Poke In The Eye Wasn't Too Bad

Had trouble going to sleep again last night, but I know what the reason was this time. It's because today I am going to have my eyeball poked with a needle. When Hiker and I got out of bed, it was very dark and cloudy outside. We were to meet up with Jean and her dogs at 7:30 am for our usual Friday walk. Around 7 am, my phone rang and it was Jean telling me that she was noticing sprinkles on her kitchen window. I went out onto my patio and it was drizzling but not that bad so I told her we should go ahead and walk, which we did, and by the time we were done with the walk, the clouds were clearing up and the sun was coming out. Jean picked me up between 12:15 and 12:30 to take me down to Panorama City Kaiser for my appointment with my retinal specialist. My appointment was at 2 pm but we always leave early because we have to travel 25 miles and never know what the traffic on the freeways will be like. Plus there have been times that when I get to appointments early, they take me in earlier and I get out sometimes before my actual appointment time. I am a little nervous about the eye injection today, but I've had several people who have had eye injections tell me that it's no big deal, that I won't feel a thing, so I'm hoping they are not lying to me. I remember I went with Ben once to the same retinal specialist when Ben had to have an injection and he swore to me that he didn't feel a thing, so I am telling myself to be brave. My main thing is that I hope the series of steroid injections will really help my vision. I just got home and need to eat some dinner so I will send more info on how it went in tomorrow's email blog.

Another Lazy Day - Oh Well.....

Didn't sleep in as long today as I did yesterday. Very cloudy outside when Hiker and I went over to Wal-Mart. They say we “might” get some drizzle, but that's not enough to help our drought situation. Got busy on the computer working on some of my photographs and suddenly realized what time it was. My phone rang and it was my friend RuthAnne calling to see if I was going to come over to Placerita. I had forgotten to call or text her to let her know if I was going to hike with her today. Since she is training to be a docent at the nature center, she usually takes a hike after the class and I have been meeting her there each Thursday. But the morning slipped away from me somehow and I forgot to let her know. My Bad! My mind has not been where it should be today. I am NOT looking forward to tomorrow. I have to go to my retinal specialist for the first in a series of eye injections. Jean is going to drive me down to Kaiser in Panorama City. My appointment is not until the afternoon. I've had several people who have had these injections tell me that I will not feel it so it won't hurt, but they said it is uncomfortable because when the put the antibiotic into the eye, it stings really bad. I'm guessing that since my mind has been on my appointment tomorrow, I forgot about the hike. Sorry about that RuthAnne.

Lazy Today

Very lazy day today. For some reason, I could not fall asleep last night. I went to bed around 8:45 pm and read a few chapters of my book on my Kindle. Still not sleepy. Got my iPad and played some games. Still not sleepy. Turned the TV on. Could not find anything good to watch so channel surfed for about a hour. Finally started to doze off around 1 am so I turned the TV off. Woke up several times during the next four hours. Got up to let Hiker go outside around 6 am then went back to bed to try to get some sleep, but Hiker decided she wanted to play, so finally got out of bed just before 8 am. Had some breakfast, ran my weekly and monthly scans on both of my laptops then headed over to Sam's Club to pick up some things I was running out of. Got up to 84° here in SoCal today. I feel so sorry for those people in the other half of the United States who are having all of that cold snow. Even the most southern states are have terrible weather.

Support Group Today

Went to my grief support group today. Seems like we always have a full house these days. I'm glad that so many people have come to the support group to help them get through their grief, but I hate that they had to lose someone to come be with us. Edwin was actually quiet today. He didn't say one single word. We were all very amazed. After group, a few of us went to the pizza parlor for lunch. We always have sun fun conversations at lunch. Today we were talking about different cultures.

Took this photo this morning of Venus and the moon

Had A Nice Walk This Afternoon

Up at 6 am and out by 7:15 for a dog walk with Jean. A little chilly out this morning but the sun was out today. After Jean left I did a little housework. It was so nice to run the vacuum over the carpet without it jumping and bouncing over the ripples that used to be there. Now all I have to do is get the carpet cleaned. I've decided to do it myself as I have in the past. About 2 years ago, I bought a Bissell Pro Steamer so I may as well take advantage of it. It will save me a few hundred dollars to do it myself plus I'm a little worried about the chemicals that some of the professionals use. I've heard about dogs getting their paw pads burned plus getting sick from breathing in all of the chemicals when they sniff since they are so close to the floor. I just use soap and hot water in the steamer so I think it would be safer. I used to clean the entire house carpet in one day, but now I do one room or area at a time. After lunch, Hiker and I went over to Canyon Country Park and walked the path they have around the park. We did about a mile total and then headed back home. About 78° here today.

Cool And Cloudy

Hiker and I were lazy this morning. We stayed in bed until 8 am, but I didn't go back to sleep after letting her outside earlier, I was watching “Sunday Morning” on CBS. I've always enjoyed that show. Made myself some pancakes for breakfast and put the sheets and towels into the washing machine. Once I put them into the dryer, Hiker and I got in the car and ran some errands. I did my share of recycling today by sending five empty ink cartridges back to HP and I donated some clothing and books to Goodwill. Mostly cloudy here again today. They keep saying we “might” get some rain by the end of this coming week, but I won't believe it until I see it. But I cannot get over our strange weather this winter. We have several days that are clear and in the high 70s and low 80s and then it will get cloudy and drop down to the mid 60s for a few days. I never know what to wear when I get up in the morning. The only thing that has been constant has been the wind. I think we've had more wind this January than any other January.

Hiker getting her chicken toy out of the dryer

Carpet All Stretched

Up at 6 am. Had to move several items out of the house so when the carpet repair guys arrive. Wasn't sure if I should move some of the stuff, but I went ahead and moved it just in case. I hate a messy house. Things were piled up in the laundry room and both bathrooms. Hiker couldn't figure out what was going on. She kept following me around and watching me. When Jean came to get her, Hiker didn't want to go. She kept sitting down on the porch and looking back at me as if asking “aren't you coming too mom?” Jean got her out to the front yard and Hiker stopped and laid down on the lawn. Jean kept tugging at her leash and Hiker just kept staring at me, so I had to close the front door. Shawn, the carpet repair guy showed up around 9:45 am. His “crew” did not come with him. Come to find out, they were his two sons and one of them had a hangover this morning and the other wanted to spend the day with his girlfriend. Shawn and I moved the furniture, which him actually doing most of the moving. It took him three hours to stretch the carpet. It looks so much better. I am totally wiped out. It took me about an hour this morning to move things out of the way and then it took me about another hour to put it all back after Shawn left. I went up to Jean's to get Hiker and when she saw me, she came running and jumping up at me. Once I got her home, she stuck to me like glue. Got up to about 80° here today.

Cloudy Day

Was very windy all night long. I could hear the gusts of wind howling. I guess my hike yesterday made me tired because I was ready to go to bed at 8 pm. I usually stay up until 9 pm or 10 pm. Went to bed and read a few chapters of my book on my Kindle then turned the TV on, but fell asleep within about 10 minutes. We got up at 6 am to get ready for our usual Friday dog walk with Jean. It was cold, cloudy and windy outside. We could see that the sun was trying to peak out, but it just could not seem to burn through the clouds. It stayed “hazy” all day. I did a load of laundry which I would normally have done tomorrow but the carpet repair guys are supposed to be here around 9 am tomorrow morning and they will be here from 4 to 5 house, so wanted to get the laundry done today. Also had to empty out book cases and move things off of the tops of dressers and tables so when they guys have to move the furniture, it will be easier for them to do so. Jean is supposed to come over around 9 am in the morning and take Hiker over to her house so she won't be underfoot or barking at the guys. Hopefully I won't have to disconnect my Internet cable and my router so I can take my laptop out to my patio while the guys are working inside the house. The sun never did come out here today.

Did Another Hike

Up at 7 am and then headed over to do my grocery shopping at Stater Brother. Started getting very windy when Hiker and I got back home. Met my friend RuthAnne again over at Placerita Canyon after her docent training and we went for another hike. Did the same distance that we did last Thursday...3 ½ miles. I was still huffing and puffing but not quite as bad as I was last week. Maybe I'm finally getting back into shape. There were a lot of people out hiking today. It was winding and warm again. I am always so proud of Hiker when she is with me out in public. She is always so good! She obeys me and is always so good with other people.

Felt Like Spring

Got up at 6 am so I could have breakfast and be ready for when the carpet guy showed up. He called around 8:15 am and said he'd be here a little after 9 am. I called Jean and she came and got Hiker to take her house, then Jean came back here in case we needed to move furniture. Well when he got here, I showed him the problem areas and he said since he was alone it would be better if he came back on Saturday with a crew so they could move the furniture, although he said they won't have to totally remove all of the furniture. He said there was a little more work than he thought there would be and that it will take them 4 to 5 hours. That's fine with me because I didn't have any plans for this Saturday plus I'll have all day Friday to remove things from bookcases and from the top of dressers, etc. Jean volunteered to take Hiker up to her house again and keep her until they finish with the carpet. I had been told on the phone that the ballpark estimate was $300 to $400 and after he checked it all out, he said the final price would be $375 so I think that's a good deal. He said that they don't actually do the carpet steam cleaning but that they “partner” with Chem Dry Carpet Cleaning and that they could probably get me a good deal with them, so we will check with that once they get the ripples out of the carpet. I asked him what causes the carpet to ripple and he said it is usually caused by improper installment, but sometimes it is humidity in the house and there are a few other things that could cause it, but it's usually improper installment. I wouldn't doubt it being that because we paid a lot less for the new carpet and installation than Ben and I had expected to pay when we got it 5 years ago, so I'm guessing the installers were not as meticulous as some others may have been. After he left, Jean and I decided to take the dogs for a walk, but she wanted to walk somewhere other than Discovery Park, so we put all four dogs in her car and headed over to Heritage Park. We did a 2 mile walk with the dogs. We don't really get cardio exercise when we walk her dogs since they have to stop and smell everything, but at least we did get outside and any walking is better than no walking. When we took the dogs back home, I mentioned to Jean that I needed to go to Costco, so we decided to head over there, have a “cheap” lunch at their snack bar and then do a little shopping. It got up to 80° here today.

Another photo of my daffodils that are already blooming.

Cloudy Day...But No Rain

I was trying to watch the season finale of “Sleepy Hollow” last night and I kept dozing off. Was making me mad. I finally woke up more or less and finished watching it and went to bed around 10 pm. Turned on the TV and started to watch “something” and then fell asleep. Got up at 6 am to let Hiker outside to potty and got back in bed to watch the morning news and fell back to sleep. I got up at 7 am and got dressed so I'd be ready to leave at 9 am for my grief support group. It was cloudy here all day, but they still keep saying that there is no sign of rain anywhere out there for us. Our governor declared us to be in a drought the other day which we all thought was late coming since we have not had any good rain in about 3 to 5 years. We had a packed room for our group session at the senior center this morning. Edwin (our obnoxious man) was on a roll today and driving everyone crazy. When some of us went to lunch today after group, we were all talking about how he is so annoying at times. We went to the new Sizzler for lunch and it was pretty crowded again, just as it was when my neighbor Jean and I had gone there about 2 weeks ago. Tomorrow I have the carpet repair people coming to see if they can stretch my carpet and the possible clean it. Jean is coming over to get Hiker and take her up to her house to be with her dogs while the carpet people are here. Jean is going to come back over and stay with me while the guys work. They are supposed to arrive sometime between 9 am and 11 am. One of them called me and left a message on my voice mail saying it would probably be more around 9:30 am.

Pretty Normal Monday

Got up at 6 am and went on our dog walk with Jean. She had Rev, a puppy that she is boarding for the weekend. After she went home, I drove up to the car wash and got my car vacuumed and washed. I always try to get there for the “early bird special”. I get the wash for half price if I do that. There were more people there than I had expected this morning. Came home and did a little housework. I still had more to do but I decided to stop and take a break to watch Y&R and have lunch. Another warm day here. Finished the rest of my housework in the afternoon and then just relaxed the rest of the day.

Lunch Out

I was surprised when I woke up at 7 am because Hiker had not got me up at 6 am to go outside as she normally does. I don't know if she had tried to wake me up or not. I do remember her stirring around earlier in the morning, but I didn't look at the clock at that time. When I opened my eyes, I thought “gee, it sure is light outside for 6 am” then I looked at the clock. It was chilly here this morning. Even at 7 am it was only 36° on my patio. Jean picked me up at 11:30 am to go to lunch and then she wanted to go over to Petco as they were supposed to have a class about oral care for dogs, but when we got there, they said they didn't know anything about the class, so we went to Target and then came home. We had high, thin clouds here all day, but they still say there is not a speck of rain heading our way.

Beautiful Saturday

Hiker and I stayed in bed until 8 am this morning. Didn't sleep the whole time. I had the TV on and Hiker and I were playing. She likes to hid under the covers and growl so I'll look for her. We got up and had some breakfast and then I did a load of laundry, ran the dishwasher and did a little housework. It was cooler this morning when I let her outside at 6 am. For the past 6 days it had been in the low 60s at that time, but today it was only 38° at 6 am. My brother Ron called and we chatted for about 30 or 40 minutes. Hiker and I went down to Discovery Park and did a nice walk. It was very warm outside again this afternoon. I even noticed that my daffodils in the front yard are already blooming.

Pretty Good Day

When I woke up this morning, I realized that turning 64 didn't feel any different than when I was 63 yesterday (LOL). Also had a little flashback to 20 years ago on this date when the 6.7 earthquake hit us. I heard there was a small quake in Studio City, CA early this morning. I didn't feel it, but the people on the TV News said they did as their broadcast studio was at the epicenter. Hiker and I got up and went for our every Friday dog walk with Jean. We let the dogs play a little while in my back yard and then we went over to Jean's house so Jean could groom Hiker. Hiker is such a good girl when she is being groomed. She doesn't want to get into the tub and she fights me some when I'm lifting her into it, but once she is in the water, she is fine and then she is really good on the grooming table. She will just sit there and stare me right in the eyes while Jean is drying her with the blower and also when Jean is trimming her. Another warm and sunny day here. The wind has calmed down, but there was still a nice breeze. The fire that started yesterday morning in Glendora is still burning.

The moon setting early this morning

Great Day For A Hike

Still warm and windy here in SoCal. Hiker and I got out of bed around 7 am. Spent the early morning watching the news coverage of a large brush fire about 50 miles east of me in Glendora, CA. I headed out just before 10 am to get my lottery tickets, put gas in the car and stopped by Sam's Club to pick up a few items. Didn't take Hiker with me as it was too warm to leave her in a closed car while I shopped. On the way home from Sam's I had the radio on and “The Dance” by Garth Brooks came on. I had my brother Keith sing that at Ben's memorial service, so when I hear it, I get a little misty eyed. Left around noon with Hiker in tow to head for the Placerita Nature Center to meet up with my friend RuthAnne Murthy for a hike in the canyon. RuthAnne is taking the docent training at the center. She brought along another person Roxanne who is also training to be a docent. We did about a 3 ½ mile hike up to the white oil bubble pot and back. The weather was warm and nice, but there were a couple of spots where the wind was blowing really hard through the canyon. Coming back down the trail, there was a young couple with a Australian Cattle Dog. It was mostly black and white with more white on its face. Hiker had to go up and put her nose against the other Aussie's nose. It was cute. There was a group of college kids up in the canyon and one of them decided to take off by himself and leave the trail and hike up the side of the mountain. His friend was worried about him as the guy was saying he didn't know if he could get back down. We thought we were going to have to call the search and rescue volunteers, but I guess he was eventually able to get down on his own because they were not there when we came back down the trail. I'm still out of shape and when we got to the bubble pot, I was out of breath. On the way back down the canyon my feet started killing me. Bet I sleep good tonight (LOL).

Beautiful Day In Ventura With Friends

Today my friend and neighbor Jean and my friend Judy Holdt from my working days went with me up to Ventura Harbor. The weather was fantastic! Would you believe it was 85° at the beach? Plus it was so clear that we could see the Channel Islands off the coast of California. We had a lot of fun going through the shops and then we had lunch at Andria's. They are right in the harbor and specialize in fish and chips. They give you so much that we all brought half of our lunch home, so I'll finish the rest of mine for dinner tomorrow night. Before we left Ventura, we drove up to Serra Cross Park to look at the beautiful view of the city of Ventura and the gorgeous Pacific Ocean. Left there and headed home, but made a stop in Fillmore at their fish hatchery. Didn't stay there long as they were getting ready to close for the day. Hiker was so happy to see me when I got home. I think it was because she was hungry (LOL). What a great day with friends.

Pleasant Day

I find that the older I get that the morning after I do a longer walk or hike that I wake up feeling like crap. I'm tired and my body aches. I do feel much better once I'm up, dressed and moving around. Just goes to show how out of shape I have gotten, or as I said, it is because I'm getting older. I choose to think that it's that I'm out of shape and really need to get back into shape. I know I've been gaining weight and even though 8 years ago, I was able to take control of my eating and go from 205 lbs down to 150 lbs, I just do not seem to have the same self control I had back then about my portions of food. I know I eat too much and I know that deep down I can lose the weight again, but it's as if I just don't have the will power anymore. Makes me mad at myself. Plus I don't get out and walk or hike as much as I did before. I've become a couch potato. Well, tomorrow I'll be going to Ventura with my friends Judy and Jean and we will be walking around, but that kind of walking is not as good as power walking and hiking. On Thursday, Hiker and I will be going on a hike with my friend RuthAnne over in Placerita Canyon, so that will be good. I need to start getting up off the couch and go more and I need to start eating less. I need to take control again! Went to my grief support group today. Our therapist had asked us to bring in photographs of our spouses. A few of us did and it was nice to be able to put faces with the people we've talked about with our members. Five of us went to Jimmy Dean's for lunch after our group session.

Beautiful Day Even If It Was Windy

Had our morning walk with Jean and her dogs. It was strange because it was very windy all night last night, but when we were out for our walk, the wind didn't blow at all, but once we got back to my house, it started blowing again and by 11:30 am, it was blowing like it did last night. Our area is under a “red flag warning” which is a fire alert. Our fire departments have extra manpower and extra equipment on call. After lunch, Hiker and I went over to Central Park in Saugus and did a 2.25 mile walk. Actually Hiker took me for the walk as I let her take the lead and let her decide which way we would go as we walked. Stayed windy all day and was warm and sunny.

Not Your Typical Woman

I was reading a blog online this morning and it was from a woman who sounded a lot like me. She was saying that she is not the “typical stereotype female” and she told what made her different. My late husband Ben used to tell me that the thing he loved the most about me was that I was not the “typical female”. So I thought it would be kind of fun to post about what makes me different too. So here goes:

I prefer jeans and t-shirts/sweatshirts to any other kinds of clothes.

I do not own one single dress or skirt. I don't have to wear the “latest fashion”.

Most women have a closet full of high-heeled shoes. My closet has 3 pairs of athletic walking shoes and 2 pairs of hiking boots.

I would rather use a fanny pack than a purse. I only have one purse whereas most woman change purses with each outfit. I once bought a purse when I was dating Ben in the 1970s. I still have that purse. I carried it for over 40 years and was constantly teased about my “Hippie Purse” being out of date.
Yes...this is a photo of the actual purse.

I'd rather go on a hike in the mountains than to a movie or to a play.

Even though I love going to a nice steakhouse for special occasions, I prefer pizza or burgers when eating out.

I prefer WalMart and Target over high-end stores.

I don't like talking on the phone.

I don't wear make-up.

I never wanted children. I didn't have the “mommy gene” until I got Hiker.

So now you know the real me.

Quiet Sunday

Was really sleepy this morning, so after I let Hiker go potty at 6 am, she and I went back to bed until 8 am. Guess all of the running around yesterday made me tired. It was cloudy here in the morning and it stayed that way most of the day with the sun only peeking out now and then. Made myself some fried eggs and toast for breakfast and then Hiker and I went out to buy my lottery tickets. Did some housework and watched TV most of the day after that. Watched the movie “The Jerk” on Encore. Have not seen that movie in years.

Shopping Day With Jean

Heard a bunch of sirens and a helicopter last night. Found out that there was a stabbing about 3 or 4 miles away. They think it was gang related. Hiker and I got up around 7:30 am. Jean came and picked me up around 10 am. We went shopping at Kohl's first. I had a 15% off coupon plus a $5 coupon off for signing up for their credit card, plus I got another $5 off coupon since my birthday is this month. I got a long sleeved blouse that was originally priced at $18 for free after all of my discounts. Then we went over to Bed, Bath and Beyond. Jean was looking for something they didn't have. Then we stopped by Pet Smart and bought some 2014 calendars since they were on sale. I got one with photos of Aussie Cattle Dogs. The we went over to our brand new Sizzler for lunch. They were so crowded and they were having all kinds of problems with their computer cash registers. I had a $5 off coupon there, also for my birthday. I had planned on getting the $14.99 steak and lobster, but they were only offering that during December so I ended up getting a burger lunch and a salad. The new Sizzler is very nice inside. After lunch we headed over to Petco as Jean knew they were having a free seminar on potty training. Even though we both have older dogs, she had some questions, plus I asked about Hiker having “nervous pee” now and then. They told me that it probably stems from the life she had before I adopted her which I had already figures since I'm sure whoever had her before spanked her and were mean to her. I can tell just by the way she reacts to certain things. While at Petco, I bought a couple of plush toys for Hiker. They were on sale at 2 for $5. As usual, when I got home, Hiker wanted to look inside my bags to see what I brought her. Got into the mid 70s here today.

Didn't Do Much Today

I was having some strange dreams when the alarm went off at 6 am this morning. Hiker and I had a dog walk/play date with Jean and her dogs this morning. After Jean went home, I made some breakfast for me and Hiker and did a load of laundry. I normally do it on Saturday but Jean and I are going shopping together tomorrow so I decided to do the laundry today. Beautiful day today. Was 80° on my patio at 1 pm.

My friend Ruth from my Grief Support Group just adopted a dog from the same rescue shelter where I adopted Hiker. I found a photo of them on the New Leash On Life Rescue Shelter Facebook page. I wanted to share the photo with everyone.

Here is Ruth and Bridget (she changed the dog's name from "Blanche").

Remembering A Friend

Today I attended the memorial service for Gin Phelan. She had been a member of our grief support group for almost 2 years. She was never able to totally accept the death of her husband and she would often say she just wanted to be with him and she had told me in early December that she didn't know if she could face another Christmas without him. She didn't have to as she died on December 19th from heart failure. Everyone in the group knows that she actually died from a broken heart, but we are all very happy for her because she is now where she wanted to be. Ten of us from group (including Judy our therapist) attended the service. It was a very nice service and a few people told stories about Gin that made all of us laugh. Gin was a fun, feisty lady and we will all miss her. After the service, eight of us went to lunch at Dario's (a local Mexican restaurant that Gin liked). When I got home, I saw that Hiker had been lying in the small bathroom. I think that's where she hangs out sometimes when I'm away from home. Dogs seem to feel safe in bathrooms. I'm guessing because it is a small area and the feel secure in small areas. Was partly cloudy here today and in the mid 60s.

Hump Day

I was sound asleep, or so I thought, at 1 am this morning when I heard one sharp bark. I'm surprised it woke me up, but when it did, I noticed Hiker was not on the bed. I called her name but she didn't come, so I got up and found her sitting by the sliding door looking up at the handle which usually means she needs to go potty. I let her outside and she peed and then came right back into the house and headed right back to bed. What is strange about this is that this is the first time ever in the two years I've had her, that she has gotten me up in the middle of the night to go potty. She has always held it all night so she must really had to go bad. She still woke me again a little after 6 am to go outside again and then we went back to bed for a little while. When we got up, we had some breakfast and then headed up to Stater Brothers so I could do my grocery shopping. Hiker waited in the car for me. After lunch we drove over to the Placerita Canyon Nature Center and walked around. Weather was pretty nice and there were a lot of people there since school is still out here for Winter Break. Every time I am out on the trails, people always stop me and ask me if I am familiar with the area and they ask me all kinds of questions. I must look as if I belong there or something (LOL).

Cloudy Tuesday

Went to my grief support group at the senior center this morning. We had two new people today. One lost her husband last February and her kids immediately sold her house in Arizona, gave her furniture to charity and moved her to Reno with her son, then they moved her down here to SoCal to her daughter. At lunch we were all saying we felt sorry for her because her kids have not given her a moment to grieve and decide for herself what she wants to do with the rest of her life. The other new person lost her husband 2 months ago. She is from Sri Lanka and has traveled all over the world with him. He had a stroke and died suddenly. She is in that point of grief where she is confused and looking for answers as to why this happened. After group, 5 of us ladies and one guy (Jim) went to lunch at Cathy's Deli. We discussed our plans of attending the memorial service for or group member Gin who passed away in December. Her service is this Thursday and I think just about everyone is group will be there. It was cloudy and cool here all day, but none of us are complaining and are all glad we live here instead of in the eastern side of the US. For some reason today, I have been feeling a little depressed. I think it might be the cloudiness outside. I was glad to get home to my Hiker girl this afternoon.

Another Monday

Up early this morning for a dog walk with Jean. I feel so bad for my friends and family who live in all of that freezing cold weather to the east. We are still dry, windy and warm. After our dog walk, I headed over to Wal-Mart. I was surprised that there were quite a few people there this morning...more than normal They seemed to being inventory or something because in several aisles, they had workers with boxes and there were so many in each aisle that I could not even go into the aisles. When I got back home, I watched Y&R and had lunch and then I contacted a carpet repair company to have them come out and give me an estimate for stretching my carpet. They gave me a ballpark estimate on the phone, but that could change once they arrive, but they said the estimate is free and if I decide not to use them, there is no obligation. They also said that they would help me move some of the furniture. I'm sure there will be an extra charge for that, but that's understandable. They will be coming on January 22nd. Hiker and I took an afternoon drive. I had heard that our new Sizzler was opening today so I wanted to see if it did and it appears that it was open. Lots of cars in the parking lot and looked like a lot of people inside. Started getting overcast here this afternoon and the temperature started dropping some.

Sunday

Slept in again this morning. I am getting so used to doing that. In July, if I have to take the train to downtown Los Angeles for Federal Jury Duty, I will have to get up around 5 am to catch the train that will get me there on time and I know that is going to be hard. Hiker and I went to get my Lottery tickets and then went over to Sam's Club. I was there last Friday and as I was leaving the store, I noticed they had some really nice “hotel grade” pillows for a really good price. I've been needing some new pillows for my Cal-King bed. I didn't get them Friday because I had already gone through the check-out line and didn't want to go back again. So I got two new pillows for my bed. When we got back home, I did a load of laundry, changed my sheets and vacuumed the carpet. My carpet is starting to look really bad. Ben and I had new carpet installed about a year before he died. I was taking really good care of it and then Ben got sick and ended up in the hospital, so I was not taking good care of it anymore and then when Ben died, I didn't care about anything, so I was not cleaning house much. Now the carpet needs to be stretched as it is bunching up in several places, but I do not have anyone to move furniture for me so I can hire some carpet repair people to come fix it. I wanted new flooring but Ben was the one who wanted carpet. If I would have known that he was going to die and that I'd be having a dog, I would have gone for laminate flooring instead. This dry, windy weather we have been having for the past several months is really drying out my skin and my entire body is “surrounded” by static electricity. Every time I touch something I get a shock. Hiker and I keep shocking each other and my blouse keep riding up on me because it is full of electricity.

Stay At Home Saturday

Slept in this morning. I had let Hiker out around 6 am and she came back in an crawled into bed with me. I told her I was going to sleep until around 8 am and then I feel back to sleep. Suddenly I heard Hiker whimpering and she was “pawing” me, so I opened my eyes and looked at the clock and it was 8:02 am. Who needs an alarm clock? Before lunch, I took Hiker out for a walk. I usually take her after lunch, but I find it is easier to walk when I'm not full of food. It was sunny with a little haze and in the high 60s so we are back to our “normal” temperature for this time of year. Now if we would just get some rain. They had said some rain was heading our way by next week but now they say it's not coming. We are so dry here that the state is starting to worry about drinking water. Hiker is such a smart girl. I have a huge ottoman that came with my chaise sofa. I have it near my sliding door and I have a towel on it so Hiker can get up there and sleep if she wants. Her three chew bones were lying on the towel. She wanted one of them, so she pawed at the towel, knowing that she could pull the bones closer to her by doing that and picked the one she wanted and took it off the ottoman to chew on it. I swear she is more human than dog.

Happy Friday!

Had a dog walk with Jean this morning so got up at 6 am. She left earlier than normal as she had a dog coming to her house to be groomed this morning. Hiker and I had some breakfast and then we went up to Sam's Club to pick up a few things. This morning there was no wind as there has been the past few days and the temperature was cooler. Hiker and I just hung out at home all day. When I went to pick up my mail this afternoon, I had a letter from Kaiser. Now everyone has been telling me that I will start to receive all kinds of mail about Medicare this year. I turn 64 in January 17th, but already it has started. The letter from Kaiser was telling me to consider Kaiser for my Medicare needs. They sent a questionnaire and one of the questions was “do you plan to stay with Kaiser when you are eligible for Medicare?” I still get my health insurance through my ex-employer and if they are still offering us Kaiser next year, I will stay with Kaiser, but I have to wait until I see what Lockheed is offering me for 2015 before I can commit.

Here is the link for January's "The Mighty Oak" (newsletter for our local senior center). My article starts on page 8 and continues on page 10.

"The Mighty Oak"

Another Warm Winter Day

Slept in until 8 am this morning and probably could have slept a little longer. Woke up with a sore neck and sore shoulders. Probably from mopping all of my “hard” floors yesterday. Had some breakfast and then took Hiker with me to run a few errands. It was another warm day here in SoCal. Got into the low 80's again. Don't know what was with Hiker today. After we got back from doing errands, she went out into the backyard. She started barking at the door to come back in and then she was running around the house trying to find a place to hide. She eventually ended up behind the television in the living room and when I tried to make her come out she snapped at me a few times. I don't know what frightened her. I know someone in the neighborhood was making some kind of a popping or banging noise with something, so I think that's what she was afraid of. She does not like loud noises. After lunch, Hiker and I went over to Heritage Park in Valencia and did a 2 mile walk along the San Francisquito Creek Trail. It was very warm.

Happy New Year!

Hiker and I went to bed around 9 pm last night. I read for about an hour and then went to sleep. At midnight Hiker woke me up barking at the first sounds of New Year's celebrations. I will say that the party across the street was very quiet and did not bother me at all. A strange occurrence yesterday afternoon here in Canyon View Estates. Hiker and I had gone over to see Jean for a few minutes and when we got home, I noticed Hiker was acting very strange. I was in the bathroom and I heard a weird sound at my front door. It was a scratching sound and then some clucking that sounded like a chicken. I went to look and sure enough, there was a white chicken standing on my front porch. A woman was walking her dogs and she was standing by my driveway looking at the chicken. I guess her dogs had frightened it and it was trying to get into my house for some reason. I have no idea who it belonged too, but it hung around for a couple of hours causing Hiker to go ballistic. Got up around 8 am this morning and after breakfast, finished up some housework that I didn't get to the other day. While I was doing that, I had the Rose Parade on the TV. Had lunch while watching some of the “Twilight Zone” marathon then Hiker and I took a short walk down to Discovery Park. The weather here today was fantastic!