Typical Tuesday

Slept a little better last night but still was very sleepy when I did wake up. My life is in such a rut that sometimes I feel like just staying in bed all day, but Hiker won't let me (LOL). This morning something reminded me of something Ben did and it made me cry. That is the first time that has happened in awhile. Had a lot of people at group today. Edwin told us about his blind date he had last Thursday. Most of the ladies just tried to ignore him. After group, me, DeDee and Jane went to Round Table Pizza for lunch. Something there didn't agree with my stomach because after I got home, I spent most of the afternoon in the bathroom. Got a call from the Animal Vaccination Clinic telling me that I need to bring Hiker in Thursday morning for her booster shot on her Rattlesnake Vaccine. I'll have to try to get her there as soon as they open at 9:00 am because DeDee is coming over at 11:00 am and we are going to lunch and then she is driving me to an appointment with an ophthalmologist at Kaiser and they will have to dilate my eyes.

The Aliens Were Out To Get Me

Well last night I had an alien/UFO dream. I know though why I had that one. I watched a program on NatGeo about UFO sightings. Hiker did not wake me up again this morning, but I woke up around 6:20 am. Fed her and let her go outside and then went back to bed until 7:00 am. We had a dog-walking date with Jean and her dogs. One of her dogs was acting like he didn't feel well and he had the “runs” so she didn't stay as long for the backyard “play” session today. Hiker is still very “shy” with her dogs and still won't really play with them much. I will be so glad when we go into fall and our weather gets cooler so Hiker and I can start going on hikes in the hills again. I get so bored just sitting around in the house because it is too hot to go outside. Took another “nap” today, by that I mean I stretched out on the sofa, closed my eyes and I think I dozed, but didn't go into a deep sleep. Hiker was once again stretched out next to me.

I Sure Was Sleepy Today

I don't know why but I have been having the strangest dreams and they are the most “exhausting” dreams I've ever had, because I wake up so tired in the morning. Last night, or actually this morning, I woke up around 1:00 am in a sweat and I felt like I'd been running or something. Fell right back to sleep and didn't wake up until 7:00 am. I was surprised that Hiker didn't wake me up a lot earlier as she normally does. Maybe she did try to wake me and couldn't. I got up and fed her and let her outside and when she came back in, we went back to bed until 8:00 am and I actually fell asleep again. Finally got up and went to get my Lottery tickets and then came back home and took Hiker for a short walk. I only took her out for a short one because I still could not get my head to wake up. It's been one of those days where my head feels full of mush all day long. Hiker spent some of her morning lying out on the patio getting some fresh air. I was doing some things in the house and then when I decided to go outside and join her, she decided to go into the house. So I was outside getting some fresh air while she was inside on the sofa. Crazy dog. When I vacuumed the carpet today, I noticed that in the living room, I had about 40% less area to do since I have the huge sofa and ottoman in there now. I tried to take a nap this afternoon. Even though I never did totally go to sleep I know I dozed off a few times. Had “West Side Story” on the TV this while I was dozing. I was on one end of the sofa and Hiker was asleep on the other end of the sofa. Made another dog-walking date with Jean for tomorrow morning. Hope I can wake up in time since I had such a hard time getting up this morning.

Watching Old Movies

Slept pretty good again last night but once again had a lot of strange dreams of which I remember nothing about. I had mentioned that I was thinking about heading up to Santa Paula to take photographs of the hot air balloons but when I got up this morning and let Hiker outside, I looked to the west and could see that there was a marine layer so decided not to waste my time this year. Hiker and I went for a 1.5 mile walk. It was really nice out this morning. Came back and had breakfast and did a load of laundry. I have been getting behind in my housework because of the walks I've been taking with Hiker's groomer and her dogs, so decided to do a little housework today. There was nothing good on TV last night (I'm not into the Olympics), so I went to my “On Demand” free movies and found a movie called “Hurricane”. It was made in 1974 and starred Will Geer, Michael Learned, Martin Milner, Larry Hagman, Jessica Walter, a very young Patrick Duffy and a lot of other character actors that I recognized. It was actually pretty good.

The "Sofa Fairy" Came Last Night

Hiker and I were playing yesterday evening and she accidentally scratched my face with one of her claws. Was bleeding some but not a lot. Slept pretty good last night except for having strange dreams all night long. If I'm going to dream like that, I wish I could remember the dreams in the morning. My friend John was right about putting a “FREE” sign on my old sofa and putting the sofa closer to the curb. It “mysteriously” vanished during the night, so now I won't have to call Waste Management. Did another morning walk with Jean and her dogs. Hiker is getting a little better with them, but she is still a little “shy” when we put them all in my yard to play. What's funny is after Jean takes the dogs home and Hiker and I are alone, then Hiker starts playing with me like crazy. I keep telling her she is supposed to do that with the dogs when they are here. Decided to give myself a hair cut today. Try to do that every 6 weeks or so. I've been trying to decide if I want to take myself and Hiker over to the Santa Paula Hot Air Balloon Festival tomorrow morning. I've been going for the past 5 years or so but every year, it is so foggy that the balloons are not able to fly so I'm thinking about skipping it this year. I guess I'll wait and see if it looks like they are socked in over there in the morning. It was cooler here today but they are saying once again that we will be heading for triple digits soon.

Hiker And The Bubbles

Actually slept pretty good last night. I went to bed at 10:00 pm right after “Dallas” and fell to sleep almost immediately. I only got up once or twice to go to the bathroom. Hiker got me up around 6:30 am to feed her and let her go potty, went back to bed and got up again at 7:30 am. I had to get over to Wal-Mart and pick up some things and put gasoline in the Corolla. Came home and had breakfast and then took Hiker for a short walk around the community. It was already getting warm so we didn't walk our normal walk. I ran into my friend John Garcia when I stopped to get my Lottery Tickets and he suggested I put a “FREE” sign on my old sofa because he said a lot of the guys who work her in our community will take stuff like that so I put a sign on it when I got home. If no one takes it by Friday afternoon, I will call Waste Management for them to pick it up next Wednesday. While I was at Wal-Mart I saw one of the widowers from my grief group (Jim). I said hi to him but he either didn't recognize me or he just didn't know what to say because he seemed very quiet, but then he doesn't really talk a lot when he comes to group. I bought a small bottle of “bubbles” for Hiker. Some friends had suggested it so I wanted to see what she would do. At first it scared her but then she started chasing them all over the room. It was funny. Called Jean to see if she wants to walk the dogs again tomorrow morning. Got her voicemail so left a message.

Waiting For The Delivery Truck

Could not get to sleep last night. I have a few things on my mind that kept me from sleeping. Finally took a sleep aid at midnight and then fell asleep around 1:00 am. Got up at 6:30 am because Hiker and I had a dog-walking date with Jean (Hiker's groomer) and her dogs. We walked 1.5 miles around inside our gated community. This time Jean held Hiker's leash but Hiker still got as close to me as she possible could plus if I got too far ahead, Hiker would start yanking Jean down the street to try to catch up with me. We took the dogs back to my house and put the in the backyard to play. Hiker will play with the smallest dog Sassy, but she is still a little intimidated by Charlie and Timmy. Jean helped me move my sofa out to my driveway. It was really very easy. We didn't lift it at all, just pushed it out there. Jean is 65 years old but she's like me...she does a lot of things that most women our age would not even attempt. Jean has never been married that I know of so she's always been independent. I was going to put the sofa on my patio but Jean said we should just put it in the driveway so I don't have so far to move it when Waste Management comes to pick it up. The can't come for 7 days, but I kind of “hid” the sofa from the street with my car so hopefully no one will complain about it being out there. Hiker was out there with us and she jumped up on the sofa and got comfortable. When I took her back into the house she sniffed around where the sofa usually sat in the living room like she could not understand why it wasn't there. Now I hope the delivery gets here this evening. I put a chair from the patio in the living room so I'd somewhere to sit and Hiker took it over.

Lunch With My Friend Judy

Slept pretty good last night. Don't remember waking up until around 5:00 am but I went right back to sleep. Got up to feed Hiker and let her out to potty around 6:30 am and then went back to bed until around 8:00 am. We didn't go for a morning walk because it was already getting too warm. I met my friend Judy Holdt at Don Cuco Mexican Restaurant in Acton, CA today for lunch. Her birthday was earlier in July and I had told her I wanted to take her to lunch so that's we did. Hiker didn't like it because I left her home alone but I was only gone for 2 ½ hours instead of the 4 ½ to 5 hours I am gone on Tuesdays when I go to my group and then out to lunch.

I Am So Lazy On The Weekends

Actually slept pretty good last night until around 4:00 am when I woke up for some reason. Hiker was in the other room but she came in when she heard me moving around. I went back to sleep around 5:00 am but then Hiker woke me up at 6:15 am to go outside. Finally got out of bed around 7:30 am and took Hiker for a 1.5 mile walk around inside our gated community. Was already 80° at that time. I just checked with the Salvation Army about them picking up the old sofa once I get it moved out and they do not accept “large furniture” and they told me “couches” fall into that category. Picky. I got a call from Easy Life Furniture telling me that they will delivery on Wednesday between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm. I hate it when they deliver that late in the day, but maybe it will give me some time to find someone to move my old sofa. They were not supposed to call me until Monday to confirm the time so when the call came, I ignored it because I did not recognize the number and I was not expecting them to call, so they left a message and I had to call them back. It was just another sit around the house doing nothing Sunday, but that's OK. Tomorrow I am meeting my friend Judy Holdt at the Don Cuco's Mexican Restaurant for lunch so that should be fun.

I Bought It

Was sleeping pretty well last night but then suddenly woke up around 3:30 am and could not go back to sleep. I tried reading, tried watching TV and tried messing around on the computer but still could not go back to sleep. Hiker was in another part of the house and she came in my room around 6:00 am to get me up to feed her and let her outside. I stayed in bed, trying to doze off until around 7:30 but decided to go ahead and get up and take Hiker for her walk. We did a 1.5 mile walk this morning and we walked through Discovery Park. Too cool this time of day for rattlers. This afternoon, I went over to the furniture store and bought the couch. They will delivery it sometime Wednesday. They will call me Monday sometime to give me a 3-hour window of when they will be her on Wednesday. I was told that the delivery guys will not move my old couch out to the garage because of insurance issues, so I'll have to try to move it out there myself. Retailers sure don't offer the kind of service our mother's and father's used to get years ago. Everyone is so afraid of being sued for something. Got up to 102° here today.

Shopping For A Couch

I didn't feel very well last night so I went to bed at 8:00 pm and fell right to sleep. I woke up around 1:00 am and had trouble going back to sleep. I turned the TV on and finally fell back to sleep around 2:30 am. Woke up again around 4:30 am but dozed off and on until around 6:45 am. Hiker and I went for another walk with Jean (Hiker's groomer) and her 3 dogs and then we went back to my house again and put all of the dogs out in the yard together. This time Hiker was still a little shy, but she was showing improvement with the dogs. A couple of times she tried to play a little with them. Most of the time though, she just sat next to me and watched them. She's still “afraid” of Jean. I think it mostly has to do with the fact that Hiker hates baths and she associates Jean with the bathtub. Hopefully she will come around. After Jean and the dogs left, Hiker and I came into the house and Hiker started doing her “psycho dog” run all over the house. Then she went into the backyard and went around sniffing all of the places where the other dogs had been. This afternoon I decided to go to some furniture stores here in my area because I want to buy a new sectional couch with a chaise. I found two in the style I want but at one store, they only have it in gray and I want it in dark brown. Another store has it in dark brown but it comes with a huge ottoman which I really do not need but they won't cell me just the couch because they won't break up the set. Now I'm trying to decide if I have room in my living room for the ottoman too. I think I do so I need to decide if I want this set. It's on sale for $999. The regular price is $1599 so it's a good deal. I may go back tomorrow. I called them back to ask how long the couch would be on sale and they said probably for the next two weeks. Got up to 101° here today.

Here is the couch I want. I wish my room looked like that (LOL)

Sizzler With The Girls

This morning between 1:30 am and 1:40 am, Hiker was asleep on the foot of my bed. We both heard a “thud” and she leaped off the bed and started barking. She went to the sliding door and looked between the vertical blinds and just kept barking. I got up and turned the lights on both inside and outside. Went into the living room and check things out. Everything seemed OK so we went back to bed. A few minutes later we heard another noise but I could not tell if it was outside or inside. Once again Hiker started barking but this time she was barking at my closet door. I opened the door and found that a bag of gift bags and gift wrapping that I had on the closet shelf had somehow fallen off the shelf and that's the noise we had heard. I'm guessing the first “thud” was the bag falling against the door and getting stuck there but then the weight of it finally made it fall to the floor (the second noise). I noticed that the TV was still on but that the Time Warner screen saver had come onto the screen. I started to turn it off and noticed that the digital box was rebooting and noticed that the digital box in the living room was also rebooting. Don't know what that was all about either. I had trouble going back to sleep. Hiker went into my computer room and slept in there for a little while but she finally came back and got in bed with me around 4:00 am. Was warm and humid when we got up around 8:00 am and heard on the TV News that it was going to get up to about 93° here today. My friend Linda came by my house at 10:30 am and we headed over to pick up our friend Sandi and then pick up or friend DeDee and we headed up to Palmdale to meet our other friends, Gail, Kay (yes another Kay) and Marce for lunch at the Sizzler up there. Always have a fun time with these girls. We all worked together for many years. When I got back home to Hiker girl it was hot...97° and a little humid. I think I ate too much.

Remains Of Hurricane Fabio Pass Us By

It was overcast when Hiker and I got up this morning. The remnants of Hurricane Fabio are over us and we have about a 20% chance of rain, but I doubt we will get any. I got up early and headed over to Wal-Mart to do my grocery shopping. When I got back, I fixed some poached eggs for me and Hiker and then we went for a 1.5 mile walk around the inside of our gated community. I'm still a little leery about walking through those wood chips in the park since I heard that rattlesnake. The only way to get to the blacktop path is to walk across the chips. After our walk, I watered my outdoor plants and then trimmed up some of the dead glads in my front flowerbed. I called Hiker's groomer and arranged another dog walking date on Friday morning. Stayed overcast almost all day and got up to about 86° here.

Took this right after our morning walk

Not Many People At Group Today

There was a marine layer again this morning when we got up and it was nice a cool but did not go for a morning walk since I was going to my support group this morning. The group was very small today. I'm guessing it's because it's summer and a lot of the members are either off visiting their family or their family is in town visiting them. Obnoxious Edwin was there, but thank goodness his daughter usually comes with him now and she keeps him pretty much in control. We had two new ladies come in today. One of them said she was there because her boyfriend of one year passed away suddenly. The other lady didn't want to discuss why she was there. After group, Jane and I went to lunch at the Stonefire Grill. We usually have 3 or 4 other ladies with us for lunch, but not today. About an hour and a half after I got home, I took Hiker for a short walk around inside my gated community. I'm kind of afraid to take her down to the park on hot afternoons now since I heard that rattlesnake. I've been thinking about how if it had not rattled to warn us it was there we probably would have gotten bitten because if it was in those wood chips, I never would have seen it until it struck. Got up to about 80° here today. Hiker was so silly this afternoon. She was in the front bedroom (now my office) and she kept seeing the shadow of my American Flag and she thought someone was out there and she kept barking at it. She sure is a good guard dog. She protects her mom.

Here's Hiker "guarding" from the front window

Nice Walk This Morning...Scary Walk This Afternoon

Hiker and I got up early because we had a walking date with Hiker's groomer Jean and her 3 dogs, Charlie, Timmy and Sassy. We are trying to get Hiker used to being around other dogs and for her to not be so nervous with Jean. I think the nervousness with Jean is because Jean bathes Hiker and Hiker HATES taking a bath. I took Hiker and Sassy by their leashes and Jean took Charlie and Timmy, Hiker is a little intimidated of Charlie because he is a very “alpha dog”. We walked 1.5 miles around inside of our gated community and then took all of the dogs to my house and turned them all loose in my backyard. Jean's dogs were busy investigating everything while Hiker stuck right by my side. She finally played for a few minutes with Sassy because Sassy is a small little girl and does not intimidate her. We'll have to try this again in a few days and see how she does. I'm a little apprehensive now about taking Hiker back to the dog park because a friend of mine emailed me today and told me that one of her dogs was killed by another dog at their dog park. I did notice yesterday that out of the 7 or 8 pet owners that were there, only 3 of them were really watching what their dogs were doing. After Jean and the dogs left, I made breakfast and then Hiker and I walked down to the community office so I could pick up my new residential stickers to put on my vehicles and then I did a little house cleaning. At least the weather is much cooler so far this week. It was only 72° by 11:00 am. There is a Pacific hurricane heading toward Baja California and they are saying that we may get some rain from it by the end of the week. It's very rare that we get hit by hurricanes and they are never very powerful. Hiker and I had a little scare this afternoon. Around 2:00 pm I took her down to the park. I didn't want to walk her on the blacktop path because I didn't want her to burn her feet so we were walking across an open area that was dirt but the city has covered it with wood chips from when they trim the city trees and there are small “mounds” of wood chips so you cannot really see if there is anything crawling around. About 10 to 15 feet in front of us, I heard a rattlesnake. Didn't see it, but I instantly stopped and the rattle stopped, so I slowly started to back up with Hiker and I heard the rattle again, so we ended up back over on the blacktop path and headed for home. My neighbor had seen a gopher snake cross the path about a month or so ago when she was walking her dog there, but this is the first time I've heard a rattler down there. I would have been more scared if I had seen it. Glad it rattled before we got too close. Need to stay out of that area when the temperature is up. Got up to about 82° today.

Hiker loves this spot on the sofa. She can see out the front door from here.

Sunday In The Dog Park

Hiker woke me up barking at the neighbors at 4:30 am. Guess they were having a sleep over and a bunch of them had come outside. Don't know why they were up that early. Went back to bed and slept until about 7:00 am. Got up and Hiker and I went out for a 2 mile walk. There was no one out on the trail this morning. Made some waffles and sausage for breakfast, through my sheets into the washer and vacuumed. Put the Frontline Plus on Hiker for the month. Took Hiker over to Central Park around 1:30 pm and decided to try her in Central Bark (the dog park there) again. When we first went in, there was only one dog. A Border Collie named Mikey. They just sniffed each other. Then about 6 or 7 other doctors came in and they all started playing together except for Hiker. She just sat and watched them. Once all of them were running full speed toward her in a pack and she took off like a scared rabbit. They ran past her and she then came running over to me and tried to jump up in my lap. There was this one ugly, little, tiny, nasty male dog that kept trying to mount Hiker. She kept growling at him and finally he left her alone. A couple of times Hiker yipped when one of the dogs would come up behind her and startle her. She is so attached to me and so used to just the two of us that she doesn't know how to play with the other dogs. I'll have to keep taking her there and hopefully one day she will start to play with them. Got up to 89° today. That's exactly what they said it would be on the TV News this morning.

Lazy Day

Another night of not being able to go to sleep. Took a sleep aid and Hiker woke me up around 6:00 am to go potty. Went back to bed and slept until about 7:45 am. Got up and took Hiker out for a 1.5 mile walk and then came home, had breakfast and put a load of laundry in the machine. Balanced my check book which should be really easy since I pay 99% of my bills online, but I had made a mistake in my math and it took me about 30 minutes to find it. Called my neighbor/groomer and made a dog walking date with her on Monday morning. Hopefully this will help Hiker to get used to her and her dogs. Felt a little light headed today. Might be the heat or it might be because I have not been getting much sleep. Been watching scary movies on Lifetime Movie Channel all day.

Hiker's Grooming Day

It was already 76° here at 6:00 am when I got up to let Hiker outside. We got up at 7:00 am and went out for a short 1 mile walk. Had some drizzle while out on our walk this morning. Cloudy, hot and sticky weather which is strange for SoCal. We've always been known for our “dry heat”. Got back home to have breakfast and then Hiker went over to her groomer (my neighbor). Hiker disappointed me today. She was such a good girl yesterday when I took her for her vaccinations and I was so proud of her, but I dropped her off at the groomer and I headed over to the Dollar Tree to pick up a few things. I just got out of the store when my neighbor called me and asked if I'd come back because Hiker was snarling and baring her teeth at her when she was trying to put her in the tub. The last time I left Hiker with her, my neighbor told me what a good girl she was and how she was no problem at all. I rushed back over there and had to help her put Hiker in the tub and then had to stay for the entire grooming to make sure Hiker didn't try to bite her. I was embarrassed because now I'm wondering if my neighbor will want to continue being her groomer. We were both surprised because Hiker is usually never aggressive like that. We were wondering if maybe her hips were sore from her shots yesterday or if maybe she didn't feel well from the shots, but she was acting her normal self at home. I was thinking it was maybe that my neighbors dogs intimated Hiker. She has 3 dogs, all smaller than Hiker, but the bark a lot and Hiker is not used to that. But, with that said, Hiker look great. I had my neighbor shave Hiker's hair closer for the hot weather and you can really see her Queensland Heeler coloring now. My neighbor/groomer called me later in the day to see if Hiker was doing OK and to suggest that maybe she and I get together for our dog walks so Hiker can get used to being around her and her dogs, so that sounds like she has not given up on being Hiker's groomer for which I am glad. Got up to 97° here today and was once again very muggy.

Not Just Hot But Muggy Too

It was totally overcast here when Hiker and I got out of bed this morning. We walked down to the park and I was thinking what a great morning it would be for a hike in the hills, but I had to take Hiker to the Vet Clinic for her shots this morning. When we got done at the clinic, it was still overcast, but by then it was over 80 ° and extremely humid, so didn't think a hike was a good idea. It went very well at the Clinic. Hiker was such a good girl. She didn't even flinch when they gave her the 3 separate injections. I was so proud of her. It went very quickly. You go and check in at one desk, then you go over to the vaccination desk where they give the shots and then you check out. I also got the rattlesnake vaccine for Hiker. She will have to go back for a second booster shot in 3 to 4 weeks and then she would get it once a year when she gets her other vaccinations. Hiker has put on 13 pounds since the rescue shelter first got her last July. At that time she weighed 31.5 lbs and now she weighs 44.7 lbs. But when the shelter first got her, she had been a stray running the streets and then she had been in the dog pound for about a week, so she probably had not been eating very well. I checked online and they said a healthy Aussie Cattle Dog should weigh between 44 and 62 lbs, so her weight is perfect right now. I was hoping that it would stay cool and overcast all day, but the sun started to peek out around 10:00 am. After lunch it was still overcast. It was in the 90's but because of the overcast and the humidity, it didn't feel as hot as it has for the past few days. Hiker and I drove over to Iron Horse Trail Head and walked around a little. We didn't go very far, just wanted to get out of the house for awhile. Got up to about 92° today.

My good girl.....

Another Hot Day

I have no idea what time I finally went to sleep last night but I do know it was early morning. Don't know if it was the heat or what that was keeping me awake. I tried to sleep in but Hiker wanted to go for a walk and I knew that we needed to get out early because the TV News said we would hit at least 108° here today. So I got up and we went for a short walk...less than a mile, but Hiker was satisfied. It was already getting pretty warm out there at 7:30 am. High, thin clouds in the sky so there is some humidity which we never used to get here. We always had “dry heat”. Went up to Sam's Club at 10:00 am and it was already 92° out. Tomorrow morning I have to get Hiker to the Vet Clinic around 9:00 am to get her shots. She is due for them the last week of this month, so I thought I'd better get her over there. I've been trying to take a nap this afternoon but I have never been one for sleeping in the daytime. I have been feeling a little light-headed today and I think it is from the lack of sleep and the heat. So far we have hit 105° today.

HOT...HOT...HOT!

Had trouble going to sleep last night so I took a sleep aid, but still didn't sleep very well. It was already in the 70's by the time Hiker and I got out of bed. Didn't take her for a morning walk because I didn't want to get all sweaty before I went to my grief group. About 30 minutes before I was going to leave for the Senior Center, I got an email from the City of Santa Clarita with breaking news that there was a fatal accident on the route I take to the center, so I had to leave earlier than normal to go around the traffic. The traffic ended up not being as bad as I expected and I got to the Center about 20 minutes early. Group was pretty good today, but my favorite time is after when some of us go to lunch together. I look forward to that every week. We decided to go to Cathy's Deli not far from the Senior Center and wouldn't you know...Edwin (the obnoxious guy) and his daughter also went there for lunch. He came over to our table and would not stop talking. Finally his daughter came over and dragged him back to their table. We were afraid that he was going to try to sit with us. The accident was all cleaned up by the time I headed home. When I drove passed the Jr. High School, their thermometer read 110°. The one on my patio read 105° but who could tell the difference? Hiker was so excited to see me. I'm glad I don't have to leave her in the garage anymore when I'm away from home. Even though I have A/C out there, it is so much better for her in the house. It felt so nice and cool when I walked into the house.

I did not take this photo, but this is where we had lunch:

Stay Inside Monday

Went for our morning walk around 7:30 am and it was already getting pretty warm outside. The morning weather on TV said we would be in the triple digits today. They were right, we got up to 102° by 1:30 pm. Hiker and I tried to stay inside most of the day. Naturally she had to go out into the backyard now and then to potty and I did have to walk up to my mailbox for my mail. The rest of the week I will have things to do in the mornings, but I'll probably stay inside in the afternoon to keep cool. My old brother Ron called me today to tell me about the good report he got from his doctor visit. Ron will be 70 in September.

Restful Sunday

Actually got up at 7:00 am this morning and by 7:45 Hiker and I were in the car heading over to the Northbridge area of Valencia for a morning walk. Beautiful oak groves over there and it was really beautiful outside this morning. Did a load of laundry when we got home. Checked my email and Facebook page and after lunch I vacuumed the carpet. Got up to about 96° here today, so it is getting hotter like they said it would. A friend of mine was volunteering over at our Heritage Junction today and I thought about going over to see her, but it was just too hot to go out. Saw that TV Land was having a tribute marathon for Andy Griffith and showing episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show” so I started watching that. It was the first time I'd watch any Andy Griffith since Ben died. As you all know, “The Andy Griffith Show” was Ben's all-time favorite and he never missed it.

Nothing But TV and Jigsaw Puzzles

I am getting so “fed up” with myself. We've been having some really nice “hiking weather” mornings here and I should be getting my butt out of bed and taking Hiker out to the mountain trails, but all I want to do in the morning is pull the covers up over my head and stay there. I just seem to have lost my will to go hiking and that makes me so mad at myself because hiking and taking photos has always been something I've loved to do. One thing...if I stay in bed much later than 7:00 am, Hiker starts to really bug me to get me out of bed because she wants to go for a walk. She finally got me up and I took her for our boring, morning walk down the local bike/walking trail. I did a load of laundry and the rest of the day, Hiker and I just chilled all day in the house in the nice cool A/C. I watched “NCIS” re-runs on TV and worked my latest jigsaw puzzle. Got up to about 93° here today.

Another Friday Come and Gone

Had a dream with Ben in it last night. He and I were out hiking with Hiker which is very strange because Ben never went walking or hiking with me. He was not “outdoorsy” and he had bad feet all of his life. Anyway, we were on vacation somewhere and we went for this hike. Ben would not stay on the trail and kept taking off alone until he was down in the canyon below me and Hiker. I kept yelling to him to get back up on the trail. When I got to the end of the trail Ben was not there. There was a nature center and I found a ranger and told him that I could not find Ben. I tried to call him on his cell phone but I could not get a signal. Finally Ben showed up and I woke up. When I got out of bed this morning, I poached a couple of eggs for me and Hiker and then I headed over to Wal-Mart to do some grocery shopping. I used to lover going grocery shopping with Ben because we made it fun. It's no fun anymore. I also used to love to go to Wal-Mart a couple of times a month and spend an hour or so there just wandering around. Ben would be at work and sometimes when I came out to the car, he was driving through the lot in his work truck and he'd stop to say hi and ask me what I had bought. Now going to Wal-Mart is a chore and I don't enjoy it anymore. After I got home from shopping, I put Hiker in the car and we headed over to Central Park in Saugus and we took a walk, plus I turned her loose in the dog park (Central Bark). This time there were a lot of dogs there, but Hiker didn't go near any of them. She stayed right at my side the entire time we were in there. I would try to walk away from her and she would just follow me and then stand next to me.

A photo from our morning walk

Boring Day

Hiker did OK last night with the fireworks as long as they were not too close to home. She would growl and bark a little when she heard them, but when the started going off closer to home, she ran into the bedroom and cowered in the corner. I decided to go to bed to calm her down and she got under the covers and went to sleep. She was fine this morning. We went for our morning walk (1.5 miles) and then I had to go to the market to get some things. I had planned on taking Hiker for her shots at the Vet Clinic this morning but decided to wait until next Thursday because she is not really due for them until after July 20th. Still trying to decide whether or not to get her the rattlesnake vaccination. I called my neighbor to try to set up an appointment for Hiker to get groomed, but got her voice mail. Was feeling a little down this morning. Every now and then I get in a “funk” and feel so lonely.

July 4th/Hiker's Designated Birthday

I was very clumsy last night. Just before going to bed I smacked my little toe on my right foot on the sofa and then when I was getting ready to go to bed, I hit the top of my left foot on the runner of the rocking chair in my bedroom. My left foot doesn't hurt, but when I put my shoes on this morning to take Hiker for a walk, my little toe on my right foot was killing me. I walked Hiker as far as the park, sat on a bench for a little while then headed back home to get my shoes off. I was out in the yard watering my plants and I smelled someone baking cinnamon rolls. They smelled so good. There was a thick marine layer in the air this morning but the sun was out by 9:00 am. Hiker and I stayed inside all day watching TV, playing chase and staying cool. Today being July 4th, I've been thinking about years gone by, when my mom, Ben's mom and Ben were still alive, we'd always have barbecues at Ben's mom's house. Ben's mom made the BEST potato salad in the world. We'd pick up my mom and she'd go with us. Ben's brother and his family and Ben's sister and her family would come and Ben would be the Barbecue King.

The BBQ King

The Birthday Girl

Day Out With Friends

This morning there was a light marine lawyer to the west so it was a little humid when Hiker and I walked down to the park. We didn't do our normal walk because I didn't want to get all heated and sweaty before I went to my Grief Support Group. I've stopped taking Hiker on her afternoon walks because the pavement is too hot for her little feet. I've noticed that her paw pads are cracked and rough, so I've been putting Vitamin E and lotion on them to heal them and soften them back up. Tomorrow is America's birthday and I have also deemed it Hiker's birthday since I'm not really sure when she was born. When I first saw her the end of last August the shelter people said that their vet estimated her age at around 1 year old when the first picked her up. They picked her up around the end of July. So I decided that we'd make her birthday July 4th. That way all of American will celebrate her birthday (LOL). So tomorrow she will be 2 years old. Our group was pretty small today. Probably because of this being a holiday week. Edwin (the obnoxious guy) should up and did not utter a word until the end of the meeting when we were all leaving. DeDee and I went to lunch with a couple of the ladies from group (Gin and Jane). They are our “newest” widows in the group. I need to be calling my neighbor to make an appointment with her to have Hiker groomed again this month. I called the vet clinic to find out when would be the best day for me to bring Hiker in for her booster shots. They told me any Thursday is good and to try to come in early, so I'll try to take her either this Thursday or the next. She's not going to like me (LOL).

This morning on our walk

Staying Cool In The House

Got out early to walk Hiker and then came home to have breakfast. After breakfast I headed out for some errands. I took the last load of Ben's things to the Goodwill then I stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up some lettuce and tomatoes and also dropped off some old eyeglasses at their Optical Department. They donate them to the needy. Went by Sam's Club and filled the 4Runner with gas and then went inside to pick up some Osteo Bi-Flex. I've been having some really bad joint pains and my brother Ron suggested I try the Osteo Bi-Flex. Got home around 10:30 am and it was already 80° but we are still cooler here in SoCal than most of the states in the middle of the country. I'm noticing that I am having trouble getting accustomed to where I put my things since I removed all of Ben's belongings and put mine in different places. After having everything in the same place for over 18 years, it's hard when you first move them. I've noticed a lot of helicopters flying around our valley yesterday and today. I'm guessing they are on fire watch because of the 4th of July coming up. Noticed a lot of people heading out for the holiday week this morning. Motor homes, trailers, off-road vehicles, saw several of them leaving town. Didn't do much the rest of the day. I started a new jigsaw puzzle which won't take very long as it is only 300 pieces, but I have a few other puzzles to put together after this one.

Don't think I could get Hiker to do this.

First Day Of The Second Half Of The Year

Got up around 7:30 am and by 8:00 am Hiker and I were on our way over to Bridgeport in Valencia for our morning walk. Did 2 miles there. I love walking around the man-made lake in that community. It was still pretty cool and nice in the shade as we walked, but it started getting pretty warm on our way back to the car. When we got home, I put in a load of laundry and vacuumed the carpet. I've seriously been thinking about getting new counter tops for my kitchen. Ben and I have never liked the plain old white Formica that is there now. I don't want granite, I'd prefer Corian. I figure I'm going to live here for the rest of my life and I may as well have what I want. I don't have kids to leave my money to when I'm gone, so I may as well enjoy it while I'm here.

Nice view on our morning walk