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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pretty Hot Today

Cannot believe tomorrow is October 1st. Seems like it was just Labor Day and now it's almost Halloween. Did something I haven't done in quite awhile last night. I was in the shower and thought about Ben and I cried. As most of you know, the shower was where I did most of my crying after Ben passed away. Have not had a weeping session in months. Only proves that it gets better, but it NEVER goes away. Watched a movie last night and went to bed just before 9 pm. Started to watch TV while in bed, but fell asleep. Glad I'm not having those nights where I can't fall asleep like I do now and then. I am still having really strange dreams though. We got up at 6 am to get ready for our dog walk/play date. We have been having such beautiful mornings here. Didn't do much today. It got up to 92° even though they keep saying we are “cooler than normal”.

Relaxing Sunday

I swear Hiker can tell time...or count. I have a grandfather clock. Hiker was starting to move around in bed and stretching her legs around 5 am this morning, but she settled back down and went back to sleep, but then, when the grandfather clock started chiming at 6 am, she came out from under the covers and started waking me up to let her outside. We didn't go for a morning walk as I had to do some laundry, so we did a short afternoon walk. It was a little warmer today, so we didn't stay out too long. I'm hoping it cools down and gets into “full-fall-mode” this next week. I'd like to maybe get out for a hike or two.

Quick Note

Just a quick note today. My TV in my bedroom stopped working so I had to go buy a new one and it is a "smart" TV. I have been setting it up and trying to get the apps to work on it but I am having a problems with the Amazon Instant Video app, so I will probably have to call Vizio and find out what the problem is. Other than that, didn't do much today. Took a walk this morning and have been inside the rest of the day. It got up to 90° here again.

Windy and Sunny

Had our every Friday morning dog walk with Jean this morning. Temps were around 50° and it was actually cool enough that I put on a zippered sweatshirt over my t-shirt, but they say we will be back into the 90's Saturday and Sunday. After the walk, Hiker and I had breakfast and then went to buy my lottery tickets. Came home and did a few things around the house, watched some TV and then had lunch. After lunch, the weather was so nice that we drove up to Vasquez Rocks for a nice afternoon hike and some picture taking. Hiker and I just cannot get enough of that place. It is one of our favorite places to spend time together exploring. It was about 80° when we left home, but only 75° at the Rocks.

Busy Day

Got up at 6 am because I had to get ready to drive Jean down to the Kaiser in the San Fernando Valley. The traffic was horrific! We got there about 10 minutes after she was supposed to check in. She was in with the doctor for over an hour because they were doing a biopsy on a mole that had changed. After her appointment, we headed over to the mall in Santa Clarita to visit the Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall. We were surprised to see that the first military people killed there were killed in 1955. I guess that was back when the USA was “policing” the area. After we viewed the wall, we then went into the mall to Red Robin and had lunch. Then we drove up to PetSmart because I wanted to get some fragrance spray for Hiker. She squats so low when she pees that she “sits” in the puddle and it gets on the back of her legs and then when it dries, she smells like pee. Since you are not supposed to bathe dogs too much because it dries out their skin, I thought maybe the fragrance spray might help. While at PetSmart, I bought her a little squeaky pumpkin for Halloween. I was telling the cashier that Hiker would be mad if she knew I was at PetSmart without her because she loves to beg for the cookies they have behind the counter. The cashier told me she'd put a couple of the cookies in my bag to take home to Hiker. I let Hiker stick her head in the bag and find the cookies. There had been a large praying mantis on my patio for a little over a week. I think Hiker killed it. I found it dead on the ground and it looked a little chewed up. I told her that she was going to be in trouble because it is illegal to kill praying mantises LOL. Actually that old belief is a myth that has been floating around since the 1950s. Got up to around 75° here today and the wind was blowing pretty hard.

Another Nice Fall Day

I was so mad at myself last night. I had planned to watch the new episode of “NCIS”. I got all comfortable on the couch and turned it on at 8 pm and then fell asleep about 5 minutes later. Woke up around 8:45 pm, so just decided to go to bed. I'll have to catch it “On Demand”. Hiker and I went on a morning walk. Did just under 2 miles. Did not see that big nasty spider today. He was either out “hunting” or someone got rid of him. Came home and had some breakfast and then went grocery shopping. I decided to buy more groceries than I normally do so I ended up paying about $30 more than I normally do. Was a beautiful fall day but they are saying once again that this weekend we are going to be back up into the 90's. Did a little more housework after lunch and then settled down to watch “Sleepy Hollow” on the “On Demand” channel. Tomorrow morning I have to get up early because I have to drive Jean down to her doctor's appointment at the Kaiser in Panorama City. We have to leave around 7 am because the traffic going down there is terrible. I hate driving the freeways in the San Fernando Valley, but I owe it to her to drive because I have to depend on her to drive me when I have to go to my retinal specialist.

Spent Day With Friends

Hiker woke me up later than normal this morning...it was already 6:15 am. I felt like crap when she woke me up. I had trouble falling asleep last night, plus I had my “normal” morning aches and pains. After letter he outside and back in, I went back to bed until 7 am and when I got up then, I felt much better. Went to my grief support group today. It was the first time I'd been there in 3 weeks. There was a new guy there named Roger. I don't know what his story is. I'm assuming he has lost his wife. After group, several of us went over to Dario's for some Mexican food. We invited Pete and this is the first time in over 2 years that he accepted our invitation. He's a fun guy. There was another guy named Jim who had gone to lunch with us a few times, but he has not been coming to group lately. I guess the guys are a little intimidated about going to lunch with all of us “raunchy” women (LOL). When I got home, Hiker was at the door to meet me and she “helped” me put the trash bins out by the curb as she always does on Tuesdays. Well fall seems to have “come and gone”. It got up to 93° here today.

Nice Autumn Day

Got up at 7 am and slipped into my jeans and a t-shirt instead of shorts and a sleeveless shirt. Felt good. Hiker and I headed out for a morning walk. It was beautiful outside. We did a little over 2 miles round trip. Got home and had some breakfast then I headed over to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. After lunch, I did some housework. The thermometer outside read 95° but I went outside and it no way felt that hot. They say today should be our warmest day and then we should cool down into the high 70's, low 80's. My older brother Ron called me. Today is one of his “non-work” days”. He said he called because he was bored. We talked for awhile. He told me they had a really good rain in northern California yesterday. Hope we get some rain this year.

Here is a photo of the huge spider we keep seeing in the park on our walks

Happy Autumn!

Had another dog walk/play date with Jean and her dogs this morning. When Hiker woke me up this morning, it was not overcast like it was yesterday which made it even cooler than yesterday morning was. I looked at the patio thermometer and it was 55° when we started out on our walk. After Jean left, Hiker and I went to buy my lotto tickets and then came home so I could was my sheets and towels. Also decided to wash my “spring/summer” comforter and put my “fall/winter” comforter on the bed. One of these days I will have to buy some new ones as I've had these for about 10 or 12 years and now that I have Hiker, they don't come out as clean as they used to. I also put some fall decorations out on the front porch...my scarecrow, and a few other things. I need to buy some new decorations too because I've had these forever and they are not looking all that great. It's been almost 2 ½ years since Ben passed away and I'm finally starting to feel like decorating for seasons and holidays again. Took Hiker for a short afternoon walk because it was so beautiful outside.

Beautiful Day

We had a dog walk/play date with Jean and her dogs today since we didn't get to do it yesterday. When Hiker and I got up, it was cool and cloudy outside and it stayed that way until around noon. When we were out on our walk, it was about 62°. Not many people out this morning. Guess they were sleeping in because of the coolness. The few people we did see were all bundled up in coats like it was freezing outside. I did wear sweat pants, but I had on a sleeveless blouse and it felt great. The only problem when it's cool and cloudy like this is that the lawn stays wet from the last watering and the dogs get all muddy. It was so nice outside this afternoon that I decided to go out and sit on the patio. Hiker decided to sit with me and jumped up into the chair next to me. The wind was starting to blow some. They are saying that we may have some very high winds tomorrow.

Nice Day To Be Outside

Last night I watched a cute move called “The World's Oldest Living Bridesmaid”. Went to bed around 9 pm and went right to sleep. Got up around 7 am, made some breakfast and then went outside and cleaned up the flower bed in my front yard. Had to remove all of the dead gladiolas and trim back the two rose bushes. Looks much better now. It was foggy when I got up around 6 am to let Hiker outside. We sent back to bed until the sun came out. Decided to do a load of laundry today. I usually do it on Saturday, but Jean and I had to change our dog walk/play date to Saturday because she had a dental appointment this morning, so we didn't get to walk the dogs as we usually do on Fridays. After lunch Hiker and I went over to the South Fork Trail in Newhall for a 2 mile walk. It was nice outside. Only 79° and breezy. Hope this weather stays.

Was I Lazy Today Or What?

I was trying to watch a movie called “The Butcher's Wife” last night on Amazon Prime and I kept falling asleep. I guess the work I did yesterday (cleaning my rain gutters) wore me out more than I thought. I slept in until 8 am this morning and when I woke up, my muscles were sore. Getting old sucks (LOL). I had to go over to Sam's Club this morning and pick up a few things. The weather was pretty nice today, and I really should have taken Hiker out for a walk somewhere, but I was just really tired and sore to do anything. Plus the temperature went back up again today. It hit 95° today while yesterday it was only 82° here.

Very Nice Day

Went to bed at 8:30 pm last night as I was falling asleep on the sofa watching TV. Got up at 7 am and by 8 am, I was outside cleaning my rain gutters. I don't have leaves in them because I don't have trees that drop leaves into them, but there is always a lot of dirt in them, some from the roof shingles and some from the wind that blows here a lot of the time. After the gutters I had to come in and take a shower because I looked like a chimney sweep all covered with dirt and grime. After the shower, I cleaned my small bathroom and then I was pooped. I just cannot do a lot of work like I did when I was young. I remember when Ben and I were first married and we lived in a rental house, I would clean the house and then go right outside and mow the lawn. The old lady who lived across the street from us always called me “Spark Plug”. Now I just cannot keep going like I did 30 some years ago. After lunch, Hiker and I went over to Central Park for an afternoon walk. The weather was great. It was about 80° and the wind was blowing lightly. I love the wind as long as it does not get destructive. We get a lot of wind here in October which scares me because in October of 2007, there was a brush fire that roared through the hills north of us and Ben and I had to evacuate. Thank goodness some of the guys who live in our community got out the hoses and fought off the fire because the fire department never came into our community. While Hiker and I were at Central Park, I took her into the dog park because there were no other people or dogs there. I turned Hiker loose and she would run around some, but she kept looking back to see where I was and if I got more than 30 feet away from her, she came running back to me. I hope this cooler weather means Fall is coming.

Slept in just a little bit this morning. We stayed up until 11 pm last night watching the season finale of “Under The Dome”. I wanted to go out for a nice breakfast this morning so we went over to the Saugus Cafe. I had not eaten there in over 15 years. I think Ben and I went there for lunch one time when we first moved to the Santa Clarita Valley. This cafe is very historic and has been used in movies and on TV. It was much cooler this morning that it has been for the past several mornings. By 10 am it was still only 75° instead of 85° like it was last week at that time. The are saying we will have a slight cool down, then it will warm up for a day or two and then it will cool back down again. I hope that means the Fall weather is coming. I actually pulled my covers up on me last night in bed. We put Hiker in the car and drove over to Pico Canyon Park. I wanted to show Keith the area for a possible hike when we finally get cooler weather. Keith left for home around 1 pm. Hiker was whimpering a little bit when he was driving away. It was about 10° cooler here today, but it was still 91° outside.

Here is a photo of Pico Canyon Park

Here is a link where you can read about about the Saugus Cafe.
Saugus Cafe

Monday

Got up at 6 am and did our dog walk with Jean. We had breakfast and then Keith and I headed out to check out some stores. We went to Game Stop and I bought a “We Love Golf” game for my Wii console and we went over to Wal-Mart where I bought a sweatshirt for when (and if) we ever get some cool weather. Keith bought another shirt while we were there. Came back by home to check on Hiker and then headed to In & Out Burger for lunch, but the parking lot was jammed and we noticed that the line inside was all the way to the door. So we left there and went to Mighty Mouth Burger for lunch instead. They are like the “original” Tommy's Burger. Came back home and stayed. Keith has been trying to finish up some contractual work that he did for the company he used to work for. It got up to 100° here today. They keep saying we are going to start cooling down some, but I don't know if I believe it or not. This morning when we did our dog walk, it was nice and cool. Too bad we didn't plan to go for a hike. Oh well.

Way Too Hot!

We slept in this morning. We had wanted to go for a hike this morning but it was already much too hot. We had breakfast and I went to get my lottery tickets while Keith stayed home with Hiker. We stayed pretty lazy all day because of the heat. We watched a couple of movies on TV and I made us some Arby's knock-off chicken sandwiches for lunch. We played a little Wii tennis, bowling, baseball and golf and then we decided to take Hiker for a ride in the car. She was acting really bored and I felt sorry for her. We try to play inside the house with her when it is this hot outside. We took a drive up through Soledad Canyon, across through Agua Dulce and then down Sierra Highway and back home. I sure won't miss this hot weather when it finally decides to leave us.

Hot Weekend

We slept in a little this morning. I made pancakes for breakfast and then we hung out at home waiting for the gardener to show up. After he was finished, Keith and I went over to Weinerschnitzel for lunch then we went across the street to the Goodwill store to look around. By this time it had already gotten hot, around 100°. We headed home for a little while but then decided to head over to the 99¢ Only Store. Keith wanted to buy some coffee creamer and some windshield wiper fluid. I picked up a plush toy ball for Hiker. When we got back home, Hiker immediately put her nose in the plastic bag as if she knew there was something in it for her. She pulled the ball out and ran around the house with it in her mouth. I had to catch her so I could take the tag off of it. She spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the ball, bringing it to us to throw for her. I had hoped so much that we would have some cooler weather so Keith and I could do some hiking but it's still way too hot plus Keith is having problems with his sciatic nerve.

Been Running Around

Got up early this morning and did our regular Friday dog walk with Jean and her dogs. We also picked up Patches who belongs to Chris my neighbor across the street because Patched was due for her grooming like Hiker. We let all of the dogs have some play time after the walk. Keith was having some sciatic pain, so he stayed home while I took Hiker over to Jean's house. I usually stay with Hiker when Jean grooms her but today I had to go run some errands. I helped Jean get Hiker into the tub because that's where she has problems with her. Once she is in the tub, she is OK. Went home and got Keith and we went to do my errands. Came back home about a hour later and I went up to see if Hiker was done and she was. She wanted to go home the minute she saw me walk in the door. Keith and I went over to Jimmy Dean's for lunch and the stopped by Wal-Mart to look around. Keith bought a couple pair of slacks and a cool purple dress shirt. Later in the afternoon, we went over to Office Max and Keith bought a new computer attaché. Last night we watched a movie called “The Arrival” with Charlie Sheen. It was pretty good. Kind of strange though. So tonight we are going to watch “Arrival 2”.

Keith's Visit Starts

Hiker and I did not go for a morning walk because we were waiting for my brother Keith and my friend Ed to arrive. Keith, Ed and I went over to Round Table Pizza for lunch. Hiker had no idea that Keith was coming to visit but I think she thought something was going on because before he got her, she was staring at the front door and she was whimpering. Every time a car went by, she'd run to the door and look outside. I think maybe dogs can “read our minds”. When we got back, we all went outside and played ball with Hiker for a little while, but it started getting hot, so we came back inside. We are supposed to get back up into the 100's this weekend. I was hoping it was going to stay cool. Ed headed back home around 1:45 pm. He didn't want to get stuck in the “going home from work” traffic. So now Keith and I are sitting her on the sofa with Hiker, all full of pizza and felling fat and happy.

Felt A Little Like Fall

Actually got up at 6 am again this morning. Finally slept pretty good last night. I think I was tired from walking around the Reagan Library all day yesterday. I had a computer problem last night so I was up early and researching how to fix it, and I actually found the solution and got it fixed. Hiker and I went for a 2 mile walk around 7 am. It was so nice outside this morning. Felt so much like fall. It was only 58° this morning but it did warm up into the low 80's by the afternoon. The local weather people say we are going to be really hot again this weekend, but hopefully, fall weather is on the way. Keith may be here for a visit this weekend. I have not mentioned it to Hiker because if something happens Keith gets called to work, Hiker won't be disappointed if he doesn't show up. I know that sounds funny, but Hiker understand when I tell her he is coming for a visit and she starts watching for him. My friend Ed, who was Ben's best buddy, is coming up from Pomona tomorrow to go to lunch. It's always nice to sit with Ed and talk about Ben, because Ed knew him for over 35 years and it's fun to share stories about Ben.

Fun Day

Today my neighbor Jean and I spent most of the day at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. We had a really nice time. They had so many new exhibits including the Lincoln Exhibit. Also saw Air Force One and several other cool things. I must say that the library is beautiful both the building and the grounds. It sits high on a hill overlooking the Simi Valley and there are some great views from up there. All of the docents are very friendly and very knowledgeable. After visiting the library, we headed down into Simi Valley and had lunch at The Hat. I will post my photos as soon as I get them all uploaded from my camera. Hiker was so happy when I got home. When she went outside to go potty, a fly go into the house as she came through the door. She is a great fly hunter. She will track them down until she corners them and then she barks and barks telling me where they are so I can come with the fly swatter and kill them. Guess tracking them down and cornering them is all part of her herding breeding. Only got up to 88° here today.

Happy Birthday To My Ben

I actually got up at 6 am this morning to get ready and meet Jean for our Monday dog walk. Was much cooler this morning. Sky was cloudy and it was in the high 60's but they are saying that by this weekend that we will be in the 100's again, but we should not have the humidity. After the dog walk, I drove over to the car wash and got the Rav4 cleaned up. They have an “early bird special” if you get there before 10 am. Then I went and did my grocery shopping at Stater Brothers. I wanted to get as much done today as I could because Jean and I are going to the Ronald Reagan Library tomorrow. Hope the weather stays cool. It got up to 95 ° but it felt cooler because it was dry heat. Today would have been Ben's 63rd birthday.

Sunday

Had a little trouble going to sleep again lasts night even though I had only gotten about 4 hours of sleep the night before. I finally took a sleeping pill around 1 am and was able to go to sleep. Had more strange dreams, but can't really remember much about them. Hiker woke me at 6 am as usual to let her outside. When she came back in, I went back to bed intending to get up at 7 am to take her for a walk, but I fell asleep and didn't wake up until 7:40. So I got up and we went for that walk before I did anything else. Came home and did a load of laundry and vacuumed. At least I got some exercise today. Tomorrow (September 9) is Ben's birthday. He would have been 63 years old this year.

Another Lazy Day

I am really not liking me for letting myself become so lazy in the past few months. I don't know if it is the heat or what, but I just cannot make myself get up in the morning. When I was working, I used to get up at 4:30 am because I had a 40 mile commute to work. After I retired, Ben and I still go up fairly early because Ben was still working three day a week. We would never stay in bed past 7 am. When Ben passed away, my sleeping habits started changing so much. At first I could not sleep and then I would sleep too much. My sleeping habits finally settled down and I was doing really good. I'd go to bed at 9 pm, watch TV in bed until 10 pm and then go to sleep. I would get up sometime between 6 and 7 am and take Hiker out for walks. I still get up at 6 am on the days I have dog walks planned with Jean, but it's getting harder and harder. Maybe when Fall gets here and the weather gets a little cooler, I'll get back to my old ways. It was already 90° around 11 am when the gardener and his son showed up to mow my lawn. I feel sorry for them in this heat. I don't know why...maybe it's the heat, but my milk has been going bad several days before it's “sell by” date. I had to throw out almost a half gallon of milk this morning because it had soured. I was having more strange dreams this morning before I woke up. One of them had Ben in it again. This time he actual spoke in the dream, but I don't know if in the dream he was supposed to be dead or not. In my other dreams of him, I know he's dead but he is with me in the dream. Anyway, in this dream, I noticed that he had tattoos on his arms. Ben hated tattoos and I asked him why he had them. He got angry with me and just said “leave me alone”. Then I was in a different dream. I was at some kind of party (like Tupperware or something like that). I remember seeing two or three Lockheed friends there. I had parked my car in a parking lot in a shopping center. I hadn't seen the “10 minute parking only” signs and when I came out, my car had been towed away. I was trying to find out where it had been towed too and I didn't know what to do, then I woke up.

Here Comes Another Weekend

Well I don't know what was wrong with me last night, but I could not go to sleep. I was awake until after 3 am. I tossed and turned so much that Hiker got out of bed and went into the other room so she could get some sleep. She did come back in early this morning though for me to let her outside to potty and then she got back in bed with me and I fell back to sleep. Around 8 am, she got up in my face and started kissing me and pushing me with her nose. When I tried to ignore her, she would make funny little noises or bark and she would also take my hand or arm into her mouth like she was trying to “pull” me out of bed. I finally gave in around 8:20 and got up. She went into the living room, got up on the sofa, rolled over onto her back with her belly and feet in the air and went to sleep. Thanks for making me get up Hiker, just so you could go back to sleep (LOL). I headed over to Wal-Mart to pick up a couple of things that I needed. I got home just before 10 am and it was already 85° outside, so it was too hot to take a walk. I see that we no more than get CBS back on our Time Warner line-up and then the boring tennis match comes on and pre-empts all of my other shows.

I am including the link for this month's "The Mighty Oak". My article is on Page 5.

The Mighty Oak

Boring Day

Slept in again this morning and this morning we didn't even attempt to go for a morning walk. It is just way too hot. So just decided to do absolutely nothing today...again. Got a call from my brother Keith. His contractual work is supposed to end tomorrow and he's hoping that the company hires him back full time, but he has not heard anything yet, so he wanted to plan a tentative visit with me and Hiker for next week. Would be nice if it would cool down by then so Keith, Hiker and I could do some hiking.

Will This Heat Ever End?

Hiker and I slept in some today and then got up and went for a morning walk. It was already about 79° at 8:15 am when we headed out the door. We were lazy the rest of the day as it was 102° outside. At least it was not as humid as it has been for the past few days. For my Lockheed friends, thought I'd mention that Karren Meggitt called me from Idaho last night. She and Wally have been traveling in their 5th wheel and they were heading to Karren's sister's house in Coeur d'Alene, ID and stopped by Karren's niece just before arriving in Coeur d'Alene. Wally had been feeling sick so Karren's niece who is a nurse looked at him and took him to the ER at the hospital where she works. The discovered that Wally had suffered a minor heart attack and they have diagnosed him with congestive heart failure. They admitted him to the hospital and have been draining the fluid from his lungs and are running tests to make certain there has been no damage to the kidneys or liver. The cardiologist feels that he will recover and be just fine. His heart problem goes back to the days he was taking Phen Fen to lose weight many years ago. He has had heart problems ever since.

Just Got Home From Group

Yesterday while watching TV, I started feeling light headed. I took a motion sickness pill as I usually do whenever I have this feeling and it zonked me. I was trying to stay awake last night to watch “Under The Dome”. I almost made it. Got about 5 minutes into it and then feel totally asleep so now I will have to watch it either ON DEMAND or on Amazon Prime again this Friday. I was just looking at the calendar and noticed that it was exactly 45 years ago on this date (and day) that I walked into that office at Lockheed for the first time. I was 18 years old and scared to death. Worked there for 37+ years and have now been retired for 7+ years. Where did all of those years go? Had a pretty good group session today. The overweight lady didn't talk as much which we all thought was a good thing. We went to Red Robin for lunch. Got up to right around 100° here today.

Did Not Labor On Labor Day

Went for our regular dog walk with Jean this morning. It didn't feel quite as humid but was still hotter than it should be at 7 am. All I did all day was watch TV. Started to watch “The Waltons” marathon but I always cry too much when I watch that show, so changed over to watching the “Criminal Minds” marathon. Got up to 98° here.

Hard To Believe That Tomorrow Is Labor Day Already

Slept in this morning. It was just too hot and sticky to get up and go for a walk. I let Hiker outside just before 6 am and it was 76° with 79% humidity. One thing I will say though, this humidity has made for a beautiful sky. Dark blue with huge white fluffy clouds. Great sunrises and sunsets. Had breakfast and went to get my lottery tickets. Left Hiker at home even though she was begging to go with me but it was way too hot to leave her in the car even if it would only be for 5 minutes. Came home and did a little bit of housework to get it out of the way and did my laundry. Since I had a big breakfast this morning, I skipped lunch and Hiker just about had a fit. She is so used to my routine that when I don't do something she thinks I'm supposed to do, she paces and barks at me. Since Time Warner offered me a free movie, I decided to watch “Olympus Has Fallen” and it was very good. If you don't like blood and guts, don't watch it. I decided to take her out for a ride in the car since I didn't take her with me this morning. We drove up to Canyon Country Park and walked around a little, but it was just too hot and muggy so we came back home. But at least it satisfied her because she got her car ride. She got up on the sofa a fell asleep when we got back home.

Good-bye August

Hiker woke me up at 5:45 am to go outside. It was already 72° and extremely humid. We got out of bed at 7 am and by 7:30 we were out for our morning walk. It was 75° and the humidity was 72%. The bugs were eating me alive and I felt like I was walking through a sauna. By the time we got home I was drenched with sweat. I wanted to put some more of that anti-itch cream on Hiker this morning but she sensed something was up and she kept hiding from me. That little bugger is so smart. I have no idea how she knew I wanted to put something on her. I kept trying to get her to go outside because she gets the “scared wee wees” and I didn't want her peeing all over the house, but every time I'd try to get her to go out she would run and hide in my bedroom. Any other morning, she would be wanting to go outside and lay on the patio after our walk, which is what she usually does every day, but not today. I finally fooled her into going outside just before lunch and I applied the lotion while she peed all over the patio (LOL). The rest of the day, we stayed inside as it was 96°. The humidity level went down to 42% but that is still more than we are used to. The sky was beautiful all day with big white fluffy clouds.

Last Friday Of August

Hiker and I had our normal Friday morning dog walk with Jean and her dogs. We left at 7 am and it was already 75° and starting to get muggy outside. Because of the humidity, the bugs were eating us up as we walked. Hiker has been scratching and chewing on herself a lot lately and I thought it was fleas or bugs, but I checked her out really good and don't see anything on her, so Jean and I talked about it and Jean thinks Hiker is having a problem with dry skin. We went up to PetSmart and I bought some lotion to put on Hiker where she keeps chewing on herself. The lotion is for hot spots, rash or itching and it has aloe in it. Since I put it on her, I have not noticed her chewing for awhile. She would chew on her back so much that her hair would be sopping wet. Once again we stayed inside all day. It was a few degrees cooler today, but not much. I see in the 10 day forecast that a week from today it is supposed to be 104° which does not make me happy. Watched the latest episode of “Under The Dome” today on Amazon. Wonder if this dispute between Time Warner and CBS will ever end. I've read that whatever happens between them that it will set the precedent for negotiations between networks and other cable/satellite companies from now on.

Techie Day

Got up at 7 am and Hiker and I went for a mile and a half walk. It was already getting hot and muggy. I was having a strange dream when I woke up. For years I have had dreams that after I retired from Lockheed that I went back to work there planning to only be there for a short time and retire again (strange). Anyway, I was having a dream that once again, I had gone back to work there. Besides me returning after retirement, my friend Judy Holdt was also back there working after retirement. In the dream our boss was leaving to go to another company and she was putting Judy in her position as boss. I recognized the woman who was our boss in my dream as a woman who really did work with us years ago at Lockheed, but I cannot remember her name) Well Judy wanted me to be her assistant and I agreed, but I told her I would be retiring (again) very soon and this time I actually filled out the paperwork to do so. In all of my other dreams, there was always a deadline of when you could fill out the paperwork and I always seemed to miss it, but this time I didn't. Also saw my friend Rick Kuklok in the dream. He is also retired now but he was working again too. I went over to my friend Gin's house today. She is a widow in her 80's who goes to my support group and she has been having some computer problems so she wanted me to check it out for her. She is using Norton for her Anti-Virus which is one of the worst ones to use plus it costs money. I told her that the Norton is causing her computer to run slow and showed her the difference if I turned Norton off how much faster her computer worked. Problem is, she just renewed her Norton for a year and still has almost 250 days left of it and they won't refund any unused money, so I told her I would leave Norton on her computer until February but then we need to remove it and put Microsoft Security Essentials on it so that it will run faster and she won't have to pay for the Anti-Virus. I ran some scans on her computer to make sure she didn't have any viruses or malware and I downloaded a disc and registry cleaner and set them to automatically run on her computer. She made me lunch and we sat and talked for awhile. She has the cutest little dog named Goldie who is a Doxie/Chihuahua. Got up to 103° here today. YUCK!

Too Humid!

Didn't really sleep in today since I had to go up to Wal-Mart this morning. I always end up spending way more than I planned to when I go to Wal-Mart. Wonder why that is? (LOL). By the time I got home at a little after 9 am it was already about 85° and humid outside, so it was too hot to take Hiker out for a walk. Probably won't get her out for a walk tomorrow morning either unless I get up really early because I am going over to one of my friends house (a woman from my support group) to look at her computer and see if I can clean it out some and speed it up a little for her. I did promise Hiker that I would take her for a ride in the car this afternoon, so we did that right after lunch. It was too hot and muggy to even get out of the car, but she was happy just to have a ride. My neighbor Jean and I have been discussing taking a trip over to Simi Valley when it gets cooler for a visit to the Reagan Library. Ben and I went there many years ago and Jean has never been there, so thought it would make a nice day trip for us. Probably won't do it until late September or early October. Didn't do much else today, so it was a lazy, hot, muggy day here in SoCal.

Cloudy, Hot and Muggy

Went to my support group at the senior center today. They are refinishing the main parking lot there and it is all a mess. We are now parking in the back lot which actually has more spaces than the front lot does. You can see the bison at Hart Park from the back lot. We also are having our meeting in a different room since they have our regular room blocked off because of the work. Actually, I like the new room better. It is in the main building instead of in one of the trailers and it is closer to the restroom which is a big plus (LOL). The heavy lady that comes to our sessions is so obnoxious. We all thought Edwin was bad when he first came, but she is worse than he is. At least now she is wearing pants instead of the dresses, so we don't have our “peep” show anymore thank goodness. What none of us like about her is that she is a “know-it-all”. She tries to tell people what they should do about certain situations and she doesn't even know anyone's story. She also has something to say about everything. Obviously she reads a lot and she will start telling a story like she was actually there, but in reality it was something that she read somewhere and she tries to make it funny, but it's not and she's the only person laughing. None of us still understand why she is coming to our group because she is not a widow, but we cannot stop her from coming because it is open to anyone. It has been cloudy and very humid here today. I remember when people used to say they didn't like summers in southern California because it was so hot and we would reply “yes but at least it is a dry heat”. Not anymore. We are getting more and more humid here as the years go by and us natives are not used to it. Some of us girls went to Round Table Pizza for lunch after group. I left a little earlier than the rest because school is back in session and I have to drive right by the junior high, so I try to get past that point before all of the buses and parents start arriving to pick up the kids and cause a major traffic jam. I've gotten caught in it before and I hate it. When I got home, Hiker “helped” me put the trash bins out at the curb and she went with me up to the mailbox, then I walked her down to the park. I wanted to get some photos of the beautify clouds. It was so muggy that by the time we got back home I was soaking wet with sweat. Come on fall, hurry up and get here.

Muggy Monday

We didn't sleep in this morning because we had a dog walk/play date with Jean and the dogs. I sure wish the entire day would stay nice and “fall-like”. The mornings are so nice a cool but by 10 am or so, it starts to get hot. After Jean went home, I went to do my grocery shopping. I noticed that the Halloween candy was already out on display. Got up to about 95° here and there were some big thunder clouds towards the east and some big fluffy clouds to the west that didn't look like thunder clouds. It was feeling pretty muggy.

Map shows thunderstorms in the SoCal desert

Thunder clouds to the north east of where I live

A Lazy Sunday

Hiker and I got up around 7:30 am and headed over to Bridgeport Lake to take a 2 mile walk. There were a lot of people out walking their dogs this morning. Hiker wanted to say “hi” to some of them, but a lot of the people didn't want to let her. Maybe their dogs don't get along with other dogs. We were walking along the sidewalk and a duck came out from the bushes right in front of us. It startled Hiker a little, then she wanted to go after it, but I didn't let her, so she just watched it run away from us. It was a beautiful morning but then started getting hot outside around 11 am. When we got home, Hiker went outside as she does every morning. She alternates between lying in the sun and then in the shade on the patio. While she was outside, I did a load of laundry, vacuumed and put clean sheets on my bed. Since Hiker does not like the vacuum, it is best for me to do that housework when she is not in the house. I watched the movie “First Daughter” on the Hallmark Channel. It was pretty good. Then I watched “The Way We Were” on Amazon. Would you believe I had never seen “The Way We Were”?

I'm Watching You

Hiker and I slept in again this morning then went for a morning walk. Did some laundry and watched some TV. I really want fall to get here so I can get up off my lazy butt and get out to hike. It's just too hot right now to do much of anything but stay inside with the A/C. It was a few degrees cooler today...only got up to 95° instead of 99° like it has been, but it's not enough to be able to feel the difference.

Saw this shed with eyes peeking over the fence this morning while Hiker and I were out for our walk.

Friday Again

I was going to watch a movie on Amazon last night but got really sleepy around 9 pm so went to bed and went right to sleep. When I woke up this morning, the bed felt so good that I decided to go back to sleep and slept in until 8 am. Got up and took Hiker out for a morning walk and then did a little housework. Watched the latest episode of “Under The Dome” on Amazon. Was another extremely hot day so did not go outside much. I will be so happy when fall gets here. Problem is that here in SoCal, we don't really get into fall until mid October.

Fun Day With Friends

Slept in a little this morning. Drove up to Palmdale, CA to have lunch with some of the ladies I worked with at Lockheed for so many years. All but one of us is retired now. There were only six of us this time. For those of you who might know them, it was me, Kay Limpus, Gail Plessner, Diana Brewer, Judy Holdt and Jacki Sanderson. Diana is the one that still works and she always has “gossip” for us from the old salt mine. Was about 102° out in Palmdale and was 99° in Canyon Country when I got home. Judy had given me a new toy to bring home to Hiker and as always, Hiker loved it. Every new toy she gets, she puts aside all of her other toys and ignores them totally.

Another Hot Wednesday

Hiker and I went for a 2 mile walk this morning. The sky was so pretty with the little “cotton ball” clouds. When we got home, I poached a couple of eggs (one for me and one for Hiker) for breakfast and then I put my license plates on my new car. For some reason, once you put the plates on and remove the dealer paper plates, it feels like the car I no longer new. When Keith was here I purchased a Black & Decker rechargeable, hand held vacuum to use to keep the inside of the car clean. It's not one of those car vacuums that has no suction. This vacuum can be used in the house too and has a lot of power. I vacuumed any dog hair that was in the seats after I put the plates on. The rest of the day, Hiker and I just stayed in the house with the A/C since it got up to 99° here today.

Nice sky when Hiker and I went for our morning walk. When the flowers on this prickly pear cactus bloom, I'll take some photos to share.

Started My Day Early

My neighbor Jean and I went over to the old Saugus Speedway for the every-Tuesday “antique” swap meet. Most of the stuff just looked like junk to me. Jean bought a couple of things. After we left there, we headed over to Denny's and had breakfast and then went across the street to the Goodwill Store. I didn't buy anything there either. It was nice early this morning but was starting to get pretty warm by 10 am. I'll be so glad when fall gets here. I got playing a “hidden objects” game on my iPad and before I knew it, 2 hours had passed. Had lunch and then went out into the yard with Hiker and played some ball. It is about 90° but there was a nice breeze blowing so it didn't really feel that hot. It will be 2 weeks tomorrow since I got my new car and I already got the license plates for it today. That was really fast.

New Blog

If you like my "Fotoblog" and/or my "Hiking" blog, make sure you check out my new block about Vasquez Rocks County Park. This is one of my favorite hiking places and also one of my favorite locations for taking photographs:

Picturesque Vasquez Rocks

Pleasant But Busy Monday

Did our regular Monday dog walk/play date this morning. The weather was really nice this morning before it got really hot. When I got up at 6 am, it was partly cloudy. I guess they had some thunderstorms in the desert last night. There was a nice breeze and once again it felt like fall weather, but by 9 am, it was already getting really hot. By 10 am it was already 90° outside. Jean usually leaves around 8:30 am but today she stayed until 9 am, so I was late starting my housework. I needed to do the stuff that I didn't get to this past weekend because Keith was here. I had to clean the big bathroom, wash my sheets and towels, dust and vacuum. Also ran my dishwasher. I was only going to do some of the stuff, but then I remembered that Jean and I are going to the antiques swap meet tomorrow so I wanted to get everything done today. The thermometer read 94° at 2:30 pm when I walked up to the mailbox, but it didn't really feel that hot. There was a bit of wind and I could see thunderhead clouds off to the east.