November 2020

 

 My guest preparing Thanksgiving dinner

November 2020

Poems:

We need to take responsibility for our actions and not blame others for our failures. We have to learn to think for ourselves, to sort out the facts on our own, and not rely on others to do it for us.

~RD

Our fierce visceral struggle with reality, our fight with God and the Devil between right and wrong, existence or annihilation, our search of some greater truth and unbounded knowledge versus an unremarkable life, a war that rages on in our minds, endlessly tormenting us will finally be decided and laid to rest, not by you, me, or anyone else for that matter.... but by death; the ultimate jury.

~RD

A difference of opinion over Politics isn’t something you should ever lose friends or family members over... it’s like; you believe in fairy dust and unicorns and I believe in ogres and trolls... get over it and search for the love that’s gone missing in your life.

~RD

If I say I don’t give a shit it probably means I do give a shit because if I didn’t give a shit I wouldn’t say anything.

~RD

****************

Sunday 01- 80/49F I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

Monday 02- 84/50F I did my stretches. Just not feeling up to doing anything.

Tuesday 03- 88/56F and clear. I am still feeling ill but a bit better.

Wednesday 04- 90/57F and clear with a few clouds rolling into the evening. I am feeling much better today! I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

Dave came over for a visit and then Kjtel and Bodha came by and we all sat around in my front yard and jawed away for a spell.

Thursday 05- 88/58F with clouds. I did my stretches.

Friday 06- 86/51F more clouds.  I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

Saturday 07- 60/44F high winds with sprinkles. I did my stretches.

Sunday 08- 59/37F high winds. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

Monday 09- 58/34F cold. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile run.

I spent much of the day cutting wood for my wood stove to keep me warm through the winter.

I did my studies.

At 6:05PM there was adid it sound like a fully automatic weapon?

the way it ripped sounded like one to me but I was mighty excited going for my 38 SW yeah... when I hear them reload it was a ripping sound slightly different than the first

very loud... I swear I thought it was right outside cause I saw the flashes 

they don't care... I've seen folks without Army training do some dumb shit

usually, they fire them off near the mountain south of us

out here they don't care that much

I don't think they would hear you with their ears ringing

The police were already here talking to David. he didn't mention us but the police saw our footprints all over the place and asked him about them. David says he didn't see anyone else.

They just left half hour ago

it's the first time anything like this has happened this close to me

 

Tuesday 10- 62/37F nice day. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

I took Cassie for a mile jog but as I came around to Dave’s house there was a detective investigating the shooting last night and asked if I wouldn’t mind answering a few questions; I didn’t mind at all.

Me and my guest went to Twentynine Palms to pick up packages at the post office and do some shopping at Stater Bros. 

I did my studies.

Wednesday 11- 67/40F sunny. I did my stretches and exercised with the 15lb dumbbells. Took Cassie for a walk up to visit David to see how he’s doing after last night’s terror in the streets of Copper Mountain Mesa.

I did my studies.

Thursday 12- 69/41F nice. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, beat on the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I did some of my studies and finished up my Anatomy coloring book after having it for almost if not 30 years.

I did the poop patrol; there was a lot to clean up.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

I did my late night stretches and worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells. 

Friday 13- 72/48F nice day with a few clouds moving in. I did my stretches and took my Cassie for a walk.

I worked outside in the garage trying to organize and toss what’s not needed and put things that are together in their respective spots.

Now that I have the Anatomy book all colored in and completed, I started training on my AI NVIDIA Nano computer. 

Saturday 14 73/44F a beautiful day. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, beat on the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I worked around the outside of my home raking, stacking wood, painting, and fixing things; I was really tired when I finished late in the evening.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

I did my late night stretches and worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells.

Sunday 15- 76/46F a bright sunny day. I did my stretches and went right to work in the yard cleaning out the junk and making it all neat and tidy... still have a long ways to go. 

Monday 16- 81/49F gosh, what a fine day it was. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, beat on the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I went to work cleaning in the yard and building supports for the solar array.

Tuesday 17- 84/50F another wonderful day in the high desert. I did my stretches. I’m still working framing the solar panels.

Wednesday 18- 82/49F a little breezy. I did my stretches and went to work aligning the solar panels so they are tilted more to the south.

Thursday 19- 75/43F a nice day. I did my stretches. I hooked up the new antenna and got all my missing stations but I lost all the Korean, Spanish, and Chinese language stations I really didn’t care to watch anyway. I think it has to do with the new ATSC 3.0 over the air format because this new antenna is tuned for it. 

I dropped by neighbor Dave’s house and he had set up an archery field with two stacks of hay with bullseye targets on each. I told him I had purchased a bow a few months back and never found the time to practice. He let me shoot off a few and I hit the target twice.

Friday 20- 76/44 slight breeze but mostly fair. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, beat on the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I worked around the outside of my home raking, stacking wood, painting, and fixing things; I was really tired when I finished late in the evening.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

I did my late night stretches and worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells.

Saturday 21- 76/49F some clouds. I did my stretches.

I did the laundry and continued to work cleaning up the yard and tossing junk away.

Sunday 22- 75/45F cloudy. I did my stretches.

I washed my car.

My guest ordered a few food items off of WalMart’s online store for pick up tonight. We drove there and picked up her order which was a very covenant way to do our shopping. I stopped by Home Depot to get a few things I needed to complete my plumbing job I started. I am plumbing a drain to the indoor shower and sink and running it to the desert willow outside; nothing goes to waste around here.

Monday 23- 73/44F I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, beat on the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I finished the plumbing for the shower.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

I did my late night stretches and worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells

Tuesday 24- did something but forgot to write it all down.

Wednesday 25- 69/42F a bit windy. I did my stretches. 

Thursday 26- 60/40F again another day I forgot to write anything down.

Friday 27- 61/34F cold and windy. My new ebike arrived today.

Saturday 28- 65/36F windy. I did my stretches.

I spent the day assembling my new bike.

I took Cassie on a mile bike/run on the new bike. 

Sunday 29- 69/39F. I did my stretches. Dropped on over to Dave’s place to shoot some arrows and hit the target a few more times than the last time I shot.

I took Cassie on a mile bike/run. 

Monday 30- 68/39F.  I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, beat on the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I installed the vent cover to my trailer.

I took Cassie on a mile bike/run. 

Kjtel came by with Bodie for a chat with me and Cassie.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

October 2020

October 2020

******************* Poems for October 2020 *************

Compassion is known by many words; caring, kindness, love, companionship, empathy... becoming aware by living in the moment and awakening of your benevolent self. Finding and letting go of selfish egotistical thinking will bear the fruits of lasting friendships, relationships, and a better happy world for all.

~RD

When no one is coming to save you:

I saved a girl who was swept along a fast-moving river. Everyone else just stood by at the riverbank and gawked while I, without thinking, jumped in the swift turbulent waters and saved her life almost losing my own... 

Most times we have to depend on others to save us; farmers, laborers who work the fields, truckers who haul the product, stockers and cashiers at the stores we shop, United Auto Workers Union who build the cars we drive, roughnecks who work the oil rigs, refinery workers, gas station attendants where we pump our gas, police, firefighters... and on and on and on. These are our heroes, the ubiquitous workers who escape our notice; I celebrate them.    

17th-century poet John Donne wrote “no man is an island,” and that also includes women.

The best advice I can give is to be prepared for any disaster that nullifies all of the above and don’t become a wanting needy victim when The Event hits. Have a pantry stocked full of food. Store extra fuel for cooking and the car; you get the idea. Hopefully, The Event won’t come in your lifetime. Peace <3

~RD

Let me be brief and to the point; to wish a person dead is just plain wrong. There’s a line that separates decency from pure evil, a line separating coherent discussion from nonsensical yelling, spitting, and rioting. If someone crosses this line because of some deep racial hate or radical political beliefs... Please UnFriend me immediately on FaceBook and any other social media.

~RD

I’m not very good at putting things away where I won’t forget to find them again.

~RD

Little pieces to a grander puzzle, fragments of memories long in the past, shine through belated wishes and self-indulgence that a good friend has passed. Words I ponder, seeking to relieve, the loss I was missing, until this day came.

~RD

*******************************************

Thursday 01- 101/66F hazy smoke. I am not feeling well from that pneumonia shot I had last Tuesday.

I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

I did some of my studies.

I took Cassie for a short walk.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells and did 100 crunches.

I did my late-night stretches and worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells. 

Tonight is the full Moon that washes out the stars and the planets above in the heavens. So not much to see in the nightly sky for a few nights except the Moon.

Friday 02- 102/64F mostly clear. I thought I’d take a day or two off from my exercises. I worked cleaning up the battery room where I store a lot of my stuff. Cleaning it out created a lot of extra room that I can definitely use. I started taking apart my old Dobsonian 12” telescope that was mostly destroyed during a really bad storm we had around ten years or so ago. Once I removed the heavy primary mirror, and not dropping it, found there was quite a bit of dirt caked upon it that I carefully washed off with a water hose and should have taken a picture of it before I did. I think it’s about time I get that sucker fixed up and outside looking at the heavens.

Saturday 03- 102/63F thick smoke again. It was an easy workout day for me; I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 25 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

Today I took the whole primary mirror assembly apart to clean everything really good. I washed the mirror in the kitchen sink, it’s heavier than it looks, taking great care not to rub on it. I’ll have to find a cleaning fluid to get it all shiny, so it’ll be reflecting light gathered from the heavens again. I worked on the primary cradle breaking it down and cleaning every part and adding a little oil to the screws. I took a level to balance the cradle with the set adjustment screws, and then popped the mirror back in and leveled it all again. I boxed it all up so dust wouldn’t get on the mirror. Bit by little bit, I’ll get it done.

Kjtel and Bodhi came by for a spell in the evening to chat and walk the dogs.

Sunday 04- 100/64F hazy. I did my stretches.
Day Three: Wash day for the 12” Dobsonian.

I removed the secondary mirror, the focuser, the finderscope, and its support from the optical tube and put them aside. I then took the optical tube outside and gave it a good scrubbing and washing down, letting it dry out in the sun for a spell. Later late that night I took apart the focuser assembly and cleaned it along with the finderscope and the secondary mirror. It’s nice to see progress on this old Dob :)

Monday 05- 98/64F hazy. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells and did 100 crunches.

I did my late night stretches, worked out with the 15lbs dumbbell, and took Cassie for a late night jog up the hill and back. I wanted to go for a mile but I was a little concerned that my twisted foot still needed more time to heal from my September 28 stumble.

Sat outside for a spell and saw this really bright meteor zip across the sky and faded away in the distance. 

Tuesday 06- 98/64F still hazy smoke from fires with some clouds overhead. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

Day Four: I dismantled the Dob’s mount and found most if not all the fiberboard will have to be replaced. The edges where the screws fix in were rotted from water getting in during that bad flood of ten or more years ago. I’ll have to make a trip down to Home Depot to obtain the materials and build a new more steady mount with plywood and not the cheap fiberboard the scope came with.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells and did 100 crunches.

I finished cleaning out the battery room and it looks really nice. I need more shelving built for storage.

I did my late night stretches, worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells, and felt confident my right foot was good enough to go the whole mile, so me and Cassie ran a mile in the darkness of the night. 

We sat outside looking at the Andromeda Galaxy and other nightly wonders.. 

Wednesday 07- 96/63F. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells and did 100 crunches.

I did my studies.

I did my late night stretches, worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells. I decided not to run tonight to give my right foot a rest

Thursday 08- 98/63F cirrus clouds overhead coming over the mountains from the west. I did my stretches. Taking a day off to let my body rest...

I did my studies.

I worked on my computers putting Linux Mint on two of them.

I took Cassie for a walk and stopped to talk to David, our new neighbor.

Friday 09- 90/60F with a really thick haze of smoke. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells and did 100 crunches.

I did my late night stretches, worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells.

Saturday 10- 91/60F still thick with smoke. Because of the bad air quality I only did my stretches, my studies, and I took Cassie for a short walk.

Sunday 11- 89/61F with light haze. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

I did my studies.

I took Cassie for a walk.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells and did 100 crunches.

I did my late night stretches, worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells, and took Cassie for a mile run. 

Monday 12- 94/62F smoky. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

Went to the post office but it was closed for Columbus Day.

I did my studies.

I took Cassie for a walk.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells and did 100 crunches.

I did my late night stretches, worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells, and took Cassie for a mile run. 

Tuesday 13- 98/64F I did my stretches and100 crunches.

I did my studies.

Post office

I took Cassie for a walk.

I did my evening workout doing100 crunches.

I did my late night stretches. 

Wednesday 14- 97/63F I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

I did my studies.

I took Cassie for a walk.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells and did 100 crunches.

I did my late night stretches, worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells. 

Thursday 15- 97/65F with smoky haze. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

I did my studies.

I took Cassie for a walk.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells and did 100 crunches.

I did my late night stretches, worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells. 

Friday 16- 92/60F hazy. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

UPS delivered my new table and two chairs! It took me about a little over an hour to put it all together. Looks really nice. Haven’t had a real sit down to eat table since the early ‘70s when me and my friend Mike Vasquaze rented a duplex on Francisca Avenue in Redondo Beach. One of the two girls was a prostitute who lived next door we suspected because of the red light outside and the foot traffic. They were cordial with us and seemed like good people. The other girl was shy and naive I felt. She brought home a baby seal from the rescue she volunteered at that kept everyone awake at night because of its crying. 

I did my studies.

I took Cassie for a walk.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells and did 100 crunches.

I did my late night stretches, worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells, and ran a mile with Cassie. My right foot is feeling much better after letting it rest for a few days. 

Saturday 17- 96/63F smoky. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

Sunday 18- 98/62F smoky. I did my stretches and walked Cassie. Called Kevin and had a nice chat, and then Paula returned my call and I talked to her for a long spell.

Monday 19- 95/60F smoky from the dang fires... when are they going to be put out. I did my stretches and that was about it except taking Cassie for a walk and my studies.

Tuesday 20- 94/59F hazy smoke but not as bad as the last three days. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

I did my studies.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells and did 100 crunches.

I did my late night stretches, worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells, and ran a mile with Cassie. 

I sat outside watching the Orionids meteor shower until 2AM.

Wednesday 21- 97/59F almost clear! I can see the mountains to the far west. I did my stretches and 100 crunches.

I needed my truck running so I could pick up a few things from my neighbor Jeff’s house who sold it for a pretty penny and is moving out Nov. 1st. I had started it up two days ago to make sure it’d be ready for today. Well, the truck wouldn't start. I tried several things to get it started but no go. I decided to call Jeff and tell him I couldn’t make it at noon and if I did get it started later I’d call. I put the battery on a charger and went off to do other things. At around 3:30 I tried starting the truck and this time it coughed a few times and turned over running. I was then able to fill the tires with air and drive down to Jeff’s.

Thursday 22- 90/57FI did my stretches and 100 crunches.

Friday 23- 89/56F hazy smoke. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

I drove Kelly to Yucca to pick up her meds. We shopped at the 99 cent store where you have to look at the tag to make sure it’s only 99 cents; I found this out at checkout. We went for the $4 special at Stake & Shake but they wouldn’t honor the cupion. We had to go all the way through the Drivethru, turn around and go get double cheeseburgers at Sonic Burger. Probably not going to Stake & Shake again.

After getting home and putting all the groceries away I took my Cassie for a bike/run.

Saturday 24- 85/54F mostly clear. I did my stretches.

Sunday 25- 75/45F hazy with a marine layer. I think this winter is going to be very cold and stormy because of the fires spewing and belching out great gobs of smoke and ash into the atmosphere... it's just a thought but the way things are going it'll probably happen. I don't do well in the cold. The weather turned Saturday evening. In the morning there was a marine layer that moved into our area, imagine that happening in the hi-desert! I could feel the change; we went from hot to cold within a matter of minutes! Other folks mentioned they felt autumn arriving last night.

I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag. Took Cassie for a bike run and visited David, my new neighbor.

My guest and I went over the voter pamphlet and did our due diligence filling out our mail-in ballots. Tomorrow we’ll drop them off at the post office when we run some errands in town.

Monday 26- 60/46F and very windy. I did my stretches. 

I took my guest Kelly to Twentynine Palms to fetch our packages and mailed our ballots at the post office. But first, we stopped off at the DMV to drop off a license plate that was found on the dirt road. Then on to the post office, and then we went to Burger King to get their 2 for 1 $4 special. 

Tuesday 27- 78/48F breezy with light clouds. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag. Took Cassie for a bike/run and visited Kjtel and her dog Bodhi for a spell.

I did all these little nick nacks around the house with a lot more to do before the bad weather hits. I climbed up onto the roof to patch a leaky hole, did some laundry, and repaired a few things. I need to fire up the generator tomorrow or the next to cut some wood for the stove.

Wednesday 28- 81/49F light breeze. I did my stretches.

Fixed the 12V DC tire pump. Fixed my flashlight

Did my studies.

I decided to lay off FaceBook for a spell: I'll be taking some time off from FaceBook to work on a new book I need to get done, and a few songs to finish writing.

To be honest with you, I have found the past couple of months on FB very bizarre and taxing to my psyche and I believe others feel the same; on the one hand, I have dear friends and family who will vote for Joe Biden and on the other, I have the same who will vote for Trump. I have already been unfriended on FaceBook for having a voice by a few folks I love; they are welcome to Friend me again anytime. I just wanted you all to know that I Love each and every one of you no matter how you vote or your beliefs, and it is not worth unfriending a good friend over a difference of opinion. Some may think Love is too strong a word for me to use here, but I cannot think of any other appropriate word to use. I believe very strongly that we need more of it in our world and in our lives. I will always try to remain true to myself and maintain a positive outlook on life.

I may check in on you here from time to time...

You can reach me on FB Messenger if you want to talk.

Love you all ❤ Bob Deloyd 

10/28/2020

Thursday 29- 80/50F a very nice day. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag. Took Cassie for a mile jog.

Moved two bad batteries out of the storage room to be packed up and sent to Renogy.

David came by for a chat.

Jimmy called and we yammered on and on.

Did my studies.

Friday 30- 83/51F. Not feeling all that well. Been only getting 3 to 4 hours of sleep a night for the past few days. Called the online Doctor and had a chat with him. He told me it was okay to stop taking fenofibrate and see if that helps.  

Saturday 31- 87/55F... still not feeling great but the Doctor said it’ll take a few days to get the fenofibrate out of my system.