathroom. I was bummed out because I could not get out with Hiker as it was such a beautiful day...in the mid 70s. After lunch I baked some brownies. Made the house smell really good. I've been having a sweet tooth lately. Decided I want to get back to reading some. I have never been an “avid” reader, but before Ben died, I did enjoy books by Nora Roberts and similar authors, but after he died, one of my signs of grief was not being able to read and remember what I had read. I'd read a couple of chapters and the next day, I did not remember what I had read, so had to start over. I tried to read one book a friend had given me 4 times and finally just gave up. Since I love the Hallmark TV series “Cedar Cove” I've decided to try reading the “Cedar Cove” series of books by Debbie Macomber. I can buy the used on Amazon so I ordered one of them today.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Upset Tummy

Had planned to go to my grief support group today. Got up, got dressed, had breakfast and actually got in the car and headed out, but about ½ mile from home, I turned around and came back home. I didn't mention it yesterday, but I had an upset stomach most of the day. When I got up this morning, I thought it was pretty much gone, but then started having to visit the bathroom a lot just like yesterday. As I was heading out in the car, I got to thinking that I didn't want to be sitting in the group and have to keep getting up to go over to the main building to the bathroom, so just decided to stay home. I called Jane (one of my friends in group) to let her know that I would not be there. She was already at the center and said she was looking for me because I am always there early and we sit on the bench outside and chat before group. Hiker seemed a little surprised when I walked back into the house. I think she had already settled down by the front window to watch for me all day. Basically just sat around all day watching TV.

Monday, October 21, 2013

My Monday

Got up at 6 am this morning for our dog walk with Jean. Was a little chilly this morning while we were out. Hiker had been trying her best to get Charlie to play with her, but he still won't do it. It is strange that he is so intimidated by her when he is such a bully to all of the other dogs. She had him so frightened that he was trying to hide behind me or Jean and he was jumping up into the patio chairs to try to get away from her. But Hiker didn't get the hint. She just kept after him but it didn't do any good. Jean called me after she got home. She said she had forgotten to ask me if I wanted to go to a craft fair with her over in Granada Hills this coming Saturday. That should be fun. After lunch, Hiker and I went over to the Kaiser pharmacy in Valencia so I could pick up my blood pressure meds for the next 3 months. They line was about 20 people long when I walked in but it moved really fast. I was only in line for about 5 minutes. The last time I was over there I went around the same time of day and when I walked in, there was no one in the pharmacy except me. I was a little worried about Hiker being out in the car because it was in the mid-80s but I was in and out so fast, she was OK.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Not As Lazy Today

I didn't fall asleep until around midnight last night. Hiker woke me up around 5:50 am to go outside. When she came back in, we went back to bed and once again, around 7:45 am, Hiker decided it was time for me to wake up and get out of bed. She started to whimper at first, then it turned into a playful growl. Then she started pawing at me and bumping me with her nose. I kept trying to ignore her to see how far she would really go. When she started licking my face, I decided she had won the battle. Got dressed and had some breakfast then Hiker and I went to buy the lottery tickets. Came back home and went for a 2 mile walk. After we got back, I did my usual Sunday chores...washing sheets and towels and vacuuming the carpet. At lease I wasn't as lazy today as I was yesterday. After my housework I watched “The Andromeda Strain”...not the movie but the TV mini-series and then I watched “Stand By Me”.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Am I Lazy Or What?

What a lazy day! Watched a movie on Amazon last night and went to bed around 9:45 pm. Fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Woke up around 5:45 am and let Hiker outside to go potty. Went back to bed and fell asleep again. Around 5 minutes to 8 am, Hiker woke me up licking me and jumping all over me. When she decides it's time to get up, she won't leave me alone (LOL). She keeps at me until I finally get up. Made myself some ham and eggs for breakfast, started the laundry and then plopped down on the couch. Could not believe how lazy I was. I did at least get out into the garage to check out my earthquake kit. Ben and I used to check it out every 3 months, then after he died, I didn't check it at all, but now I am trying to get back into making sure it is well equipped and ready to go. I started my gas powered generator to make sure it is working and I checked my 3-day food supply. Also made sure I have enough water stored and I checked my all of my flashlights. I have them in the kit and also in every room in the house. In a couple of weeks I will have to put new batteries in my smoke alarms and my carbon monoxide alarms. I change them when we change to and from daylight saving time. Originally I thought I would watch some movies on Amazon today, but never got around to it, so I'll probably watch one tonight since “Cedar Cove” won't be on for awhile. They had their season finale last Saturday night.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Another Beautiful Fall Day

Did our Friday morning dog walk with Jean and her dogs. Hiker was trying her best to get Charlie (Jean's King Charles Cavalier) to play but he is very intimated by Hiker for some reason. He is a bully with other dogs, but he is “afraid” of her. She tried poking him with her nose, body bumping with him, yapping at him, but he just totally ignored her. He would just stare off into space as if she didn't exist. Didn't have any other plans for today, so just sat and watched TV. They broke into the last 20 minutes of Y&R with breaking news of a high-rise apartment fire in Brentwood, CA so didn't get to see the end of the show. After lunch, Hiker and I went over to Central Park in Saugus and walked around. Beautiful day...mid 80s here in SoCal. I wish it would cool down a little more though, after all, it is Autumn.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Ran Some Errands And Did Some Housework

Wanted to sleep in a little this morning, but Hiker had other ideas. She kept locking me and making funny little noises at me to wake me up. Guess she knew I had to get up and do a few things like go get Lottery tickets, get the Rav4 washed and go to Wal-Mart. She didn't get to go with me because when I go in to pay for the car wash, they do not allow dogs in the convenience store and I would not want to leave her tied up outside because someone might take her. I see other people tie their dogs up outside of a store and I think how dumb that is. Came home and took Hiker for a walk then watched Y&R then had lunch and then did a little housework.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Nice Lunch With Retired Girlfriends

Stayed in bed until 7 am. Had to get up and get ready to head up to Palmdale to meet with my retired Lockheed girlfriends at the Sizzler for lunch. DeDee Parenteau called me early this morning to tell me that she was not feeling very well so she would not be going to the lunch. I was wondering if she and I ate something at Backwoods Inn yesterday that did not agree with us because my stomach was bothering me when I went to bed last night, but I was fine this morning. Sandi Owens rode up to Palmdale with me. There were 8 of us in total there and as usual, we had a great time. Judy Holdt brought another toy for Hiker. Every time she sees me, she has a toy for Hiker. This time it was a “sling-shot” duck. I gave the bag to Hiker when I got home and she immediately put her head into it and pulled the duck out and started running all around the house with it in her mouth. She loves to hold toys in her mouth and shake her head. Sometimes it flies out of her mouth and she doesn't see where it goes so she has to search for it.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Good Group Today

Went to my support group at the Senior Center today. Had a very interesting session. Had 2 new people come and several people started some good discussions. After group 6 of us ladies went to Backwoods Inn for lunch. We had some good discussions there too. We got talking about ancestry and a couple of the ladies told us stories about their wedding day. Always have such a good time with my “sisters in grief”. I stayed away a little longer than I normally do and Hiker had a little accident when I got home because she was so excited to see me, should could not hold her bladder. Thank goodness she did it on the hard floor and not the carpet. I made her go outside to “finish” and then she helped me take the trash bins out to the curb and she walked up to the mailbox with me. Tomorrow I will be going up to Palmdale to meet up with some of my retired Lockheed girlfriends for lunch.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Visit To The Shelter

Got up early so Hiker and I could get ready for our Monday dog walk with Jean and her dogs. Only about 45° outside at 6 am when we got up but it is supposed to get back up into the 90s here this week. The wind started kicking up when the dogs were out back playing. Went up to Sam's Club after Jean and the dogs went home. I bought one of their yummy rotisserie chickens. The are so tasty and only cost $4.88 for a whole chicken. I share it with Hiker for dinner one night and then sandwiches during the week. After lunch, Hiker and I went up to “New Leash On Life” which is the rescue shelter I adopted her from. Since I bought my new comforters for my bed last week I asked them if they would like to have the old comforters for their dogs and of course they did. They wanted me to bring Hiker up for a visit, so she and I headed up there. They were so happy to see her. Diane who was the woman who took care of Hiker while she was at the shelter was there and I think Hiker remembered her. Hiker is very famous at the shelter. They have a picture of her on the wall in their lobby and she is on all of the fliers that they hand out and post. They also told me they use her picture in their advertising, which I knew because I had seen her on their website a couple of months ago. It was a beautiful day outside, in the high 70's and sunny. The wind was still blowing a little, but not as hard as it was earlier this morning.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Tired Today

Slept in this morning. Didn't feel all that well when I went to bed last night and still didn't feel up to par when I woke up this morning. It's nothing major, I just feel tired. Was pretty busy last week, so that's probably the cause of it. Went and bought my lottery tickets after breakfast then did a load of laundry and put my new sheets and comforter on my bed. I think Hiker could tell that I was not myself. She was cuddled closer to me in bed last night than she normally is plus she was shadowing me all day. She kept giving me kisses. Did some housework and then settled down and watch several episodes of “Buying Alaska” on TV. It's like “House Hunters” except the houses/cabins in Alaska are very different than what you see on “House Hunters”. Fun to watch. Then I watched “North & South Book II” on the Encore Movie Channel.

House finch at my hummer feeder

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Lazy Saturday

Got up earlier than normal this morning because some guys who are on the work crew here in our community were coming to fix my rain gutter that was pulling away from the house and not draining properly. They were supposed to show up at 8 am but didn't so at 8:30 I called them. They showed up at 9:30. I spoke with the foreman about double-pane windows. I've been thinking about them because I know that they would save me money on energy bills, but they would cost between $8,000 and $10,000 which would include the windows, the screens and all new window frames on the house. That's about the price I expected, but one of these years I will also have to get a new roof put on the house as I still have the original roof and it is about 22 years old. I'll have to think about it. After lunch I took Hiker our for a walk. We did almost 2 miles. It was nice out...around 72° and sunny. Not many people out walking this time of the day. Seems like most of them are out in the morning or early evening. I cannot believe how out of shape my legs and feet got from not walking as much during the hot summer days.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Fun Fall Day

When I got up at 6 am to let Hiker outside this morning it was only 45°. Got dressed and headed out for a dog walk with Jean and her dogs. She is puppy sitting a 10 week old Cockapoo named Rev. He is so cute. Hiker didn't know what to think of him. Jean had him in a shoulder bag for our walk and Hiker kept trying to see what was in the bag. When we got back to my house, we let the puppy out of the bag to play. At first Hiker was interested, but then when the puppy starting “acting like a puppy” Hiker kind of backed off. I think at first she thought he was a new toy for her since he came out of a bag (LOL). With all of Rev's jumping around and nipping, Hiker decided she wanted no part of him and she jumped up into my lap, which is something she NEVER does. Jean took her dogs home and came back about an hour later to pick me up and we headed over to Lombardi Ranch Pumpkin Patch. I have been going there every year for about the past 8 years to take photographs of their Scarecrow Alley. I have noticed that each year, the scarecrows are not as good as they were in past years. Also have noticed that the sunflower maze that the scarecrows are in are not as nice as they used to be. They all look burned and wilted. I'm thinking it's because we have been having hotter and hotter summers each year and the heat kills them. After we left the pumpkin patch, we headed over to Dairy Queen where we had planned to have lunch. I had seen commercials on TV that said DQ had $5 lunches that included a burger, fries, a drink and a small sundae. Well our DQ doesn't offer that lunch deal, so we left there without eating and headed down to Green Thumb Nursery. Jean was looking for some rose trees. She saw the they rose bushes were on sale and she thought maybe the rose trees were too, but they weren't. On our way back home, we stopped at a Carl's Jr. and had our lunch. Beautiful afternoon today. Had the doors and windows open.


Below is Rev...the puppy Jean is taking care of

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Very Pretty Day Here

I woke up just before 6 am this morning and let Hiker outside. It was only 43° at that time, so when she came back in, I turned my furnace on (to make sure that it works properly) and Hiker and I went back and cuddled under the covers. I got to comfy that I fell back to sleep and didn't wake up until 8:30! Got up and had breakfast and then Hiker and I went to buy my lottery tickets. Came home and then went out for a 2 mile walk. It had warmed up a little but was still only in the mid-50s. I need to get myself back into shape for walking. My legs and feet hurt after awhile because I'm out of shape. I love this kind of weather. I think Jean and I will try to go to the pumpkin patch tomorrow after we take the dogs for their Friday morning walk. After lunch, Hiker and I went over to the Placerita Nature Center and walked around for a little over a mile. The weather was great.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Very Rainy Day

Jean and I had planned to go to the Lombardi Ranch Pumpkin Patch today, but when I got up at 6:15 am, it was extremely dark and cloudy outside. By 8:15 am, it was starting to rain so I called Jean and said I didn't think the pumpkin patch was such a good idea. Decided I'd wait for a bright sunny do to go over there to take my photographs. I asked Jean if she wanted to go to Anna's Linens with me since I need to buy a new comforter for my bed. It was raining a little when we first left but by the time we got do Mission Hills and to the store it was pouring. They had said we were only going to get about a 10th of an inch, but we got way more than that. After we left Anna's Linens we came back to Santa Clarita and we went to Kohl's where I bought a Snoopy plush toy and a Charlie Brown plush toy because they were only $5 each and the entire amount of money goes to Kohl's Cares to support kids health programs nationwide. Then we went over to Bed, Bath & Beyond, but didn't buy anything. Had lunch at Wienerschnitzel and then headed home. It was raining so hard the entire time we were out. When we were in Bed, Bath and Beyond, it was raining so hard on their roof that it sounded like it was hailing. After we got home, the sun started to peek out but it quickly went back behind the clouds again. Hiker thought that the Snoopy and Charlie Brown I bought were toys for her. I put them on my bed and she immediately jumped up on the bed with them and started checking them out. I had to make her leave the bedroom and close the door because I was afraid she'd start dragging them around the house to play with them and that she would tear them up. Was very happy to see the rain even though it was just a tiny bit, it was better than no rain at all. We really need the rain here. Everything was so dry. It is cold and windy this afternoon. 55° right now.

Hiker thinks my Snoopy & Charlie Brown are her new toys.


Here are the two comforter sets I bought today. I got these pictures from Anna's Linens website.


Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Good Day At Support Group

Headed over to the Sr. Center this morning for my support group. Found out the reason for the parking lots being closed last week...they were filming an episode of “NCIS” there and one of our group ladies got to see Mark Harmon. I told her that if I had known Mark Harman was there, I would have parked in a no parking zone to see him (LOL). It is one of my favorite shows and he is such a hunk. Was only 45° here at 6 am when I let Hiker outside to go potty. I'm so glad that fall is finally here. Had a pretty good session at group today. Had a full house and then some. Had lunch at Cathy's Deli after group and had some good discussion there too. Tomorrow, if it doesn't rain, my neighbor Jean and I are going over to our local pumpkin patch (Lombardi Ranch). I go there ever year to take photographs and to see their “Scarecrow Alley”. Should be fun.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Beautiful Sky Today

Had our morning dog walk/play date with Jean and her dogs. After the walk, had some breakfast and then went over to Lowe's Home Improvement to get some furnace filters. I always buy a bunch of them so that I don't have to go buy them as often. I had ordered some on Amazon.com but they somehow got lost in transit, but Amazon is good. When I contacted them, they checked and found out that my package was lost and so the cancelled the order and reimbursed me the full price including tax (shipping was already free). I will say that Amazon takes care of their customers. It was partly cloudy here all day. They are still saying that we have a chance for rain this Wednesday even though it started out at 40% chance and now is down to 10% chance. I will be happy to see some rain, but I was hoping it would come on Thursday because Jean and I have plans to go to the local pumpkin patch on Wednesday. Will just have to wait and see if it really does rain I guess. Took Hiker over to Towsley Canyon this afternoon for a short hike. It was hotter outside than I thought it was so we didn't hike as far as I had planned. The clouds in the sky were really cool.




Sunday, October 6, 2013

Typical Suncay

Since I had to get up early the past 2 mornings, I decided to sleep in a little this morning. I really didn't sleep in though because I was watching “CBS Sunday Morning”. Had a little breakfast when we got up and then Hiker and I drove over to Bridgeport Lake for a morning walk. There were a lot of people out walking dogs. Hiker has gotten so afraid of dogs that she does not know. She used to like to “meet” other dogs when we were out walking but now when she sees a dog, she “puts on her brakes” and “digs in” and I have to literally drag her along the side walk to make her continue walking. I don't know what has happened to make this change in her. She is fine with Jean's dogs, but that is because she thinks of them as her “pack”. I find it really strange that she has become this way because when she was at the rescue shelter for the three months they had her, her best friend and playmate there was a pit bull. After we came home, I did a load of laundry and my weekly vacuuming. It is not windy here today. They say we may even have a chance of rain this Wednesday and Thursday. I want rain but I hope it does not rain on Wednesday because Jean and I are planning to go over to Lombardi Ranch.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Another Windy Day

Hiker and I got up at 6 am this morning because some of the work crew from my community was going to come by and fix my rain gutter, but got a call from the foreman just before 8 am telling me that it was too windy for his guys to be up on the roof and I agreed 100%. It was not windy at 6 am when we first got up, but by 8 am, it was blowing full force again. Hiker was busy running around the house this morning chasing a fly. I noticed one had sneaked through the door when I let Hiker outside this morning. She is so cute when she's running around and jumping up and down trying to catch the fly when it zooms by her. Hiker and I went for a windy walk this afternoon. Not many people out. Guess they are afraid of the wind (LOL).

Friday, October 4, 2013

Very Windy Here Today

It was very windy here all night and all day today. The wind woke me up at 4:30 am and Hiker started barking at the noise of things banging around from the wind. I finally got up at 5:30 am because I could not go back to sleep. I went out onto the patio and took down my wind chimes and other yard decorations so they would not blow away. We have very hard winds here in SoCal every fall. I think October is our windiest month. You would think that we would have more red flag warnings (brush fire watches) during the summer but I think we have more in the fall. Back in 2007 Ben and I and our entire community had to evacuate from a fire that came over the hill and headed toward our homes. Thank goodness the community keeps the hillside covered with fire resistant plants. We went on our dog walk with Jean and her dogs and we almost blew away (LOL). Found out from Jean that I have been recruited to be a judge for the costume contest and our community's Halloween party on October 25th. I've never gone to the Halloween parties they have here, but I guess I'll have to this year since I'm a judge (LOL). I decided to flush my water heater today. I try to do that a couple of times a year to make it last as long as possible. This afternoon, I suddenly realized that even though I knew it was Friday, for some reason my mind was telling me it was Thursday. I had planned to go grocery shopping on Friday. So after lunch, I headed up to Stater Brothers to do my grocery shopping. It was so windy driving up there that my car was shaking all over the place. On the way home, I noticed a big tree had fallen over by the junior high school. I'm thinking I should talk to my gardener about trimming back my shade tree in the backyard. The wind was blowing so hard that the “dog” signs I have on my front porch were banging against the house so I had to take them down and put them inside until the wind stops. The wind has my nose running and my lips are so dry.


Thursday, October 3, 2013

Restful Day

Got up around 7 am and had breakfast then headed over to Wal-Mart to do a little shopping. When I got home, Hiker and I took a short walk around our gated community. I noticed the Loleta Cheese Factory in northern California is once again shipping their cheese, so I jumped online and ordered some. They don't ship during the summer because of the hot weather. It would have been a nice morning for a hike, but since I had to go to Wal-Mart, didn't get out early enough. I need to hike on mornings when I have nothing else planned for the day. Didn't do much of anything else the rest of the day. Just felt like vegging on the couch and watching TV. Some days are just that way.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Very Nice Day

Had a busy morning. Got up at 7 am and had some breakfast, then I did some yard work that I'd been wanting to get to for awhile. After the yard work, Hiker and I took off for a morning walk. Got back home and had trouble getting my key to work in my front door lock. I've been having problems with it for a few days, but it would usually work but it didn't want to today, so I went through the garage and got in that way. I thought maybe it was my lock going bad but then I noticed that when I looked at my key, the teeth on it were badly worn down so I headed to the locksmith shop that is about a mile from my house and had them make me two new keys, so now everything works just fine. It was cool and dewy here this morning. Felt nice out on the walk. It is supposed to stay cool for a couple of more days but then it's supposed to get back up into the 90s again this weekend. After lunch Hiker and I went over to Central Park in Saugus and did another walk. Thought we'd take advantage of this nice cool, sunny weather before the heat comes back this weekend.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Partially Wasted Day

Today was my day to go over to the Senior Center for my support group, but when I got there, both parking lots were closed. They had people at each driveway stopping us from pulling into them. I drove up and down the street and there were “no parking” signs in some places and the rest of the street was totally parked up. I drove around for about 15 minutes trying to find a place to park, but never did, so I just decided to head back home. I stopped and called DeDee because I knew that she was on her way over to the Sr. Center and wanted her to know that there was nowhere to park so she also decided to turn around and go back home. They had been repaving the parking front parking lot and had us park on the back parking lot for a few weeks, but they were done with the paving, so I have no idea what the heck they were doing this morning. On my way back home, I stopped by Best Buy to purchase a new cordless phone for my home. My old one was not holding a charge on its battery anymore and I checked into buying a new battery and they cost almost as much as buying a new phone, so I opted for the new phone. Hiker was surprised to see me back home so early. She was jumping all over me and kissing me. I spent a lot of the afternoon setting up the new phone, putting my contacts in it and connecting it to my Verizon Wireless Home Phone Connect box. Was about 84° here today but for some reason it felt hotter than that. I need to get out tomorrow morning when it's cool to do some yard work and then I should go over to Wal-Mart.