Sun Played Peek-a-Boo

Was having a very strange dream last night. First I was with my brother Keith at a beach or somewhere similar to a beach town. Then I was on a train with Ben heading for home from somewhere. We sent upstairs into the diner area and sat down to eat. I was having fried chicken and Ben was having roast beef, but they looked and tasted like TV dinners. Then we got the check and saw that each dinner was $60 plus our drinks were extra. We just about had a fit! Then I woke up. Hiker and I got up at 6 am so she could go outside. I think it may have sprinkled here last night because it looked like there were some wet spots on the walkway in the yard. But I don't think it was enough to water the lawn because when I went out there at 7 am the grass didn't seem very wet. Had some breakfast and then took Hiker with me up to Stater Brothers. She sat in the car while I went in and got my groceries. The sun kept going in and out of the clouds all day long. After lunch, Hiker and I drove up to Vasquez Rocks. We always go up there when it's very sunny and I take photos, but today since it was cloudy, I wanted to take photos there with a different perspective. It started drizzling while we were up there and when we were driving home, it rained on us for a few miles. But when we got home, the sun was shining.

Hiker decided to give me a kiss just as the camera took the picture

Tuesday

Went to my grief support group today. The first hour, only 6 of us plus our therapist was there. Usually we have at least 12 or 15 people. The second hour, 2 more regulars showed up plus 2 new women (a mother and daughter) joined us. The daughter had just lost her son in an auto accident. We had some very good conversation in today's group. Jane and I were the only ones to go to lunch after group. Everyone else had other commitments. Jane and I went to the historic Saugus Cafe for lunch and we talked about the history of Santa Clarita. There was a lot of it that Jane didn't know and I told her that we'd have to plan a few days where I drive her around and show her the historic sites. Was hazy all day even though the sun came out after noon. Still wondering if we are going to get the rain they are predicting for tomorrow.

Mild Monday

Had our Monday dog walk with Jean and her dogs and let the dogs have a play date in my yard for about 30 minutes or so. Had to do some housework this morning, which I loathe. Sometimes I think about getting a maid service but then I tell myself that doing my own cleaning is exercise and good for me. After lunch, Hiker and I went over to the Iron Horse Trail for an afternoon walk. We are supposed to have rain on Wednesday. Won't believe it until I see it.

The 20 Most Important Facts Dog Lovers Must Never Forget

Dogs are so loyal that they love us no matter what we do. But if we want to provide the best life possible to these wonderful animals, we have to remember they have complex thoughts and feelings, too. Here are 20 that we must never forget.

Don't be upset when I jump for joy when you come through the door.

I only live for ten or fifteen y...ears. You are what makes that time enjoyable. It's hard on me when you go away.

Give me time to understand what you want from me.

I don't always get it right on the first try, but I promise I'm trying as hard as I can.

Give me your trust.

Just like I trust you, I need you to trust me, too.

Don't be angry with me for too long. And please don't lock me up to punish me.

You have your friends and family to keep you happy and entertained. I just have you.

Take me inside when the weather gets bad.

The backyard doesn't have air conditioning or a heater. You don't have to let me on the couch, but a small part of the kitchen is much better than sleeping in the snow.

Talk to me.

Sure, we don't speak the same language, but the sound of your voice brightens my whole day.

Comfort me when I'm scared.

You know a lot more about loud noises, strange people, and new places than I do. I need to know that you'll protect me from them. I always feel safer when I'm with you.

Remember that I'll never forget how you treat me.

Teach me that humans are made of love, not pain. And don't ever let me forget it.

Come outside with me.

The sights, sounds, and scents of nature are some of my greatest pleasures in life. I don't care if we play, go for a walk, or just sit under a tree together . . . I want you to experience them with me.

Let me make new friends.

Introduce me to other dogs, cats, or even bigger animals. We might not get along in the end, but having some more friends that look and smell like me makes my life that much brighter.

Give me a treat every once in a while.

Food is one of my greatest pleasures in life. I know you want me to be healthy, so I understand when you don't share your own meals with me. But giving me a dog biscuit when I've been good or mixing tasty vegetables mixed in with my dinner is guaranteed to make me wag my tail extra hard.

Please don't hit me.

I have teeth that can crush bone. Instead, I cover you in sloppy, wet kisses. Just as I choose not to hurt you, please make the choice to not hurt me.

Understand when I need my alone time.

I love you more than anything, but even though it's rare, I don't always want to play or cuddle. Don't be sad if I'd rather sleep on the cold tile floor instead of in your bed on hot summer nights, and be understanding if I don't want to play as much as the years go on.

Show me your world.

The house and yard might be the only places I ever see unless you let me come with you. A trip to the pet store, the park, or even just a ride in the car is exhilarating for me. I can't wait to see what you want to show me.

Teach me new things

Learning new tricks keeps my mind active, but most of all, it gives me a way to impress you. I love showing off for your friends, looking up at you, and seeing how proud of me you are.

Let me get dirty once in a while.

Your world is inside, but I thrive outdoors. Sometimes I find a lot of mud or a lake that smells like all of its fishy inhabitants. I understand if you don't want to wash all that stuff off every day, but as long as it's safe, let me go back to my wild roots every now and then.

Touch me.

Nothing makes me feel more loved than when you take time out of your day to rub my ears or scratch that itchy spot on my back that I can't reach. I can't understand your words, but I definitely understand the feelings behind a hug.

Pay attention if I don't seem like myself.

It might seem like I'm just being lazy or stubborn, but I might not be feeling well. I can't get help for myself, and I need you to look out for me.

Love me when I'm old just as much as you did when I was young.

I might not be the cute puppy that I once was, but I still love you just as much now as I did then. Please take care of me when my body doesn't work like it used to.

Come with me on my final journey.

I know it will be difficult, but I need you by my side when the time comes for me to leave this world. Every moment down to my last breath is easier if I have you with me.

With deep affection, love, and respect.

Pleasant Sunday

Up at 7 am, put the sheets and towels into the washing machine then had breakfast. Hiker and I went to get my lottery tickets and then came home and then we played awhile in the backyard. My neighbor Jean came by at 10 am to pick me up and we headed over to Granada Hills for the Crafty Ladies spring craft fair. Our neighbor Chris, who lives across the street from me was there with her friend Kathy selling some of their “playful platters”. I bought a cute gnome taking a bath in a wooden tube yard decoration. The Crafty Ladies have this spring craft fair and also a holiday boutique in October. Came back home and made lunch and played a little more with Hiker then watched “A Summer Place” on the TCM Channel. The theme song from that movie has got to be my favorite 1950's instrumental oldies song. Thought about taking Hiker for a walk, but she didn't seem to want to go when I got her leash, so decided we'd just veg out the rest of the day. I'll take her for a dog walk with Jean tomorrow morning and then maybe take her for another walk later in the afternoon.

Saturday

I don't know why, but I have been having the strangest dreams lately. Every night it's another crazy dream that I remember when I first wake up from the dream, but cannot remember the next morning. Slept in until almost 8 am this morning. I used to always get up no later than 6 am, but for about the last year or so, I seem to need more sleep. I still get up at 6 am when Jean and I have a dog walk planned. Jean is a morning person and likes to head out early. I used to be like that. I watched “12 Years A Slave” last night. It was good, but don't see what all the hoopla was about. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars when rating it. The acting was very good but I thought there were several scenes where Solomon was just standing there staring out into space that dragged out for several minutes. Did a load of laundry after breakfast and then after my gardener had finished, Hiker and I headed out for a very short walk. It was once again sunny but very hazy. We have been having a strong on-shore flow that has been causing the haze. Was lazy most of the day, just being a couch potato watching TV.

Weekend Is Coming

Went to bed around 9:30 pm last night and went right to sleep. Around 11:30 pm, Hiker jumped up barking and ran to the front door, so I got up to see what she was barking at, but saw nothing. We went back to bed and went back to sleep. At 2:30 am, I suddenly woke up and was wide awake for no reason. Had trouble going back to sleep, so I turned the TV on and eventually fell back to sleep. Got up at 6 am and got ready for our dog walk with Jean and her dogs. Was chilly outside this morning. When we had the dogs in my backyard for their play date, it was only 48° on my patio. No Y&R again today because of the basket ball, so Hiker and I drove over to Hart Park and did a short hike around the hills near the mansion. Sun was shining but it was very hazy out all day and didn't get higher than about 65°.

Kind Of A Boring Day

Slept in again this morning. After breakfast I headed over to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. It was a little hazy here today. When I got back from Wal-Mart, I took Hiker for a walk down through Discovery Park and along the dry riverbed. Didn't know what to do with myself today since “Young & Restless” was not on due to the stupid March Madness. I hate when the take my soap off for things like that. Downloaded the Lumosity app to my iPad and “improved my brain” for a little while. Played with Hiker in the back yard for a little while.

Warm And Windy Wednesday

Slept in this morning. Got up and had some breakfast and then decided to clean out some stuff in the garage. Was beautiful outside, so I took Hiker out with me on a long leash so she could wander around the front yard while I was working. After that I decided to go through the extra bedding stuff I have stored above my bedroom closet. I knew I had some old stuff up there, but was not sure what was there for sure. Found I had 2 queen size comforters from back when Ben and I had a queen size mattress over 15 years ago. They are still in great condition, so it was fun to discover that I had more comforters that I could use on my bed. I had totally forgotten they were up there. Got warm in my long jeans, so I put some shorts on. After lunch, Hiker and I went over to the South Fork Trail and did a 3 mile walk. The temperature was in the high 70's and breezy.

Remember...if you are on Facebook, please vote for Hiker. Contest ends tomorrow. Click on link below her photograph. It may take a few seconds for the page to come up.

Vote For Hiker

Normal Tuesday

For some reason I was very sleepy last night so Hiker and I went to bed around 8:30 pm. I read a couple of chapters of the latest book I'm reading and then went to sleep. Woke up around 11:30 pm thinking it was morning but was able to go right back to sleep. Went to my support group today and then to lunch with some of the ladies. It was warm and windy today. When I got home, I took Hiker on a very short walk down to the park.

Saw these flowers in our community while out walking Hiker.

A Quake And A Hike...All In The Same Day

Woke up at 6 am and let Hiker outside and then fed her. Did not go back to bed because we had to get ready for a morning dog walk with Jean and her dogs. I was sitting on the edge of the bed getting dress and watching the local news. Hiker was on the floor at my feet. Suddenly the newscasters are saying there is an earthquake and I look at the TV and see their newsroom shaking like crazy, but I'm not feeling anything. I called Hiker up onto the bed with me because I'm figuring the shock from the quake just hasn't hit here yet, but I still don't feel, or hear anything. Hiker must have felt something because she had a frightened look in her eyes. Several of my neighbors, including Jean felt the 4.4 quake that was centered in Westwood, which is about 30 miles southwest of where I live. I have no idea why I didn't feel anything. Went on our dog walk with Jean and then came back home and did some housework. My friend Sandi came buy and took 2 sets of my Cal-King sheets. After lunch, Hiker and I drove over to Towsley Canyon and did a short 2 mile hike. It was about 82° here today.

Feels Like Summer

So the first night sleeping on my new mattress was pretty good. It is so cushy. Because the mattress is so much smaller than the old one, Hiker was sleeping up against me, but I don't mind. I'm surprised she didn't mind because on the old mattress, she would get as far away from me as possible and stretch out. Maybe she's afraid on the new mattress that she will fall off the edge. Watched “Nebraska” on Amazon Prime last night. It was OK but not as good as I had anticipated. I usually watch the newer movies on Saturday nights because there is not much on TV that night. I think next Saturday I will watch “12 Years A Slave”. Before lunch, I took Hiker for a mile and a half walk around inside our community. It was beautiful outside but starting to get hot. By 12:30 it was already 90° on my patio.

New Bed Arrived

Slept in a little this morning. Got up and had some breakfast then put a load of laundry in the washer. I put Hiker's plush toys in the washer as they were all pretty dirty. She watched me put them in the washer and then watched me put them in the dryer. I told her she had to wait for them to get all clean and dry before she could have them back, so she kept going into the laundry room and looking at the dryer while it was running. When the dryer was done, Hiker came into the laundry room and as I pulled clothes out, she one-by-one pulled out her 6 toys and took them into the living room and then came back for the next one. Went outside and watered my tomato plant and it was such a beautiful morning. Came back in and did a little housework that I had been putting off. I kept wishing that the bed delivery would have been earlier in the day. Since my bed frame is adjustable for 3 different sizes of mattresses, I wanted to adjust it from the king size to the queen size, so I pulled the old mattress off of the bed and took the 2 box springs out (they were not heavy at all) and adjusted the frame so that it would be all ready when the delivery got here. I also wanted to vacuum under the bed since it doesn't get vacuumed very often. Wish I knew someone who has a Cal King mattress that I could give some of my sheets too. I have some sets of sheets that are not very old. It was so warm here today that I wore shorts. Got close to 85°. Delivery arrived at 3:20 pm which made me a very happy person. After they left, it took me about 30 minutes to put the new mattress cover on and get the new sheets and pillow cases out of the packages and make the bed. Only took me that long because it's hard to put a mattress cover on by yourself. That alone took me about 10 or 15 minutes. I cannot get over how much smaller this bed looks than my Cal king was. Ben and I had a queen bed years ago but after being used to sprawling out all over the king bed, it's going to take me awhile to get used to this. Hike keeps looking at the bed trying to figure out why it's different. Having stewed chicken and egg noodles for dinner.

Bought A New Bed And Bedding

My neighbor Jean had to have her car serviced today and since we were planning on going out for me to shop for a new mattress, she was going to either get it done in the morning and come back home or call me from the dealership if they were going to keep her car awhile. She called and told me they needed it until after lunch so I went and picked her up at the dealer and we headed over to “Sit'n'Sleep”. I bought a Simmons Beautyrest Queen mattress and box springs set. It's the Frances Plush model which has the independent wrapped coils. When I was “testing” the mattresses out, I was so surprised how different they feel from my old ordinary mattress that Ben and I purchased about 15 years ago. It's amazing how much support they have now. “Sit'n'Sleep” has one of those bedMATCH™ diagnostic systems where you lie on the bed and it scans your body and analyzes what firmness you need according to your body shape and weight. Personally I've always preferred a bed that is not too soft and not too firm, one that is somewhere in the middle (like Goldilocks – LOL) and my report came out saying that was exactly what my scan said. The one I bought was on sale for $788.00 and they will delivery it tomorrow. We then drove over to Anna's Linens and I bought two sets of sheets, two queen size pillows, a mattress protector, and pillow protectors. We headed back to Santa Clarita and went to Topper's Pizza for lunch. Neither of us had been there before. They opened about 2 or 3 months ago. Jean got a personal pizza and a drink (about $6.00) and I got their “Quick Lunch” which is a personal pizza, one trip to the salad bar and a drink (about $8.00). The pizza was very good. Drove Jean back to the dealership to pick up her car and then headed home to Hiker. I hope since I'll have a smaller bed that Hiker won't hog it (LOL). She likes to spread out at night when she sleeps. Was 80° here today and they say we may hit 90° this weekend.

PLEASE VOTE FOR HIKER

I have entered my dog Hiker in a pet photo contest. If you are on Facebook, please go to the link below and vote for her. You can vote every day until March 20th. Thanks!

VOTE FOR HIKER

I Think It's Spring Already

Slept in a little this morning. I am still not used to the change to Daylight Saving Time. Had breakfast then went out and did my grocery shopping. Either I bought more stuff this time or the price of groceries is going up because I paid about $20 more than I normally do. I did buy a few things I normally don't buy. Was a really beautiful day here in SoCal. Hiker and I went out for a nice afternoon walk. I'm doing pretty good with getting back to my walking but when Summer gets here, I'm going to have to force myself to get up early and walk in the morning when it is cool. If I wait until afternoon, it will be too hot to walk. Tomorrow, I'm picking Jean up in the morning and we are heading over to Sit'n'Sleep so I can maybe buy a new mattress and box springs. As I mentioned before, the Cal King bed had just gotten too much for me to make alone and it has gotten more difficult to find sheets for it at a reasonable price. A lot of stores sell King size sheets but not Cal King. Jean told me that she doesn't have a box spring, that she just has a really thick (tall) mattress. I thought you always had to have a box spring under the mattress. If I do buy a new mattress, we will then drive down to the San Fernando Valley so I can buy some queen size sheets and pillows for the new bed. I'll have to buy either queen or standard size pillows because I now have king size pillows, which I could use, but when you buy queen sheets, you get either queen or standard size pillows.

Busy Day

The wind started blowing early last evening and howled all night. Hiker and I got up a little earlier than normal because I wanted to be able to wash up the breakfast dishes and brush my teeth before they turned the water off. I filled up a couple of buckets so I can flush the toilets if need be. Jean picked me up just after 12:15 and we headed out for lunch at Boston Market and then we went to Best Buy to recycle some electronics and then over to PetCo. Jean had to pick up a rug at JCPenneys that she ordered online and then we went to Kohl's. I bought 3 t-shirts and got them for $20 with my 30% discount. Then we headed over to Payless Shoe Source for Jean to buy some shoes and stopped at Walgreens so I could buy a new pill organizer. Just got home around 4 pm. Busy day.

Overcast Tuesday

Went to my grief support group this morning. Didn't have as many people there today as we've been having. Went to Jimmy Dean's Grill for lunch with a few of the ladies after group. The weatherman had said we were going to be in the mid-80s today, but we've had high, thin clouds all day and only hit the low 70s. It actually felt cooler than the thermometer read. Hiker was very playful when I got home...more so than she usually is. Guess she missed me more than normal. Tomorrow the city is turning our water off between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm to do some work on the pipes or something. My neighbor Jean has some appointments in the morning but when she gets done, she may come by and pick me up for us to go to lunch and do a little shopping. We figured since the water will be turned off that we need to spend most of the day out.

Beautiful Day In SoCal

Up early this morning to go on our dog walk with Jean and her dogs. Was a little chilly out and very dark when we first got up. After Jean left, Hiker and I went up to Sam's club so I could get gasoline in the car and do a little shopping. Came home and then I flushed my water heater. I try to do that twice a year to hopefully make the heater last longer. Figured I'd better get it done today because Wednesday, the city is turning our water off most of the day to do some work on our distribution system. After lunch, Hiker and I drove up to Vasquez Rocks County Park and went for a nice hike. Another beautiful day here in SoCal. When we came home, I no more than walked in the door and my phone rings. I see that it says “Private Number”. Well I know that when some of my friends who have their phone number blocked from view that “Private Number” shows up on my caller ID so I answered it. I guess the telemarketers are getting even smarter because they have already found a way to create bogus phone numbers when they know we are screening our calls from them, so now I guess they have started blocking their number to make you think that the call is from someone you know. I answered it and this guys says “Hi Mrs. Waggoner” and I said “Who is this?”. He says “It's John Harris. We spoke in January about doing some constructions work on your house”. Well I knew that I had never talked with him before because I have no construction work planned, so I said “Oh no you didn't” and I hung up on him. They think they are so tricky trying to make you think you talked with them. They must think we are all senile.

Hiking with my fur baby

Warm Sunday

Went to bed a little after 9 pm but for some reason could not go to sleep. I think I finally dropped off after 1 am, the along comes Daylight Saving Time so I lose another hour of sleep. Hiker woke me up at 7 am, which would have been 6 am if not for DST, so I let her outside and then fed her. The sky was beautiful when I looked outside. Then she and I went back to bed and didn't get up until 9 am (8 am standard time). I do not like this change in the time. The one in the fall is not bad, but this one is so hard for me to get used too. It takes me days to get into it. Had some breakfast and then took Hiker with me to get my lottery tickets, then came home and took the sheets off the bed and washed them. Also washed my heavy winter comforter and replaced it with my lighter summer comforter. I've been thinking about getting a new mattress and box springs. The Cal King bed is so hard for me to change and the sheets are harder to find and cost more. I may go back to a Queen size. Hiker and I went for a short afternoon walk. It was just a little under a mile, but at least we did get out and walk, making it 5 days in a row that I have walked. Was warm outside, about 85°.

Here is a photo of the sky here this morning.

Beautiful Saturday

Have been having strange dreams for the past 2 or 3 nights and I haven't even started to take my new medication yet (LOL). Hiker woke me up around 6 am to let her outside, then we went back to bed, but did not go back to sleep because I watched a movie on Encore Suspense called “Fire In The Sky”. I thought it was a good movie. I had never heard of it before. After the gardener left, Hiker and I went for a walk. The weather was beautiful, but it was a little breezy. Since Monday, I have walked every day except Tuesday when I was at my grief support group and out to lunch with the group ladies, so I'm doing pretty good about getting back to walking. Watched a movie in the afternoon. It got up to 80° here. I need to remember to change my clocks later for daylight saving time.

Almost The Weekend

Up early today for our regular Friday dog walk with Jean and then we went over to Jean's house so Jean could groom Hiker. So now Hiker smells good and her fur is so soft. I love cuddling her right after she's had a bath. The wind started kicking up here and blew in some high, thin clouds. They say we are going to have some really strong winds this weekend. After lunch, Hiker and I drove over to Bridgeport at Valencia and walked around the man-made lake there.

OK Day

Slept in this morning. For some reason, I was so sleepy when Hiker woke me up at 6:15 am to go outside. I could hardly keep my eyes open so we went back to bed and didn't get up until 8 am. When I woke up, I was light headed. I've had trouble focusing ever since I started getting the eye injections. I'm assuming it's my eyes trying to re-adjust. I know that bright light bothers my eyes more now than they did before. After lunch, took Hiker for a walk down near Discovery Park. We were walking around in the dry riverbed that last week was full of water when we were in the middle of our rain storm. I really need to get back in shape for walking/hiking. I've been so lazy and not going much so now when I walk my feet and calves hurt. I need to build up the muscles again. Was sunny here today, but somewhat hazy. They say we are going to get a bunch of wind this weekend. I don't mind some wind, but we get huge gusts and sound like they are blowing the roof off.

Busy Wednesday

Up at 6 am, dressed and ready to go to my annual checkup with my primary doctor. My appointment was at 8:40 am so I was supposed to check in by 8:25 am, however, the lobby doesn't even open until 8:30 am. I like being the doctor's first patient because I always get there early which means he is not behind schedule because of other patients. He said I am doing pretty good, except for the fact that my cholesterol was up. He knows that I cannot tolerate statins, so he told me that he has other patients who have the same side effects I have with the statins. He started giving them Crestor once or twice a week instead of having them take it every day and he said it seems to be working for them. He asked me if I would be willing to try it that way and I said yes, so we will see how it goes. He said since Crestor is the strongest cholesterol lowering medication that it doesn't take as much to help lower the numbers. He also wants me to exercise more. I told him I've gotten lazy lately and do not walk and hike as much as I used too, plus he'd like me to try to lose at least 10 lbs. He told me next year he wants me to have a bone density test since I'll be 65 then. I had to go back over to Kaiser after lunch because the nurse was supposed to give me a fecal home test package and she forgot to do that, plus I had to go toe the Kaiser pharmacy and pick up the Crestor. Crestor must be made out of gold or platinum because it cost me $75 for a 30-day supply and that was with my Kaiser discount. I saw online where it can cost anywhere between $199 and $250 for a 30-day supply if you don't have insurance. When I got back from all of my errands, I took Hiker up to Todd Longshore Park for a short walk. I had promised her earlier today that I'd take her for a car ride and she thought she was going to go over to Kaiser with me and got all excited. So since she didn't get to go on that trip with me, I thought I'd take her to the park.

Group Day Tuesday

I got up just before 6 am this morning to let Hiker go outside. When she was done, we sent back to bed. I turned on the TV local news which I normally do. I usually doze off a little but I can usually still hear the news in the background. This morning I feel totally back to sleep and was shocked awake by my alarm clock. Went to my grief support group today. No one new joined us today but we still had a full house. We were all discussing the Oscars and giving our opinions on the stars, etc. After group, 5 of us went to Sizzler for lunch. I just got home awhile ago. Hiker “helped” me put the trash cans out by the curb and then she walked up to the mailbox with me. Tomorrow morning I have to head over to Kaiser (the local one) to my annual checkup with my primary doctor.

Nice Day

I actually watched The Oscars last night. That is the first time I have done that in about 25 years. I think it is because they finally had some really good movies up for the award. There at least 4 or 5 of them that I had on my “watch list”. Ellen always makes the Oscars fun when she hosts. I think they should make her their permanent host. Hiker and I got up at 6 am to get ready for our Monday morning dog walk with Jean and her dogs. It was foggy here when we got up. After our dog walk, I had some breakfast and then Hiker and I walked over to the community office so I could pay my monthly land lease. Came home and vacuumed the house and cleaned the ashes out of my fireplace. After lunch, I took Hiker over to Placerita Canyon. I wanted to see if the creek was flowing, but in some places you could see some dampness, some places you could see pools and up farther into the canyon there was some trickling, but that was it. Shows how dry we have been. The ground just sucked up the water. Got up to 75° on my patio today.

Still Cloudy And Gray

Hiker and I slept in again this morning. It was still gray and cloudy so it was a good day to stay in bed for awhile. I watched “Gravity” last night. I thought Sandra Bullock was very good in it. She is one of my favorite actresses. I also thought that the special effects were fantastic. I felt like I was up there with her. I don't go to theaters, so I watched in on Time Warner On Demand. I also noticed that they now have “Nebraska” showing so I'll have to check that one out soon. Some of you were concerned because I stated that I have a “retinal tear”, which is not actually true. I called it that by mistake. My doctor told me that I just have floaters and that they would eventually move out of my central line of sight, but that I might continue to get them. He actually called it a "fluid tear", not a "retinal tear" and he said it is a very normal and common thing for people my age and people who are nearsighted. I called it a "retinal tear" because of the information I had read when researching my symptoms before I read the brochure he gave me. My doctor did say that my problems was not what was in the brochure, but he wanted me to read the brochure and watch for the symptoms that are in the brochure because if I notice any of them, he needs to know immediately. He said the leaking fluid can cause a retinal tear or detachment, but that I do not have that as of right now. I should have read the brochure first. I know if it was anything serious, he would have done something about it right away. He is a very good and well respected retinal specialist. Since it was cloudy and cool all day, Hiker and I stayed inside. Had a fire going in the fireplace and watched the last season of “Bates Motel” on A&E to get caught back up since the new season starts tomorrow night. Drizzled a little more this afternoon.

Still Raining

So when I was at the retinal specialist's office yesterday and told him about how I was now also having problems with my left eye (my right eye is the one I've been getting the injections in), he gave me a booklet to explain what is going on with my left eye. What I have is a Retinal Tear. There is a pocket of fluid behind the retina. There are many reasons that can cause a tear in this pocket, two of which I fit into. Nearsightedness and aging, The tear causes the fluid to leak into the man part of the eye behind the retina and that causes the “floaters” which is what is causing my problem. It's always something. It rained off and on all day yesterday and all of last night and today the sun peaked out now and then but it continued to rain all day today too. I have to remember to go over to my neighbor Sharon's house this evening and feed her dog Sammy and her 3 cats and let Sammy out to potty. I hope it's not raining when I have to go. By the way...if you are on Facebook, make sure you go to the link below and vote for Hiker in the cutest dog contest I entered her in. You can vote once a day from now until Marcy 20th.

If you are on Facebook, make sure you go to the link below and vote for Hiker. I sent her picture in for a Cutest Dog Contest.

VOTE FOR HIKER!

Very Rainy Day

Woke up around midnight last night and hear it raining a little bit, but then I woke up again around 4:30 am and it was pouring and the wind was howling. Sounded like a hurricane. Could not go back to sleep. When Jean picked me up at 9:15 to head down to Kaiser, it was not raining as hard, but still as coming down some. We decided to take surface streets over there instead of the freeway because we had heard that the freeways were full of accidents. My doctor's office didn't seem as crowded today as it was a month ago. I mentioned to him that I was having some blurry vision in my left eye now. When they checked my vision, It was still 20/20 in the left eye with my glasses on, but I kept seeing some “cloudiness”. My doctor checked my left eye out before giving me the injection in my right eye. He said I have a “fluid detachment” that is leaking and causing me to have floaters which have been causing the “cloudiness” in the left eye. He said eventually the floater will fall down out of my central vision so I should not have the “cloudiness” after that. He said it was a very common thing. The injection seemed to go easier this time around. There was a woman in the next room, probably in her 80's, having her first injection and I heard her moaning and crying when they injected her. I heard the doctor say “you started yelling before I even did the injection”. When the aide was washing her eye after the injection, she continued to moan and groan. Jean said when the woman came out to the lobby, she commented “this is the worst day of my life”. I don't know what her problem was because you don't have any pain at all when they inject the eye. We got back over to Santa Clarita and it started to pour down rain again. I took Jean to Sizzler for lunch to say “thanks” for driving me down there. Still pouring down rain right now. They claim “it never rains in California”, but when it does, it POURS! We are under a flash flood warning right now.

In Between Storms

The rain started last night around 7:30 pm. I had just gotten back from the neighbor's. We were going over what I need to do when I go over feed her dog and cats while she is away this weekend. It rained off and on all night. Hiker and I slept in this morning. Once we got up, we had breakfast and went to buy my lottery tickets and then, since it was a beautiful morning and we are were in between storms, we went for a nice walk. I'm just hoping that it's not pouring down rain when Jean takes me down to Kaiser tomorrow for my second eye injection. The drive down there and back is bad enough with the traffic without it raining. The sun was out all day with bright blue sky and fluffy clouds. Hiker and I spent most of the afternoon watching TV.

Waiting For The Rain To Come

Hiker and I got up at 6 am this morning because we had a dog walk planned with Jean and her 3 dogs, but just before we got ready to go, it started drizzling here. If it was just me, I'd go but don't like to take Hiker out in the rain because wet dog does NOT smell good (LOL). Instead of going on the walk, I ran scans on both of my laptops. The “computer spooks” have been invading both of my laptops. The other day, I was working on my Dell laptop and it just suddenly shut down. I checked the plug that goes into the computer, but it was plugged in. I kept trying to reboot but couldn't. I was starting to think it was time for a new laptop, but then I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the other end of the A/C adapter had come unplugged from the power surge strip. Have no idea how it came unplugged. Then I noticed the battery on my Toshiba laptop was not charging even though it was plugged in. I checked to make sure it was all plugged in and it was, so then I took the battery out and plugged the computer in without the battery to check if it would boot up. It did, so that told me that the battery was just not holding a charge. Both of my laptops are about 5 years old and have the original batteries. So I thought I'd have to buy a new battery for it. However, this morning when I turned the Toshiba on, it said it was 100% charged. Have no idea what's going on there. Next I noticed that my external hard drive was not showing up on the laptop I have it plugged into. I in plugged it and plugged it back in twice before it started working again. Like I said “computer spooks”. Went to Sam's Club to pick up some things. No rain yet by noon in fact, the sun was peaking out. Was cloudy again by 3 pm but still no rain. I have to go up to Jean's house around 5:30 pm. She and I are going to share taking care of another neighbor's dog and cat while the other neighbor is away, so we have to see what needs to be done. Jean is taking care of them Thursday and Friday and I am taking care of them Saturday and Sunday.

Just A Quick Note Today

Went to my support group today. At one point during the session, a woman popped her head in the door to see what was going on. I guess we were all laughing and making so much noise that she wanted to see what was so funny. We are a crazy bunch. After group, four of us went to Round Table Pizza for lunch. Was bright and sunny today, but the two rain storms are supposed to start coming in tomorrow evening. I hope that the rain the are predicting is for real. A lot of time they tell us a storm is coming in and we don't even get a drop of rain.

Warm Monday

Slept in this morning because we did not have our normal dog walk with Jean and her dogs. She had a dental appointment this morning. Beautiful morning here this morning even though they claim we are going to get 1” to 2” of rain this weekend. Guess we will just wait and see. Figures it is supposed to rain Friday. That's the day Jean is driving me to Kaiser for my second eye injection. I did some housework this morning and then settled down to watch some TV. Thought my main laptop had died on me this morning. I was on Facebook when it suddenly just shut off. I could not get it to start again. I checked the plug that goes into the laptop and it was OK. I texted Keith and he told me to try starting it in “safe mode” and that didn't work, then I noticed that the main plug had come out of the surge strip that is plugged into the wall socket. OOPS! Guess the batter had totally drained. I hadn't even noticed that it had come unplugged and I'm not even blonde (LOL). I was thinking I was going to have to use some of my tax refund on a new laptop. I have another laptop, but I like to always have 2 in case one does die. Awhile back, Jean had given me an article in The Magazine Of Santa Clarita about a dog photo contest. I don't think there is a prize, just bragging rights, but I went ahead and set Hikers photo to them on Valentine's Day. Today I got an email from them telling me how beautiful she is. They said they are getting so many great photos that they are having trouble picking the best one so they are going to post her photo on their Facebook page and have people vote. I will let everyone where to go on Facebook to vote for her when the voting starts. After lunch, Hiker and I went and got some gas for the car at Sam's Club and then we headed over to Central Park in Saugus and took a nice walk around the park. Was 80° here today.

Feeling Somewhat Better

Watched movies all day yesterday. Went to bed a little after 8:30 pm because I still was not feeling very well. Went right to sleep but kept waking up all night because I could not get comfortable and my body was aching. I'm really thinking I have caught a bug because I woke up at 2:30 am. I was aching all over and I had the chills. My stomach felt very empty because I had not had anything to eat since mid-day yesterday, so I decided to get up and get a bowl of cereal. Hiker wanted to go outside, so I let her out and when she came back in, we went back to bed and it took me a little while to fall back to sleep. Hiker let me sleep until 6:30 am before she started to bug me to get up and feed her. I felt a little better, so I decided to go ahead and go on the dog walk that my neighbor Jean and I had planned for this morning. We put the dogs in Jean's car and drove over to Canyon Country Park. Her dogs went crazy because they had never been there before. They were sniffing everything. I was still not feeling 100% while we were walking around the park, so I was glad to get back home. I decided to eat my old “normal” way today to see if it will help me to feel better. It seems that the minute I tried to each “healthier” and less portions, I started feeling sick. Also decided to spend the rest of the day at home inside to see if I feel better. However after lunch, I was feeling a little better, so Hiker and I got in the car and went out to buy my lottery tickets for this week but came right back home.

Another Lazy Saturday

Hiker woke me up around 5:45 am and wanted to go outside to potty. When I got up to let her outside, I noticed that my muscles were more sore this morning than they were yesterday morning. I guess I'm really going to have to consider hiring pros to shampoo my carpet next time. When Hiker came back in, I told her we were going back to bed until 8 am. She was fine with that until about 7:45. She started bugging me to get up. She won't give up either. She keeps kissing me and pawing at me. If I ignore that, she starts to whine and bark at me. Once she got me up, I started my laundry and then made some pancakes for breakfast. Hiker and I decided to be lazy today, hoping that my body aches will be gone tomorrow as my neighbor Jean wants to take the dogs over to Canyon Country park for a walk. Don't know if I have a bug or what, but didn't feel like doing anything today. Just stayed on the sofa all day watching TV. I hate days when I'm like this. Was about 70° here today and a little hazy. They say we might get some rain by the end of next week.

It's Friday!

Up at 6 am to get ready for our dog walk with Jean. We were out walking by 7:15. The dogs were all excited because they had not seen each other for a week. On the way back to my house we had to stop at our neighbor Chris's house so Jean could pick up Chris's dog Patches to groom her today. I'm going to brag about how smart Hiker is again (LOL). Chris lives across the street from me. We were walking up the street and normally Hiker will pull me to cross to my side of the street down on the corner but today I told Hiker that we had to go pick up Patches, so Hiker stayed on Chris's side of the street and when we got to Chris's driveway, Hiker turned and went right up to Chris's porch. She knew which house Patches lives at. Makes me so mad....I have cut down on my food portions and got some exercise in the past 2 days and what happens? I gain half a pound instead of losing any. Grrrr! I went to do my grocery shopping this morning and then after lunch, Hiker and I drove up to La Canada to pick up my taxes. I have not had to pay to either Feds or State in 33 years. The first year Ben and I were married, we had to pay the state of California $800. This year is the first time I've owed anything and that is once again to the state of California. I owe them a lousy $2! When we got back home, took Hiker down to the park for a short walk. It was 82° here today.

My blue iris is blooming. This plant was a gift from my office when I retired 8 years ago.

Busy Day

Got up at 7 am and had breakfast and then finished shampooing my carpets. I still had the dining area and living room to do and I finished it all in about 2 hours. Hiker and I spent a couple of hours in our bedroom watching TV while the carpet dried. Shampooing the carpet used to be one of the things I didn't mind doing, but now I am getting to where I do not like doing it. Eventually I will probably start having it done by professionals. Got a call that my taxes are ready for me to pick up. Think I will wait and do that tomorrow afternoon. I'm too tired to go get it this afternoon. I've also been having some problems with my stomach today. I've decided after seeing my cholesterol results from my blood work yesterday that I need to lose some weight and get back into a regular exercise schedule. Yesterday I started my new “diet” which is a small breakfast, BIG lunch and only salad for dinner. I'm sure my cholesterol is up because I've gained about 10 lbs since the last time I had my blood work done. Last year my numbers were still high, but they were lower than they had been in ages. This time they were higher than they have been in quite awhile. I got into eating both a big lunch and a big dinner and doing less exercise. I used to walk every day and sometimes even twice a day. Since last summer, I have only been walking maybe once or twice a week. As most of you know, I cannot take statins to lower my cholesterol because they give me muscle and joint cramps. My doctor told me to take OTC Red Yeast Rice. He wanted me to take 2400mg per day. I tried that for about 2 months last year but the RYR was also giving me muscle and joint cramps so I cut the dosage in half. Tried that for a few months and eventually, that also gave me muscle and joint cramps, so I just stopped taking it.

Here is a photograph I took of Hiker last evening.

"Oh Oh....the bed exploded"

Busy Morning

Slept in until just before 7 am this morning. I didn't have breakfast because I had to go over to Kaiser to do fasting blood work for my doctor's appointment in March. The lab doesn't open until 9 am. I decided to wait to go over there at 9:30 am because I also wanted to go to Sam's Club which is just down the block from Kaiser. My membership at Sam's Club doesn't let me go in the store until 10 am. I figured I'd have to wait awhile at Kaiser. I got there and checked in and they took me immediately into the lab, so there was no wait. I drove over to Sam's and waited in the parking lot for about 10 minutes. Got back home and did a few things on the computer and then watched Y&R and had lunch. After lunch, Hiker and I went for a 2 mile walk. It was warm outside...about 75° while we were walking.

Normal Tuesday

Up at 7 am and then off to my Grief Support Group at 9 am. It was nice and sunny when I headed over there this morning but when I came home it was all overcast, but still warm outside. We had a new lady (Betty) at group today. I'd say she was in her 80's. Just lost her husband of 40 years from lung and bone cancer. He was her second husband, but it was easy to tell when she told us about him that he was the love of her life. She was so sweet. Another lady brought her and came back to pick her up after group. Don't know if it was a neighbor, friend or caregiver. As they were walking out, I heard Betty tell the other lady “The people in the group are so nice. I'm looking forward to coming back next week”. Made me feel good because she had told us how lonely she was sitting around even though she has friends and family, she doesn't get out much. I always feel so bad for new members because I remember when I was new. The grief is so new and you are so numb and you feel so lost. I'm glad she found us. The “lunch group” went to Cathy's Deli. We always have such good stories and we laugh a lot when we go to lunch. I'm so lucky to have these friends. Hiker was happy to see me when I got home. She loves to “help” me put the trash cans out and walk up to the mailbox. Then she got on the sofa a couple of feet away from me and went to sleep. No dinner or anything else for me tonight. I have to go for my annual blood work tomorrow morning so my doctor will have the results when I go to see him for my annual check up on March 5th.

Warm, Sunny Day

Got up a little after 7 am. It was 40° and clear and started warming up as the morning progressed. Keith and I went over to Wal-Mart so I could buy some planting mix so I could put my little tomato plant into the Topsy-Turvy I bought for $1.50 yesterday at Big Lots. Keith told me I have to send him a photo of it every Sunday so he can see how it is doing. I had an appointment with my tax man today, so Keith headed home around 12:30 and I also left to head up to La Canada to my tax man's home. When I came home, I think Hiker was wondering what I did with Keith since we left at the same time. Warm, sunny and 75° here in SoCal today.

Fun Day With Hiker And My Brother Keith

Had a dream about Ben last night. I have not dreamt about him in ages. I was dreaming that I was at the DMV office doing some kind of paperwork on my car. It was really crowded as usual. It was strange because they had a counter where they had me sit. I was getting frustrated because I was having trouble making the guy there understand want I needed. When this guy would talk to me, he spoke very softly and I could not hear what he was saying and he kept getting up from his chair and wandering around behind the counter. Suddenly I noticed that Ben was sitting next to me at the counter. I could see him but no one else could. He kept saying that the guy behind the counter was a jerk. This is the first time Ben has spoken in any of the dreams I've had about him. Ben kept wandering off just like he did when he was alive. He could never just sit in one place for too long. He came back with a small rock in his hand and said “look at this cool rock I found” and he handed it to me. It was black and looked like a chuck of blacktop, but I told him it was pretty and that I'd keep it. The guy behind the counter handed me a piece of paper to sign and the printing on it was very light and I could not read it. I refused to sign it and Ben told me it was good that I did that. The dream seemed to go on for quite awhile before Hiker woke me up, so I don't know how it ended other than her waking me up. We headed over to Elsmere Canyon and hiked the Creek Trail. We did about 2 miles round trip. There are some really cool cliffs in that canyon. Keith had never hiked there before so I think he enjoyed it. Came home and dropped off Hiker and then Keith and I went to lunch at Carl's Jr. After lunch we headed over to the Goodwill Store and looked around, then stopped by Big Lots. They had those “Topsy Turvy” tomato growers for $1.50 so I bought one, then headed up to buy a tomato plant at Lowe's. I should have bought some potting soil, but didn't so we will probably go to Wal-Mart tomorrow morning so I can get some. Beautiful warm day here. Got up to about 85° with bright sunshine.

Me and Hiker in Elsmere Canyon

My brother Keith in Elsmere Canyon

Hot And Sticky Here

Slept in a little this morning then got up and put in a load of laundry before Keith arrived. Had to put Hiker's flea and tick repellent on her for the month. She has gotten a little better with letting me put it on her than she used to be. She still doesn't really like it, but she doesn't run from me as much now when she realizes what I'm doing. Keith arrived just a little after 11 am and we headed over to Rattlers BBQ where Keith treated me to lunch. Had enough left over to bring home for our dinner this evening. We went back home and got Hiker and took her down to Tags Clinic to see about her rattlesnake booster shot. I told them that her paperwork shows her due in January, but I never got the reminder post card from them and then I forgot about it until yesterday. They told me that she can get it either every 6 months (if we live in a snake prone area or do a lot of camping, etc. or ever 12 months which is for people like me who only hike a little, so we decided to wait until July when she is due for all of her other booster shots. I thought it was nice of them to save me the money. Some places would have insisted I get it every 6 months. Brought Hiker back home and Keith and I headed up to Lowe's Home Improvement so I could buy a hose real for my back yard. It was overcast, hot and sticky here today. Got up to around 85°. We used to never have humidity. The weather all over the world has gone totally crazy.

Valentine's Day

We were up early to go for our Friday dog walk with Jean. Today was her dog Charlie's birthday. He turned 4. He is a King Charles Cavalier. Jean had red leashes and collars on all 3 of her dogs for Valentine's Day. After she left, I fixed some breakfast and then did a little housework. Wanted to get it done because Keith is coming for a visit this weekend. Also made an appointment with my tax guy for Monday. After lunch, Hiker and I went over to Central Park in Saugus and walked a little over a mile. There were quite a few people in the park today. Probably because of the hot weather. Today it got up to 92° on my patio. Hope this is NOT a preview for this year's summer.

Hot Day In SoCal

Beautiful morning here today. It was already 75° by 10 am. Looked more like spring than winter. I met for lunch with 4 of my girlfriends who are retired from Lockheed. DeDee, Marce, Judy and Gail. We went to the new Sizzler here in Santa Clarita. We always have fun when we get together. When I got in the car to come home, I could not believe how hot it was outside. My patio thermometer read 90° when I got home. I kept thinking about the people in the eastern half of the United States. They are freezing and being bombarded with snow and ice and we are having summer.

Lunch With Ben's Buddy

Didn't want to get out of bed this morning. Hiker kept making little noises and putting her nose in my face trying to wake me up. Don't know why she does that because once I get up, she's somewhere sleeping. I really need to get back into exercising (walking/hiking). I have gotten into such a bad habit of not doing it on a regular basis like I used too, plus I eat too much. I guess the fact that I eat more than I should is not really all that bad considering that when Ben first died, I wasn't eating at all and I know some of the ladies in my grief group are still not eating enough. I get so mad at myself sometimes. I know I need to exercise and take care of myself better. My friend Ed (Ben's best buddy), came up from Pomona, CA to go to lunch with me today. We went over to Round Table Pizza for their buffet lunch. The weather was so beautiful here today. Got up to 85° on my patio.

Another Group Day

Went to my grief support group today. Last week we only had 8 people there. This week we had about 16 people. Our leader had to rein in Edwin again. Sometimes he is really good but other times he gets on a roll. It was a little hazy here today but got up to 80°. After group, 4 of us went over to Backwoods Inn for lunch. I have a busy “lunch out” week. Tomorrow I'm going to lunch with Ben's buddy Ed and Thursday I am meeting my Lockheed retired girlfriends for lunch. At least I won't have to worry about fixing dinner. When I have a big lunch, I usually skip dinner totally or I just have a snack. Hiker is not going to like me because I'll be leaving her alone for several hours most days this week.

Very Pretty Day Here Today

Up at 6 am for our dog walk with Jean and her dogs. It was cool and clear this morning and we are supposed to be heading into the 80's by the end of the week. I went over to Wal-Mart this morning and bought a new hose for my back yard, the old one had broken where it connects to the faucet so I bought a new piece for it, but it constantly leaked so I bought a new one. Also bought a hose caddy to roll the new hose up into instead of leaving it out in the weather. Bought a double-hook shepherd's hook for my hummer feeder and my suet feeder. I was surprised that Wal-Mart didn't have any patio chaise lounges in the store. They have them online, but I like to physically see things like that before I buy them. I want to make sure I'm getting what I really want. Spent the afternoon on the patio watching Hiker play with some bubbles while I set up my new shepherd's hook with my twp feeders. Was a beautiful day here today.

Here is a photo of Hiker playing with the bubbles on the patio today and below that is a video

Foggy/Cloudy Sunday

Slept in a little while again this morning. When we got out of bed, it was foggy outside. After grabbing a bowl of cereal, I put the sheets and towels into the washer, emptied out the dish washer and then got to work on shampooing the small front bedroom and the short hallway that leads into it. Once it dries and I vacuum and put things back into the room, half of the carpet in the house will be shampooed. Don't know yet when I will get to the other half because I have a busy week and then Keith is coming to visit next weekend. Once I turned on the fans to help the carpet dry, I headed over to Big Lots to see if they had any “double hook” shepherd's hooks for my yard. I want one with 2 hooks so I can put a hummer feeder on one hook and a suet feeder on the other hook, then I'll move the single hook one I have now to the other side of the house in front of my kitchen window and I'll hang another hummer feeder on it. Big Lots usually carries the double hook ones, but this time they only had the single hook ones. Ben and I never went to the theater to see first run movies, so now I am catching up on movies with Amazon Prime and Netflix. Last night I watched “The Out Of Towners” from 1970 with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis. Cute movie. If you are a Meryl Streep fan or a Kevin Bacon fan, or just a fan of suspense/adventure movies, you need to watch “The River Wild”. I know it's old (1994) but worth a watch. I had never heard of it until I watched it. Kevin is evil and Meryl is courageous.

Hiker was looking in the dryer for her toy that had to be washed today. She almost crawled into the drying to find it.

Short Note Today

This was the first morning I've been able to sleep in for about a week and a half. Felt good. Had breakfast, put a load of laundry into the washing machine and proceeded to start shampooing the carpet in my bedroom and master bathroom. Took me about an hour and a half to do it, then I put on fans and opened the sliding door to the backyard to help it to dry. Watched “Peggy Sue Got Married” on Encore. The sun was shining most of the day. It was very cloudy when we first got out of bed this morning, but then cleared up some. Stayed cool...in the mid 60s. Thinking about have baked tilapia and some rice for dinner.

Worked On Jean's Computer Again

Didn't sleep much last night. Went to bed at 9 pm and read for about 45 minutes. Turned out the light off around 10 pm and went right to sleep. Suddenly woke up around 11:45 and could not get back to sleep. I think I finally dozed off around 2 am. I noticed that Hiker was restless last night also. She kept getting off the bed, going to the other room and then coming back in about 30 minutes to jump back up on the bed and go to sleep. Got up at 6 am to get ready for our dog walk with Jean. Jean had called me last night around 8:30 to tell me that her computer was acting up again and she wanted me to come by today and look at it again. I have no idea what is wrong with it, but I do notice that she keeps getting “Trojans”. When I scanned it the other day, she had one “Trojan”. She scanned it last night and found five “Trojans”. When I went over there today, I tried to run another scan and the computer kept stopping and freezing up. My brother Keith told me that the “Trojans” are probably coming from websites and I have no idea what kind of websites Jean goes into. We tried to run the scans on it again this morning and it was taking forever to scan so Jean and I left and went shopping for awhile hoping that it would be done when we got back, but it wasn't. I finally told her I was going home and for her to let me know if it ever finished the scan and what the results were. I didn't hear from her so I called her and she said it was still running, so I went back over to her house and did a system restore back to December and redid everything and it seemed to be working much better. She will let me know tomorrow how it's going. Was cloudy here all day today.

Finally A Trace Amount Of Rain

I was falling asleep on the sofa last night around 7:30 pm while watching TV. I don't know why I was so tired. I did finally wake up enough to watch the 200th episode of “Criminal Minds”. Went to bed around 10:15 pm and fell asleep immediately. When Hiker and I got up this morning, it was partly cloudy and about 40°. I went to Stater Brothers and did my grocery shopping. When I went into the store, the sun was shining, but when I came back out about 30 minutes later, it was totally cloudy and dark. Hiker and I were supposed to go over to Placerita Canyon this afternoon to hike with my friend RuthAnne, but it stated to rain a little at my house and I didn't trust the weather enough to attempt going on a hike, so I texted her to tell her we would not be there. OK...so I'm a wimp (LOL). When I first retired, I would walk in pouring down rain and go hiking when it was in the 30s outside. I've either gotten wimpier or smarter...don't know which (LOL). It drizzled a little this morning and then stopped, but then started drizzling again around 1:30 pm. Still won't be enough to help our drought. It would have to rain for a couple of weeks continuously to help. I have been so tired of eating the same old meals all the time here at home. I love pasta but I know that too many carbs are not healthy. I each chicken, fish and lean red meat, but it gets so boring sometimes. My older brother Ron mentioned in an email the other day that he made a tuna casserole for dinner. I remembered my mom used to make that for us when we were little kids because it was cheap and very filling. I had him send me the recipe so I can make it. I have not had it in probably 50 years or so. Think I'll make it next week. Tonight I've decided to have weenies and beans. My mom used to make that for us too.

Hiker checking out the rain drops

Nice Wednesday

I had thought about starting on shampooing my carpet today, but decided to wait until Saturday morning. I'm hoping it will be a little warmer then and that it will help the carpet dry faster. Hiker is so silly. When we are lying in bed in the morning watching the local news, I will scratch her head of her back and then I stop. She will make a little grunting noise because she wants me to continue doing it. So I scratch her again and then stop on purpose and once again she will grunt. She has found that if she grunts I do it again. This goes on until I get tired of scratching her. After lunch I drove over to Sam's Club. I was almost out of the basics...milk, eggs and orange juice. When I got back home, I took Hiker out for a walk. It was in the low 60s.

Another Day At Group

28° here when Hiker and I got out of bed this morning. I guess we are now starting to get our winter, but I wish we would just get some rain. Went to my support group today. It was strange because lately we have had “standing room only” (about 15 to 20 people) but today only 8 of us showed up. After group 4 of us went over to Red Robin for lunch. Was still “chilly” when I got out of the restaurant and getting a little cloudy. They keep saying we are going to get rain soon, but every time they have said that, we get nothing.

Beautiful Day Here

Right after Hiker and I crawled into bed last night, the power went off. I was watching TV and suddenly everything went dark. Heard a loud noise probably from a transformer blowing somewhere. Hiker started barking. But the power came right back on in about a minute. Had to get up and set clocks and turn computers and printer back on. Had our regular Monday dog walk with Jean and her dogs. It was cold here this morning...right around 32° when we started out and in the 40s when we were in my back yard with the dogs. The rain we were supposed to get last night never appeared. When I looked outside this morning, there was not a cloud in the sky. Talked with the appointment scheduler for my retinal specialist this morning, so my next two appointments for injections are February 28 and April 18. Have an appointment for my annual checkup with my primary doctor on March 5 so I will have to go to the lab for my blood work in a couple of weeks. I remember when my mom was alive how she went to the doctor all of the time and now I find myself doing that. Guess it's just something that comes with “old age” (LOL). After Y&R and lunch, I put Hiker in the car and we went down to the office to pay my land lease for this month and then we drove over to the Kaiser Pharmacy on the other side of Santa Clarita to pick up my blood pressure meds.

Fixing Jean's Computer

Cold here this morning when Hiker and I got up. It was 30° on my patio. I put the sheets into the washing machine and then Hiker and I went to get the lottery tickets. My eye is still a little sore. Only notice it if I move my eye too fast. Not much improvement in my vision, but I really cannot expect anything from just the first injection. I'm sure the medication they inject takes awhile to work. That's why they have you do four injections. Jean was having trouble with her computer. She said her email wasn't working and her computer was slow and kept freezing up, etc. I spent most of the day there running scans on her computer. Found out she had a “Trojan” so I deleted that, also cleaned up her registry and disk, plus ran her Windows updates and defragged. Now her email is working fine and the computer is faster. I was there from 10 am to 2 pm. It is getting very cloudy here and the wind is kicking up. They say it is going to rain tonight. Hope it does more than drizzle.

Beautiful Day Here

Well yesterday was interesting. My appointment was a 2 pm but I didn't actually get my injection until around 4 pm. There must have been about 20 other people getting injections that day. I went in and out of the office about 2 or 3 times. First for the nurse to do her thing (checking my vision, dilating my eye and putting the numbing gel in). Then back to the lobby to wait. Next back in to talk with the doctor and have him look into my eye. Then back to the lobby to wait. Then finally back in to have them put more numbing gel and antibiotics into my eye and then the injection. Didn't really hurt, per say, but it was uncomfortable. Not really looking forward to having it done 3 more times. There was a really nice man sitting next to me in the lobby who had almost gone totally blind due to Type 2 Diabetes who had eye surgery and injections that helped him to get his sight back. He knew that this was the first injection for me so he told me how it was done and kept telling me not to worry that it was not as bad as I was thinking. He did help calm me down quite a bit. After I was finally finished, it was almost 4:30 and we had to go over to the Kaiser pharmacy to get some lubricant drops for my eye. Traffic was terrible coming home and we didn't get home until about 5:15 pm. Hiker sure was glad to see me. This morning when we got out of bed, my eye was a little sore, however I did seem to notice that even though my vision in that eye is still distorted, it didn't seem as “cloudy” as it was before. While doing a load of laundry this morning, I went online and ordered my blood pressure medications and also made an appointment in March for my annual checkup with my primary doctor. Hiker and I went on a walk this afternoon. Did just over 2 miles. Very nice weather outside, but they say cloudy and drizzle tomorrow. We will see.