Cold and Shiver

Not many people tuck their trees in at night. I'm one of those people.
I have three citrus trees no taller than I am and I cover them up at night. I clip sheets, (that I keep for utility purposes) together and drape them over the branches before dark. The lemon tree is loaded with fruit right now and will bloom in the next few weeks.
It has not been this cold in ten years! 22' F this week, let's wish for clouds!
I can deal with replacing flowers and little bushes, but fruit trees are expensive and take years to produce so I want to protect them.
Nighty night!

Scraping, Filling, Painting

One of the bedrooms at my home is currently not in use. I took this opportunity to update the space. There was still the 70's look with the "cottage cheese" textured ceiling which I had to remove, apply a very light texture, prime and paint. The ceiling looks higher now. Walls also needed primer and paint after I'd filled in even the smallest holes and nicks. In itself it's not such a huge job, but it involved a fair amount of time consuming attention to detail. The electrician had to rewire the ceiling fan/light. I took out the extension phone wire as phone extensions now only need power to work, which gave me more holes to fill. I didn't want to overpower the air with paint fumes on any given day. All that's left to do now is to finish the trim painting around the door and the door itself. I already bought a new lock set, mind you, the old one was a bear to get off. Next month I'll decide on new floor covering.
So, that's what I've been doing.

More About B.

Although I'd planned to download some images, that was delayed for the moment.
Most every week I take Brighton to the youngster's gym hour. There are a number of kids waiting for their own class to begin or their sibling's to end. One girl especially and B have taken to each other. The girl pets and mushes B's face, ears and body and B. is loving it. On Friday they sat side by side on the bench watching the activities for a long time.
Norman Rockwell would have used this interlude for inspiration.

Therapy Dog

Brighton will be getting her "Therapy Dog" tag any day now. I'm very excited about that.
At this time I take her any place I can. She was quite the charmer at the Ford dealership this morning. First we did a bit of training amongst the cars and then we joined the other waitees.
Later I took her to the elementary school at dismissal time. She sits and lets herself be adored and it gives me an opportunity to instruct the kids about approaching a dog.
She spent the last three hours in the yard with the big girls. And, yes, she's sleeping now.
Next I want to coordinate with a place for her to visit the folks in a care facility.

Hot Summer

I've been keeping a secret. I don't enjoy the summers here as much as I used to. There I said it!

I just don't know what to do about it. Clearly, I can't change the temperature, only how I live with it and my activities during the hot days.

I've cut back on my yard plans, and upkeep. I've cut back on water use as that's expensive now that it's metered. I also have a much better idea of how much I need to use to keep my plants healthy, not just surviving.

Perhaps my poor attitude has to do with the fact that we've been in the 90s and 100s for a bit now.
During the hot days I am inside the house or car which reminds me of winter when it's too cold to be out.

Deja Vue

While Mosker was here we took a drive into the Sierra foothills to visit my friend. Mosker had not been to the house in twenty-three years, and that had been during a cold and wet time. (This time I was able to give Mosker a tour during the pretty time of year.) My friend was getting ready to leave town for a few days. As it turned out her timing was excellent.

On the drive we had noticed several areas where the chaparral had burned - perhaps backfires - so the hillsides are very dry.

Next day a red hawk flew into a power line and sparked a fire that is still burning, growing in fact. Many residents are without power. So, once again, we, here in the valley, are dealing with smoke filled skies. Of course that's nothing compared to what the folks that are in the middle of it are putting up with.

Who knows what the landscape will look like when the fire is out.

Deja vue.

Cheese

I am hooked on cheese!
I really enjoy eating fine cheese. I'm not speaking of Kraft slices for toasted sandwiches, but rather the specialty cheese that are such fun to find.
This is Friday evening, I'm going to Marysville to visit the Farmers Market. There is local produce and fruit, flowers, honey.
Tucked among them with a little table and a large cooler is the cheese lady. Usually she features three or four different cheeses and has samples to taste. Generally she has hardened (aged) cheeses as well as new. I have become very fond of the goat cheeses.
We had some on hand this week for the big adoption party along with the standards. Mosker took half of what was left with her. (I was not thinking clearly, she should have taken it all.)
The market will end next month and I will need to find out where I can get her product after that time. When Ray comes to visit he'll want some also.
Meanwhile let me get a load of money out and head to town. This stuff is not cheap.

House Guest and Fish

My house guest has departed.
While she'd been here I talked much about goals one might have, and follow, to give purpose and direction to life. She can't seem to face facts having spent much time, years in fact, flitting about with no plan for the future and no intent to make a plan, other than relying on friends to help out. She was at times moody, sometimes sitting in the room - not feeling well - just a bit of passive aggression there.
I am being harsh, as she'd been taking care of herself until last year's job loss and a very severe health issue that arose this year. I'm a firm believer in making plans, so the job loss would not have put me in such dire straights.
Now my cat can roam again in every room of the house.
There is some saying about house guests and fish after a few days.....

Refresher Course

This year I've been less than enthusiastic about gardening chores. (Did you notice I called it "chores"?)
My house guest has had moments of 'need to do something worthwhile' and was pulling and snipping around the plants. That has served me to get reinvigorated about yard work. Between us we have trimmed bushes and she has cleaned up among the plants. Thank you, thank you!
Not to be outdone I went out early and did some cleanup of spent flowers.
I remember now why I like to garden.

Dog, Barbie Things and Guests

Wow! Again time has flown without an entry. Tonight is doggie training class. The ten weeks have been extended as the instructor has been ill at times. She's canceled the next class and has invited all of us to come back anytime for the class beginning in July. But only with the same dog. Duh! I've enjoyed going to the class, meeting new folks. Even the dog has picked up some useful things.
I've made some Barbie furniture and bedding. I made a little bench that I want to upholster and I need to made a couple of benches and table to match. I want to pick up varnish that is other than mahogony. I used it to varnish a four poster bed I made in Tudor style. It turned out quite nice, with curtains on rods, fancy gold trim, upholstered headboard and more. Michelle made the tiebacks and fancied up the turned posts. All for Barbie sized dolls. I enjoyed making them, got really sick of the materials laying around. I used my outside workspace for the woodwork, but the sewing was an inside job.
I cleaned up a couple of closets, storing seldom used things somewhere else. Maybe I'll donate them. I'm making space for a houseguest who will arrive the beginning of July. We can always get new stuff for her to make her life more comfortable.

Stupid People/ What The ....#4

Yesterday, on my way to a party, my friend asked me to stop at Long's so she could buy a card. I stayed in my car (my lovely two days old vehicle) with the AC on.
Out of the store walks a grandma, a young woman and two little boys. And a huge, really huge bunch of balloons. Grandma opens the small sedan's doors and everyone pitches in to shove the balloons into the backseat. Then the front seat. Then the proverbial light bulb goes on. Gee, how are we going to get the family home? Grandma gets on the phone while the rest are scratching their heads. Others, whom they seem to know come out of the store and more discussion ensues.
You noticed I said I'd left the car running with the AC on? That's because it was a 90' + day.
OK, so the young woman and boys go back into the store, presumably to keep cool. Grandma gets in another car with those, "others". I'm assuming they are off the find a larger vehicle. And no, they didn't take even some of the balloons with them.
Grandma is smart though because she locks the car up with the windows tight. (Nobody is stealing those balloons!) As she slams the door a final time I hear a pop. I'm sure there were only shreds of balloons when they came back. At least there was room to get the family home then.
That's what you get when you let stupid people buy balloons without plans on how to get them home. On a hot day!

Easter

Sometimes things work out just as planned, sometimes not.
It was my turn to make the Easter meal, provide the entertainment.
Michelle had organized the Easter egg hunt, laying in the supplies, keeping the dogs away. She and I had shopped for items and put them aside. One night last week we stuffed the plastic eggs and pinata and shoved then into the freezer.
The daughter of our neighbors was invited to join us for breakfast and the hunt, also the pinata smashing.
I planned the menu, cooking and baking most of Saturday. Among many other things I made an almond paste filled Brioche, as did the girl from next door for her family. We colored many chicken eggs and today loads of them got cracked though are still usable.
Saturday morning it was slow to warm up and we had so hoped that we could eat outside, I feared it would be just as cool on Sunday. Well, after the egg hunt, the smashing of the pinata, the chasing down of a lost bracelet in the tall grass, the divvying up of the treasure it was late enough and warm enough to sit outside and really enjoy the morning.
Except for the over-baked, ruined cinnamon rolls, all the food was yummy and filling. The only meal we needed today.
(The girls drew pictures over my front patio with the new chalk and after about four hours together they actually began to bicker.)

It really had been a lovely day.
Happy Easter!

Ah, Grocery Stores

I love statistics! One can be so creative with them.
I heard that two local grocery stores are rated among the top ten. Two others are rated among the lowest.

Bel Air and Raley's are considered among the best. Here's why, in my opinion. They both have wonderful products some of which are hard to find. They are also expensive and people that shop there clearly are willing to pay the higher costs. The service is excellent as is the ambiance, what with the cozy lighting in the deli and bakery area. They know my name (if I pay with a check or card) haul my purchases out and stow them in the car.
In addition I suspect that the clientele is mostly literate, willing and able to answer a questionnaire about about their store.
These two stores are a bit far for impulse shopping, so I don't get there very often.

On the other spectrum is Food Maxx and Wal-Mart both of which I patronize . Food Maxx has a great indoor fruit and vegetable market cheap prices, good quality. There is new management and when I can find a worker they seem eager enough to help.
And then there is Wal-Mart. OMG the service at the deli is so slow. So very slow! No,
no one there seems to know that 8 ounces is the same as .5 pounds. It's pretty much a self-serve store after all. I generally use the self check-out, but when I pay to a cashier, no, they don't know my name, nor will anyone load my car for me.
I suspect that a good many of the patrons don't speak English and many of those that do are probably unwilling to bother with a customer satisfaction survey. (Those are, perhaps, the same people that shop wearing their pajamas) Another reason Wal-Mart's rating is low is because, well, service there really sucks!

Today at Food Maxx I selected a shell of raspberries listed at $2.99. At the check-out the price had become $4.99. After a discussion with several employees, some insisting that that was indeed the price, people backed up behind me glaring, the vegetable clerk came up with the sign that agreed with me, $2.99. That means that I got the berries for free, as per store policy. The day has not yet come where I will pay $5 for such a small amount of berries.

Splurge

I rarely spend money extravagently.
(Perhaps when I travel, though I did pass up an opportunity to sky dive.... but that's another entry.)
Last week I went with Michelle into a store that she wanted to check out and as I meandered I checked out shoes. I saw stylish athletic shoes (how's that for an oxymoron?) and with my recent foot problems I thought it wise to give them a second look. Michelle did not help when she stated the obvious, "try them on". So I did!
Yes, I did spend the rest of my clothing allowance (plus $6 borrowed from the food budget), and have been wearing these shoes ever since. Well, no, not to bed.
Wow, am I glad I bought these. I have been walking in comfort ever since.

Doggie School

This spring I'm continually delayed in achieving the little milestones I laid out for myself. I've been wanting to take regular walks with Brighton. Walking with her now is like following a dog that's chasing rabbits.
The community college catalog came about a month ago and I finally opened it up yesterday. The one course of interest beginning yesterday evening was the dog training course. Ten sessions for $75, plus $10 for parking. So I went.
The instructor came in, a very formidable woman, laid a bunch of scary looking metal implements on the table. About that time I questioned my philosophical compatibility. Turns out that the scary dog restraints she'd brought are examples of things we do not need. We had not brought our dogs, introduced ourselves and explained our issues. Of the forty people there there are seven dogs that are small like Brighton, or smaller, the rest are big. Shepherds, dobies, labs, even a mastiff.
I went to the pet store with Brighton this morning and bought her the required choke collar and a leather leash, sewn, not riveted.
I've been walking her in front of the house in the Cesar Milan way with fair success.
Maybe when I get back to the class next week all my Brighton problems will have been solved.
Not likely!

Insensitive ? - Perhaps

Breakfast deal at local diner:

Octo-Special
14 eggs
no sausage
and....
The people in the other booth have to pay for it!

2009 Gardening

Suzanne started some tomato plants a few weeks ago. I am now eager to get my hands on a couple of those and put them into the ground. My planters are in a sheltered spot that gets full sun. I want this to be the year when I have fresh tomatoes in May.
I need to get the mower out and do a first cut of the lawn.
My fruit trees are blooming and sprouting leaves.
I have a flower bed which I plan to plant with red, yellow and green peppers this year.
I am so ready to get out as I spent a fair amount of time waiting for my foot to heal since last fall.
Maybe this weekend I'll pop in the the Home Depot or the Walmart garden shop to check out their offerings.

Bok Kai, the Water God

No wonder that I've been silent this month. My calendar is filled with February appointments.

I went to the Bok Kai parade this morning. Two hours of observing the participants: Smelly old cars, undiciplined school bands, loads of Ben Ali go-carts. Also wonderful lion dancers and for the first time ever, two dragons. One appeared for the final time and the second had his premiere. It was the 129th year for the parade.
We had intended to go to the renovated Bok Kai temple but were too achy after standing for that length of time. The temperature was in the sixties and sunny, quite nice.
Many people had brought their dogs. However, of all the parades to which to take a dog this is not the one. It is loud, drums and clashing cymbals are many. Firecrackers are lighted by the hundreds, so best plug your ears and give the doggies a break and leave them at home.

Mundane Musings

Seems I've not taken the time to write. The sun's been shining and I've been puttering outside. The spring garden is emerging and I've been weeding, raking, picking up. Rain is forecast, let's hope we get it.
I had Brighton spayed about ten days ago and she's not supposed to be too active. Therefore I've kept her away from the big girls, keeping her company outside and attempting to teach her proper manners.
I checked out eight books at the library and I'm working my way through those. Three light mysteries and five biographies. I'm reading my way through the British monarchs. I've come to the conclusion that in many ways those rulers of three hundred years ago and the current ones are very much alike. It's really pretty sad. Currently I'm consuming a recount of Alexandra, the last Tsarina, who was Queen Victoria's granddaughter. Next I'll digress to Australia's prison colony and read in detail about the boatload of people that almost got away from Botany Bay. They made it to Timor, Indonesia, an incredible journey, only to be recaptured.
(Too many books to read - not enough time!)

Bread

Today I picked up Suzanne's dog at the vet and took her to her home. She'd had surgery and riding in the back of my van is more comfortable for the dogs.
Here's the great part: When I got there Suzanne had made a loaf of bread for me. It looked very nice. Crusty crust, nice shape, wonderful smell. Best of all, it tastes quite delicious. She uses a different method than what I'm familiar with. So this nice daughter has bought me the book of instructions which should arrive tomorrow. It changes everything I've learned about bread baking. This evening I made my way to Target and bought a baking stone.
Rest assured between Michelle and I the loaf is nearly finished off.

Projects and Dog

Last year I promised myself to scale back from getting involved with Projects. Projects can spiral out of hand, become larger in scale, as well as in cost. I have been very good at choosing what to tackle.
The house next door to me has changed hands again after being empty for most of a year.
Bad news: It will be a rental house, once again.
Good news: The owner's dad is handling the details of repairs and control of tenants. ( The owner is away, working on his PH. D. in nuclear science.) My point is that they are no dummies.
The fence around the front is being fixed up with pickets and will look very inviting. Next to that is my sixteen foot section of old plank board fencing. Yuck. I collaborated with "dad" . We are continuing the pickets all the way to my driveway. It will add to the appeal of his house, and mine as well. Today I took out the old section, piled up the wood. Dad says he has a couple of "gorillas" (handymen) in the house that will load it up onto his trailer and haul it away. How nice is that?
"Dad" gave me a shopping list and for $100 and some elbow grease we will pretty up the front. Next week Michelle and I will be working on that. I am looking forward to some curb appeal. There is a reason why it's called "First Impression".

Brighton Report: She's suffering from Cabin Fever. I know she'd like to be out playing with the big girls. Wounds are healing well.

More on Brighton

The SPCA organization called Saturday morning stating that they had a cancellation and if I could have Brighton there in thirty minutes they would spay her then. Good thing I was street ready already as it took twenty minutes to gather the beasty and make the drive. There will never be any little Brightons now.
She was pretty loopy until Sunday afternoon when she was eating and drinking again as she should. By then she was licking her wound and I took her to PetCo to fit her with a collar.
She shouldn't romp with the big girls for two weeks, or even take long walks. In other words the street training has been delayed another two weeks. I'm so ready to take her to town to walk with her.
She is, however, learning the sit, stay, wait, commands. She also waits to get through the door until I invite her to. Mostly. In both directions. (Azi was like a bullet out the door, not a good thing for so many reasons!) The house training is going very well also, made more challenging by the fact that she not a whiner that sits by the door to be let out.

Meanwhile as I keep track of her in the front yard I've taken the opportunity to do some trimming and cleaning up of the planting beds. The spring bulbs have emerged. Some things
froze this winter and I need to replant.
Instead of flowering plants I'm planning to plant some peppers and Basil instead. Cucumbers would work well, as well as ornamental gourds.

We did have some rain, need lots more. Today we have sunshine and it feels much warmer than it is.

Pizza

My son left some Papa Murphy pizza in my freezer when he left after Christmas. I don't have it very often, so I really enjoyed those left-over slices. Yum! Thanks!

Brighton's First Walk

This day started out cold. The ground was frozen when I got up, let Brighton out, retrieved the paper, fed the cat her soft food, fed the big girls. By then I was almost awake. I read the paper, drank a pot of coffee.
Finished a book, "The Saint of Lost Things", which I enjoyed and could relate to. It is about a family of the Italian Neighborhood of Baltimore and the new immigrant bride.
Before I noticed, the day had become warm enough to enjoy the outdoors. I cleaned out my tomato planters, trimmed some roses.
I took Brighton to PetSmart to get her fitted for a harness that's easy to work and she won't chew off. She was so happy to see other little dogs in the store she barked a whole bunch. The store's dog trainer tried to shush her with limited success.
I was looking forward to this walk since she now has all the shots to protect her from doggy deceases. Once back home it was time to attempt the walk around one block. A measly half mile! There seem to be so many more dogs than there were seven months ago when I used to walk Azi. She's easily distracted, oh ya! I carried her at times to get away from the noise. She pulled ahead of me, which I don't like, being a sign of her thinking that's she's in charge of the pack. For an eighteen pound dog she has a lot of strength. There were a few yards where she seemed to get the idea of walking beside me, but it didn't last long. Overall, let's say the walk was not enjoyable for either of us. When her neck is thoroughly healed I will put her on the leash and hope to have better results. She will learn to walk like a civilized dog should!
Sitting outside in the evening sun I spend some time trying to have her drop the retrieve toy after I pitch it and she brings it to me. That had much better results. I've been using the clicker with a treat to have her come when I call her, so she responded to that.
All these activities must have been harder for her than I thought. She came inside, ate and found a cushion to curl up on and is sleeping now.

Old vs. New

My automobile is several years old. It is very easy to to get and out of. Roomy enough to bring home all my purchases, even those boxes from IKEA. Registration and insurance are not a huge expense either. When I take this car to the garage to have some work done, I always tell the mechanic:"Tell me when I need to buy a new car!" So far the response is: not yet, it's still a good car. This week the car was in the shop, the symptom being those dash warning lights were on, and , oh ya, the interior light wouldn't turn off. There was a short, a wire was touching the ground. And those dash lights were on for a reason. How about leaking brake fluid and needing new rear brakes. Even though it was a costly repair, it was so much cheaper than making a payment of the same amount every month to a finance company for a new car.
How much longer can I make this car last?

Problem Solved !

On these cold days and nights the cement around the house gets very cold. This fact is not lost on Alani.
We provide the dogs with a large area covered with a thick foam cushion, carpet in the washroom and garage, and yet she needs her own chair.

Winter

One of the things I like about being stuck inside the house for much of the cold season is the way the sun shines inside. Most of the year I don't have direct sunlight inside, on the south side. (That's actually a good thing!)
Around the end of every year for about a half hour, just before sunset I get a lovely display of the sun's work on the wall.
Of course many winter days are rainy and dreary and I get this display often enough to enjoy it, not often enough to grow unappreciative.


Brighton, being a baby, likes to chew. She's using leftovers from Azi, but has discovered the bones the big girls have outside. She's tried to sneak one in the house. She goes through the rawhide bones pretty fast. Today she will get her very own, clean for now, chew bone. The non-staining sort.
Beside seeing the laser beam, she also pays attention to the TV screen and was looking at the computer monitor.

I'm baking rolls for Suzanne today. So far she's always ending up with leftovers, today she'll get the whole batch.

Brighton

So here it is three weeks since the last post.

Christmas is past. The new year has begun. I've had a lot going on. Family and friends have visited, eaten, toasted and talked. It was a whole lot of fun.

To add to the mix I adopted a puppy a few days before Christmas. Suzanne read about her on line and she, the dog - not Suzanne, was only across the river at the Sutter County Animal Shelter. She had been picked up on the loose. She is a Beagle mix, weighs only seventeen pounds. The vet thinks that she's about six to seven months old. She's almost got the house rules down.
So as soon as she's had her booster shots, next week, I get to take her out on walks. She's not so sure about the leash thing, but we leash her sometimes to potty, so she's getting the idea.
She and Alani have become fast friends. Alani is so gentle and patient, teaching her doggie smarts. Unlike Azi she's not much on barking, and unlike Azi food is not a huge motivator. She's a bit on the skinny side, but she'll get the hang of this eating business.
I'm glad that I have her by my side.