I Cannot Believe January Is Gone

Had to take Hiker over to the Vet Clinic to get her “ever-six-month” Rattlesnake Booster Vaccination. I love this clinic. They open at 9 am, but they always open a little earlier, so I get in and out of their quickly. We were the only patients there this morning. We were actually back in the car and heading for home before 9 am. As usual, Hiker was a very good girl when they gave her the shot. I brought her back home and then I headed over to Wal-Mart. It was another beautiful sunny day here again today. I know I am always bragging about how smart my Hiker Girl is. Well I am going to do it again (LOL). Once again I told her that I'd take her for a walk after lunch and after my “soap” was over. I don't know how she knows, but the minute the closing music comes on for “The Young & The Restless”, Hiker comes to me and starts pawing at me and kissing me. Took her out for a 2.5 mile walk. I've been trying to make my walks longer than what I was walking before. My legs are sore from walking in the sand in the dry riverbed. I sure wish I could send some of this nice weather to those of you who are experiencing the blowing snow today. It reached almost 80° here.

Today Was A Beautiful Weather Day

Got up early this morning as Hiker and I had a hiking date with our neighbor Jean. We left around 8 am and headed over to Pico Canyon/Mentryville. This area is very historic as it contains the first commercial oil well in the state of California. Mentryville was the old oil town and there are a few old buildings left there. Along the trail into the canyon you can see old foundations, old wooden oil derricks, a “camp” area where the oil workers had an outdoor casino. The card tables and the frame of an old roulette table are still there. We hiked as far as the historic oil well sight. Did a total of about 5 miles in an hour and a half. Headed home and dropped Jean off at her house and then Hiker and I came home and had lunch and relaxed the rest of the day. The afternoon was beautiful. It was in the low-70's with blue sky and bright sun shine. Thought about going out for another walk down to the park, but decided against it because I wanted to upload the photos I took this morning and post them online. Tomorrow morning I have to take Hiker over to the Tags Vet Clinic and get her rattlesnake booster shot.

Typical Tuesday

30° when Hiker and I woke up this morning. I had to get out of bed and get ready to go to the Senior Center for my grief group. Just about all of the usual member of the group were there. I think we have all gotten to the point where we don't really care what the group conversation will be for that day, just as long as we are all there together with other people who understand us. We have all become great friends and we seem to really enjoy each other's company. A few of us went over to the Stone Fire Grill for lunch after group. Jim, who has become “one of the girls” goes with us a lot now, which we are really happy about. We've tried to get some of the other guys to go and they always bow out. Makes us wonder if they are afraid to go out with us crazy ladies. LOL. It didn't get very warm again here today and there were high thin clouds so it was not as pretty outside as it was yesterday. I'm hoping tomorrow is a nice day because Hiker and I are taking Jean for a hike over in Pico Canyon.

Great Afternoon For A Hike

Got up earlier this morning because we had a dog walk date with Jean. It was cold outside while we were walking. I didn't get much sleep last night. For the first time in months, I could not go to sleep. I watched TV until midnight and still was not sleepy. I finally took a sleeping pill and went to sleep around 1 am. Don't know what was wrong because I didn't have anything “special” on my mind. When we got back from our walk, I made breakfast and then went for my weekly grocery shopping. I didn't even go grocery shopping last week. My list was very small last week so decided to wait. Tried to make an appointment to have my 4Runner serviced next month but got my service manager's voice mail so left her a message. Hiker had wanted to ride in the care with me this morning to the grocery store, but I told her I'd take her for a ride this afternoon. She kept watching me as I was eating lunch and watching “The Young & The Restless” on TV. I told her that when the TV show was over, we would go somewhere in the car. That little booger knew when the show was over because as soon as the closing music came on, she jumped on the sofa and started pawing at me and kissing me. She was ready to go. It was chilly outside...only in the low-50's, but it was beautiful outside. We drove to Placerita Canyon State Park and hiked about half-way up the Canyon Trail and back. We did 2.7 miles round trip. Maybe I'll sleep better tonight.

Cloudy Sunday

Another dark, cloudy, gray morning. I must have rained last night because everything was wet when I let Hiker outside at 6:30 am. Went back to bed until 8 am. By then, everything was dry, but still looked like it could rain at any moment. Had some breakfast and Hiker and I went over to get my Lotto tickets. Came back and put a load of laundry in the washer and then did my weekly vacuuming. I kept hoping the sun would come out like it did yesterday so I could take Hiker out for a walk, but every time it looked like it would, within seconds it looked like it would start to rain. I finally decided to just light a fire and just stay inside all warm and toasty.

At Least We Got Out Today

I woke up in the middle of the night with a stomach ache, also had a slight head ache. Was hoping I was not coming down with the flu. Woke up again just before 6 am and let Hiker outside. We went back to bed and I slept until almost 8 am. Felt better when I got out of bed. It rained most of the night but when we got up this morning the sun was starting to shine. The bushes in my neighbors yard looked so petty with the sun shining on the water droplets. After breakfast, I did a load of laundry and then made some banana bread. I was watching TV the weather outside was getting really nice. Almost 70° with sun, big white fluffy clouds and blue sky. I was thinking about taking Hiker out for a walk when the phone rang. It was Jean. She wanted to know if I'd like to take the dogs out for a walk, so off we went. I'm glad we got out because I feel better now and Hiker was going crazy staying in the house. By 2:30 pm the sun had once again vanished behind the clouds and they say we may have more rain tonight and into tomorrow. Just got a card from “Tags Vet Clinic” in the mail that Hiker is due for her Rattlesnake Vaccine Booster. Guess I will take her this Thursday morning.

Another "Stay Inside, Rainy" Day

Hiker and I got up early this morning because we had a dog walk planned with Jean. It was cloudy outside, but not raining so I got dressed and got Hiker ready to go. About 15 minutes before we were about to leave, Jean called and said it had just started raining and when I looked outside, sure enough, it was. So no morning walk. Hiker has a new funny thing that she is doing. I have a battery operated clock on the bathroom wall. It has been there ever since Ben and I moved here, so it has been there when Hiker came to live with me. Well last night I was in the living room watching TV and Hiker had gone into the bedroom around 8 pm like she always does to crawl into bed before I do. Suddenly, she was barking. It was a “mad” bark like she has when someone comes to the door. I went into the bathroom and there was Hiker, sitting on the floor, starting at the clock and barking her head off. The clock has a second hand that is constantly moving and I think that was what Hiker notice. I finally got her calmed down, but now, everything she goes into that bathroom, she sits and stares at that clock. Was dark and drizzly all day. These kinds of days make me miss Ben more. I guess it's because I'm just sitting around doing nothing so I think about him more. On sunny days, I feel like getting out and about which helps me to not dwell on him being gone. I could tell Hiker was bored today. She would just wander around the house and come to me and just stare at me. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day and she and I can maybe get out some.

Hiker notices the wall clock

Hiker barking at the wall clock

Boring, Rainy Day

I noticed it was sprinkling last night when I went to bed and when I woke up this morning at 6 am to let Hiker outside, it was raining. When she came back in I thought “what a perfect morning to sleep in” so we went back to bed for 2 hours. I dozed off, but it was raining pretty hard and it kept waking me up. All morning long, Hiker kept going in and out. I watched her and she was not going out to go potty. She would just wander around a little then come back into the house. I told her I thought she was doing it just to get dried off because it feels good when I rub her down with the towel. I lit a fire in the fireplace around 11:30 am. Even though the rain had stopped, it was still very cloudy and chilly outside. Around 1:45, the sun started coming out but then it went away again by 2:45. So I spent a very boring day at home on the sofa watching TV all day.

Cloudy Wednesday

Set my alarm to get up around 6:15 am to get ready to go on a dog walk with Jean. She emailed me the other day and said Sassy was getting cabin fever from being inside so much since she had her surgery so Jean wanted to get her out with Hiker and Jean's other digs. We did not let them have a play day though because Sassy's incision is still healing. I work up before my alarm went off because Hiker was licking me. She wanted to go outside to potty. Before she woke me up, I was having the craziest dream. I don't remember where I was or who I was with. All I remember was that my teeth had become loose and they were falling out of my mouth. No blood, no pain, just teeth falling out. Then I noticed that there was a whole other set of teeth behind the ones that fell out. Very strange. At first I was really glad because the second set of teeth were “perfect”. Very straight and very white, but then they also became loose and fell out. Thank goodness Hiker woke me up when she did and all of my teeth were really still in my mouth (LOL). After our dog walk, I did a little housework and then did some stuff out in the yard. Very cloudy here today. They say we should have rain by tomorrow sometime. Just hung out at home watching TV all afternoon. Kind of felt good since I was gone all day both Monday and Tuesday.

Good Day At Group

Slept really well last night after my day out with the girls. When we got up this morning to let Hiker outside, noticed that it is getting colder in the mornings again. It was 32° this morning. When we were having the Santa Anna Winds, the mornings were in the high 50's. They say we have a chance of rain this weekend. We really do need it. Things are really dry here in SoCal. Good grief group session today. Most of the regulars were there and we had a couple of “new” people join us. A lot of good discussion. Our “usual” lunch group went to Cathy's Deli after for lunch. I noticed when I was driving home that the high, thin clouds are coming back. Hiker was excited to see me when I came in the door.

Fun Day With My Friends

Got up a little earlier than normal today because I had to be at Sandi Owens's house at 8:30 to head up to Sunland where we will meet Judy Arbogast then head out to Ontario Mills Mall (about 70 miles from my home) to meet up with our friends Vicky Baskins and Elektra Genteel. We all worked together at Lockheed for many years. Vicky now lives in Hemet, CA so if we want to visit her, we have to meet her at the mall which is about half-way between where she lives and where we live. It's a day-long activity. I really hated leaving Hiker alone for so long. I always used to say that I never had the “mommy” gene but I have found that I have it with Hiker. I now know how mom's feel when their “babies” are away from them for a long period of time. I know Hiker sensed right away that I was going to leave her at home alone. She would just stare into my eyes and her ears were down. She was right by my side all morning. She also started bringing all of her toys to me to play. She hates for me to be out of her sight. Got home around 3:30 and I don't think I've ever seen Hiker more excited to see me. She jumped all over me and kept kissing me and then she sat down and started barking at me like she was bawling me out for leaving her for 7 hours. She was a very good girl...did not have any accidents while I was gone. Had a really nice time with my friends. We walked all around the mall, stopping at a few of the outlet stores and then sat in the food court and talked for about an hour before we got some food and had lunch. Was good to see all of them especially Vicky and Elektra because I had not seen them in about 3 or 4 years.

Sandi, Elektra, Me, Vicky & Judy

Great Hiking Weather

Got up before 8 am and Hiker and I headed over to Towsley Canyon to hike up to The Narrows. We did a 3.26 mile hike. I really, really, REALLY need to get back to more walks and more hikes. I was huffing and puffing after about a mile going up the hill. As I've said before, when I do the dog walks with Jean, it is more stopping than walking and lately when I've been taking Hiker for walks, they have been short, easy walks. The weather was beautiful...in the mid-60's and very sunny. There were a lot of people out hiking. When we got to Towsley, I didn't think I was going to find a place to park as both “no-fee” parking lots were totally full, but I finally did find a spot. A lot of people had their dogs and Hiker wanted to greet everyone of them, but some of them were not friendly and would growl. She did meet a really pretty Aussie Sheep Dog. It was beautiful. Black and white with freckles on its chest and legs like Hiker has and it had beautiful blue eyes. There were also a lot of mountain bikers. More than I've ever seen there, but they seemed to be more polite than the bike riders over in Placerita Canyon. They made noise to let us know they were behind us and they slowed down when passing us on the trail. I think Hiker was pooped from the hike because she took a long afternoon nap.

Beautiful, But Lazy Saturday

I was just a little sore this morning from waxing the car yesterday. Hiker and I slept in until about 8 am. She kept bugging me to get up. Put a beef roast into my crock pot and then sat around all morning watching TV. Just didn't feel like doing anything today for some reason. I get those days now and then. They are not like the days I had when Ben first died, but I still just sit around thinking about old times. After lunch, I put Hiker in the car and headed off with the intention of going somewhere that she and I could go for a nice walk, but once I was out on the road, I could not think of anywhere to go, so we ended up heading back towards home, stopping at Discovery Park. Got out and walked her around there for awhile then came back home. It seemed to satisfy her though. She got her car ride that she loves so much and a chance to get out and sniff. I'm thinking if tomorrow is as pretty as today was, I'll take her over to Towsley Canyon in the morning for a hike. The weather here today was 70° and sunny, but it was also still pretty windy. I've been invited to join 2 of my retired friends to drive out to the Ontario Mills Mall (about 70 miles from here) to have lunch with another one of our retired friends who lives in Hemet, CA. The mall is about half-way between where we live and where she lives, so that's where we meet her. I have not seen her in years, so I do want to go, but I just hate to think about leaving Hiker alone at home for 7 or 8 hours. When I go to my grief group and to lunch after, I leave her for about 4 or 5 hours and she does just fine. I know she misses me and hates for me to be out of her site for too long. I will leave her in the house because I don't like leaving her out in the yard when I am not home. I still fear that she might get out of the yard somehow. I'm not really worried about her holding her “potty” because she holds it all night for 10 hours.

Busy...Busy

Got up at 8 am and made breakfast, then went out and washed the car to get it ready for the rubbing compound and waxing. I worked on it most of the day, but it still does not look as good as I expected. The paint still looks oxidized and the hard water spots did not come out even though the rubbing compound claims that it cuts the hard water spots. So I feel like I basically wasted my time and energy doing the job. I don't even know if I had it professionally detailed if it would look any better and I'd hate to pay a lot of money and then have it not. I'm thinking that some day, I will just have to have the car re-painted. The years of it sitting in the boiling sun of Palmdale when I was working at Lockheed and the years of it sitting on the drive way in the sun and rain have just taken their toll on it. It was a beautiful day here today. In the low 70's, sunny but still somewhat windy. If the weather stays this way, I think I will take Hiker out for a hike in the mountains over the weekend if I'm not too sore from what I did today.

My Birthday

Hiker and I slept in a little bit today. Figured since it was my birthday, I was entitled (LOL). Put her in the car to go over to the store to do my grocery shopping. She just loves riding in the car so much. I try to take her as much as I can when the weather is cool because she cannot go with me when it is hot outside. It was very windy here all night and into the morning. Met my friend Judy Holdt at Backwoods Inn for lunch. We had a really nice time. I had their “signature” Wally Burger Plate with their special “stuffed” potato. It was delicious. Judy knows the waitress and she told her it was my birthday, so they brought me a chocolate cupcake that was also delicious. Judy followed me back home because she wanted to visit Hiker. We also walked over to Jean's to check and see how Sassy was doing. She was up and jumping around (even though she should not jump). She looked so much better than she did yesterday. After Judy left, Hiker and I did a short walk down to the park. It was beautiful outside...about 70° but very windy. So I had a really nice birthday. Tomorrow I won't be online much. I'm going to try to polish my Corolla. Hope I can get it all done in one day.

Long Day

Had to get up at 5:30 am today because I was going to help my neighbor Jean take her little dog Sassy to the mobile clinic to be spayed and we had to be there at 7 am. When we got back home after dropping her off, we took Hiker and Jean's other 2 dogs for a walk. It was not as cold this morning but it was getting very windy. They called Jean around 9:30 and said that Sassy's surgery was done and she was doing well and that we could come pick her up after 10:30. We went and picked her up and she was still groggy from the drugs. I held her on my lap as Jean drove us back home. Sassy kept crying and it made me feel bad for her. I helped get her into Jean's house while Jean was making the other dogs stay away from Sassy. We put her on a dog bed in Jean's bedroom. She was shaking so much and crying. Jean put a blanket in the drying and put it over Sassy because the clinic suggested that would make her feel better. I'm glad Hiker was spayed before I got her at the shelter because I don't think I could stand to see her go through this. I'd be crying right along with her. Got an email from Jane who is a member of my grief support group. One of our other members, Gin, is not feeling well. She did not come to group yesterday and she had emailed me and said she was not feeling well. I guess she is having a lot of pain and her kids have been taking her to the doctors to try to find out what is causing the pain. Hope she will be OK soon. Took Hiker out for a short afternoon walk. It was beautiful out but getting very windy. Since I got up so early this morning, I started falling asleep on the sofa this afternoon. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Group & Lunch

It was 24° when Hiker woke me up to go outside this morning. Went back to bed for about 45 minutes. I could not sleep in much today because I had to get up and go to my grief support group over at the senior center. When I got to the center, the parking lot was totally full. I finally found a place to park and found out from some people inside that a bus-load of seniors were going somewhere as a group to protest taxes. Don't really know what it was all about. Group was interesting today, but I was having trouble keeping my eye open because the cold weather makes me so sleepy. After group, seven of us went to have the pizza/salad buffet at Round Table. DeDee bought my meal for an “early” birthday lunch. THANKS DEDEE! One of the guys (Jim) went with us again. We tell him how “brave” he is because he's the only guy with 6 women. Was still cold and windy when I headed for home. Hiker met me at the door land she got so excited, she nipped at my thigh and left some marks, even though I had thick jeans on. She did not really break the skin, but it did hurt and I scolded her for doing it. Being a herding dog, she thinks it is OK to nip when she is playing (or working) because that's what her breed does when they are herding the cattle. After I scolded her, she walked around with her ears down and got up on the sofa next to me and started kissing my hand and barking at me. I figure that was her way of telling me she was sorry. Kept thinking I should take Hiker for a short afternoon walk, but when I went out to put the trash bins out at the curb, the wind just cut through me, so decided to just stay in the warm house.

BRRRRRRRRRR!

I cannot believe this weather we are having here in SoCal. Woke up to another morning of below freezing weather. Wind was blowing which made it even colder. Went for a dog walk with Jean at 7:15 am and there was ice all over the streets from people watering their lawns. All it did was make ice on their lawn (LOL). We had to be very careful not to slip and fall in the street. The dogs were slipping and sliding, their little legs racing to stay up on their feet. On the morning news, they said that it was 35° in downtown Los Angeles and that made a 22 year low for them. We were around 30° and they said our high today will only be around 47° but that we might be in the low 70's by the end of the week. Jean had a dental appointment this morning, so the dogs did not get to play in my yard after their walk. I took Hiker with me up to Sam's Club. She waited in the car while I went in to do some shopping. By noon we hit 50°...three degrees high than they predicted, but still very chilly for us. Took a cool photo of a humming bird that was out on my patio. Guess it wasn't too cold for him. Did not do an afternoon walk because it was still too cold.

Cold Sunday

Another very cold morning. 25° when Hiker went out this morning. I let her back in and she ran right back into the bedroom, jumped into bed and waited for me to join her, which I did. Didn't do much today. Did some laundry, vacuumed, took Hiker in the car with me to get my lottery tickets. I sure have been having a lot of strange dreams lately. Can never really remember what they are about, just remember that they are strange. At least I am sleeping good now. For months after Ben died, I could not sleep at all. Now I think I'm getting too much sleep (LOL). I have a busy week coming up. My usual dog walks with Jean on Monday and Friday. Tuesday is my grief support group. Wednesday I am helping Jean take her little dog Sassy to be spayed. Thursday is my birthday and my friend Judy is taking me to my favorite stead house for lunch. We are supposed to warm up close to 70° by the end of the week. Took Hiker out for a short walk this afternoon. Still very cold out there. Being born and raised in SoCal, I am not used to the freezing weather. It is NOT normal for us.

Chilly All Day

When I got up at 6:15 am this morning to let Hiker outside, the thermometer on the patio said it was 24°. When Hiker came back in, we both ran back into the bedroom and dove under the covers. When we got brave enough to come out again, it was still on 30° on the patio. Much too cold to go for a morning walk. Had a headache until I ate lunch and that seemed to help it go away. I remember I had a slight headache when I went to bed last night. I think it's because I need new eyeglasses but I don't want to go for that until after I see my ophthalmologist in February. Finally got warm enough to take Hiker for a short walk down in Discovery Park. Most of the day we were just lazy and stayed inside the house.

Another Cold Day In SoCal

Another very cold morning when we rolled out of bed. Got dressed and ready to head out for a dog walk with Jean then the dogs played for about 30 minutes in my back yard. Took Hiker back to Jean's house so she could groom Hiker. I was going to leave and go back to pick her up but Jean had a little trouble getting Hiker into the tub, so I decided to stay and make sure Hiker didn't give her any more problems. Once Jean gets Hiker into the tub, Hiker calms down. It's just getting her in there in the first place. She's always good while Jean is blow drying her. After lunch, I drove Hiker and myself over to the South Fork Trail Head and we did a 3 mile walk. Once again there was an icy cold wind blowing, so it was a little uncomfortable. At this location there is a paved bike/walking path plus a dirt bridle trail. I usually take Hiker on the bridle trail because there are no bikes allowed on the dirt trail so Hiker doesn't have to worry about them coming up behind her and scaring her.

Hiker at the groomer

Walking the South Fork Trail

Cold Wind

Got up at 6:15 am to let Hiker out to potty and it was cold, cloudy and windy. Hiker and I went back to bed and slept in until 8 am. It felt so warm and toasty under those covers that if Hiker had not been bugging me to get up at 8 am, I probably would have stayed there all day (LOL). Put Hiker in the car to go with me to pick up my Lotto tickets and noticed that the wind was freezing cold. No morning walk for us. Too damn cold. The sun came out later in the morning, but didn't warm up much. After lunch, Hiker kept attacking me on the sofa. She kept licking my neck and pawing at me, so I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk. When I said that, she got even more excited, so off we went. The sun was out and thermometer said it was in the mid-50's but the wind was still making it colder than that. I had to bundle up. Had a ball cap on but had to pull up my hood to keep my ears warm and the wind was making my eyes water.

Wasted Trip To The Mall

I had planned on washing and waxing my car today but heard that we are supposed to have rain tomorrow and maybe Friday, so decided to wait until we have about a week of nice days. No need to make it all nice just for the weather to mess it up. Hiker and I went to the bank and then over to Wal-Mart. I needed to pick up some of the refrigerated food I buy for her. Came home and then took her for a 1.89 mile walk. Had high, thin clouds and a little bit of sun. After lunch I headed over to the mall to JCPenney because I had a $10 reward certificate for using my credit card. I must have walked up and down every isle in that store and found absolutely nothing to buy. I used to love the JCPenney Outlet, but the regular stores seem to cater to the young, not to us “old” ladies. When I got home, Hiker kept barking at me like she was trying to tell me something. I don't know what she wanted. I think she has gotten used to going in the car somewhere and going for a walk. Just came in from playing in the backyard with Hiker. It is starting to get really cloudy now.

So Good To Be Back In Group

Today was the first day back at my grief support group since a week before Christmas. Was good to see everyone again. All of the usual people were there. While at the Senior Center, I signed up for the AARP Senior Driver Safety Course for next month. They have one this month but it's next week and I had some other things planned for the days they have it. It is a 2 day (4 hours each day) course. No testing or anything, just watching movies and listening to the instructor. After I complete the course, I will get a certificate and if I send that certificate to my auto insurance agent, I will get another discount on my auto policy. Went to lunch at Red Robin with the group ladies (DeDee, Jane, Gin, Linda and Carol). Hiker was so happy to see me when I got home. This was the first time in 3 weeks that I had left her alone for more than an hour or so. I took her for a short 3/4 of a mile walk around the neighborhood. It was in the mid-70's so I opened the house up for a little while. Don't think I'll have dinner tonight since I had a big lunch.

Not A Bad Monday

Got up a little after 6 am. Hiker had been trying to get me up from about 5:45 but I was ignoring her (LOL). She kept whimpering and hitting me with her paw. Had a dog walk with Jean and her dogs. Very cold outside again. After she left, Hiker and I had breakfast and then we went up to Stater Brothers and got a few groceries. I called Kaiser and made an appointment to see my ophthalmologist in February. It's a follow-up from when I saw her last August. My neighbor Jean said she would take me, but I hope she still can because the doctor is only at the Santa Clarita Kaiser office on Thursdays and that's one of the days that Jean usually plays canasta with her senior group. If not, I'll have to see if one of the ladies from my grief group can take me since they have to dilate my eyes. After lunch I took Hiker with me over to Wal-Mart to get some rubbing compound and car wax for my Corolla. I had it waxed last year, but it really needs to be rubbed out because the paint is getting so oxidized. I don't want to pay a big price to have it detailed so I've decided to do it myself. I used to always do my own car detailing when I was younger. Took Hiker for a short 1 mile afternoon walk in Discovery Park. The sun was out all day but it was a little nippy.

Boring Sunday

Boring day today. Got out of bed at 8 am. Things were wet outside, but not raining at the time. Sun came out a little. Had breakfast and then Hiker and I went out to pick up my Lotto tickets and then we came home and did a load of laundry. I usually vacuum on Sunday to pick up Hiker's hair out of the carpet, but didn't feel like doing it today. Watched TV while eating lunch and messed around on the computer for awhile. Hiker was stretched out on the sofa beside me. At 1:30 pm I noticed it had been drizzling a little outside. Lit the fireplace around 2:30 pm. So just sat on the sofa all day and did nothing. :-)

Did A 2 Mile Walk Today

Got up at 8 am and did a load of laundry. Sat around watching TV since it was still pretty chilly outside. Before I knew it, it was lunch time. Had lunch and then took Hiker into the back yard and played ball with her for awhile. We went back through the garage and I said “Hiker, after my lunch settles in my stomach, I'll take you for a ride in the car and find somewhere we can go for a walk”. When I got to the door that goes into the house, I noticed Hiker was not behind me. I turned to look for her and she was sitting on the other side of the 4Runner. I went around to see what she was doing and she was waiting for me to open the car door so she could get it. Guess she thought we were leaving right then (LOL). She sure loves to ride in the car. Between 12:30 and 1:00 pm, I took Hiker in the car over to the Lost Canyon Trail Head. I had never walked that portion of the bicycle trail. We did 2 miles. There were a lot of people on the trail both biking and walking. It was not as pretty outside today as it has been the past 2 or 3 days. We had high, thin clouds and a storm coming in tomorrow.

3 Nice Days In A Row

Got up around 6:15 am this morning to get ready for a dog walk with Jean. It was 32° outside. We did our walk around 7:30 am and then let the dog play in my back yard for awhile. Went over to Subway around 11 am and brought a sandwich home to have for lunch. I still had almost $7 on a Subway gift card and I still have just under a dollar on it after today's purchase. Around 1 pm, I put Hiker in the car and we headed over to Central Park in Saugus and once again, I let Hiker lead the way, so we “zig-zagged” around the park. It's kind of fun to let her lead because I never know where we are going to end up. She didn't go into the dog park today, but she stopped and looked through the fence at some English Bulldogs playing with a Frisbee. It was another clear and beautiful day.

Beautiful Afternoon At Vasquez Rocks

Another windy day. Got up at 8 am and had breakfast, then headed over to Sam's Club to put gas in the 4Runner and to pick up the stuff that I could not get at Costco yesterday. Also stopped by Wal-Mart because I wanted to get some doggy breath mints for Hiker but they did not have any. They had dental chews, but I already give her Denta-stix. Guess I will have to check out PetSmart. It was in the 60's outside when I got home. Around 1 pm, put Hiker in the car and headed up to Vasquez Rocks. Once again, it was a beautiful clear day and as I've mentioned before, Vasquez is a great place for photo ops. Plus Hiker loves it there. There was a lot of people there. I guess it's because school is still out for “winter break”. When I went to school, we had “Christmas vacation” and it was only from Christmas Eve through the day after New Years. Kids here have been out since the Thursday before Christmas and don't go back until January 14th. That's what the sign says at the Jr. High near me. Hiker “crashed” on the ottoman in the small bedroom after our hike, so I guess it wore her out.

Beautiful Day For A Walk Around The Lake

The wind was really howling here last night. The weather people on the local news said the gusts here in Santa Clarita were over 60 mph. It was not as cold this morning because of the wind. Hiker and I slept in until 8 am and had breakfast. Just before 10 am I headed up to Costco. Ben and I used to shop there all the time until they built our Sam's Club. I prefer Sam's Club because their membership is cheaper and the store feels brighter and cleaner than the Costco, but I still keep my membership at Costco because they have some things that I cannot get at Sam's. But I noticed today that there are also a lot of things I cannot get at Costco that Sam's has. Costco makes you buy 2 bottles of milk and 4 cartons of orange juice. I can get single bottles at Sam's. I also noticed that Costco charges more for their vitamins and supplements than Sam's does. So tomorrow morning I'll head over to Sam's Club to get what I could not get at Costco this morning. This afternoon I took Hiker over to Bridgeport Lake and let her watch the ducks. She also saw a snowy egret standing on the banks and she tried to go after it. Thought she was going to pull me into the water (LOL). I was getting tired of walking at Discovery Park all the time so decided to walk in a different area. It was such a beautify day outside even though it was a little windy.

New Year's Day

Did not stay up to welcome in the new year. Went to bed at 9 pm and turned on the TV. Watched a couple of episodes of “King Of The Hill” and fell asleep just after 10 pm. I did hear some loud music playing somewhere in the neighborhood. Guess someone was having a party, so I put in some earplugs and went right back to sleep. Woke up at 12:30, said “Happy New Year” to Hiker who was asleep next to me and went right back to sleep again. Another cold morning when we got up, but not as cold as it was yesterday. There was no frost this morning. Did not do a morning walk. My brother Ron called me and said that he has the flu. That's not good because he has to go back to work tomorrow. Stayed cold outside most of the day. Hiker went out into the yard now and then, but I stayed inside where it was warm. We had the hottest summer ever in 2012, and it feels like we are going to have our coldest winter in 2013. Watched a lot of the SyFy Channel “Twilight Zone” marathon and also went for a short afternoon walk. It was very cold and windy while we were out. Felt good to get back home and into the warm house.