Easter Sunday

Started falling asleep on the sofa last night around 8:30 pm. Keith had left around 3:30 yesterday afternoon. I guess I was a little tired from running around while he was here. Hiker and I slept in until around 8 am. I made breakfast and did a load of laundry. It was overcast here all day. I decided to just stay around home because I live near a big Catholic church and would have to drive past it to go anywhere. The traffic from the church is bad enough on a “normal” Sunday but it is much worse on Easter Sunday. Did a little housework. Jean called to see if I was coming over to walk one of her dogs, which I had thought about doing, but she wanted to let me know that she was going to a neighbor's house for the afternoon, so I told her I'd come by tomorrow sometime and walk the dog. It drizzled around 1:30 this afternoon. All in all, today was a pretty “boring” day I guess.

Relaxing Saturday

For some reason, I had trouble going to sleep last night. I remember looking at the clock at midnight and I was still wide awake. We slept until around 7:30 am and then got up and I made breakfast. Keith and I decided to stay home most of today. I had to wait for the gardener and I wanted to do a load of laundry. We watched a move called “Dark Night Of The Scarecrow” which had always been one of Ben's favorite movies. Keith had never seen it before. After the movie I made lunch and then Keith and I headed over to the bank so I could use the ATM. We then came back home and picked up Hiker and took her over to Bridgeport Lake for an afternoon walk. The weather was beautiful...around 80°.

Good News/Bad News

Had to get up early to get over to Kaiser this morning. We never know what kind of traffic we will run into between Santa Clarita and Panorama City so we always give ourselves enough time to get there. As it was, since it was Friday (and Good Friday at that), there was hardly any traffic at all and we arrived at Kaiser about 30 minutes before my check-in time and about 45 minutes before my appointment. I went to the check-in point that Ben used to go to only to find that my doctor had moved down the hall. After checking in, they called me into the exam area. They put drops in my eyes and took so photos of the insides of my eyes. When the doctor finally came in, he said he felt the diagnosis of a Macular Pucker that I received from Facey Medical back in 2005 was incorrect. At Facey I had only gone to see an ophthalmologist, whereas today at Kaiser I saw a retinal surgeon. Today the doctor diagnosed my problem as Cystoid Macular Edema which is something totally different than the Macular Pucker as it has to do with the vascular system and according to the doctor, much easier to treat. I go back on April 15th to have dye injected into an arm vein which will run all through my body so that they can take photographs of the inside of my eye to see if there is any hemorrhaging anywhere in my eye and so the doctor can verify his new diagnosis. The on April 18th I will go back on a follow-up so the doctor can tell me how he is going to proceed. I felt so much better after I left his office. Keith drove us home and we went up to visit with Jean for a little while. Keith and I then decided to go over to Backwoods Inn Steakhouse for lunch. Had a great lunch, but then as we were leaving, I bumped into a car in the parking lot. NOT just a car...A LEXUS! No damage to my car but it put a 7” dent in the back passenger door. Thank goodness I was only going about 2 mph. I went back into the restaurant and found the owner and we exchanged information. He was very nice about the whole thing and I was very shaken up. This is the first insurance claim I have had to make in about 40 years. I called Mercury Insurance when we got home from lunch and they too all of the information and said a claims rep will be calling me later today or Monday. I hope it doesn't cause my insurance premium to go up. So my “good morning” turned into a “not so good afternoon”, but I feel I did the right thing finding the owner of the car I bumped. Some people would have just taken off and never admitted that they had done it.

Busy Day With Brother Keith

Hiker and I got up around 7 am and Keith got up around 7:30. We had breakfast and then Keith and I went over to Wal-Mart. Came back home and picked up Hiker and headed over to Whitney Canyon to do a little hike. Nice morning over there. Came back home to drop Hiker off and then Keith and I headed out for lunch. We had planned to go to Lily's Cafe but we walked in and there was not an empty table to be seen so we decided to go over to Cathy's Deli for lunch instead. Came home and then went to do my grocery shopping. Finally settled down at home and played some ball with Hiker. Will probably try to do a walk this evening after dinner. We rented “Lincoln” last night from On Demand. We both said it was not quite what we expected but neither of us really knew what we expected it to be. We found it historically interesting but did not really find it very entertaining. Oh well. Tomorrow we have to get up early so Keith can get me over to the Kaiser Medical Center for my eye appointment. I am NOT looking forward to this appointment at all.

Gift To Myself

Got up and did a little house cleaning this morning. Wanted to get it done before Keith arrives. He is coming to stay with Hiker and me until Saturday afternoon. The main reason he is coming is because he is taking me to the retinal specialist on Friday morning over at the Kaiser in Panorama City. I would not be able to drive myself because they will be dilating my eyes. I will be going to the same retinal specialist that Ben went to. Don't know how I will feel about being in that office again since I sat in that lobby so many times waiting for Ben to come out after his exams. I hope it does not bring up too many memories. Hiker was anxiously awaiting Keith's arrival. He got here just before 11:30. We headed out to get my 4Runner washed and then to lunch at Del Taco. Then we went to Sam's Club. I had decided a few months ago that if I got enough on my tax return, I was going to buy myself a bigger television for the living room. I had a 42” Vizio that Ben and I had bought about 6 or 8 years ago and it was still working just fine, but I just wanted something BIGGER and I wanted an LED instead of LCD and I wanted a Wi-Fi one. Didn't need 3D as I don't watch that many movies to need it. Anyway, I got a 55” Vizio LED Wi-Fi one. Keith helped me get it home and all set up. It is HUGE! I'm giving Keith my 42” one because he is always doing things for me when he comes to visit.

Good Friends/Good Food

I had to get up earlier this morning because I was going to my group over at the senior center. The session was extremely crowded today. The “new” guy from last week came back and we also had 2 new ladies. Our sessions are in a very small room in a trailer and we were packed like sardines. We really need a larger place to have our meetings. Saw Lisa who works for my attorney. I was just thinking that in a month or so, I will not longer have that attorney on retainer. I had signed up with her for 2 years when Ben was in the hospital and those 2 years are almost up. When we were leaving the senior center, I noticed a little dog tied up outside of the main lobby of the center. We knew it belonged to someone who was inside probably having lunch and they had left the dog outside in the shade with a bowl of water. The dog had a “growth” on its head and I told the ladies that if Hiker ever had anything like that's I'd have it removed if possible. It was a cute little dog and very friendly. Then when I went to get in my car, there was a Weimaraner sitting in the driver's seat of the car parked next to me. For some reason I seem to notice dogs all of the time now (LOL). After group, about 7 of us went over to Lily's Cafe for lunch. Only 1 of the ladies had ever eaten at Lily's so it was new for the rest of us. Years ago, this cafe was a 50's diner and Ben and I used to go there a lot. Then it changed to an Asian cafe, but now it serves all kinds of foods. The food was very good and the prices were great as was the service. When I got home and came in the door, Hiker didn't come to greet me like she normally does. Before I had gone to the senior center, I had scolded Hiker for digging a small hole in the back yard, so I think she may have thought I was still mad at her so she was “hiding”. I called her and she came running and once I hugged and kissed her, she was all over me.

Hiker And Her Red Ball May Be The Death Of Me (LOL)

Didn't do much today. Went over to Jean's around 9:30 am and picked up Charlie to take him for a walk with Hiker. I'm beginning to wonder if there is prostitution going on down in Discovery Park. I've seen some scantily clad “ladies” down there two days in a row. This park does not have any grass, so it is not the type of place you would go to sunbathe., but these “ladies” appear to be doing just that (maybe). They are lying on the wood chips that are in the playground area. They have on extremely short shorts and sports bras. They are very thin in appearance and they are wearing a lot of makeup. There were two of them yesterday and today there was only one there. She was lying on a towel and a young man came into the park and he set up a “portable punching bag” and was doing some boxing moves. After awhile, this “lady” got up and went over to him and said “Hi. What are you doing?” then she started flirting with him. By the time the dogs and I left the park, she had this young man showing her how to do some boxing moves. I guess what has me wondering is the fact these ladies are dressed the way they are and that as I said before, this is not the kind of place people would go to sunbathe. Played some ball with Hiker in the backyard this afternoon. Was getting a little overcast while we were out there.

Another Weather-Perfect Day

Had a busy morning. When Hiker and I rolled out of bed around 7:30 am, I made breakfast then put the sheets and towels into the washing machine and vacuumed the carpet. When the wash was done and I could put it all into the dryer, I headed out to get my lottery tickets and the went up to Sam's Club to pick up a few things. I was surprised that I got in and out so quickly. When I got back home, Hiker and I headed over to Jean's to pick up her mail for her and to take Sassy out for a walk. After the walk, we sat and visited with Jean for awhile. Came home and had lunch and then put the sheets back on the bed. It was about 86° here today. Hiker kept barking at me to come out into the back yard to play ball with her. I would go out for a little while and play and then come back into the house, only for her to bark for me to come out and play more. She tires me out LOL!

Warm Saturday

Chilly morning when Hiker and I woke up. I actually had to turn the furnace on for a little while to get the chill of the house, but then it warmed up. Did some laundry and after the gardener finished with the lawns, Hiker and I headed over to Jean's to pick up Timmy as it was his turn to go for a walk with us. It was beautiful outside by the time we went. Sunny and breezy. Came back to Jean's and visited with her for a little while then headed home to have lunch. After lunch, Hiker and I went out into the yard and played ball for awhile, then we went for another short walk down to the park. By now it was in the mid-80's and so we didn't stay out too long. Going to have one of my favorite comfort foods for dinner tonight...mac, cheese and little smokies. MMMMM.

Happy Friday All

Hiker and I played with her big red ball in the backyard this morning. She loves running around the year with it. Around 9:15 am, we went up to Jean's and got Charlie to take him for a walk then went back and sat with Jean for awhile. She is now able to walk around some but the doctor told her not to go outside yet. Beautiful morning. After lunch, I decided to wash the Corolla. I wish I could keep it in the garage with the 4Runner but with the shelving and the fridge and the freezer, I can only get one vehicle in the garage. After I did the car, I pulled a few weeds in the front yard. Don't want the community coming after me for having weeds on the slope. Got up to around 82° today.

Looks Like Spring Outside

Got up around 7:45 am and had breakfast, then decided to take Hiker up to the Pet Smart and see if I could find some breath freshener for her. Sometimes her breath smells like an outhouse (LOL). I found some liquid that you put in her water that is supposed to help prevent tartar and also freshen her breath. I sure hope it works. When we got back home, we went up to Jean's and got Sassy and took her out for a morning walk. Came home and sat down to watch “The Young And The Restless” but found out that the STUPID “March Madness” was on so no Y&R. It makes me so mad when the pre-empt Y&R every year at this time for a dumb basketball playoff. I really don't think anyone really cares about the playoff and I really doubt there are that many people who are home to watch it during the day anyway. Hiker and I played a little ball out in the backyard. She loves me to kick the ball and then she chases it all over the yard. She even gets hold of it with her teeth and tosses it into the air, or kicks it with her legs. It got up to around 80° here today.

Hump Day

Hiker gets really upset when she cannot find me in the house. This morning when we got up, it was still dark outside. I let Hiker outside to go potty and then I put her food in her bowl for her and I headed into the front bedroom to turn on my small laptop and run my weekly scans and cleanup on it. I didn't turn the bedroom light on when I went in there and I was standing in the dark waiting for the computer to start up. Hiker came running down to the bedroom to look for me but she could not see me in the dark, so she ran back to our bedroom, but she could not find me there either. I could hear her running all over the house looking for me and I could tell by the noises she was making (a little whimper) that she was panicking. She came back into the bedroom where I was at least 2 more times and still did not see me standing there. Finally when she came back again, I said something to her and she ran to me and started jumping up on me and she finally calmed down. When I tell her I am going somewhere, like to the store or to group, she knows I'm not going to be there and she does not panic. It was overcast today. A storm was coming through the center of California, but bypassing us. All we got were high clouds. I went over to Wal-Mart this morning and bought a 10” digital photo frame for my photographs of Ben. I had bought a 7” one right after Ben had died, but I've been wanting a bigger one. While I was eating lunch, my brother Keith called me and said that his doctor had called him and told him that his last blood workup showed that he is slightly anemic. They want him to run a few more tests. After the phone call, I took Hiker out for a 1.5 mile walk. It was cloudy but very humid.

Group Day

Really didn't want to get out of bed this morning but had to so I could go to my grief group. It was a little chilly here this morning but warmed up to around 80° by the afternoon. When I first got to group today, hardly anyone was there but they all came in right around 11 am. We had a new guy named Bernie. He had just lost his wife on February 26th and they had been married almost 69 years. He cried when he was telling some of us about her. Felt so bad for him. Another member Jane, said she remembered him and his wife from the hospital when her husband was there for dialysis. She said that she thought Bernie is about 93 years old. It is scary enough to lose your spouse, but I cannot imagine losing them at that age. I guess the only consolation is that you probably won't have too many years left to live without them. I keep thinking that maybe I will wash my vehicles tomorrow, but they have said we “might” get rain. Just have to wait and see. Jane, Ruth and I went over to Jimmy Dean's for lunch after group.

Ordinary Day

I have gotten used to my habit of letting Hiker outside to potty around 6 am and then going back to bed until 8 am. Didn't do that when Jean was able to go on the dog walks because she likes to go early. After breakfast I headed over to Sam's Club to pick up a few things and to put gasoline in the 4Runner. Gas prices have come down a little but I still paid $4.079 for regular. Soon the oil companies will be switching over to the “summer blend” which means prices will go up again. After lunch, Hiker and I went over to Jean's house and got Timmy as it was his turn to go for a walk with Hiker. After the walk, we sat and talked with Jean for awhile. She goes back to her doctor on Wednesday for him to see how her foot is doing. When Hiker and I came home, noticed that it was starting to get cloudy. They keep saying we may get a little rain on Wednesday.

Here is a photo of Hiker and Timmy while out on their walk

Had A Great Hike This Morning

Got up at 6 am to let Hiker outside and it was already 61° because there were a few clouds. By 8 am it had cleared up and was beautiful outside. I really could have stayed in bed longer but made myself get up to take Hiker for a morning hike over in Whitney Canyon. The canyon is beautiful in the morning, this time of year. Even without us having much rain, everything is so green. I love this canyon because it has such pretty oak groves and so many nice grassy meadows. Did not go all the way to the waterfall because there is no need to when there's no water in the canyon. We've had a little rain this winter, but not enough for the creek to run. We hiked in a little over a mile and then back to the car so we did almost 2.5 miles. Got there early enough today to find a nice parking spot. The last time we tried to go there could not find a place to park. There were a lot of cars in the lot but Hiker and I did not run across anyone on the Whitney Trail so everyone must have been over on The Beast or on the Elsmere Canyon Trail. Today I didn't wear my hiking boots or my hiking shoes, I wore my regular walking sneakers and my feet didn't hurt like they did last week when Hiker and I went hiking. So it must be the boots. After lunch, Hiker and I went over to Jean's and took her dog Charlie out for a walk. He and Hiker get along, but they are not as “close” as Hiker and Sassy are.

Nice Day

Slept in a little while this morning. Been doing that a lot lately, and since we have not been doing our dog walks with Jean since she had her foot surgery, it's easy for me and Hiker to just crawl back into bed after Hiker goes outside to potty in the morning. Being Saturday, we had to wait for the gardener to come so while waiting, I did a load of laundry. After the gardener finished, I leashed Hiker up and we went up to Jean's to take one of her 3 dogs out on a walk. I told her I would not take all 3 of them at once, but had no problem doing one at a time. We chose Sassy for today's walk and I took Sassy and Hiker down to the park for a little while. When we took Sassy back home, I went out and watered some of Jean's plants that are in her backyard. Told her that either tomorrow or Monday, I will come and take Charlie for a walk.

Fun Lunch With The Lockheed Girls

Slept in for a little while. Actually was watching TV more than sleeping. I had on an old “Matlock” episode. Went up to Palmdale to have lunch with some of my Lockheed retired girlfriends. Sandi Owens and DeDee Parenteau rode up with me and we met Kay Limpus and Judy Holdt at the Hometown Buffet up there. The Hometown Buffet here in Santa Clarita closed down several months ago, so I' surprised that the one in Palmdale is still open. They didn't get very crowded like they used to. We always have so much fun when we all get together. Warm again today but not quite as bad as it has been. Only got into the mid-80's instead of the mid-90's. Was a little windy too so I'm thinking that is why it was a little cooler. When I got home from the lunch, I changed from my jeans into some shorts. A couple of the girls said they had already turned their A/C units on but I have not uncovered mine yet. If it stays this warm I think I will uncover it and try it to make sure it is working properly before the really hot weather gets here.

Didn't Do Much Today

After breakfast this morning, I had to go to the bank, so I put Hiker in the car and off we went. I also needed to drop a donation bag off at Goodwill. When we got home, I took Hiker out for a 1.6 mile walk then came home and settled down to watch Y&R and then have lunch. After lunch, we went over to Jean's house. She had surgery on her foot yesterday so I went by to see if she needed anything and to see how she was doing. I had planned on letting her rest a couple of days and going over tomorrow to see her, but I have a lunch date with my Lockheed retired friends tomorrow, so decided I'd check on Jean today. It got up into the low 90's here again today.

Did SoCal Skip Over Spring And Go Right Into Summer?

Hiker and I slept in until 8 am. She would not let me sleep any later than that. She went outside around 6:30 am and we went back to bed then she tried to get me up around 7 am and I told her to lay down and go back to sleep and she did. But then at 8 am she started kissing me and would not leave me alone, so we got up. I made breakfast and then headed over to Wal-Mart to get a new paper shredder. Got the exact same kind I had last time. They keep going up in price. I think I paid about $15 for the last one and I paid $25 for this new one. Came home and took Hiker out for a morning walk. She saw her dog friend Sophie along the way and she met a chocolate lab named Ruby. We had met Ruby once before when Ruby got out of her backyard and came running over to say hi. After lunch, I took Hiker out for another walk inside of our gated community. Was HOT out there, 90° according to my thermometer at 2:30 pm. I did my first Wii workout. Did 26 minutes of aerobics and worked up a sweat, but I don't like the way the Mii does not move with me like it should. So I did 2 walks and a Wii workout today. That's a lot of exercise for one day.

Good Group Session - Good Lunch

I hate this time change. I am so sleepy when I wake up in the morning and then I'm a little grumpy the rest of the day. I wish they would just pick either standard time or daylight saving time and just leave it on one or the other all year. Besides, you still use your lights just as much so you don't save electricity. Now instead of having to turn them on early in the evening, you have to turn them on in the morning. But I've heard that the real reason they change the time is because retailers have found that during daylight saving time people have more sunlight in the evening so they go out more after dinner and spend money more than they do when we are on standard time. During standard time, people tend to go home from work and stay inside. So it's all about the money, just like everything else. Had a good session at the Grief Support Group today. After group several of us went to Cathy's Deli for lunch. When we left to head home a couple of women came by with 2 beautiful Lab and they were both "pure white". They were Beau and Buddy. Beau was 3 years old and Buddy was 4 years old. I had never seen a pure white "golden" retriever. There were so sweet too. When I got home, Hiker wanted me to come out and play with her ball. It was 85° and felt very warm so I didn't stay out in the sun too long. Also discovered that my criss-cross shredder quit working so now I'll have to go up to Wal-Mart tomorrow and see if I can get a new one.

Tax Refunds - YEA!

Had a morning dog walk/play date with Jean and her dogs this morning. This will be the last one for several weeks because Jean is having foot surgery on Wednesday and the doctor told her he does not want her on her feet for a few weeks and then she will have to cut back on her walking until her foot totally heals. While I was out, my brother Ron called so I called him back and we chatted for awhile then I went up to Stater Brothers and did my grocery shopping. While I was there, I got a text from my brother Keith telling me he had just felt an earthquake. It was a 4.7 and it was out in Riverside County. I had not felt it because I was moving around in the store but I heard that it was felt by people here in Santa Clarita and my cousin Lynda felt it out by the beach. Got a call from my tax people telling me my paperwork was ready to pick up so put Hiker in the car and we headed up to La Canada to pick it up. I was surprised I am actually getting refunds.

Nice Three Mile Hike Today

Because of the time change, Hiker did not wake me up until 7 am to go outside. Of course my body still knew that is was really 6 am (LOL). It was a beautiful morning when we got up. Went to get my Lotto tickets and then came home and changed the sheets on the bed and did my vacuuming. Decided since I was not yet hungry for lunch because of the time change, that Hiker and I should go out for a hike. We headed over to Whitney Canyon but could not find a place to park in the “free” area. I could not believe so many people were there, but then as I said, it was beautiful outside. Guess next time I'll take some money with me and park in the parking lot that charges a fee. So then we headed over to Towsley Canyon. It was really crowded there too, but we did find a place to park in the no fee lot. We were only going to do about a mile and a half but ended up going up to the Narrows so we did a little over 3 miles. When I'm out hiking, I keep wondering how much longer I will be able to do it because my feet really hurt me when I'm out on the trails. I hope I won't have to stop hiking for a long time.

Beautiful Day After The Rain

Tried to sleep in this morning. Did pretty well until about 7:30 am when Hiker started bothering me to get up. Bright and sunny this morning. Put a load of laundry in the washer and turned on the TV. I have “Music Choice” on my cable TV so I decided to listed to some classic country music...Ernest Tubb, Patsy Cline, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton. My mom was a huge country music fan. She was born in Oklahoma and grew up with it. She would have our radio playing country music all day when I was a kid. I recall the first song I can remember from when I was 3 years old was “Wabash Cannonball” by Roy Acuff so I guess you could say I grew up with it too. For some reason I was teary eyed a lot of the day. People who think that grief finally goes away are wrong. I will go along for days and be fine, then all of a sudden one day it hits you like a ton of bricks again. Thank goodness for my Hiker girl because it would much worse if she was not in my life. Took Hiker out for a walk around 10:30 am. What a beautiful day it was outside. I got all of my clocks changed and checked the batteries in my smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Hiker loved the weather today. She spent several hours outside.

Dark And Cloudy All Day

Had to cancel our morning dog walk/play date with Jean and her dogs. I woke up a little after 3 am and it was pouring down rain and was still raining when we were supposed to meet Jean. There is snow on all of the mountains around the Santa Clarita Valley and I heard that they closed Interstate 5 and that there is also a lot of snow up in Acton, CA about 15 miles from here. It's not cold enough for the snow to come down to the 1400 ft level where I live though. I was really hoping to get out for that dog walk because Hiker and I have not gone for a walk since last Monday. I just have not been in the mood to go out for a walk or hike for some reason. Don't know if I have a slight bug or if I just ate something that did not agree with me. I have been having stomach problems all day so I guess it's a good thing that it's been raining off and on all day so and I have not gone outside much. Just been vegging out on the sofa most of the day.

Got My Corolla Back

Dark and cloudy when Hiker and I got up this morning. Around 8:10 am, the Toyota dealer called to tell me my car was ready. They open at 8 am but the service manager told me that he mentioned to the mechanic last night that I wanted to get it back early because I had an afternoon appointment, so the mechanic came in a 7 am to finish it. Thought that was nice of him. After I picked up the car, I went by home and picked up Hiker because she has not gotten to go walking for 2 days and I know she loves to ride in the car and I had to run some errands, so took her along. I purchased some exercise software online for my Wii game console, but the two accessories I need did not come with it. I need the Wii resistance band and the leg strap for the Wii Active Workouts. I checked at Wal-Mart and Best Buy, but they only carry the remotes...they don't carry the items I need. I'll try Game Stop tomorrow to see if they have them. If not, I will have to purchase them on Amazon. When we got back home, I was just getting ready to make lunch. Went to wash my hands and found that the water was turned off. I called the office and they said they have a broken pipe at the clubhouse so they had to turn everyone's water off to fix it. Went to see my tax man this afternoon. I was a little worried that I would have to pay this year but he said he thinks I'll be OK. I just give him my paperwork and then he calls back in about a week telling me to come and pick up my returns. Stayed very dark and cloudy here all day. Supposed to have rain tonight.

My Corolla Is "Sick"

Got up early to take my Corolla to the dealer for its 6 month service, plus I asked them to check the passenger front window and my brakes. The brakes have been squeaking. They started to do the service and they noticed I was low on oil. Then they noticed that there was oil on my valves, crankcase and some other parts of the engine. They found the leak. It was in a timing cover gasket that is under the engine. The bad news is they have to hoist the engine to replace the gasket and anytime they have to hoist the engine, the labor is expensive. I remembered Ben and I once had a Toyota pickup truck that had the same leaky gasket. Ben said we really had to replace it because the oil on the engine can cause the car to catch fire when the engine gets hot. So with that thought in my head, I told them to go ahead and do it. Better safe than sorry. Also they found the front rotors on the car needed to be machined just like I had done last month on the 4Runner and because the rotors were warping, This messed up the front brakes, so they will need to be replaced. But....it is still cheaper than buying a new car. I'm just glad I listened to Ben telling me it was always good to have 2 vehicles so you always have a spare if one is in the shop. I almost sold the 4Runner after he died and now I am so glad I didn't. I have my tax appointment tomorrow so if they have to keep the Corolla tomorrow too, I'll still be able to keep the appointment since I have the 4Runner. It was dark, cloudy and chilly all day, so Hiker and I did not go out for a walk, plus I didn't want to be out somewhere in case the car dealer called because they told me there was a chance that my car might be done before they close this evening.

Below is a link to "The Mighty Oak"...the newsletter from our local Senior Center. My article is on Page 5.

The Mighty Oak

Not Much To Blog About Today

Not much to write about today. Went to my Grief Support Group. We were missing a few people today as some of the “regulars” didn't show. After group, went to lunch with DeDee, Jane and Mona. We went to Red Robin. It has been “hazy” here all day as there is a marine layer over us. We are supposed to get rain sometime tomorrow. I have to get up early in the morning and be over to the Toyota dealer to have my Corolla serviced. I'm going to have them check the brakes also because they have been squeaking some. I got new front brakes on it in 2011 when Ben was in the hospital but it might need rear brakes. Also want them to check my front passenger window. Sometimes it “shimmies” when I open and close it so I'm thinking it has a loose bolt or is coming off of the track. I could take Hiker with me but the last time I took her there, she got a little “antsy” because we had to just sit for so long. I had taken her for a 2 mile walk when I first left the car, but that was last summer and once it got hot, we stayed in the air conditioned waiting room.

Busy Morning But Relaxing Afternoon

Got up early and did a dog walk/play date with Jean and her dogs. Hiker kept trying to get Charlie to play but he is still intimated by her for some reason. Today was the first time Hiker has ever tried to get him to play. Maybe eventually they will. Made breakfast and then headed over to fill my Corolla with gas ($4.199 per gallon) and then went to Wal-Mart to get a few things and then across the street to Sam's Club to get some other stuff. While at Wal-Mart, I picked up two new stuffed hedgehogs for Hiker. Her other two were getting so old that their squeakers no longer worked and the were so dirty that even when I washed them, they didn't come out looking very good. It was time for new ones. When I got home with them, I put the bag they were in on the floor and Hiker went to see what was inside the bag. As soon as she saw them, she took both of them out of the bag and started playing with them and didn't stop for over an hour. Hiker heard the closing music of “The Young And The Restless” again and started pawing at me to take her out somewhere in the car. We drove over to the Quigley Open Space in Newhall and walk and took a short hike on the Fox Loop Trail.

Hung Out Around Home All Day

Why does the bed feel so good in the morning? Because of that, Hiker and I stayed in bed until almost 8 am. When we got up, it was overcast and cool. The weather people didn't say anything about cloudy weather until the end of the week. Got up and made myself a couple of fried eggs and some toast for breakfast. I know “fried” is not good but I used just a little bit of canola oil. After breakfast, I put Hiker in the car and headed over to the liquor store to buy my Lotto tickets and then came home and started the laundry. I used to like cloudy days when Ben was alive, but now they just make me sad. When it's bright and sunny, I feel like getting out and walking or hiking or taking photographs. When it's cloudy, I just want to stay inside and veg out on the couch. That's why I decided to order the Wii EA Active Personal Trainer software on Amazon for my Wii console. Hopefully I'll “make” myself exercise on days we cannot get out for our walk. Last night I tried the Wii Boxing that came on my Wii Sport. I must say it actually had me working up a sweat. A lot of the cloud cover had burned off by 10:30 am but we didn't go for a morning walk because I had to do my vacuuming and some other house work. The sun and clouds kept changing places all the rest of the day. Finally took Hiker out for a very short walk to Discovery Park. I just did not feel much like walking today. My brother Keith just reminded me that next Sunday (March 10) we change to Daylight Saving Time.

Relaxing Saturday

Slept in a little this morning. Beautiful morning when we finally did crawl out of bed. Just sat around waiting for the laundry to finish and watched some TV. Always wait to go anywhere on Saturday until after my gardener comes. I have to be here to let him into the backyard. After lunch, Hiker and I wanted to get out for a walk. Even though the morning was beautiful, by the time we headed out, there was a layer of high, thin clouds covering the sky and because it was 85° it was felling very humid. Sometimes it is hard to figure out where to go for our walk. Today we headed over to Bridgeport Park but instead of walking around the lake, we walked around the outside of the lake. Maybe we can get out earlier tomorrow.

Gorgeous Day

Had a dog-walk/play-date with Jean and her dogs this morning. Was planning on having Jean groom Hiker next Wednesday, but decided to do it today because Wednesday I have to take my Corolla in for service and thought it would be better to do Hiker today in case I got hung up at the dealer. Beautiful day here. In the 80's with bright sunshine but windy. Took Hiker out again for a short afternoon walk. We walked around inside our gated community. Just too pretty outside to stay inside.