September 2017

September 2017

Friday 01- 106 to 80

I did my stretches, lifted weights, yoga, went for a one mile jog, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for three minutes.

I did some work on the Harley and also cleaned around the the house.

Took the dogs for their evening walk and I did set-ups and punched the heavybag for a spell.

Saturday 02- 103 to 75.

I did my stretches, went for a good mile jog, and punched the heavybag for three minutes.
I went to the Joshua Tree library to listen to Tami Wood talk about her new book that has pictures of her creative art in it. There were about 15 to 20 people in the audience there to listen and ask her questions. I bought a signed copy. While I was in JT I got a 5 gallons of premium gas for both bikes and filled up the truck. I also picked up two dozen eggs and two loafs of bread at the store there.

When I returned home I took the dogs for their evening walk and did set-ups and punched the heavybag for a spell.

Sunday 03- 98 to 78

I did my stretches, lifted weights, went for a one mile jog, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for three minutes.

After a lot of effort we finally published the book “Upon Ashen Roads” tonight.

It was cool enough that I took the dogs for a mile jog.

Monday 04- 100 to 80

I did my stretches, yoga, went for a one mile jog, set-ups, and punched the heavybag for three minutes.

I did some research on advertising my book; if no one sees it they won’t know it’s out there.

Me and the dogs went roaming the desert for a spell this evening. I did my set-ups and punched the heavybag.

Tuesday 05- 102 to 79

I only did my stretches because I needed to fast before I go to town and have some bloodwork done.

My truck broke down at Staters Bros after I did picked up some supplies. A Marine with a new truck asked to help. We tried to jump it, but it didn’t want to start, so he gave me a ride just down the street for my bloodletting appointment. I was on time and got that done. I walked back to my truck and called AAA towing.

I took the dogs for their walk and did sit-ups and hit the heavybag.

Wednesday 06- 104 to 84 a bit of rain here and there.

I did my stretches and exercised with the 20lb dumbbells.

Thank goodness I shopped for food when the truck died; I have enough food to last me and the doggies for awhile. I've been on the phone to AAA this morning getting everything all worked out to insure the scooter and Harley. The scooter works, but I still need to get it registered. I’ll do that online tomorrow once the insurance kicks in. Also need to get the Sportster working and registered; I’ll mail the reg tomorrow. At least I'll be able to get to town with the scooter.

It was cool enough to took the dogs for an evening jog; they like to run.

Thursday 07-  100 to 79 scattered showers.

I did my stretches, jogged a mile, yoga, and worked out 10lbs weights.

For some reason unknown to me I couldn’t get the scooter registered online. So, I had to mail both the Harley and scooter registration.

I worked on the truck finally figured out why it wouldn’t start; the A/C clutch froze up.

I took the dogs for an evening walk.

Friday 08- 91 to 72 later in the afternoon rain lightning and thunder.

I did my stretches, lifted weights, went for a one mile jog, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for three minutes.

I had to go out in the pouring rain to dig a trench in back of my house to drain the water that was building up.

Saturday 09- 80 to 69 with lots more rain lightning and thunder.

I did my stretches.

Took the dogs for a walk after the rain stopped for for a while. The tortoise came visiting again and I had to put the dogs in their pin. Mister tortoise decided to leave and cross the street and was in the middle when a truck was coming fast up the road towards us. I stopped the truck and told the guy this is a Turtle crossing. He smiled and we watched as the tortoise made it across to the otherside.

The rain came down so hard I couldn’t see no more than 25 yards away, like a whiteout. The roads up here are now all flooded and the lake that had formed down at the bottom of my hill earlier grew larger. Already there's been a few cars stuck today.

I called the guys at NAPA and they weren't too sure what I was talking about and wanted me to come down. All I wanted was a serpentine belt for a 1999 Ford F150 6 cylinder that bypasses the A/C unit. I thought that was simple enough. I’ll search the web tonight and find another solution.

Sunday 10- 93 to 70 mostly clear.

I did my stretches. I decided I better do some work around here, so: I fixed my wheelbarrow by putting the new wheel on I bought last Tuesday; I connected up an old solar panel up to a charge controller and hooked it up to my truck’s battery that was low.

Between this working and cleaning I was watching the Irma hit Florida where I have family and also a very dear friend living there.
I'm decided to just order the part I need to fix the truck on Amazon and have it delivered to my house on Tuesday, that way I don’t have to trouble anyone for a ride or wait till my bikes get registered.

Monday 11- 105 to 75

I did my stretches, lifted weights, went for a one mile jog, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for three minutes.

I cleaned the kitchen... worked on the Harley.

I found out today that EquiFax was comprised mid-May through July and over 143 million IDs; probably many more victims EquiFax isn’t telling us: like Social Security numbers, driver licenses and other personal data were stolen; anything necessary for some criminal could use to make false IDs and open accounts in your name. Many executives of the company kept it to themselves and sold their stock in EquiFax before going public with the breach last Thursday.

I called Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion and place a freeze on my credit reports so no one can create a credit card, bank or other accounts in my name.

Tuesday 12- 98 to 73

I did my stretches, went for a mile jog, and did yoga.

I worked on the Harley and had to reroute the wires back to what they were and installed the new battery. Then I ran the motor for a spell until the oil was hot so I could drain it and do an oil change... I’ll let it drip overnight.

OnTrac delivered my belt I ordered for the truck. It was too late in the day to begin, but I did anyways... tried to work on it but was too hot and brain quit working. I just gotta figure out how to put the belt back on now... I'll git it done tomorrow... hopefully. Gonna watch some of them YouTube DIY.

I took the dogs for their evening walk and met Kjtel my neighbor who was walking her dogs and ended up resting and having a cool soda water at her house.

I continued my studies I’ve put off due to editing the final proof of my new book: history, geology, astronomy, meteorology, played guitar and drew something.

Wednesday 13- 96 to 64

I did my stretches.

I noticed a monthly account charge for having a checking account on BofA. I called them to complain and they helped me change everything so I didn’t have to pay $25 a month! This took about an hour over the phone.

And then went right to work installing the serpentine belt into my Ford F150 bypassing the A/C unit clutch that seized up. This time I did it the right way... the Truck fired right up without any problems. I test drove it over to my neighbor’s to say howdy. Then I finished changing the oil on the Harley, drained the old gas out of the tank to fill her up with premium. I had her all put back together and she fired right up just like the truck.

I took the dogs out for a walk and did my set-ups and punched the heavybag.

I did my studies: history, geology, astronomy, meteorology, played guitar and drew something.

Thursday 14- 91 to 65 with a bit of wind.

I did my stretches, exercised with the 10lb dumbbells, and jogged a good mile.

I called the DMV to check if my Cougar I traded in last February was taken out of my name after I received a registration notice a few weeks ago. I found everything was okay and my bikes should be too once the checks clear for their registration; this took a bit over an hour, but I felt relieved knowing everything was getting done.   

I took the dogs for their evening walk and I did my sit-ups and punched the heavybag.

I did my studies: history, geology, astronomy, meteorology, played guitar and drew something.

Friday 15- 88 to 67

I did my stretches, lifted weights, went for a one mile jog, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for three minutes. Did some of my studies: drew something, played the guitar, and read some astronomy.

Got everything together, fed and walked the dogs, and then went to a poetry reading by xxxx and xxxx in the Beatnik Lounge JT. I also met Rich at the reading and picked up my 20 books of “Upon Ashen Roads”.

Saturday 16- 95 to 68 with a few clouds.

I did my stretches,went for a one mile jog, yoga, sit-ups and punched the heavybag.

I did my laundry and fixed the little washer by replacing a hose.

I walked the dogs and visited my neighbor’s house. I did my sit-ups and punched the heavybag for a bit.

I did my studies: history, geology, astronomy, meteorology, played guitar and drew something.

Sunday 17- 91 to 65

I did my stretches.

I washed four loads of  clothes in the little washer. The big washer doesn’t work right and I think the packrats got to it; I’ll investigate later. While I was doing the washing I also did the poop patrol, and there was lots of it.

Took the doggies for a nice walk.

I did my studies: history, geology, astronomy, meteorology, played guitar and drew something.

Monday 18- 91 to 64

I did my stretches, jogged a mile, exercised with the 20lb weights, sit-ups and punched the heavybag.

I went to the post office in 29 Palms to pick up saddlebags I ordered for the scooter. I stopped off at the doctor’s office to make an appointment, got gas, and did some shopping at Stater Bros.

Tuesday 19- 91 to 65

I did my stretches,went for a good mile jog, yoga, sit-ups and punched the heavybag.

Did more cleaning of the house and went through some old photos of family and friends.

I took the dogs for an evening jog and I did my sit-ups and punched the heavybag when we got back.

I did my studies: history, geology, astronomy, meteorology, played guitar and drew something.

Wednesday 20- 90 to 64 degrees.

I did my stretches, ran a mile, did sit-ups, punched the heavybag, and jogged a mile.

I went to my doctor’s appointment in Yucca to get a flu shot and pick up a prescription and had it filled at Star Pharmacy.

I then went Rich’s house where we messed around with the advertizing for my book on Amazon. I had a spaghetti dinner there with his family; I made the garlic bread! I had a great time.

The doggies were hungry and glad to see me when I arrived home after dark around 7:45.

I started feeling a little ache and pains from the flu shot and went to bed.

Thursday 21- 80 to 53 with lots of wind.

I did my stretches.

I woke up this morning feeling kinda sick. Went to the Desert Writers Guild anyways. It was at 1:30 and I thought it was at 1pm and wondered if I was in the right place. Finally folks started showing up which was to my relief because I couldn’t get a straight answer from the people there having a church meeting; I found this out later. It was an interesting group of writers and we all commented on what they wrote. I was going to read a section of my book, but I decided not to because writers were all reading from unpublished work. I felt really sick towards the end, it lasted over 3 hours; my head started throbbing and my right arm went numb. I was glad to leave and drove right on home and now I’m in bed now with a throbbing headache and muscle pains... go figure :(

Friday 22- 78 to 55 with a bit of wind.

I did my stretches and decided to take it easy and recover from the flu injection.

I took the dogs for a nice walk.

The one thing I wanted to get a look at was the washer and why it wasn’t tumbling clothes. The culprits were what I suspected; pack rats. Two of them I pulled out dead, along with all their belonging; sticks and twigs, shiny rocks, poop, and wires the stripped out from the control system. I spent the better part of the day spraying bleach, hosing down with water, and cleaning piles of their rubbish out of the nooks and crannies of the insides of my brand new washer I only used successfully once.

Once done with all that I washed myself up really good and went inside to stay the rest of the day.

Seimi came by asking me help him with his computer. After that was taken care of we chatted about Zen and physics.

Saturday 23- 77 to 57 windy.

I did my stretches, ran a mile, did sit-ups, punched the heavybag, and jogged a mile.

I had to move the Mini Cooper because I’m going to work on the garage roof and got her started. I tinkered with her innards and once warmed up she idled around 800 RPM something she hasn’t done before. I let her sit running for awhile and pumped up the tires on the truck and one on the Mini.

I worked on the roof pulling out some rotten wood and a broken beam and this took most of the rest of the day. I will continue tomorrow.

I took a night ride on the scooter to see if the registration for both bikes came in. Only the Harley was in the mailbox... I was kinda hoping the scooter was there because that’s the one I have running at this time.

Sunday 24- 77 to 55 nice weather.

I did my stretches, went for a good mile jog, yoga, sit-ups and punched the heavybag.
I continued to work on the roof doing this and that, pounding nails, hitting my thumb a couple of times. The roof is stable right now, but it needs more work done and I’ll have to buy a few items to complete the job.

Seimi came by and wanted to chat so we jawed for a spell. We continued our yapping as we walked the dogs. I did my sit-ups and punched the heavybag after he left.

I did my studies: history, geology, astronomy, meteorology, played guitar and drew something.

Monday 25- 82 to 61

I did my stretches, ran a mile, did sit-ups, punched the heavybag, and jogged a good mile. The heavybag finally bit the dust; I knocked the stuffing out of it. I had a replacement already waiting. I decided to cleanup the whole patio area while I replaced the bag. It must have been a couple of years since it had a good sweeping and it took a few hours to get all the built up dirt and leaves out.

I too the dogs for a walk and did sit-ups and punched the new heavybag for a short spell.

I did my studies: history, geology, astronomy, meteorology, played guitar and drew something.

I went for a night run up the hill and back.

Tuesday 26- 84 to 62 some clouds.

I did my stretches, went for a good mile jog, yoga, sit-ups, worked out with the 10lb dumbbells, and punched the heavybag.
Today is my dad Tom’s birthday and I called my sisters Lynn and Leanne in remembrance of his life.

Linda asked for my help

I did my studies: history, geology, astronomy, meteorology, played guitar and drew something.

Me and the doggies went for a walk and I did my sit-ups and punched the heavybag. The new bag is stiff and much harder on my fists, I might have to buy a pair of training gloves.

Wednesday 27- 88 to 64

I did my stretches, went for a good mile jog, sit-ups, and punched the heavybag.

I rode the little scooter down to my mailbox on Lear to see what was the and behold, a book from my friend Katie! Also there was the Apple Airport Card for the old iMac.

Seimi came by wanting to chat and needing help with his smartphone.

I took the dogs for a walk. I did my sit-ups and punched the heavybag when we got back.

I installed the Airport Card

I again rode my scooter, but down to my mailbox on Border Ave to see if the registration for the scooter was there; it wasn’t.

Thursday 28- 90 to 66 clear

I did my stretches.

I decided to kickback today and clean around the insides of the house.

Seimi dropped over to call 411 to get a number in JT. I looked up who he wanted to call online. He stayed around and we yammered for a spell. Not many people drop by my little home.

I took the dogs for a walk and I did my sit-ups and punched the heavybag.

Friday 29- 95 to 67 clear

I did my stretches, did sit-ups, punched the heavybag, and jogged a good mile.

I did my laundry and hung them out to dry.

I cut up a bunch of firewood to keep me and my doggies warm during the winter.

I started writing some thoughts down for book 2.

I took the doggies for a long walk and did my sit-ups and punched the heavybag.

I went for a night run up the hill and back.

Saturday 30- 95 to 64

I did my stretches, did sit-ups, punched the heavybag, and jogged a mile.

I cooked up a pot of rice and headed on down to our community potluck. There were around fifteen hungry folks who showed up carrying in platters of food to share. The serving table was now stocked with enough food to feed a rifle platoon. We all signed a card passed around for Chris Van Nortrick’s birthday; dang it, forgot to sing Happy Birthday to her.
Me and Cal Myers were chomping happily away at our food when we both scooped up a spoonful of Dyan Carrol's peanut butter cookie Trifle. So thick and rich in sugary flavor it was that folks said my eyes popped out; I could swear I heard my arteries hardening. It hit my stomach with a thud and I knew right then and there I was done eating for the day. She said it was a Trifle, but something that overwhelmingly delicious and fattening is anything but a trifle.
Some of us sat around yammering about this and that, while others picked olives off the tree out front until the day grew dim outside. What fun!

*************** Stuff I wrote this Month **************

Poetry can be used to express emotions, explain the impossible, define the improbable, explore and reveal the unknown... in words.
~RD

Embrace life, discover your potential and allow the love you have to flow far and wide. This is your tourniquet against living and dying a bored and miserable existence.
~RD

I did. I did? I think I did. Didn’t I?
~RD

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