December 2010

Welcome to the Month of December! I did my stretches, ran a mile, and lifted dumbbells.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 32 to 57 degrees, calm winds, humidity around 13 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph. Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. Calm wind.”
I wrote my column for the Hi-Desert Star Newspaper and sent it in. Thought of the Week: Eternity is wasted on the dead.
I gathered up all my dirty clothes and headed over to Stoney’s to do my laundry and take a shower. I put my clothes in the washer and took my shower, and then I put them in the dryer and went over to Kelly’s to drop off a mattress pad. Kelly told me later tonight that she is mighty pleased with the pad. I got to Stoney’s and climbed up on the garage roof to look at what wind damage was done. A whole 3x15 foot section was missing. Now that I know what’s wrong I’ll get what’s need to fix it before the rains come.
I went for my evening walk just before sunset and took a few pics.
I talked to Kelly for a spell on Skype. After I was done and ready to sign off when this MsLinda02 came on to solicit my attention. I usually don’t answer these because their predators and scammers after your money. She asked me what work I did and I made up this up on the fly: systems and mainframe integrations of sub-program routines on interlacing meta-files. She seemed impressed.
Here’s the rest of the conversation:
hello
[12/1/2010 8:28:06 PM] Bob Deloyd: hello
[12/1/2010 8:28:15 PM] Linda : how are you?
[12/1/2010 8:28:47 PM] Bob Deloyd: ok- how are you?
[12/1/2010 8:29:08 PM] Linda : not too bad, i;m ok too
[12/1/2010 8:29:35 PM] Bob Deloyd: where do you live?
[12/1/2010 8:29:47 PM] Linda : i am linda
[12/1/2010 8:29:55 PM] Linda : and i live in sunyani,ghana and u
[12/1/2010 8:30:17 PM] Bob Deloyd: Joshua Tree California
[12/1/2010 8:30:36 PM] Linda : ok...
[12/1/2010 8:30:37 PM] Linda : USA
[12/1/2010 8:30:41 PM] Linda : right?
[12/1/2010 8:30:43 PM] Bob Deloyd: yes
[12/1/2010 8:30:56 PM] Linda : i am Linda and you?
[12/1/2010 8:31:07 PM] Bob Deloyd: I am Bob
[12/1/2010 8:31:33 PM] Linda : nice to meet you Bob
[12/1/2010 8:31:44 PM] Bob Deloyd: nice to met you too Linda
[12/1/2010 8:32:31 PM] Linda : i am glad you write back..
[12/1/2010 8:32:40 PM] Linda : how's the weather over your place now?
[12/1/2010 8:33:08 PM] Bob Deloyd: It's my first time to write back
[12/1/2010 8:33:10 PM] Bob Deloyd: cold
[12/1/2010 8:33:21 PM] Linda : really?
[12/1/2010 8:33:28 PM] Bob Deloyd: how about where you live?
[12/1/2010 8:34:03 PM] Linda : well, where i live it;'s cold right now in the early morning but very hot in the day time
[12/1/2010 8:34:47 PM] Bob Deloyd: Yes it gets into the low 30F here
[12/1/2010 8:35:16 PM] Linda : And do you experience snow?
[12/1/2010 8:35:40 PM] Bob Deloyd: some times but not every year
[12/1/2010 8:36:11 PM] Linda : ok
[12/1/2010 8:36:22 PM] Linda : Bob do you live alone?
[12/1/2010 8:36:24 PM] Bob Deloyd: have you ever been in snow?
[12/1/2010 8:36:35 PM] Linda : there's no snow in ghana
[12/1/2010 8:36:46 PM] Bob Deloyd: I didn't think so :)
[12/1/2010 8:36:47 PM] Linda : and i have never seee snow with my physical eye
[12/1/2010 8:36:56 PM] Bob Deloyd: I see
[12/1/2010 8:37:08 PM] Bob Deloyd: just pictures
[12/1/2010 8:37:15 PM] Bob Deloyd: and movies
[12/1/2010 8:37:22 PM] Bob Deloyd: of snow
[12/1/2010 8:37:31 PM] Linda : yes
[12/1/2010 8:37:34 PM] Bob Deloyd: yes
[12/1/2010 8:37:55 PM] Linda : and i really love it that way it look.. i looks like ice right
[12/1/2010 8:38:01 PM] Linda : soft ice
[12/1/2010 8:38:14 PM] Bob Deloyd: yes it is
[12/1/2010 8:38:22 PM] Bob Deloyd: snow cone
[12/1/2010 8:38:46 PM] Linda : :)
[12/1/2010 8:39:22 PM] Bob Deloyd: you like snow cones
[12/1/2010 8:39:43 PM] Linda : yes like it and i have feelings that one day i will see it with my physical eyes
[12/1/2010 8:40:00 PM] Linda : do you live alone or with your family?
[12/1/2010 8:40:18 PM] Bob Deloyd: live alone; just me here
[12/1/2010 8:40:36 PM] Linda : are you single or married?
[12/1/2010 8:41:03 PM] Bob Deloyd: I've never married
[12/1/2010 8:41:24 PM] Linda : the same here.. i am single never married and i have no kids
[12/1/2010 8:41:31 PM] Linda : how old are you?
[12/1/2010 8:41:43 PM] Bob Deloyd: too old
[12/1/2010 8:41:46 PM] Bob Deloyd: :)
[12/1/2010 8:41:56 PM] Bob Deloyd: 59
[12/1/2010 8:43:03 PM] Linda : i wonder why you;re not married or you have been divorce?
[12/1/2010 8:43:31 PM] Bob Deloyd: why you wonder?
[12/1/2010 8:43:58 PM] Bob Deloyd: maybe too mean
[12/1/2010 8:44:36 PM] Linda : i am surprise because you should be married man or divorce and have kids..
[12/1/2010 8:44:40 PM] Linda : do you have kids?
[12/1/2010 8:45:21 PM] Bob Deloyd: no--- why are you not married and have kids?
[12/1/2010 8:46:29 PM] Linda : i am not married because i have not meet the right man for me.. all the men who came my way are not honest and they don;t have the husband life in them.. they only cheat on me
[12/1/2010 8:47:01 PM] Bob Deloyd: Oh my that is so sad :(
[12/1/2010 8:47:41 PM] Linda : but i hope one day i will find a man who would share real love with me and we can settle down and make happy life..
[12/1/2010 8:49:06 PM] Bob Deloyd: I wish you luck! I've been looking for a long time and haven't found anyone. Now I'm too old :(
[12/1/2010 8:50:24 PM] Linda : Oh i am sad and worried about urs...so what are you looking for?
[12/1/2010 8:51:48 PM] Bob Deloyd: A nice woman to share my life with
[12/1/2010 8:52:21 PM] Bob Deloyd: one that likes astronomy and science
[12/1/2010 8:53:24 PM] Linda : oh nice.. that sound really good.. and so since when have you been looking around to find ur woman?
[12/1/2010 8:54:11 PM] Linda : ???
[12/1/2010 8:55:08 PM] Linda : are you there?
[12/1/2010 8:55:53 PM] Bob Deloyd: yes I am here. I just didn't understand your question
[12/1/2010 8:57:13 PM] Linda : OK..
[12/1/2010 8:57:47 PM] Linda : I mean have you been seriously looking for a woman always or you only get much time for your job only?
[12/1/2010 8:58:27 PM] Bob Deloyd: Job. work all the time... how about you?
[12/1/2010 8:58:56 PM] Linda : well, i am a student and i am studying and so what job do you do?
[12/1/2010 9:00:21 PM] Bob Deloyd: I work with computers--- what are you studying?
[12/1/2010 9:01:08 PM] Linda : i am studying marketing
[12/1/2010 9:01:27 PM] Linda : what actually do you work in computer.. i don;t know such job is that
[12/1/2010 9:03:53 PM] Bob Deloyd: systems and mainframe integrations of sub-program routines on interlacing meta-files
[12/1/2010 9:04:06 PM] Linda : oh ok
[12/1/2010 9:04:24 PM] Linda : then you are a computer as u know much when it come to computer
[12/1/2010 9:05:26 PM] Bob Deloyd: Yes---- Marketing in Ghana?
[12/1/2010 9:05:41 PM] Bob Deloyd: Sounds interesting
[12/1/2010 9:06:04 PM] Linda : yes
[12/1/2010 9:06:29 PM] Linda : have you ever come to Ghana?
[12/1/2010 9:06:57 PM] Bob Deloyd: No--- have you ever been in USA?
[12/1/2010 9:07:16 PM] Linda : no i have never been in USA
[12/1/2010 9:07:32 PM] Bob Deloyd: do you like Ghana?
[12/1/2010 9:08:04 PM] Bob Deloyd: BRB
[12/1/2010 9:08:40 PM] Linda : OK..
[12/1/2010 9:09:08 PM] Linda : I would like to relocate when I can afford and i find a good man that when I am leaving Ghana i am going to stay with him
[12/1/2010 9:11:04 PM] Bob Deloyd: you sound very intelligent. You should do good
[12/1/2010 9:11:22 PM] Linda : thanks
[12/1/2010 9:11:28 PM] Bob Deloyd: :)
[12/1/2010 9:11:45 PM] Linda : :)
[12/1/2010 9:12:31 PM] Bob Deloyd: I must go now but maybe we can chat later sometime
[12/1/2010 9:13:19 PM] Linda : lets share details and so that we can see each other online when we want to chat another time ok
[12/1/2010 9:14:46 PM] *** Call from Linda ***
[12/1/2010 9:15:06 PM] Linda : yess
[12/1/2010 9:15:21 PM | Edited 9:15:24 PM] Linda : add me and i can be online on your skype so we could chat another time
[12/1/2010 9:15:46 PM] Linda : add me and we chat another time
[12/1/2010 9:15:46 PM] Bob Deloyd: Bob Deloyd has shared contact details with Linda .
[12/1/2010 9:16:13 PM] Linda : yes you have added me now
[12/1/2010 9:16:16 PM] *** Call ended, duration 01:30 ***
[12/1/2010 9:16:21 PM] Linda : can i see a pic of you
[12/1/2010 9:16:32 PM] Bob Deloyd: yeah that's me
[12/1/2010 9:16:55 PM] Linda : do you have a any pic to let me see you or open your cam for me to see you?
[12/1/2010 9:17:34 PM] Bob Deloyd: how about a picture of you?
[12/1/2010 9:17:54 PM] Linda : yes i have a picture of myself and you can see me too
[12/1/2010 9:18:42 PM] Bob Deloyd: where is your picture?
[12/1/2010 9:19:06 PM] Linda : do u have a picture of yourself too?
[12/1/2010 9:19:36 PM] Bob Deloyd: just the one you see--- for now
[12/1/2010 9:20:25 PM] Linda : i didn;t see any pic of you..
[12/1/2010 9:20:29 PM] Linda : ok start ur video
[12/1/2010 9:20:48 PM] *** Call from Linda ***
[12/1/2010 9:21:07 PM] Bob Deloyd: can't hear you
[12/1/2010 9:21:14 PM] Linda : i don;t have mic
[12/1/2010 9:21:30 PM] Bob Deloyd: oh :)
[12/1/2010 9:21:44 PM] Bob Deloyd: My video is down :(
[12/1/2010 9:21:50 PM] *** Linda sent photo 2.JPG ***
oh so i can;t see you?
[12/1/2010 9:24:25 PM] Bob Deloyd: that's right - I have another computer that has video
[12/1/2010 9:24:34 PM] Bob Deloyd: Very pretty girl
[12/1/2010 9:24:49 PM] Linda : thanks
[12/1/2010 9:25:02 PM] Linda : thanks for ur compliment
[12/1/2010 9:25:07 PM] Bob Deloyd: I find it hard to believe that you can't find anyone to love and to be loved
[12/1/2010 9:25:11 PM] Linda : i think you can let me see you on ur another computer
[12/1/2010 9:25:43 PM] Bob Deloyd: Maybe next time we chat
[12/1/2010 9:26:05 PM] Linda : oh wow.. i can see you now
[12/1/2010 9:26:12 PM] Linda : i can see ur pic
[12/1/2010 9:26:46 PM] Bob Deloyd: okay
[12/1/2010 9:27:38 PM] Linda : you are such a nice man to and i am surprise you haven;t find anyone to love and to be loved
[12/1/2010 9:28:22 PM] Bob Deloyd: Are all girls as beautiful as you in Ghana?
[12/1/2010 9:29:01 PM] Linda : Yes they are most beautiful than me
[12/1/2010 9:29:48 PM] Bob Deloyd: I can't believe that
[12/1/2010 9:30:13 PM] Linda : why :)
[12/1/2010 9:30:22 PM] Bob Deloyd: You should find nice young guy and live happy ever after!
[12/1/2010 9:31:49 PM] Linda : why do you say that?
[12/1/2010 9:32:46 PM] Bob Deloyd: Why not :)
[12/1/2010 9:33:27 PM] Linda : is nott young guy who will make me happy but anyone who love is pure could make me happy then... i hope u understand
[12/1/2010 9:35:14 PM] Bob Deloyd: I'm not sure
[12/1/2010 9:35:40 PM] Bob Deloyd: you look like Gina Torres!
[12/1/2010 9:35:54 PM] Linda : Who;s Gina Torres
[12/1/2010 9:38:31 PM] Linda : she is in USA?
[12/1/2010 9:38:47 PM] Bob Deloyd: yes she is an actress
[12/1/2010 9:39:07 PM] Bob Deloyd: you look just like her!
[12/1/2010 9:39:15 PM] Bob Deloyd: Twins!
[12/1/2010 9:41:15 PM] Linda : hahaha... i never knew i have a twin sister in usa
[12/1/2010 9:41:24 PM] Linda : and why am i in Ghana :)
[12/1/2010 9:41:43 PM] Bob Deloyd: you can be a star :)
[12/1/2010 9:43:33 PM] Linda : :) it would be great but i dont like to be a star to be popular
[12/1/2010 9:44:04 PM] Bob Deloyd: I think you are
[12/1/2010 9:46:29 PM] Linda : i am not
[12/1/2010 9:47:23 PM] Bob Deloyd: Oh yes you are!!!! I have to go now but I'll chat with you later. Good luck finding mr right :)
[12/1/2010 9:49:20 PM] Linda : ok..... i will chat with you later then
[12/1/2010 9:49:27 PM | Edited 9:49:30 PM] Linda : nice meeting you Bob :)
[12/1/2010 9:49:56 PM] Bob Deloyd: yes nice meeting you too lovely Linda :)
[12/1/2010 9:50:22 PM] Linda : thanks
[12/1/2010 9:50:27 PM] Linda : bye for now
[12/1/2010 9:50:47 PM] Bob Deloyd: bye

I shared this later with Kelly and we had quite a laugh. Kelly agreed with me that the picture Linda sent was a dead ringer for Gina Torres :)
I did my stretches, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Thursday 02- I did my stretches and ran two miles.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 32 to 63 degrees, calm winds, humidity around 14 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph. Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. Calm wind.”
I did some chores around the house and answered some mail that’s been sitting on my desk for a spell; almost forgotten to write a check out for my property taxes, yikes! Not that we get a lot out of the government except a lot of crap on how they can’t get enough of our hard earned money and they cut spending for the poor to give away to their rich friends on Wall Street; makes me kinda sick thinking about it.
I got caught up on some of my astronomy readings. I’m really way behind on my studies.
I went for my evening walk and took a picture of a Sun Dog, pretty dang cool!
I did some needed webwork for the rest of the night.
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Friday 03- I did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 40 to 66 degrees, calm winds, humidity around 12 percent, cloudy skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. Light southeast wind. Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. North wind at 6 mph becoming west.”
I watered all the plants and did some gardening.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I’m still way behind with my studies. I did read a bunch of astronomy though.
Ginger called to tell me she found a book I may like and that she’ll get it to me somehow. I believe she said the author is Lee Child. Ginger said that she’s doing fine but still healing after her surgery. Yesterday she took the kids to the theater to see this movie called “MegaMind”; the kids enjoyed the movie but Ginger fell asleep. Actually I watched several of the trailers and it seemed pretty good :)
I went for my evening walk. I saw the bunny that lives in my yard and he didn’t run away this time; just ignored me, and I was able to get a few pictures of him. Usually when he sees me he scurries away really fast; except for that time with the snake, when the bunny and other critters stayed out in the open behind me.
I haven’t been able to get a hold of Kelly today and I'm a little bit worried. I think she may have gone to Bakersfield with Andrew to see her Doctor. I’ll try calling her tomorrow.
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Saturday 04- I did my stretches.
I went over to Kelly’s house around 11am and she still wasn’t home. I fed all her critters; they were mighty happy to see me. Kelly and Andrew showed up a while later. Andrew had been helping Kelly get some personal things together for the last two days, so there wasn’t any reason for me to worry about her.
I stopped by Stoney’s house to take another look at the garage roof and check to see if Stoney has any Henry’s Roofing Sealer; he did. So all I need to bring is the roll roofing, nails and stuff like that.
I went for my evening walk.
I watched a new episode of “Fringe” where Olivia finally makes it back to our side.
I felt kind of tired and went to bed at 11pm. That’s mighty early for me!


Sunday 05- I did my stretches and yoga, and ran two miles.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 38 to 62 degrees, calm winds, humidity around 12 percent, cloudy skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Monday: Sunny, with a high near 63. Northwest wind around 6 mph. Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41. Northwest wind between 6 and 8 mph.”
I talked to Kelly for a spell. Andrew brought her some little space heaters so she isn’t freezing when she goes to another room. He also fixed the water heater that’s been running up her electric bill. Andrew is trying to be a good landlord.
I decided that I’d better go on over to Stoney’s to fix the garage roof before it rains one of these days. I got the roofing nails, tools, and roll roofing and headed on over. It took me all of three hours to get it all done. The hardest part was lifting the roll roofing onto my shoulder and carrying it up the ladder to the roof; mighty heavy! Well it don’t look none too pretty but it will do. To clean up I used Vaseline to get the Henry’s tar stuff off my hands; something I learned from my surfing days when we’d get beach tar on our feet.
I called Denny when I got back to let him know that the roof is done and he was very appreciative; these folks are like family to me :)
Shiela called and we chatted for over an hour about stuff going on in Tucson; I’m still a little concerned for Audrey and her situation with John. But these are things I don’t write about here.
I decided to practice my guitar early. I surprised myself and came up with the last two verses for my song “Why”! Now the song is just about finished and I only need to tweak this and that and it’s done (well maybe come up with a better name).
I did my stretches, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Monday 06- I did my stretches; burned out from yesterday’s fixing of the garage roof.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 42 to 64 degrees, calm winds, humidity around 18 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 65. North northwest wind between 3 and 7 mph. Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 39. Light west northwest wind.”
I wrote my column for the Hi-Desert Star Newspaper and sent it in.
It was a beautiful day outside and I got bored. So I took the Harley out for a ride. I had to mail my property taxes anyways. I stopped to picked up my mail and then headed to Joshua Tree Library to see if they had anything in the for sale section worth reading; they didn’t. As I was getting on my bike I noticed a mail carrier emptying out the mailbox. I handed them my tax envelope, this saved me a trip to the post office. I then went to Stater Bros in Yucca Valley to pick me and Kelly up some fried chicken; she’s been on edge lately if ya know what I mean. I walked on over to the Dollar Store and bought some Christmas cards that I’d be needing soon. Stopped at Home Depot to return an electric timer that wasn’t timing; would gain an hour a day. I was running low on yeast for my oatmeal and got some at Joshua Tree Health Foods where I was served by lovely Linda. Finally got to Kelly’s, she wasn’t ready to receive visitors, so I dropped off her half of the fried chicken and got the hell out of there. I talked to her for a long spell later in the evening when she was feeling better.
I recorded a new song called “City Lights” using the lousy mic on my Netbook. The song still needs some work here and there and I really do have to get a real microphone. Click on the link and let me know what ya think :)
I did my stretches, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Tuesday 07- I did my stretches, ran a mile, and lifted weights.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 39 to 68 degrees, calm winds, humidity around 28 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 67. Light and variable wind. Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm.”
It was another nice day outside so I just kinda kicked back sitting on my bench out in the front yard and meditated on a bunch of stuff. I went my evening walk and just enjoyed the sunlight. It was a very pleasant day :)
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Wednesday 08- I did my stretches and yoga, ran a mile, and lifted dumbbells.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 42 to 67 degrees, calm winds, humidity around 26 percent, clear skies; just a beautiful day!
According to the National Weather Service: “Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 69. West northwest wind around 5 mph. Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46. West northwest wind between 5 and 8 mph.”
I went over to say goodbye to one of Kelly’s cats who is dying; so sad poor kitty :(
I then went over to visit my friend Ron Dehart and to reinstall a couple of handholds that someone hadn’t installed correctly; one of them broke as he was using it to get out of bed and he was knocked out for a few hours, dang that must have hurt! We sat around yakking about old girlfriends and stuff until the Sun set over the mountains to the west.
I called and jawed with my friend Ms Kula about life in general. She liked my new song “City Lights” I posted last Monday.
I spent the rest of the evening doing some webwork and watched a new episode of “Warehouse 13” on Hulu.com
I did my stretches and went for a night run (haven’t been on one of those in a few weeks), practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Thursday 09- I did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 46 to 75 degrees, nice breeze, humidity around 31 percent, clear skies; another beautiful day!
According to the National Weather Service: “Friday: Sunny, with a high near 68. Northwest wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 47. Northwest wind around 9 mph.”
I spent all day going through paperwork cleaning it up trying to find addresses so I can start my Christmas cards. Hell it’s the only time of the year that I get to practice my penmanship. Anyhow I finally got everything together and got the whole mess of cards done and stamped late into the night. In the middle of all that I found the time to water my plants, take my evening walk, and make spaghetti for dinner, yum!
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Friday 10- I did my stretches and yoga, ran two miles, and lifted weights.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 45 to 71 degrees, nice breeze, and humidity around 39 percent, clear skies until about 2pm then cloudy and cold.
According to the National Weather Service: “Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 71. North northwest wind between 8 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. Northwest wind around 8 mph.”
I did all the stuff I set out to do today, yea for me :)
I fixed a computer for Tim so he can use it to edit notes for our community’s Board meetings.
Updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and send out the Newsletter.
I rode the electric bike and stopped off at Stoney’s to take a shower and checkup on the garage roof I repaired.
I went for my evening walk with my camera but didn’t really find anything worth wild to shoot.
Messed around on my computer; mslindaxx the online predator/scammer finally asked for money and I deleted them off my Skype contacts. I waited ten days for mslindaxx to ask. Well it gave me something to do for a while :)
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Saturday 11- I did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 44 to 72 degrees, nice breeze, and humidity around 39 percent, clear skies until about 2pm then cloudy and cold.
According to the National Weather Service: “Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 74. North northwest wind between 5 and 7 mph. Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 46. West northwest wind between 3 and 5 mph.”
Brian and Naomi came for a visit and we stood around jawing while their two sweet daughters built castles and fortresses out of rocks, sand, and twigs. I really admire them their family life and the love they show for each other.
Kelly needed a ride to Stater Bros. in Twentynine because the place where she gets it messed up her order and wouldn’t deliver it, so I drove the Harley over to pick her up. We stopped first for gas and then over to Rite Aid to get her prescripts. Our friend Alexander was standing outside with his grocery cart decked out with American flags. He must have missed his meds because he was very animated and we decided to leave him in his ranting.
Then on to Staters where Kelly bought a 10lb bag of cat food, 5lbs of sugar, French bread, and all kinds of other stuff; we got fried chicken too! I kept asking her how she was going to carry all this while she shopped and bought more. “I’ll get it all to fit”, she said. We got it all out to the bike and I told her to go on and start packing it while I went to the head. I got back about 10 minutes later to see her trying to stuff the 10lbs of cat food into her backpack. I helped her and was surprised that we finally got it in the pack and zipped up.
We had at first started out driving with me carrying a pack on my back but it didn’t work, so Kelly had to hold both packs and hang on to me at the same time; I knew she bought too much but she don’t listen and I don’t want to press. We made it to her house okay; I think her arms were stretched out too much by the weight of the two packs but she’d never admit to that. We put everything away and fed the hungry cats. And then we sat in her car eating our chicken. I don’t think I’ve ever carried that much stuff on a bike of mine before and hope to never again!
I got home to watch a new episode of “Fringe” where this guy has his heart removed but is still alive afterwards; spooky!
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Sunday 12- I did my stretches and yoga, ran a mile, and lifted dumbbells.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 46 to 76 degrees, nice breeze, and humidity around 31 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Monday: Sunny, with a high near 71. West northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. East southeast wind around 6 mph becoming west southwest.”
I called up family and friends throughout the day.
I finished up on the computer for Tim.
I watered the plants.
I went for my evening walk.
I talked to Kelly for most of the rest of the night on Skype.
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Monday 13- I did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 45 to 72 degrees, nice breeze, and humidity around 36 percent, mostly clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 71. Calm wind becoming southwest between 4 and 7 mph. Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 49. West southwest wind between 3 and 7 mph.”
I woke up today to find that access to my Gmail account was blocked until I changed my password! I spent much of the day doing the "Change your Password Two Step" because my user name and password, along with 1.2 million others, on Gawker has been hacked. I signed up for Lifehacker many years ago and didn’t know Lifehacker was part of Gawker until I got this email last night from “team hint” (probably the hackers) informing me of such and that my info was out there on Pirate Bay for the whole world to see! Last night I changed my Lifehacker info and thought I was done with the mess.
My problem wasn't the password but my user ID which I use on many accounts and the bad folks kept trying to log into my accounts multiple times; had to prove to Google just who I was (by phone!) before they'd unblock my account. This is my problem: if there are many attempts to log into an account the site will block access.
I went to the Gawker website to have a look-see and it appeared to be something like the National Enquirer; something I'd never visit, sign up or leave a password for.
I did find that Gawker Media is an American online media company, which I found interesting.
Now we, Lifehackers/Gawkers, all know how our Government feels to have its secret info out for the entire world to see.
I went for my evening walk to blow off some steam; such a nice day :)
I went to our community board meeting at 7pm hauling the desktop computer and monitor for Tim to use as secretary of the board. I met him in the parking lot there and put it all in his car; now my part is done in the matter. The meeting started on time. Mary Helen gave the treasury report which included a Year in Review Report for 2010. Here are my meeting notes: 49 adults and 3 children came to December’s First Saturday Breakfast. Bingo been having between 15-20 folks each week.101 folks showed up for the USDA Food Distribution. A discussion for raising the cost of the breakfast to $5 from $4.50 didn’t go anywhere. Daniel and Marcie will clean out all the nonworking electric items from the Treasure Room. So far11 families signed up for our Christmas Basket. Only 60 members have renewed their membership; 125 had by this time last year. Mary Helen and Steve are trying (in separate ways) to find a lower insurance policy for the center; right now it’s $3250.00 a year. Our Edison bill of $3005.00 for the year is still too high and we are having Edison audit our building. It was a productive meeting.
I went outside about 9:30 to see if there was any sign of the Geminid Meteor Shower. I wasn’t expecting much because of the Moon being 57 percent full would kind of washout the meteors, but when I first looked up I saw a green streamer cross the sky, wow! I sat for a short spell and saw several more! I went back inside to complete this journal and I’m going to make some coffee and stay up into the wee hours to watch the sky show.

Tuesday 14- I did my stretches and ran two miles.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 49 to 71 degrees, nice breeze, and humidity around 33 percent, mostly clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. West wind between 7 and 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. West wind around 8 mph.”
I went back outside last night at 12:15am and watched the Moon set behind the mountains to the west with my binoculars; just love doing that! Then it was time for me to do some serious Geminid Meteor Shower watching. They seemed to come in bunches of five our more and I counted around 110 or more an hour! Lots of them green streamers zipping across the sky. Sometimes the big ones seemed to break and split apart as they fell; I’ve never seen that before. I got to sleep a little after 3am. What a dang good shower this turned out to be and the one time I didn't put in in the newspaper because I thought it wouldn't be that good because of the Moon being at first quarter.
After my exercising and taking care of a few things around the house I rode my electric bike over to Stoney’s to check on the place. Then I went on over to Roger Smith’s to visit for a short spell. He has his garden in the back and was showing me his new garden bed when he noticed that the turnips were ready to be pulled and gave me a couple of them.
I went for my evening walk just before the Sun went down.
I wrote my column for the Hi-Desert Star Newspaper and sent it in.
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Wednesday 15- I did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 41 to 62 degrees, nice breeze, and humidity around 43 percent, mostly cloudy skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Thursday: A 20 percent chance of rain before 10am. Partly sunny, with a high near 58. North northwest wind between 10 and 18 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. West northwest wind between 7 and 9 mph.”
I am going to make this a short post because I’m tired as hell. What made me this way? I went to town shopping with Kelly, that’s what. We finally got out and on the road at 1pm and didn’t get back to my house until 7:30pm where we offloaded my groceries and had coffee. Then we went to her house to drop off her groceries and I stayed there until 11:30pm; I am beat, we both were, but we had a grand time :)
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Thursday 16- I did my stretches. Because the ground was wet I didn’t go for a run, but I wanted to.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 39 to 58 degrees, calm wind, and humidity around 61 percent, mostly cloudy skies with rain during the very early hours of the night.
According to the National Weather Service: “Friday: A 40 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. South southwest wind between 3 and 9 mph. Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. South southwest wind between 8 and 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.” As long as it’s clear on Monday night’s Lunar Eclipse!
I did my Latin studies, yea! About time I restarted on my studies and get cracking!
I did webwork throughout the day and was trying to figure out a problem on an online friend’s computer; had something to do with the way BIOS looks for a bootable drive and how Vista configures the drives afterwards. It was fun for me and I believe the other person to get into our tech mood!
I went for my evening walk. The air was nice and fresh, the ground had dried some, and it turned into a wonderful day with the cloud formations overhead creating a kind of artwork gallery of nature’s rugged beauty.
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Friday 17- I did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 45 to 52 degrees, calm wind, and humidity around 49 percent, mostly cloudy skies with rain.
My neighbor Kelly called and asked if I’d go down to her new doctor in Palm Desert with her. It was her first time going down the hill in that area and I went along for the ride acting as navigator. It rained on our way down. We arrived about 1:30pm and didn’t get out of there until almost 6pm. One good thing I’ll say about the doctor’s office was that they had coffee, cookies, and hamburgers for the patients; I had two cheeseburgers and lots of cookies while I was waiting for Kelly :)
We stopped at an AMPM gas station to get coffee for the trip home. There was tape all around the gas pump area and a woman mopping and spraying it down. I asked her what happened. “No gas”, she replied. I asked again this time asking if there was a spill. “No Gas”, she said again. Okay she doesn’t speak English so I’ll ask inside. We got our coffee and the counter girl smiled as we approached the checkout counter and I pointed at the pumps outside and asked her if there was there a spill. “No gas” was the lady’s response. It rained on our way back to 29 Palms.
We got back to 29 and went to Rite Aid to get her prescription filled and had to wait until 8:30pm to pick it up, so we went to Del Taco to eat and waste some time. We noticed the artwork on the walls of Dell Taco; lovely paintings of desert scenery with adobe buildings in dazzling colors. It reminded me of the art deco of the thirties. But they were all painted in the late eighties by S. Morath.
As 8:30 rolled around we picked up her prescription and headed back towards home. I told Kelly that it was 13 miles to my house from Stater Bros. She told me that Andrew said it was 8 miles to her house she rents from him. So we checked the mileage and it was 11 miles to her house and 13 to mine; Andrew was off by a few miles.
We stopped off at her place so she could feed her critters and then went to my house to drop me off and have a cup of coffee and chat for a spell.
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, but I couldn’t post it to the web because the internet connection was down, and called it a night.

Saturday 18- I did my stretches.
I still couldn’t get online. I called Matt; we went through the regular stuff to get it working but no luck. He said he was just going out the door on his way to his Aunt’s but he’d drop by. I told him go on to his Aunt’s, that I needed a vacation from the internet anyways; family is more important. He came by anyways, I knew he would, and I told him he has 10min to get it working and then he has to go to his Aunt’s. He couldn’t get it going and said he’d be back tomorrow. I started reading a new book called “Velocity” by Alan Jacobson. I read throughout that dark and gloomy day where it has been threatening to rain but hasn’t.

Sunday 19- I did my stretches; too much drizzle and rain here and there to do anything.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 45 to 52 degrees, calm wind, and humidity around 49 percent, mostly cloudy skies with rain.
According to the National Weather Service: “Monday: A 50 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. South southwest wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Monday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 46. South southwest wind between 7 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.”
It doesn’t look too good for Monday night’s Lunar Eclipse, dang!
I now have the internet back. I left the antenna on and I believe that Matt flashed the card on the microprocessor that controls the antenna’s router. Cool, I got lots to get done!
First off I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
Called Kelly on Skype to say hi and chat for a short spell.
Called family and friends; I use the computer to do that too.
Went through all my emails; answered some, trashed others, and left some for later.
This guy that comes up here on the weekends and who I haven’t seen in five years decides to come by for a visit. He sat in his truck honking and honking until I came out. He’d been drinking. I didn’t want to let him on my property. The gate was locked and we talked through it. I do not like sloppy drunks around me. He finally talked his way in; I kinda felt rude just having him stand there on the other side in the cold wind. I was showing him what I’d done to the house and told him about the new solar panels I have up on the roof. He grabbed the ladder before I could stop him and started to climb up to have a look-see, and immediately fell backwards landing on my Aloe Vera plants and scraping his arm pretty badly. I got him into the house and put hydrogen peroxide on the scrapes. Then I got him to leave and go home with the hopes that he’ll never come back.
I spent the rest of the day and into the rainy night reading the book “Velocity” by Alan Jacobson.
I did my stretches and lifted dumbbells, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.
Nice to have my internet back :)

Monday 20- I did my stretches and lifted dumbbells; lots of rain outside.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 46 to 57 degrees, mostly calm wind, and humidity around 68 percent, cloudy skies with lots of rain.
According to the National Weather Service: “Tuesday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 54. South wind between 3 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Tuesday Night: Rain. Low around 51. South wind between 9 and 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.”
Joel Levy called to tell me that the electric power went out a little after 8am, and he called later to say it came back up at 12:30pm.
Chris Jonas came and dropped off my groceries from the USDA food distribution and I gave him a donation check from Sandra Foyil to give to Mary Helen at Tuesday night Bingo.
The rain was coming down pretty dang good so I spent most of the day inside reading the book “Velocity” by Alan Jacobson, doing webwork, and talking to Kelly.
LUNAR ECLIPSE: 10:33pm rolled around and I went outside in the rain to see if there were any breaks in the cloud cover. I stood out there in the light rain for a long spell willing the clouds to part. All of a sudden the rain stopped and the clouds thinned enough where I saw the Moon half covered by the Earth’s shadow! I ran inside, grabbed my camera, and quickly took a picture, but didn’t have the chance to use the zoom before it disappeared behind the clouds, dang!
Did you know that it has been 372 years (December 21, 1638) since a Winter Solstice and a Total Lunar Eclipse coincided and we will have to wait around until 2094 for the next one!
At this moment the Moon is at total eclipse and it’s really dark outside. I keep getting up when I hear the rain stop and hurry to the front yard to see if I can see it but the clouds are too thick. I will keep doing this until I get a picture of the total eclipse or 12:53 when totality ends.
I went outside a dozen or more times hoping to see the blood red Moon. I’m tracking in lots of mud onto the floors inside my house. I even sat out there the last 20min of the totality but it wasn’t to be. 12:53 had come and gone, and then 1:30 rolled around when rain started coming down in torrents and I got soaked.
Am I disappointed? A little, but it was fun, I gave it my best shot. I guess I’ll just have to wait around until 2094 when the next Winter Solstice and a Total Lunar Eclipse coincide for another chance :) Anyways there will be a Total Lunar Eclipse in 2014 but just not on the Solstice.

Tuesday 21- I did my stretches and yoga, ran a mile, and lifted dumbbells and weights; finally got tired of loafing around.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 50 to 54 degrees, mostly calm winds, and humidity around 96 percent, cloudy skies with lots of rain and fog!
According to the National Weather Service: “Wednesday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 4pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. High near 55. South wind between 15 and 18 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 10pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. West southwest wind between 8 and 11 mph.”
I spent the better part of the day trying to write my column for the newspaper and talking to folks who wanted to yak their fool heads off over the phone; I really didn’t mind too much but I didn’t finish my column until later in the evening.
Kelly came by around 5pm for coffee and a chat. We sat outside most of the time so she could smoke her cigarettes. She had better luck at seeing the eclipse than I did! She had to get a prescription filled at Rite Aid late last night and happened to see the start of the eclipse and decided to drive a little ways out of 29 where it was clear; she got to see the blood red (she said it looked orange) Moon of totality! I am really happy for her.
I spent the rest of the night finishing the book “Velocity” by Alan Jacobson; turned out to be a mighty fine book and a first-rate author!!!!
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Wednesday 22- I did my stretches and lifted dumbbells.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 40 to 55 degrees, mostly calm winds, and humidity around 100 percent (never seen it at 100 percent), cloudy skies with rain.
According to the National Weather Service: “Thursday: Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 55. Light north northwest wind. Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. Light northwest wind.”
I’m going through some old files that I have stored in boxes seeing what I can throw away and what I need to keep.
I went for a walk down to the bottom of the hill where a lake has formed in the middle of the street. A friend of mine called it "Lake Bob"! I was taking a few pictures when Dana drove up and we yakked for a spell. He said that Karin’s weather station she runs in their back yard registered 2 inches of rain from the recent storm. Dang, that’s a lot of rain! Dana drove off and then another neighbor drove up. He (doesn't want his name mentioned) told me he got a job down the hill somewhere working at an Apple store. It’s only a temp job but he hopes it’ll go fulltime; takes him three hours a day to drive there and back, yikes!
I had a nice chat with Kelly and worked a few things out.
I started a new book called “Deadly Sanctuary” by Sylvia Nobel; looks to be a good one.
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar and broke a string, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Thursday 23- I did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 37 to 58 degrees, mostly calm winds, and humidity around 66 percent, some clouds in the evening but mostly clear in the morning and afternoon.
According to the National Weather Service: “Friday: Sunny, with a high near 60. Calm wind becoming east southeast around 6 mph. Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38. South wind at 5 mph becoming west.”
I went over to Stoney’s to check to see if there was any water damage from leaks. I noticed that on the west wall in the kitchen and the dining room the carpet was damp. We’re going to replace or patch the roof on that side of the house this spring but I’ll still let Denny know about this and air out the house when the weather gets better to prevent any mold.
I went over to visit Andrew who is visiting Kelly for a spell. His dogs were glad to see me. I used to dog sit them when Andrew lived up here and he would have to go on trips; I’d feed them hot dogs.
Around 7pm I went outside to do a little stargazing. The night sky was clear of clouds and the air was still; good seeing!
I read a little of “Deadly Sanctuary” by Sylvia Nobel and fell asleep waking up at 11:45pm; just in time to write my journal.

Friday 24- I did my stretches and yoga, ran a mile, and lifted dumbbells.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 36 to 60 degrees, mostly calm winds, and humidity around 46 percent, clear sunny skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Christmas Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. Calm wind becoming southeast between 5 and 8 mph. Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain after 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. South wind 9 to 14 mph becoming northwest.”
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
The Honda 750 motorcycle I have sitting out in front of the house had fallen over a few days ago when the heavy rains undermined the rock that was supporting the kickstand that held the bike up. I figured it was a good time to put the bike back upright. It’s a dang heavy bike and I had to use a 2x4 as a lever to bring it up enough to kick a few cinder blocks underneath to where I could let go of the 2x4 and hoist the bike the rest of the way by hand.
I drove the Harley to my mail box to retrieve any last minute Christmas cards. It felt good to get out there and ride. The roads were still washed out in spots but easily passable.
I stopped over to visit my friend Ron Dehart on the way back. I played the new song I wrote and he liked it. We sat around and yakked for a spell till evening came.
I spent the rest of the night calling and being called wishing a Merry Christmas to all :)

Christmas- I did my stretches and yoga, and ran a mile.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 40 to 62 degrees, mostly calm winds, and humidity around 45 percent, with clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers before 10am. Partly sunny, with a high near 54. West northwest wind between 9 and 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Northwest wind around 8 mph.”
I spent the day kicking back. I called a few folks to wish them a Merry Christmas.
I read a few chapters of “Deadly Sanctuary” by Sylvia Nobel.
I did my stretches, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Sunday 26- I did my stretches, too dang windy and cold for anything else.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 37 to 52 degrees, WNW winds at 8 to 22 MPH, and humidity around 52 percent, with mostly hazy skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. North northwest wind between 13 and 16 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. Northwest wind between 6 and 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.”
Again, I spent the day kicking back and called a few friends.
I went for my evening walk but cut it short because of the wind.
I read a few more chapters of “Deadly Sanctuary” by Sylvia Nobel.
I watched a movie called “Stargate Continuum” (2008). I liked it! I had only seen the original “Stargate” (1994) when it first came out. My online friend Ami Ven will be mighty glad that I did; she writes these neat little stories about Stargate and now I’ll know a little something of the characters.
I wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Monday 27- I did my stretches and yoga, ran a mile, and lifted weights.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 38 to 54 degrees, NW winds at 6 to 17 MPH, and humidity around 41 percent, with clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. Northwest wind between 5 and 8 mph becoming calm. Tuesday Night: Rain likely after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. South southwest wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.”
I didn’t feel all that well today. My whole body seemed to ache and my muscles were tight.
I read a few more chapters of “Deadly Sanctuary” by Sylvia Nobel.
I watched a movie called “Stargate: The Ark of Truth” (2008). It was okay but the one I watched yesterday was better.
I still haven’t replaced my broken string on my guitar, did my stretches, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Tuesday 28- I did my stretches and ran two miles.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 40 to 57 degrees, calm winds but starting to pick up around 11:30pm, humidity around 34 percent, with clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Wednesday: Showers likely, mainly before 10am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 55. Windy, with a southwest wind between 30 and 36 mph, with gusts as high as 49 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 34. Windy, with a west wind around 31 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph.”
I felt much better today, even ran two miles.
I wrote my column for the Hi-Desert Star Newspaper and sent it out. Thought of the week: “There are those who walk this world that see only hate and deceit, they pollute the earth, pollute your mind, with their money and their greed.
There is hope for the world if you just brighten up your day, wear a smile, become alive, feel the happiness grow inside.”
My friend Kula called telling me about her Christmas and asking me to come over for a visit with her and Tom soon. She said I would have their beach condo all to myself while I’m there. And believe me this sits right on the beach with a magnificent view up and down the California coast and out to Catalina Island!
I went for my evening walk. Looks like there are rain clouds off in the distance and coming our way.
I haven’t started the Harley for a few days and decided it was time to let her run for a spell.
My friend Terry called from Bristol Virginia! I haven’t talked to her in ages and we had a lot of catching up to do; 108 minutes worth.
Yapped with Kelly for a spell.
I replaced the broken string on my guitar, did my stretches, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Wednesday 29- I did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 34 to 55 degrees, SW-NW winds of 9 to 27 with gusts of over 50 MPH, humidity around 51 percent, with stratus clouds and rain.
According to the National Weather Service: “Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 44. Breezy, with a northwest wind between 24 and 28 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph. Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 27. West northwest wind between 17 and 20 mph becoming light. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.”
Kelly had asked me yesterday if I wouldn’t mind tagging along with her for a doctor’s appointment down the hill in Palm Desert. I said I wouldn’t mind at all and she picked me up at 11:30am.
Once we got over the hill and out of Yucca Valley, clouds began to form. There was rain with high winds all the way to Palm Desert. I was the navigator and I did a dang good job of getting us to the doctor’s office where we spent a few hours. We then had to make another trip across town to another doctor’s office where we spent a few more hours.
On our way back there was an accident on Hwy 62 going up the hill to Yucca Valley; it appeared to be two trucks that did battle on the wet road and both lost. We finally got back to my house around 7pm after making a quick stop at Von’s to pick up some fried chicken; dang good fried chicken there! Kelly stayed until 9pm. We sat outside in our usual spot by the camper in our chairs, drinking coffee, and looking at the stars as they came out from hiding in the clouds. We discussed a multitude of topics as the weather worsened.
I read a few more chapters of “Deadly Sanctuary” by Sylvia Nobel.
I did my stretches, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.

Friday 31- I did my stretches.
You’ll notice that I didn’t write about Thursday because I fell to sleep at the computer last night, but Thursday was just too dang windy and cold that I just stayed inside cleaning and sweeping the floor, going through old files, and reading “Deadly Sanctuary” by Sylvia Nobel.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 26 to 42 degrees, NW winds of 7 to 12 MPH, humidity around 37 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “New Year's Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. Southeast wind between 5 and 9 mph. Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. East southeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm.”
I really had a good sleep last night and slept till 11:30am this morning; must have been mighty tired to sleep all them hours.
I went for a little walk after I ate breakfast and then got back to cleaning the house.
I got a call from Frank and Mary’s son Matt telling me that they had a water tank and ladder stolen from their property and saw it on the property just up the street. I gave him a few numbers to call.
Kelly called about 2pm asking me to drop on by if I could. She is having MojaveWIFI connect up her internet later in the day. I said I would come on over. Besides I wanted to drop on over to Frank and Mary’s house and find out what was stolen from there.
I got to Frank’s house and talked to Matt and he pointed out the house where the stolen stuff was. I asked if he wanted me to go over there with him but he said that he already confronted the guy and he kinda denied everything. I told Matt that the guy was a known thief and had stolen from my friend Stoney and his son Jimmy, and was a worthless piece of garbage.
I got to Kelly’s and she was busy cleaning and mopping the floors; she didn’t want it to be a mess when the installation guy came over to hook up her internet. I dug a hole for her dead cat which we will bury tomorrow. The internet connection was hooked up in less than 45minutes and he was gone just after sunset. I stayed around yakking with Kelly and messing around on the internet watching these Japanese anime with her; kinda looked like cartoons to me.
I got home around 11pm just in time to finish off my “365 Starry Nights” astronomy book, do my stretches, and go for a midnight run! So at 10 minutes till midnight I, after putting on some long underwear and bundling up really good, went outside in the 25 degree cold and ran out the old year and ran in the new! I did this for the last few years now. I’d have to look back to see when first I started this. It was about a mile run and as I neared the top of the hill I saw fireworks going off and I knew it was the New Year :)
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I wrote to my journal, posted it to the web, and called it a night.