And February Ends

Hiker and I got up this morning around 7 am. I fell asleep on the sofa last night before 9 pm and I was mad because I missed “Criminal Minds” and “CSI”. Woke up in the middle of “Criminal Minds” and went to bed and fell right back to sleep. We did not go for a morning walk because I had a service technician coming between 10 and 11 am to service my whole house water filter. He didn't show up on time and I was getting ready to call his office when they called me and told me he was running late and was on his way. He finally got here around 12:10. It took him a little over 45 minutes to change out the filter. Won't have to have it changed again for 3 more years. Finally had some lunch a little after 1 pm and by the time I finished, I was totally out of the mood to take Hiker out for a walk which is bad because it was a beautiful day and Hiker and I should try to get out and walk every day. Whoever had Hiker before me must have locked her up when they punished her for anything. I had put her in the bedroom and closed the door so the tech could come in the house when I paid him. After he left, I went to let her out and she was “hiding” in the corner, cowering. I guess when you “shut the door” on her, she thinks she has done something bad. I felt sorry for her. Jean came by with her dogs to make sure we were still on for our dog walk in the morning. She had gone to pick up her mail and stopped by the house so her dogs could see Hiker. Hiker was out in the backyard when they got here and she started barking and wanting in. When she came in, she went flying to the front door to see her buddies.

Good Doctor Visit

I was the first patient for my doctor at his office this morning. I love being first because I know he is not backed up because other patients were late. I didn't have to even dis-robe this time because I didn't have to have anything major checked out. He took my B/P, listened to my heart and my lungs. Looked in my ear, throat and mouth. Felt my neck glands. He asked me about my exercise and how I am keeping myself busy. He told me that I was doing very well. He wants me back on the Red Yeast Rice since it seemed to lower my cholesterol/triglycerides some. He did not insist on me getting another colonoscopy, but gave me the home stool pack for me to take a sample and send it in to have it checked. He said he totally understand how I feel about it after what happened to Ben. Tomorrow (Feb. 28) is the second anniversary of when I took Ben over to Henry Mayo ER and they took him in for emergency exploratory surgery and found the first blockage in his intestines. I always get very sad around this time of year. I could not get into Sam's Club yet when I left the doctor's office because my membership won't let me in until 10 am and it was only 9:15 am, so I went to the Wal-Mart across the street from Sam's Club and picked up a small bottle of Red Yeast Rice. I'll get a bigger bottle next time I go to Sam's Club. When I got home, I took Hiker out for a nice walk. The weather was beautiful...in the mid-60's and a little breezy. I could hear my wind chimes all day. After lunch, I took Hiker over to Placerita Canyon Open Space and we wandered around on several of the trails. Got in another mile and a half for today, so we did almost 3 miles of exercise. It was a gorgeous day.

My front flower bed. My Daffodils and Gazanias are blooming, but still waiting for my Iris, Tulips and Glads.

Beautiful Day/Nice Group Session

Had trouble falling asleep last night. Finally took a sleeping pill around midnight, so when I woke up, I was really groggy. Beautiful morning. Headed over to the senior center for my group session. Had a good class today then five of us ladies went over to Jimmy Dean's for lunch. They have the best grilled ham and cheese there. When I got home, I picked up my mail and put the trash cans out at the curb then took Hiker for a short 1 mile walk. I have to get up early tomorrow because I have to be at my doctor's office by 8:25 am to check in for my 8:40 am appointment for my annual check in with him. Should not be there long if he is running on time because I had all of my “lady tests” done last year and I'm not due for anything. He will probably just listen to my heart, take my B/P, ask me how I'm feeling, poke at me a little and send me on my way.

Nice Monday

No dog walk this morning as Jean had an appointment with her tax preparer, so I went to the bank and then over to the grocery store to do my shopping. When I got home, I mopped my kitchen floor and then settled down to watch my “soap”. I thought I had hurt her early. We were playing with her stuffed hedgehog. She will bring it to me and drop it wanting me to kick it so she can chase it. Well this time, just as I was getting ready to kick it, she dove for it and I accidentally kicked her in the face. She did not yip but she just kind of stopped and sat down. I think it stunned her some. When I kick the toy, I don't kick it hard, so thankfully I had pulled back on the kick and didn't send Hiker sailing across the room. I immediately checked on her and she seemed fine. She kept kissing me and then she went and got the toy and brought it to me again, so I don't think she was hurt at all. She's been acting normal all day. She learned though, because now when I CAREFULLY kick the toy, she is hanging back away from it. After lunch, Hiker started bugging me to go for a walk. I had planned to take her down to Discovery Park but she had a different idea. When we got down to the corner she turned right instead of left, so we ended up walking around inside the gated community. I like to let her take me for walks sometimes just to see where she will take me. It was beautiful outside today. Got up into the mid-70's.

Windy Sunday

Slept in just a little this morning. Got up and had some waffles for breakfast. Put Hiker in the car and went over to buy my lottery tickets for Wednesday and then we headed up to Vasquez Rocks for a short hike. When we left home it was a little windy and about 55° but when we got to the rocks, it was only 48° and extremely windy. But...we got out of the car and bravely took a short hike around the park. The sun was so bright, it was hard to believe that it was so cold. Had dust devils blowing all over the place and got caught up in them several times. Came home and washed my linens and vacuumed the house then had lunch. The rest of the day, I was on the sofa watching TV while Hiker was on the ottoman in the front bedroom sleeping.

Morning Class And Then Yummy Lunch

Had to get up a little early today to be ready to leave the house by 8 am to head over to the Senior Center to complete the last half of the AARP Senior Safe Driver class. Don't know if I mentioned, but my friend DeDee who also attends the grief group with me went also. We both figured it would be nice to have someone we knew to go along. Also, we were surprise yesterday afternoon when we got to the class that our friend and fellow group member Linda Clark was also taking the class. They “claimed” that each class was 4 hours long, but our instructor kept each class around 2 to 3 hours long. Linda had plans with her family, but DeDee and I wanted to go to lunch. It was still a little early, so we first stopped by my house to let Hiker outside for awhile before we went over to Backwoods Inn. I had prime rib and DeDee had teriyaki chicken. We had a good lunch and sat and talked for almost 2 hours. DeDee headed for the mall and I took Hiker for a quick walk down to the park as I figured a short walk was better than no walk at all, then came home and put a load of laundry into the washer.

I Remember This Day 2 Years Ago

On this date 2 years ago, Ben went in to have the colonoscopy that eventually caused his death. I wish so much now that he had never had that procedure. I remember him joking the day before that he would never understand why the preparation for the procedure was so much worse than the actual colonoscopy. He could not wait to get it over with and go home to have some dinner. But he could not eat that night because he felt so bloated from the gas and fluids that were building up in his intestines. He was miserable all that night. Little did we know that night that it was going to end up the way it did. Did a dog walk with Jean this morning and then let the dogs play in my backyard for about 45 minutes. Got my results from my blood work back and was pleased with most things, especially my Glucose count which is usually between 102 and 108 was only 94 this time. My cholesterol and triglycerides were higher this time than they were last time. Last time they were the lowest they had been in a long time. My lipid problem is genetic so diet and exercise don't help and I cannot take the statins because they cause other problems. Last time I did blood work I was taking Red Yeast Rice on my doctor's recommendation and my numbers were lower, but still higher than wanted. When my RYR ran out, I decided to try Cholesto-off because it was cheaper, but now I know that was a mistake because my numbers went up again. I'll have to go back on the Red Yeast Rice. I'll see my doctor next Wednesday. Went to the first installment of my AARP Senior Driver Safety class at the senior center this afternoon. They told us it was from 1 pm to 5 pm, but we were done and out of there at 3:30. Have to go back tomorrow morning at 8:30 am to finish up the with the second installment.

Thursday's Done

I had to go in for blood work this morning since I am having my annual checkup with my doctor next Wednesday. The lab at Kaiser does not open until 9 am which is hard when you are fasting because you are starving by the time you get out of there. When I was going to the Facey Medical Center, their lab opened at 7:15 am. Anyway, I got there just before 9 am and only had one person ahead of me. I as in and out by 9:10 am. The technician bruised me a little bit. He took 5 vials of blood. After I left Kaiser, I headed to Wal-Mart which is a block away from the Kaiser building. I had to get some Fresh Pet dog food for Hiker plus a couple of bags of her treats. I was back home by 9:45 am and I took Hiker out for a morning walk. When we were out walking, the sun was shining but later while I was eating lunch it started to get a little cloudy. Tomorrow will be a busy day. Have a dog walk/play date with Jean and her dogs in the morning and then right after lunch, I have to go over to the Senior Center to attend an AARP Senior Driver Safety class. It's a 2 day class...4 hours Friday afternoon and 4 hours Saturday morning. It will get me another discount on my auto insurance. So I won't be on the computer much tomorrow and my daily email blog won't be posted until early evening.

Sunny But Cold

Got up at 6 am to let Hiker outside to Potty. It was 32° at that time, and I could see that the sky was starting to clear up after last night's rain. Hiker and I went back to bed as I was intended to go back to sleep until around 8 am but the phone rang around 7:15 and then I was wide awake, so went ahead and got up. Went over to Sam's Club to fill the 4Runner up with gas and pick up some milk and eggs. Gas was $4.199, but everywhere else in town it's at least 10¢ more. Once again I'm going to brag about Hiker (LOL). I was eating lunch and watching “The Young And The Restless”. I told her that after the Y&R was over, we'd go for a ride in the car and find somewhere to walk or hike. She was in the other room lying on the ottoman and looking out the front window. When the ending music of Y&R came on, she came running into the living room as fast as she could, jumped up on the sofa next to me and started pawing at me. She wanted to go! We drove over to Hart Park and did a very short 1.5 mile hike around the trails over there. It was really windy and the wind was very cold, so we didn't stay very long. Only having a salad for dinner tonight and then I have to fast because I go for blood work tomorrow morning.

Cold And Rainy Again

Woke up to cold weather and clouds this morning. Returned to Grief Group today. Didn't go last week because Keith was here visiting. Was very cold when I got to the Senior Center and had trouble finding a parking place because the lot was full. It started raining not longer after our session started and was raining pretty good when we all came out to leave. A few of us drove over to the mall to the Red Robin for lunch. When I got home, my older brother Ron called and we talked for awhile. Just before we hung up, he said it was starting to snow. He lives in Paradise, CA which is in the northern part of the state.

Busy Morning, Nice Afternoon Hike

Got up early to do a dog walk with Jean. It was all overcast here due to a thick marine layer. The sun finally came out but we are supposed to get rain tomorrow and the snow level will drop to about 2500 feet. After the walk and about 30 minutes of the dogs playing in my backyard, Jean left and Hiker and I each had poached egg for breakfast. I then had to do a little house cleaning, which I hate with a passion, but someone's got to do it. My body is sore from playing the games on my Wii. I play mostly the tennis and the baseball games, so I use my arm, shoulder and back muscles a lot. After lunch, Hiker and I drove over to Whitney Canyon and did a short 2 mile hike. I had not been in that canyon since just before Ben went to the hospital 2 years ago, so it was nice to see some different scenery. Hiker had never been there, so she had a bunch of new smells to check out. Did not hike all the way up to the waterfall. Since there was water in the creek that runs along the trail, I assume there is no water at the waterfall anyway. Got up to 65° here today and was a little hazy from the marine layer that never completely burned off.

Daffodil growing in my front flower bed

Afternoon hike

Kind Of A Busy Day

Slept in again this morning. When we got up I made myself some pancakes and then put Hiker into the car and went to by my Lottery tickets for Wednesday. She loves to go for rides in the car. Came home and put the sheets and towels into the washing machine and put fresh sheets on the bed. While the washer was going, I vacuumed the carpet while Hiker “hid” outside in the yard. When I was finished, she came in and wanted me to play with one of her stuffed hedgehogs with her. She loves for me to toss it or kick it so she can chase it. After lunch I took Hiker over to Central Park and we did almost a 2 mile walk. There were a lot of people there with their dogs and all of the baseball fields were in use. Hiker saw all of the dogs in the dog park and she got scared and started pulling away on her leash. She has gotten to where she is afraid if she sees a “pack” of dogs or dogs coming towards her that are much bigger than she is. I think it's because we were at Central Park once when a big German Shepherd came running towards her (in a playful manner) but she thought he was going to attack her and she panicked. She is OK if a dog slowly walks up to her. It was about 75° at the park but they keep saying that by Tuesday and Wednesday, we will be cold again and possibly have some rain.

Someone was tired after her walk

Saturday Came And Went

Got up at 6 am to let Hiker outside and it was already 56° out. We went back to bed and slept in for a couple of hours. Got up, sorted all of my vitamins, supplements and meds for next week and had breakfast, then put a load of laundry into the washer. Took Hiker out on a late morning walk after I put the laundry into the dryer. It was already almost 80° when we went walking. A lot of people out on the path. Came home and folded the laundry and then made lunch. I had promised Hiker that I'd take her for a ride in the car sometime today. Once I finished my lunch, she started bugging me so I knew she wanted to go. We sent up to PetSmart and I took her inside the store. She likes to sniff all of the food and toys there. I was looking for some “doggy breath mints” for her, but did not find any. We headed back home and she settled down by the front door looking out at people walking by.

Warm And Windy

Was shocked this morning to wake up to the news that a meteor had come down in Russia and cause a big explosion, especially on the day that a asteroid is supposed to pass the earth today at the closest distance ever. Also it was warm this morning at 6 am. It was already 55° and windy. I didn't even wear a jacket or sweat shirt when we went for our dog walk with Jean. The wind started blowing after I made breakfast for myself. I had both my slider to the patio and my front door open because it was so warm out, but I had to finally close the front door because the wind circulating through the house from both open doors was causing things to blow around and house and one gust coming through the front door almost knocked my table lamp over. Took Hiker out for a walk after lunch. It was still warm and windy.

What A Beautiful Day In SoCal

Got up a little after 7 am this morning. Had breakfast and then headed over to Stater Brothers to do my grocery shopping. What a beautiful day it was outside all day. When I got back from getting the groceries, I balanced my check book and made a couple of phone calls that I needed to get out of the way, then I took Hiker out on the patio and let her play with her bubble machine. It was breezy so she was chasing bubbles all over the yard. We did that for about 20 or 30 minutes, then she started acting like she was getting tired, so we came back into the house, opened up the doors and listened to the wind chimes. After lunch, Hiker and I went over to Bridgeport Lake in Valencia and walked around. Hiker was watching the ducks and geese and she kept wanting to chase them. Our temperature got up to around 79° today, but they are saying that we will cool down and maybe even get some rain next week.

Just Me & Hiker

Today was the last day of Keith's visit. We got up around 7 am and had breakfast and then went for a walk with Hiker. Keith packed up his car and he followed me up to the Sunland Sizzler where we met up with Ben's best buddy Ed for lunch. Had a really nice time with Ed as usual. Lunch was really good too. When we left Sizzler, Keith headed for home and I stopped by Sam's Club to fill the Corolla with gasoline. It was up to $4.059 there but that's cheaper than $4.159 that it is everywhere else. Hiker was very excited to see me when I got home and when I walked in the door, she looked behind me as if she was looking for Keith. She loves him. Beautiful day here today. Almost 80° this afternoon. I decided instead of an afternoon walk since we had already done a morning walk, that I would play with the Wii Sports. I played some Tennis, Baseball, Basketball and Bowling and I was working up a sweat. I love the Tennis. I have trouble with the bat in the Baseball...swing too soon to too late, but I am getting better with the Basketball. I Think I might like the Wii Fit Game, but I'll have to also buy a step board if I decide to buy that game.

Nice Day

Colder this morning when we got up. It was only 24° at 6 am when I let Hiker outside. Jean came by at 9 am and we drove over to Vasquez Rocks and walked around for just under an hour. Climbed up to the top of the hill and looked at the scenery. Headed back home and dropped Hiker off, then we headed over to Round Table Pizza for their pizza and salad buffet. Picked up Keith's car from Big-O on the way back home. We were going to play Wii right after we got home, but heard that they had surrounded the cop killer Chris Dorner in a mountain cabin and were having a shootout, so we turned the TV new on, but after it calmed down some, we played some baseball on the Wii. After all of that pizza we had for lunch, might not need to eat dinner, but we do need to go for a walk to burn off some of the calories.

A Little Sore

Got up early to go for a dog walk with Jean. It was very cold again this morning...28°. They keep saying we will start warming up, but still be cold in the mornings. My body was a little sore this morning from playing with the Wii Sports last night. After our dog walk with Jean, we hung out at home for awhile and then headed up to Sam's Club. I had to do a little stocking up. Came home and then headed out for lunch. Went to WingStop. Keith suggested them. I had never been there before and to tell you the truth, I was not really impressed with them. We stopped by GameStop to see what they had in the “previously owned” Wii section and then we went over to Wal-Mart. It has been sunny all day, but the wind is blowing and it is a cold wind. We are waiting for Big-O to call Keith to let him know his car is ready for pickup. He called earlier today and they were still waiting on the tires they ordered for him to come in. We did a 1.6 mile walk around my neighborhood. The wind had died down a little. Have not heard anything about Keith's car so will probably pick it up tomorrow.

A 2 Mile Walk And A 4 Mile Hike

Keith, Hiker and I were very active today. After we got up this morning, we took Keith's car over to Big-O to leave overnight to have some work done on it...tires, struts, etc. After we left Big-O we headed over to Valencia Heritage Park to walk along the San Francisquito Creek bike/walking path. We did 2 miles there. Came back home and sat around the house for a little while, then Keith and I headed out for lunch. While we were out, we went to Best Buy and I purchased a Wii Game Console because I want something to exercise with when I can't get outside because of the weather. We then came back home and picked up Hiker and headed over to Pico Canyon for another 4 mile hike. I had just been there with Jean last week, but Keith had not hiked there for awhile and he wanted to go over there. It was starting to get cloudy. While there I got to meet a Facebook friend in person. Teri Crane and her daughter were there and Teri came up and introduced herself to me. She recognized me, Hiker and my brother Keith from my photographs on Facebook. We got back home a little after 3:30 pm. Hiker was pooped from her busy day.

Keith Is Visiting

Let Hiker outside at 6 am and it was 28° on my patio. Once it started to get light outside, I could see all of the roofs had ice on them and I could see snow on the very top of the mountains to the south of me. They are about 2500 feet. Keith texted me at 9 am saying he was leaving and on his way here. I noticed the ice was melting from the roof top and dripping on my patio. Keith got here around 10:30 am. We had to wait around until my gardener was done mowing then we headed out. Had lunch at Del Taco then came home and took Hiker for a 2.64 mile walk. Pretty outside, but a bit chilly. Supposed to be another really cold night and morning.

Cold And Cloudy

Cold here this morning. We have a storm coming in and a “winter advisory” along with it. They say me “may” get rain and the snow levels will drop to between 2500 and 3000 feet, so the mountains will get snow for sure. It was cloudy when Hiker and I got up. Went for our dog walk with Jean then let the dogs play in the back yard for awhile. Hiker and I then had breakfast and then I had to go buy my Lotto ticket for Saturday and also had to pick up a gallon of milk. I put the first dose of eye drops in my right eye this morning. I have to put them in 4 times a day. The doctor had told me that it would sting like when you get soap in your eye, but I did not feel any stinging. My brother Keith texted me that it was thundering and hailing at his place down in Orange, CA. Stayed cold here all day. Never got over 50° and that was around noon but then it dropped down to the mid 40's. After lunch, Hiker was bugging me to go for a walk. I went outside onto the patio to check the temperature and it was cold and the wind was blowing, so I told her she'd have to wait to walk over the weekend while her “Uncle Keith” is here visiting. She got to walk with Jean's dogs this morning so she did get a walk in today. Did another dose of the eye drops at lunch time and this time there was a little stinging. I noticed on the bottle that I am only supposed to use the eye drops for 4 days. Doctor never said anything about that so it's a good thing I read the label or I would have continued using it until it was empty. So it's 4 times a day for 4 days.

Not Good News About My Eye Problem

Jean picked me up at 8:30 am and drove me over to our local Kaiser office for my appointment with the Ophthalmologist. The problem with my eye has gotten worse and the doctor put in a referral for me to see a Retinal Specialist down in Panorama City. I'll have to wait for them to call to set up an appointment and then I will have to try to find someone who can drive me down there because they will dilate my eyes and I won't be able to drive myself. If the appointment is prior to March 13, Jean said she can probably drive me, but she is having foot surgery on March 13 and won't be able to drive for awhile after that. Hopefully if that is the case, I'll be able to maybe get a friend from the grief group to drive me. I was driving Ben down to the Retinal Specialist down in Panorama City every 3 months before he got sick and went into the hospital. It's a pain in the butt! Hiker could tell when I got home from the doctor that I was not “myself”, that I was upset about something. She kept trying to kiss me and she kept making little “barking” sounds at me. Other widows will understand me when I say that it is scary when you have a medical problem and your spouse is no longer with you to help you get through it, no matter how small of a problem it is. After lunch, my left eye was almost back to “normal” in terms of being dilated. My right eye (the bad one) was still a little more dilated. They must have put more of the dilating drops in the right eye. Anyway, I wanted to get Hiker out for a short walk so I put on my BIG sunglasses that fit over my regular eyeglasses and we headed out. Ben used to refer to the sunglasses as “old fogey glasses”. It was cool out on our walk. Clouds starting to come in from the west which is the storm they say might bring us rain tomorrow. It was also getting windy outside. Around 2:30 pm I got a call from the Panorama City Kaiser to confirm my appointment with the Retinal Specialist for Friday, March 29 at 9 am.

Expensive Day At The Mechanic

Had an appointment to have my 4Runner serviced at the Toyota dealer this morning at 8 am. I originally went for the 6 month/5K service, but I told them to check the brakes because when I stepped on the brake pedal when coming down a hill, the vehicle would shake and I knew that usually means the rotors are going bad. Sure enough, they had to turn/resurface the rotors and install new brake pads. Also had to clean and adjust the rear brakes, plus had to have the differential serviced. Their records showed it had never been done and when I got home I checked the records Ben kept on the vehicles and sure enough, the differential had never been serviced. Also noticed in his records that he had the rotors turned several times and also had them replaced in 2007, so I'd say it was about time to do it again. After lunch, took Hiker on a walk, almost 2 miles. Nice and sunny and warm outside today, but we are supposed to get a cold storm coming in Thursday evening through Friday. It might rain and snow levels will drop to about 3000 feet. I am at about 1350 feet, so won't snow here. Tomorrow morning, Jean (my neighbor) is driving me to my Ophthalmologist to have a follow-up on the Macular Pucker in my right eye. They will dilate my eye so I cannot drive myself. I sure wish my investment company would hurry up and send me my 1099 for my Trust account. I want to go get my taxes done and that is the only paperwork I am still waiting for.

A Day At The Senior Center Then Lunch

Today was my Grief Support Group, so Hiker and I did not do a morning walk. Didn't do an afternoon walk either because for some reason, my head felt “mushy” Don't know any other way to explain it. Had a nice session at group today. Our little room gets so crowded these day, we really need some place bigger. After group, seven of us went to Dario's for a Mexican lunch. Very good. Some of the ladies said they were thinking about getting us all together and going to Descanso Botanical Gardens, so we'll have to see if that happens. I noticed when I came out of the restaurant that a marine layer was starting to come in. They say we are going to get cloudy and maybe get some rain. I have to take my 4Runner to the dealer to have it serviced tomorrow morning. Have to be there early, so I'll have to get up early. I usually wait for it unless they find it has to have work that they need to keep it all day. I just HATE having the vehicles services. That was always Ben's job. I've done it several times since he died, but I still do not like it. I took Hiker with me the last time I had a vehicle serviced. She and I went for a walk while they worked on the car, but I'm not taking her this time because if the weather is not good, we would not be able to go for a walk.

Just Got Back From A Great Afternoon Walk

Morning dog walk with Jean this morning. What a beautiful day it was outside. Stayed inside most of the morning after our dog walk. Called the Toyota dealer again to see if I could make an appointment to have my 4Runner serviced with my usual service adviser but found out that she is out on maternity leave. I didn't even know she was pregnant, but then I have not seen her since last August or September. Made an appointment with another adviser for Wednesday morning. After lunch we drove over to the Iron Horse Trail Head near Six Flags Magic Mountain and did another 2 mile walk. Temps were around 80° but the say we will start cooling down some tomorrow and possibly have some rain by Friday. Hope it doesn't last long because Keith is coming for a few days on Saturday and we want to get in some walking and some hiking while he is here.

An Afternoon At The Museum

They kept saying that we would not get any rain from the clouds that hung over us all day yesterday, but around 8 pm last night, I looked outside and it was raining and it rained for a few hours. This morning though was bright and sunny when Hiker and I crawled out of bed. We had breakfast and then headed out to buy my Lotto ticket and to head over to the post office. When we got back, we sent out for a morning walk inside our gated community. Got some chores out of the way like washing the sheets and towels and vacuuming the carpet. My friend and fellow hiker RuthAnne was volunteering this afternoon at our Historical Society Museum over in Newhall, so Hiker and I went over there to go on her guided tour of the museum. RuthAnne is also a school teacher here in our valley and a lot of her students were at the museum going on her tour. Hiker was allowed in the old train station that houses the museum and she was a very good girl while there. It was a beautiful day here today. I'm looking forward to dinner later because I am making homemade scalloped potatoes...one of my favorites.

I am attaching the link to "The Mighty Oak" which is the newsletter of our local Senior Center. My article is on page 5 this month, but make sure you also read the story on page 1 about Tommie and Rudy.

The Mighty Oak

Our Historical Society Museum (Saugus Train Station)

Hiker at the museum

I've Been Busy Today

Slept in this morning. When we got up it was all overcast, warm and humid. They said we would have a layer of clouds but no rain. Had breakfast and then mopped my floors. Have been putting that chore off for too long. After the gardener left, I also checked out all of the stuff in my earthquake kit. I was supposed to do that in January, so I'm only 2 days overdue. Ben and I put the quake kit together in 1994 right after the big Northridge Earthquake. We used to “maintain” it every 3 months, then it got to be every 6 months, and then once a year. I had not checked it all out in about 8 or 9 months so thought it was time. I run the generator to make sure it starts and runs OK and I check the flashlights, batteries, food dates, etc. Did a load of laundry and rain the dishwasher. After lunch, finally got Hiker out for a short walk. It was still totally overcast and felt humid even though the temperature was in the high 60's. Didn't walk far because my feet, ankles, knees and hip joints were hurting. I've been trying to do longer walks with her lately and I think it is catching up to me. I really need to get back into shape for those long walks.

Another Month Begins

Did a dog walk with Jean this morning. It is still chilly in the mornings but not freezing like it was awhile back. Ben's buddy Ed called me from Boise, ID last night. He and I still buy Lotto tickets together like he and Ben used to do. Ed wanted to continue doing it in honor of Ben so we do. When Ed is up in Boise taking care of his 93 year old mom, he gives me money to pay for his part of the Lotto tickets. Ed lives in Pomona, CA but has been spending a lot of his time in Idaho since his dad died. Anyway, he called to tell me that he didn't get out of Boise so head for home yesterday like he had planned because of the snow and ice storm that had gone through there. He said first it snowed, then it rained the it froze so that the streets are like a big ice skating rink. I had already gone yesterday and purchase my personal ticket, but now I had to go back this morning and purchase the ticket that Ed and I play for Ben. I did that on my way over to Sam's Club. I was “bad” while I was at Sam's. I've been trying to avoid buying sweets but they had a bag of mixed Hershey's candies...Kisses, Miniatures and Reese's Pieces...all of my favorites. I just had to buy a bag. Hiker and I went over to Central Park in Saugus to walk around this afternoon. It was about 75° with high, thin clouds and sun. Hiker is getting so afraid of things sometimes. She acts so brave barking at people who walk by the house, etc. but when she encounters stranger or more than one dog at a time, she freaks out. She will “greet” one lone dog and be fine, but more than one, she thinks of as a “pack” I think. Must have been something going on with “Map My Fitness” on my iPhone today. It claimed it only took me 10 minutes to walk my first mile which I know is wrong because I always do a mile in about 18 minutes. I noticed it showed me staring our walk at Bouquet Canyon Road when we actually started from the parking lot which was about a quarter mile from the road. So it added about an extra half mile to our walk. It said we did 2.5 miles, but I know for certain that it was only about 2 miles.