July 2011

Welcome to the Month of July! – Most days I’ve been writing my so called book so I haven’t done much more than that on those days…..
I did my stretches and ran a mile.
Went to Kelly’s to bring her an electric fan, a radio, and some fruit I had in the fridge.

Saturday 02- I did my stretches, lifted weights, yoga, core trainer, and ran a mile.
Very hot and muggy all day; woke up early and it looked like fog outside.
Had dinner at Linda’s

Sunday 03- I did my stretches.

Monday 04- I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, core trainer, and ran a mile.
Went outside at 5am and it was sprinkling, got back in bed and went back to sleep.
I would have gone to watch the fireworks at the Marine Base but the local FM radio station said they weren’t having them this year.

Tuesday 05- I did my stretches, yoga, and ran a mile.
I talked to Kelly and she said she could see the fireworks at the base from her house yesterday. Dang, I’ll never trust that radio station again!
I washed my clothes by hand and no longer than 15min after I hung them out to dry did a thunderstorm come and rain down upon them :(
I went to the Joshua Tree National Park with Linda. We hiked around on some trails and chased a hawk while trying to photograph it. Then we went to this really neat Japanese Teriyaki place in 29 Palms and I ate with chopsticks after Linda showed me how.

Wednesday 06- I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, and ran a mile.
It rained again!!!

Thursday 07- I did my stretches, yoga, lifted weights, and rode my bike.

Friday 08- I did my stretches and went for a mile run.
I went to the Joshua Tree National Park with Linda again and climbed around some rocks and boulders.

Saturday 09- I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, and ran a mile.

Sunday 10- I did my stretches.
I listened to Astro 7B lecture as I went for my evening walk.

Monday 11- I did my stretches, yoga, lifted weights, and ran a mile.

Tuesday 12- I did my stretches and ran a mile.
I went to Yucca to do some shopping at WalMart and Staters. I stopped off at the Optometrist and ordered two pair of glasses to replace the worn beaten pair I’m currently wearing. The woman there was named Donna and she helped me pick out what frames and shade of lens for my sunglasses.

Wednesday 13- I did my stretches, yoga, lifted weights, core trainer, and went for a mile run.
A dove died on my front yard and the other doves were just hanging around waiting for it. I went over to the body and it appeared to have just died. I picked it up with a shovel, dug a really deep hole, put the dove in and a big cactus on top. The other doves must have approved because they waited till I was done and then flew off.
I went for a night run.

Thursday 14- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, and went for a mile run.
I watched a Red Racer snake crawl onto a shelve and over to my window trying to get in. He didn't see me sitting outside in a chair right by the window. When he finally saw me he went very still. I talked to him saying it's okay to be here but only eat the rats and stay away from the dove eggs. It was strange that the end tip of his tail shook back and forth like some nervous response while he sat very still as I talked to him. Of course I know they don't understand a word I'm saying but I do think they pick up on my mood. The Red Racer has been hanging around my home ever since :)
Basically I finished the main structure of the book; like I laid down the keel and put up the planking and made it waterproof. Now I need to put in the electrical, plumbing, decks and rooms before it can set sail….
I went for a night run!

Friday 15- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, lifted dumbbells, and ran a mile.
I listened to Astro 7B lecture as I went for my evening walk.

Saturday 16- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, and ran a mile.
Linda called at 5:30pm inviting me over for dinner; ate trout with portabellas and salad.

Sunday 17- I did my stretches and went for a mile run.

Monday 18- I did my stretches, yoga, lifted weights, core trainer, punched the bag some, and ran a mile.
Chris came by to drop off groceries from the USDA food distribution- he said 118 folks showed up.
I got a call from the Donna the optometrist saying my glasses came in and are ready to be picked up. I drove the Harley all the way down there; 40 miles round trip, only to discover that only one pair came in. Dang now I’ll have to make another trip, but I was nice to Donna and said thank you.
Linda called me to come over to help her move some furniture.

Tuesday 19- I did my stretches, yoga, and ran a mile.
Linda Harter gave me a surprise birthday party! Terry, Piper, John, Linda Sibio, and Blake sang Happy Birthday to me! We had a vegetarian dinner that Linda and Piper work very hard preparing. Blake made these fantastic tacos that were to die for! I didn’t get home until 2am and I think that was mighty awesome of everybody!!!

Wednesday 20- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, lifted weights, and went for a mile run.
Helped Linda fix her place some and then we went to eat at the Japanese Teriyaki place in 29 across from the Jelly Donut- Mighty fine food!

Thursday 21- Kelly called asked me to ride with her to her doctor in Desert Palms. We got back 6:30pm after having some kinda sandwich at the Kabob shop by WalMart.
I then drove over to Linda’s to help her secure a few spots that the dirty rats were using to get into the attic of the house.
Wow I didn’t do my stretches today!

Friday 22- I did my stretches and went for a mile run.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
Kath came by to pick up her laptop I repaired for her.
Kelly prescription all day didn’t come. Waste of time, but went to park.

Saturday 23- I did my stretches, yoga, lifted weights, and ran a mile.
Helped Linda-

Sunday 24- I did my stretches.

Monday 25- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, lifted weights and dumbbells, ran a mile, rode my bike, and punched the bag some. I did the whole thing!
Kelly came by and we went Rite Aid. Burger King. Shopped at Staters.

Tuesday 26- I did my stretches, yoga, and ran a mile.
Finally I got a day off and away from everyone so I did what I like to do and that’s play with my computers. I bought this Mid M009 7” Android 2.2 Froyo tablet running a VIA VM8650 800Mhz processor about a month or two ago; hell maybe three or four I forget, on eBay for $80.
Anyways I wanted to try some new firmware on it to make it run better. Well I went to a site called merimobiles.com a very helpful site. They had one (M7 for $75 shipped) just like the one I bought on eBay (I thought) and did what the site said and it turned my tablet into a brick; oops! My fault! I found that I had the tablet with the green LED and not the blue one like the tablet on their site; I guess that matters a lot :)
So I hunted around online for another firmware update for my cheap tablet. These updates are custom done by hackers (there are good ones- the other’s are scum) who try to gain more speed and get rid of unwanted crap that the manufacturer puts on these while also keeping up their device updates. You really can’t do stuff like this on an iPad (and I wouldn’t want to on mine) because it’s all proprietary and besides that Steve would probably sue you. The site where I bought my Android tablet on eBay of course wasn’t any help. So I searched and searched and finally found one that might work called Uberoid V6. I had to change the Changelog thingy in it three times and it seems that changing it to option 8 worked, not great but it worked; I can try the others later.
It booted up just fine. Dang, when I put in my Google name and password and it synced all my contacts- the other build from the manufacturer didn’t. I have my Kindle, DropBox, Google Docs, but Skype didn’t work (figures). It’ll play Flash but I think I’ll just use it for email and to surf the web in places where the environment is hostile to my iPad. Aw such fun for $80!!!

Wednesday 27- I did my stretches and ran a mile.
I helped Linda work on some of the last minute things she needs to do before she rents it out. We also went for a short walk down Snake Canyon where we saw two snakes (Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus - Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake). Linda walked right by one and was lucky it didn’t strike her; in fact it just ignored us, but the second one was a little more active so we made our way cautiously back out of the canyon and to the truck.

Thursday 28- I did my stretches. I just was too dang hot and tired to do my run today.
Linda had a small party before she left. Piper, John, Terry, Pauline, and Linda Sibio came.

Friday 29- I did my stretches, yoga, lifted weights, core trainer, and ran a mile.
I haven’t heard from Kelly for almost two days and thought I’d better check up on her. I drove over and she was happy to see me. It turns out that her internet connection was fried and I stayed around until it was fixed.

Saturday 30- I did my stretches and ran a mile.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I went to Potluck at 4pm. We dang near broke fifty folks showing up! Dyane and her mother Dorothy made up some fantastic potatoes au gratin and a pineapple cake with lemon frosting, yumm!!!!!
As you can see by the happy grin on this guys face in the picture that it was mighty good food too and there was plenty of it for everyone!


Sunday 31- I did my stretches.
A bad storm blew through here at 3:30am this morning causing the power to go out for around 12hrs (of course I wasn’t affected because I’m totally on solar power). The dang lightning struck so close to my house it knocked me out of bed. I went outside to see what was going on and when I saw a lightning strike just in the field north of my house about 500 feet away I went back inside after I regained my vision to hide under my blankets :)

June 2011

Wednesday 01 to Wednesday 22
My brother Kevin called at 10:30am to tell me that they are putting Mom in a hospice. I was packed and on the Harley headed to Tucson by 12:30. Just making quick stops to for fuel I arrived there at 7:30pm. Kevin took me over to the hospice to see Mom. She would wake up occasionally to talk to us and watch cartoons. I visited with her for a long spell on Thursday.
On the next Friday at 7am we got a call from Dad telling us Mom wouldn’t last the day. We quickly drove to the hospice and spent the last half hour of our Mother’s life with her; she quietly passed away at 8:15am. Our family stayed until they took Mom away a few hours later.
I’m not going to go into great detail here except for the next week I stayed at Kevin’s sleeping on the living room floor of his small trailer that he has a parked at an RV Resort with swimming pool, Jacuzzi, weight room, and library that I took advantage of. I went for long night walks listening to astronomy lectures- I got lost one night and had to ask for directions. Almost every morning I would do my stretches and take a run around the parameter of the RV Park. I loved doing laps in the pool!
There was a pool party for Mark and Crystal’s three year daughter Athena on Saturday; I bought her a Tinkerbelle doll.
We had Mom’s services on Sunday 12th which was well attended by friends and family. Uncle Jack and his family came down from Colorado and I was very pleased to have finally met my uncle and cousins.
I made my way back home on a 7hr ride that Monday 13 and was glad to get home and sleep in my own bed and not on a floor.
I spent the next week or so doing my exercises, reading books, and visiting with friends here. Linda came from Texas to take care of a few odds and ends; she also had a small party that I attended.
Other than that I’m trying to get things back together.

Thursday 23- I did my stretches.
I printed some stuff for Linda and worked on her computer to get her Google Voice working.
I went to Linda’s party.
Friday 24- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, and ran a mile.
I went to town with Kelly.
Saturday 25- I did my stretches, yoga, lifted weights, core trainer, and rode my bike.
I worked on solar panels.
I went to Potluck.
Sunday 26- did my stretches.
I went to Linda’s taking pics of cactus flowers bloom at night and then die.
Monday 27- I did my stretches, yoga, lifted dumbbells, core trainer, and went for a mile run.
Tuesday 28- did my stretches.
Then I started doing something I never did before: I was writing a fictional story with people conversing and such. I find getting people to talk in my writings the hardest thing for me to do, but here I was just writing and wondering where the story would go and just kept writing. The people in my story started to come alive! Well, okay, I am a little excited :p

So here it is the first draft of the first chapter, unedited, raw, with misspellings and punctuation errors included for all who choose to pick it apart or for those who just want to enjoy reading. Your constructive input is always appreciated :)

A Little Home in the Desert

Chapter 1

The early Sun begins to bake the roof and east side of a little desert home making the walls inside warm to the touch. Where, within the dwelling two slumbering inhabitants are withering away from oven like temperatures as if they were meat being turned to jerky. Such is the desert on a clear hot summer’s morning in July.
In the one room home intentionally kept dark, a little dog makes his way and emerges from under his master’s bed blankets. Moisten by the dehydration of his owner’s body the dog licks his master’s cheek. The hair, once combed and proper, now lying sweat matted upon a face that is female. As consciousness begins to erase the dreamy realms of cooler places, her eye’s flutter as she wipes the sleep from them. She then notices she has messages on her laptop computer screen and leans over and begins to type a reply to one when she hears a car drive up out front. Rising from the sweat soaked bed she slips a robe over her shoulders and takes the few steps to the window. Pulling aside the old brown towel that acts as a shade she peers outside where there’s a patrol car with the emblem CMMPD on its side. “It just might be Wesley!” Quickly she makes her way to the sink, pushes this week’s dishes aside, throws water onto her face and hair, and not finding the brush pulls her wet hair back behind her ears; that’ll have to do. She is ready for the knock at the door when it comes.
“Hi Ms Buckingham I’m Sheriff Bell of the Copper Mountain Mesa Police Department. I’m here to inquire if you may have heard any noises or seen anything around 3am last night.” With her best smile she says “Hi Wesley, what kind of noises would they be? The dog was shaking late last night and crawled under the covers between my legs to sleep. Other than that I couldn’t tell ya much.” Bell leaned to one side, leather belt holster creaking, to notice an empty Seagram’s bottle lying next to the bed. “Well I guess you wouldn’t, being that it was late and a mile or so away. It happened over by the old Randolph house.” Noticing his gaze she said, “Well, life can sometimes be mighty hard on a woman Wess, but at least I don’t run around like them gals over there in Twentynine, pining for every Marine that swaggers by.” Through an eye of a man, Wesley apprised the thirty four year old woman in front of him thinking she’d be a looker if she’d get off the booze to relieve the puffiness in her face, loose a few pounds, and for God sakes take a shower. “You just goin to stand there gawking at me or are ya goin ta tell me what the hell is goin on?” “Oh sorry Ms Buckingham…” “Just call me Sue or Susan, Wess.” “Okay Susan, there’s a car that we found with two charred bodies inside that burned during the night. We were called around 4am by a neighbor to investigate and we found, once the fire was put out, that the car was riddled with bullet holes, from an automatic it looks like.” “Hot dang Wess was it on the Randolph property?” The Randolph house has been abandoned for years after a meth lab burned much of the place down and was known for being a hangout from time to time by all the new graffiti scrawled upon the walls. “No it was found nearby stuck in the soft sand down on Saturn Road.” “Well it sounds to me”, she said, “that it ain’t no one who lives around here. Saturn Road is known for getting stuck in, most avoid it. Must have took a wrong turn or somethin.” “It appears that the occupants of the car were being chased. By whom or for what reason we don’t know yet. That’s why I’m here Susan asking you and others in the immediate vicinity questions.” “Darn and I thought it was a social visit Wess”, she said jokingly but kind of hoping he’d get the message. Wesley Bell was new to the area from LA for about a year now. He met the town council’s requirements for sheriff- which wasn’t much, and he’s been keeping the area safe by his constant patrols. He must be a bit over six foot, handsome, well mannered, and single. Wesley got the message alright “Well Ms Buckingham…” dang it back to calling me Ms Buckingham, “I have to move on down to the Smith Ranch and see if they might have heard or seen something. If you hear of anything give my office a call. Thank you.” “Maybe I’ll do just that Wess, take care and don’t be a stranger.” Wesley half waved from behind as he made his way to the patrol car, put it in gear, and kicked up a little dirt as he drove away.
Well that could have gone better Wesley thought to himself. He was kind of drawn to Susan, something about her, only if she didn’t have so much baggage he would’ve been game. He was about to make the turn down to the Smith’s when the radio squawked excitedly “Wesley you ain’t goin to believe this!” “Dang it Josh, show a little professionalism. Now start over.” “CMMPD to Officer Bell, you ain’t goin to believe this.” “Okay Josh what is it I won’t believe?” “There’s been another body found over on Winters Road and Borland Pass- just off the road a bit in the vacant field to the southeast- Looks like it’s been shot, too.” Dang, for a small town PD on the hi-desert manned by two officers and a secretary this is getting to be a bit much. “I’m on my way Josh. Have Claudine take over the station and meet me there. Over and out!” The hell with the town council, I’m going to have Claudine sworn in and on duty today when I make it back. She’s been taking police administration classes over at the local college, has been on many ‘Ride Alongs’ with me and Josh showing her the ropes, and has also let me know that she has longed to be out in the field on patrol by herself. Yes when I make it back today that’s what I’m going to do. The only problem is Wesley Bell wouldn’t make it back to the station.


Wednesday 29- did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, core trainer, and ran a mile.
I spent the day writing another chapter or two.

Thursday 30- did my stretches, lifted weights, core trainer, and rode my bike.
I Dropped by Linda’s house. She had a hive of bees removed the day before and now the ones left are attacking her, especially one mean little bee that was hanging around the front door. After many attempts I finally whacked it a good one and we didn’t hear nor see it again.
I spent the rest of day writing another chapter and editing what I had already written.

If anyone wishes to read drafts of the first and second chapters please email me and I’ll send them along. If you like them email me again for the next chapter and so on... I won't send them automatically because it feels too much like spamming.

Goodbye to June; a rotten month for me… Except for the few days towards the end when I started to write!

May 2011

Welcome to the Month of May- I did my stretches, ran a mile, did the core trainer, lifted weights, punched the bag some, and rode my bike.
I did some wood work in the bathroom putting in a kinda shelve cubby hole to store stuff- lots of measuring, sawing, hammering, and screwing of screws.
Larry Carlock called just to say hi and yakked for over 30 minutes. I called Mike Long for a short chat.
I went for my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 4.
I got caught up with my “365 Starry Nights” astronomy readings.
I read that our military had a firefight in Pakistan and had killed Osama bin Laden with a shot to the head and then buried him at sea (more like kicked his butt overboard) – I don’t like hearing about the death of anyone but in this case I’ll make an exception: good riddance to old garbage.
I read a few chapters of “Spinward Fringe Broadcast 4: Frontline” by Randolph Lalonde. I should finish the book tomorrow.

Monday 02- I did my stretches, ran a mile, did the core trainer, lifted weights, punched the bag some.
I went to town to buy mother’s day cards and mail them. I bought a hamburger and coffee at Jack in the Box. The bill should have been over $2 but it was only $1.84. I looked at the receipt and found that they gave me a senior discount without me even asking, dang I’m getting old! I sat down at a booth in the rear to fill out the cards. I found out that the cards I bought had pre-paid postage; never seen that before and I needn’t have bothered to bring the two stamps I brought from home.
I finished “Spinward Fringe Broadcast 4: Frontline” by Randolph Lalonde.

Tuesday 03- I did my stretches, yoga, and ran two miles. On my run there was a Mojave Green rattler lying across my running path. I sat down several feet away and talked to the rattler letting it know I intended no harm. I then walked around it staying in front so it could see what I was doing. The rattler was gone on my return run.
I did more work on the shop roof putting some bracing here and there.
I got a call from my old friend from the Netherlands, Wessel Boxman. He is in the USA on holiday (that’s what the Europeans call it; we call it vacation) with his wife Inga and little daughter Nicki! Wessel invited me to Applebee’s for dinner tonight. What a wonderful time I had. I’ve never met his wife or daughter and they were so very nice to me. We sat around the table chatting about the Netherlands and the USA and how Wessel is a changed man every time he comes to America. I told them about the time I was in Amsterdam in 1979. I like to dip my french-fries in mayonnaise and never seen folks here at home eat them that way. I had just arrived off the train and across the street from the station I found an outside shop that sold French-fries with mayonnaise! Tourists would come up to me to ask directions where this or that place was, I fit right in! Inga thanked me for taking care of Wessel when on his last adventure to the US his foot got infected really badly; the Doctor was worried they might have to cut it off or some such. I brought him food and kept an eye on him to make sure he stayed off his feet and didn’t do something stupid (he can be a stubborn man sometimes) while he recovered. Wessel and Inga invited me to their home in the Netherlands the next time I’m over there! I just might take them up on it! What good Friends!

Wednesday 04- I did my stretches, rode my bike, did the core trainer, and lifted dumbbells.
UPS delivered the two 125watt panels I ordered. I unboxed them and checked them both out with my volt meter; both passed inspection.
I did more work on the shop roof. Hopefully I’ll have it all done in a week or so.
I bought “Spinward Fringe Broadcast 5: Fracture” by Randolph Lalonde and started reading a few chapters.

Thursday 05- I did my stretches, yoga, ran a mile, core trainer, and lifted weights.
I finished what I could on the shop roof for now until I get more materials.
Kelly came by to pick up her packages I had for her from my mailbox (I let her receive packages there).

Friday 06- I did my stretches, rode my bike, and lifted dumbbells.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I need to get some Henry’s roofing tar before I can continue to work on the shop roof. So I started working on the patio roof to finish a few loose ends I left unfinished from five years ago or so.
I played my guitar. I haven’t felt like playing it since Ron passed on, but tonight it just felt right.
I went for a night run, punched the bag some, and did the core trainer.

I may not be the best but I can try to be the best I can be.

Saturday 07- I did my stretches.
I called friends and family throughout the day.

Sunday 08- I did my stretches, ran a mile, and lifted weights.
I watered Linda’s backyard and while I was over there I went across the street to Joan’s to have a look-see at her computer. I took pictures of Stoney’s roof to send to Judy and Denny. John had finished the roof a few days ago.
I went for my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 4 and started lecture 5.

Monday 09- I did my stretches, yoga, ran two miles, and did the core trainer.
Topped off six 6volt deep cycle batteries which took a whole gallon of distilled water; they were mighty thirsty.
I went for my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 5.
Kula called asking which laptop would be the best for her to purchase.
I watched a movie called “Skyline” (2010). It was a pretty good movie except for a few scenes. The film kept me entertained for an hour or so.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, went for a night run, and did the core trainer.

Tuesday 10- I did my stretches, rode my bike, and lifted weights.
I cleaned out the battery room. There’s a packrat in there, nasty thing, leaving its turds all over the place. I’m declaring war on this rat because it has been eating at the saddle bags on my Harley!
I went for my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 5 and the beginning of lecture 6.
I finished reading “Spinward Fringe Broadcast 5: Fracture” by Randolph Lalonde; great book!
I started reading a few other books and got caught up on my astronomy readings.
Chris stopped by after Bingo at the community center and we sat for a spell in his car and jawed.
I did my stretches, went for a night run, and did the core trainer. I sleep much better when I do some late night exercises.

Wednesday 11- I did my stretches, yoga, ran a mile, and hit the bag a bunch.
I did the Latin flashcards.
UPS delivered noise –cancelling ear buds so I won’t go deaf riding the Harley. I tested them out when I rode down to collect my mail. They cancel the sound from the motorbike’s pipes mighty good!
I went for my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 6.
I got caught up on watching my “Fringe” episodes.

Thursday 12- I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, and ran two miles.
I think it’s the first day in over a week that it isn’t windy!
I went for my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 6- they are long lectures.
I messed around cleaning up my computer room and I think I’ve made a dent in the mess in that tiny room.
I watched an episode of “Castle”.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, did the core trainer, and went for a night run.

Friday 13- I did my stretches, yoga, rode my bike, and lifted weights.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I worked on the shop wall digging up the piers to even them out so they stand straight.
Kula called me from New York City where she is visiting a friend.
I went for my evening walk and listened to the rest of lecture 6 and started lecture 7 on Astro 7b.
I watched an episode of “Castle”.
I did my stretches, went for a night run, and did the core trainer.

Saturday 14- I did my stretches, ran a mile, and punched the bag some.
I called friends and family throughout the day.
I cooked dry beans (they were White Northern Beans) for the first time! 8 hours soak 3 cups of water to one beans- drain and rinse really good- 3 cups to one again and bring to a boil- then dump into the slow cooker on low for 4 hours. They’re done when you can crush them between your tong and the roof of your mouth; tasted mighty good.
I took my camera with me on my evening walk, took some pictures of cloud formations and listened to Astro 7b lecture 7.
I read from a short book on the laws of thermodynamics most of the night. Your weight in lbs x .45(converted to meters) x 9.8ms squared (gravity) = your weight in newtons x amount of work/time=Watts
My weight=185lbs x .45=83.25k x Gravity 9.8m/s squared=815.85newtons x (3meters climbing stairs) = 2447.55newtons/ 10seconds to climb stairs=244.755 Watts or 244.755 Joules a second used.
One Watt is equal to the production or use of one Joule per second.
One newton =.4475 lbs or one stick of butter….
One Joule=one newton moved one meter.
I did my stretches and went for a night run.

Sunday 15- I did my stretches, rode my bike, and lifted weights.
I went over to the community center to help Chris set up the bags for the USD Food Distribution. Sherry was also there to help out and it was nice to see her again.
I watered Linda’s backyard.
I did my laundry over at Stoney’s house.
I went for my evening walk and listened to Astro 7b lecture 7 and the beginning of 8.
I did my stretches, core trainer, and went for a night run.

Monday 16- I did my stretches.
I watered my plants. There was a Red Racer snake drinking out of the cement pond. I stood quietly watching trying not to disturb the snake. It noticed me but turned back to drinking and when it was done went head first into the pond, up the other side, and then made its way into some chaparral.
I went to Twentynine Palms to get some supplies. I paid $50 to fill up two five gallon gas cans and put the rest into the wee little car. I went to Barr Lumber for some Henry’s roofing tar, then onto Rite Aid to pick up Kelly’s prescription. My last stop was at Staters to do my shopping.

Tuesday 17- I did my stretches, yoga, and ran two miles.
I worked on the roof putting Henry’s sealer on the joints.
I cleaned the insides of the house.
I went on my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 8.
I finished the short book on Thermodynamics.
I did my stretches and went for a night run.

Wednesday 18- I did my stretches, ran a mile, punched the bag some, did the core trainer, and lifted weights.
Dang cold and windy today! Been like that most of the week. Very unseasonable weather we’ve been having this spring.
I was working on the shop walls getting ready to bury the piers after straightening them when I heard the kaw… kaw… kaw of a raven as it flew by. I kinda pride myself on my bird calls; I can do a pretty dang good mallard when I lived on a boat in Redondo Beach Harbor. I was partially hidden under the shop’s roof when I let out with my own kaw… kaw… kaw. The raven circled back kawing and came right over where I was concealed, searching. Could the raven be looking for a lost mate? Maybe I sounded like a wounded raven? I do not know but more ravens quickly followed, there must have been five or six of these big black beautiful birds kawing over my house. I fell silent and made my way inside to my bedroom. I felt a dread for redirecting their flight to wherever ravens go. They stayed kawing over my house for the better part of an hour while I cowered inside. I was relieved when they finally flew off. Nevermore will I be doing such kawing at ravens, Nevermore…
I went for my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 8. I also took pics with the iPod Touch while still listening to the lecture on it; I was wondering if I could do that with the Touch.
I did a bunch of studying: Astronomy, Entomology, and Electronics.
I did my stretches, core trainer, and went for a night run.

Thursday 19- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, and rode my bike.
I went to paint Snow Coat on the shop roof. I got everything together and lifted it onto the roof. The container for the Snow Coat must have weighed fifty pounds or more! Anyways to make a long story short the Henry’s roofing tar didn’t harden yet so I’ll have to wait to paint it in another couple of days or so; I left the heavy Snow Coat container up there.
In the meantime I did some more bracing of the shop’s walls measuring two by fours, cutting them, and hammering nails. This is all stuff I should have completed a few years ago when I build the dang thing! In fact I go around the house completing this and that which I’ve put off for many years.
I went for my evening walk and finished lecture 8 of Astro 7b.
I read aloud from “Astronomy today” (I haven’t done that in a while). It was about the hydrogen 21cm emission. Now I heard about it before and kinda understood it but I didn’t know the actual process. I knew that the electron flipped its spin and produced energy in the form of a photon, but I didn’t know that at a high energy level the proton and the electron have parallel spin, meaning they spin in the same direction. But when the electron flips the hydrogen atom is at a low energy level and its spin is in the opposite direction of the proton and releases a photon which is the energy difference between the high and low states. Now I know.
I did my stretches, did the core trainer, went for a night run, punched the bag a bunch, and lifted dumbbells.

Friday 20- I did my stretches, core trainer, ran two miles, and lifted weights.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
The roofing tar still hasn’t dried yet so I shoveled a few wheelbarrows of dirt from the shop area and moved it elsewhere.
I went on my evening walk listening to lecture 9 of the Astro 7b.
I got some bad news from Arizona but we’ll have to wait-see what happens.
I did my stretches, went for a night run, and did the core trainer.

Saturday 21- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, lifted dumbbells, and rode my bike.
I shoveled two wheelbarrows full of dirt out of the shop area trying to level it all out.
I called friends and family throughout the day.
I took Kelly to town and fixed her electric when we got back.
I did my stretches and went for a night run.



Sunday 22- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, lifted weights, and ran a mile.
Rode electric bike to Linda’s and watered her backyard.
I went for an evening walk listening to Astro 7b lectures 9 and 10.
I read aloud from the textbook “Astronomy Today” about Interstellar Molecules and ended chapter 18 with the chapter review.
I did my stretches, core trainer, punched the bag a bunch, and went for a night run.

Monday 23- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, lifted dumbbells, and rode my bike.
I finally got the shop roof painted with Snow Coat and decided to paint the other porch roofs, too.
I went for my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lectures 10 and the beginning of 11.
I read aloud from the textbook “Astronomy Today” beginning chapter 19 about the seven phases of star formation starting from a dust cloud, cloud fragmentation, protostar, to main sequence star.
I did my stretches, punched the bag some, and went for a night run.

Tuesday 24- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, and went for a mile run.
Kelly and I went to town.
I went for my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 11 and the beginning of 12.
I read from the textbook “Astronomy Today” about shockwaves through dust clouds causing them to contract.
I did my stretches and went for a night run.

Wednesday 25- I did my stretches, yoga, and went for a two mile run.
I shoveled about three wheelbarrows full of dirt and moved it to where I’m doing some filling of uneven spots around the house.
I went for my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 12.
I read aloud from the textbook “Astronomy Today” about the CNO (Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen) fusion cycle; interesting, I didn’t know this also takes place during the proton-proton fusion phase. All this fusion using CNO as catalysts and you end up with only helium 4! Ended chapter 19 and began 20.
I did my stretches, punched the bag a bunch, and went for a night run.

Thursday 26- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, lifted weights, and rode my bike.
I trimmed the dead fronds off of both my palm trees and then I watered the trees really well.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the newsletter.
I went for my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 12 and the beginning of 13.
I read aloud from the “Astronomy Today” textbook about the death of stars like our Sun.
I did my stretches, core trainer, and went for a night run.

Friday 27- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, lifted weights, and ran a mile.
I played around with my computers doing some updates on the MacBook.
I worked out in the yard digging a trench around the shop’s outer wall.
I was on FaceBook for most of the day. I found a few friends from Newton Elementary School in Torrance Ca. where I went there back in the middle 60s.
I went for my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 13.
I read aloud from the “Astronomy Today” textbook about white dwarfs.
I did my stretches and went for a night run.

Saturday 28- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, lifted dumbbells, and rode my bike.
I called friends and family throughout the day.
I went shooting over at Stoney’s with Jimmy and Clarice who drove all the way up here to get away from it all. Jim brought up his hi-powered 30cal Saga which really packs a wallop and his Marlin 9mm rifle. I brought over my two 22 rifles.
We went to Potluck over at the community center where almost 30 hungry folks showed up. I told Chris that this is more than we’ve had in many years. Lots of good food and good vibes!
We went shooting some more.
I went for my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 13.
I did my stretches and went for a night run.

Sunday 29- I did my stretches, yoga, lifted weights, and ran a mile.
We went shooting again over at Stoney’s until we ran out of ammo and Jimmy and Clarice had to drive back home. We’re getting mighty good at shooting rocks!
I went for an evening walk listening to Astro 7b lectures 13 and 14.
I read aloud from the textbook “Astronomy Today” about Interstellar Molecules and ended chapter 18 with the chapter review.
I did my stretches and went for a night run.

Monday 30- I did my stretches, yoga, lifted dumbbells, did the core trainer, and ran two miles.
I’ve been spending a lot of time this weekend on FaceBook at “You know you’re from Torrance if…”
I read aloud from “Astronomy Today” about Novae- where a white dwarf that is in a binary system with a main sequence star pulling matter to form an accretion disk around the white dwarf. Once this disk heats up to 10 million Kelvin, where hydrogen ignites, it fuses into helium at a very fast rate.
I went for my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 14.
I did my stretches, core trainer, and went for a night run.

Tuesday 31- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, rode my bike, and lifted weights.
For the past three days I’ve been posting on this FaceBook page called “You know you’re from Torrance if…” which has gone viral during the weekend with many folks from Torrance posting stuff from the past and commenting on those posts (Me being one of them). I grew up in Torrance and know many of the old places that are no longer there; lots of fun! Click on the link (you need FaceBook login) and see what I mean :)
I went on my evening walk listening to lecture 14 and the beginning of 15.
I read aloud from the text book “Astronomy Today” about Nova and Supernova, the difference between them, and the difference between type I and type II Supernova.
I did my stretches, went for a night run, and punched the bag a bunch.
Goodbye to May you've been a very windy month!

April 2011

Welcome to the Month of April- I did my stretches, ran a mile, and rode my bike. I was doing some yard work and was looking for some tools when I noticed that the dove eggs had hatched and two baby doves were there in the nest; of course I had to take a picture :) Kelly and me went to the 29 Palms Drive-in to see “Battle for LA” and “Red Riding Hood”. Both were excellent movies! I love going to the drive-in there. The folks who run it keep the restrooms clean, the prices on popcorn and drinks are fair, and they help jump cars whose batteries have died when it's time to leave; there were quite a few when me and Kelly left. It was warm enough for us to sit on the hood of the car and eat, drink and watch the movies. Yes the weather is going to be getting warmer now that spring is here and the flowers are already starting to bloom!

Saturday 02- I did my stretches and yoga, ran a mile, lifted weights, did the core trainer, punched the bag some, and rode my bike. For the past couple of runs I’ve been carrying five pound dumbbells in each hand. I can tell ya that I can really feel it in my shoulders.
On my evening walk I was really trucking on down the path swinging my arms freely with the winds howling and blowing through my hair; felt great! Roger Smith drove up behind me on my walk and we sat and jawed for a spell. He had just been to town to get a battery for Stoney’s truck and was on his way to connect it all up.

Sunday 03- I did my stretches and ran a mile. On my run I met Brad, Bob, and Dale when they saw me on the road and stopped to see if I needed help. They are weekenders out here from Huntington Beach, except Dale who lives up here. We chatted for a spell. Dale said his place is the one with the high tower and I said I’d come on by sometime. I ate breakfast, called a few family and friends, and the rode my Harley over to pay Brad a visit. I got there just in time to see them packing up and getting ready for the drive home.
After my evening walk I called up John Demers to see if he wanted to do the roof for Judy and Denny. He picked me up and went to Stoney’s and climbed up on the roof to measure it out. He gave me a ballpark bid that I later called and told Denny about. The bid was reasonable and John will talk to Judy about it when she comes for a visit later next week.

Monday 04- Around 11am Johnny called for me to help him replace a leaky power steering hose on Stoney’s truck.
I went over to Kelly’s at 1:20pm and went to Yucca Valley. I needed to transfer my IRA from one bank to another and setup a checking account so I can start drawing out money from my IRA. Kelly sat patiently in the bank while I was taking care of business. After I got done with the bank we went to Cowboy Corral to pick up bags of food for her critters.
We had dinner at the Chinese takeout place by Staters and then went to WalMart. Seems to us that WalMart’s prices are on the rise and they are not keeping much stock on the shelves; even some of their employees are kind of frustrated with the place, all this change since the last time we went there last month.
We then went to Starbucks, the first time I’ve ever been in one, had two coffees, sat and yapped while enjoying the relaxing ambiance of the place. I was thinking next time I could bring my laptop with me to go online, but then again maybe not because I spend too much time online anyways and to just sit and chat with Kelly over a cup of coffee might be enough for me.
We finished the evening grocery shopping at Vons. Now there are some things I like about Vons and others I like about Staters. Vons has better baked breads, a better quality of fruits and vegetables, and their fried chicken I found is yummier than Staters. But I like Staters Brand for the usual food stuff I get that Vons doesn’t have.

Tuesday 05- I did my stretches and yoga, ran a mile, did the core trainer, punched the bag some, and rode my bike.
I drove the Harley down to Big 5 and bought me a pair of proper running shoes.

Wednesday 06- I did my stretches, ran a mile, lifted weights, did the core trainer, and punched the bag some. When I got back from my run it started to rain. All day long it rained, drizzled, and sprinkled; a very wonderful change!
I dropped by for a visit with Roger Smith. He has a garden with cactus and other desert plants growing in his yard. We went to his main garden that is blocked off from the wind by an enclosure and picked some carrots. I tried to eat one but my teeth ain’t that good at chewing them kind of things anymore, so I just took a bunch of them home with me where I’ll put them in a blender. Roger also gave me some cactus cutting that I’ll plant later on.
I watched the newest episode of “Castle” on Hulu.com. Then I did some reading and got caught up on my astronomy book, read some electronics: Ohm’s Law, and read a few chapters of “Spinward Fringe Broadcast 4: Frontline” by Randolph Lalonde.
I did my stretches, went for a night run, lifted dumbbells, practiced my guitar, and posted to my journal.

Thursday 07- I did my stretches and yoga, ran a mile, did the core trainer, punched the bag some, and rode the bike.
There was a high wind that lasted all day and it felt like my house was being pushed to Arizona. The internet went down around 1:30pm so I mostly stayed inside and read “Spinward Fringe Broadcast 4: Frontline” by Randolph Lalonde.
Later on in the evening the internet connection came back up and I talked to Kelly over Skype. She said that it was so windy that she was afraid to let her little rat dog outside because its little ears would flap too much and beat it to death. I said she ought to throw the dog up in the air to see how far he flies.

Friday 08- I did my stretches and ran a mile. The temp outside was 47 degrees and still dang windy! I didn’t want to stay out there any longer than I had to. I was just getting use to the warm weather and now it seems like winter came back!
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter. I also updated my friend Joel’s Iron Eyes Cody Website with a Press Release that Joel wrote. All this webwork took the better part of the day which was alright with me because of the weather.
I messed around doing this and that with my computers and also downloaded a bunch of lectures from UC Berkeley of the Astro 7B class taught by Professor Joshua Bloom. Now I'll have some interesting lectures to listen to on my long evening walks!

Saturday 09- I did my stretches and yoga, ran a mile, lifted weights, did the core trainer, punched the bag some, and rode my bike.
I've been watching this Eagle's Nest Webcam for a few days now and have shared the link with others; we all find this very fascinating especially my friend Joan! Linda, grade school teacher I know, is going to have her students watching it. Right now there are three tiny baby chicks!

Sunday 10- I did my stretches. I worked around the yard doing some gardening and planted all those cacti that I got from Roger Smith the other day. I called friends and family.

Monday 11- I did my stretches and ran two miles.
I went for my evening walk listening to lecture 1 of Astronomy 7B.
Something of interest I’ve found: On March 21, 1962 a bear becomes the first creature to be ejected from a vehicle at supersonic speeds. I would not want to be the one who went to retrieve the bear afterwards!


Tuesday 12- I took Kelly to her doctor’s appointment in the lower desert.
While Kelly was being seen by the doctor I jawed with a married couple who were down from Fresno, or there abouts, but used to live down here in Indio three years ago. They say they like the doctor but I think it’s the free hamburgers. The husband worked in law enforcement. He told me that in 2001he was a prison guard where Sirhan Sirhan was being incarcerated. And just days before the 911 attacks Sirhan kept telling everyone something big was going to happen on that day and wanted a TV to watch. The husband also said the guards had to separate the Muslim population from the general population for fear the Muslims might be harmed after they cheered upon hearing of the attacks on New York City. There were a lot of ex Marine inmates in the prison who didn’t take this cheering too kindly, he said. I don’t know if this story is true or fiction made up to pass the time in a doctor’s waiting room, but I found this all interesting and I believe that I may have heard of this or something like this: Sirhan’s knowing, at the time after the 911 attacks. After Kelly stuffed my backpack with hamburgers from the doctor’s office we went to Starbucks in Yucca Valley.

Wednesday 13- I did my stretches and yoga, ran a mile, lifted weights, did the core trainer, punched the bag some, and rode my bike.
After I found out last night that silver had reached $40 an ounce I went to Yucca Valley to sell all the silver I had bought in the 90s at $4.00 an ounce! I told the broker that I was using the 100 ounce bar I had for a doorstop. I deposited the money at my bank and then went to Vons and bought some fried chicken and then went to Starbucks for coffee and ate it there. I got in a conversation with this lady, her name is Monica. She’s into recycling stuff and renewable energy. Monica said she started in the environmental movement after she saw the commercial of the crying Indian back in the 70s. I told her that was Iron eyes Cody and that my friend Joel runs a website in his memory; I didn’t tell her that I maintain the site.

Thursday 14- I did my stretches, ran a mile, did the core trainer, and punched the bag some.
I stopped by to say howdy to Judy and Jodie who are staying at Stoney’s for a spell.
I took Kelly out to dinner at Denny’s and then movies at the 29-drive-in to see “Paul” and “Limitless”; both movies were great!

Friday 15- I did my stretches and yoga, ran a mile, lifted weights, did the core trainer, punched the bag some, and rode my bike. Updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I met Sandy at Black Rock Canyon Ranger Station at 7pm for a lecture on Dark Energy and Matter by Gillian Wilson Associate Professor (Cosmology) Department of Physics & Astronomy University of California, Riverside. I made a fool of myself by answering most of the questions right.

Saturday 16- I did my stretches, ran a mile, lifted dumbbells, did the core trainer, and punched the bag some.
Spring cleaning! I swept and mopped the bedroom and bathroom floors.
I called family and friends.
I went on my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 1 and 2.

Sunday 17- Roy came by and I strummed the guitar while he played the harmonica. Afterwards I followed him to his rental that he is putting on an addition to the south side of the house.
I finally washed the Harley and she looks mighty nice.

Monday 18- I did my stretches and yoga, ran a mile, lifted weights, did the core trainer, punched the bag some, and rode my bike.
I went on my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 2 and 3.

Tuesday 19- I did my stretches and ran two miles.
I was talking to Mac on the phone when I noticed that the wind had died down, so I went to WalMart in Yucca Valley on the Harley.
Stopped by to see how John is doing on repairing Stoney’s roof.
Dropped Kelly off her packages I picked up at the mailbox.

Wednesday 20- I did my stretches, core trainer, punched at the bag, and ran a mile.
I cleaned the kitchen but still have the floors to be swept and mopped.
Throughout the week I’ve been reading chapters of “Spinward Fringe Broadcast 4: Frontline” by Randolph Lalonde.

Thursday 21- I did my stretches, yoga, and rode my bike.
I’m being distracted from what I am supposed to be doing by a number of things. And unfortunately the thing I’m supposed to be doing I don’t have a darn clue of what it might be.
Joel dropped off my mail and we sat in his car and jawed for a long spell. He told me a story that he stayed in Howard Hughes’ suite at the Sands hotel in Las Vegas just after Hughes passing away.
It’s been windy almost every day this week and it stops me from doing a few repairs on the shop roof and other things around the outside of the house. But I have been able to do some watering and gardening :)

Friday 22- I did my stretches, ran a mile, did the core trainer, lifted weights, and punched the bag some.
I stopped by Kelly’s.
I went on my evening walk listening to Astro 7b lecture 3.
I read some chapters of “Spinward Fringe Broadcast 4: Frontline” by Randolph Lalonde; I also read a few chapters everyday for the rest of the week.

Saturday 23- I did my stretches, yoga, ran a mile, core trainer, punched the bag, lifted dumbbells, and rode my bike.
Ginger dropped by with her son Vincent. We had a wonderful visit! I took Ginger for a ride on the Harley :)
I did stretches and went for a night run.

Sunday 24- I did my stretches and ran a mile.

Monday 25- I did my stretches.
Joan came by with her laptop for me to look-see what’s wrong.

Tuesday 26- I did my stretches, yoga, and ran two miles.
Took Kelly to 29 to run errands, shopping, and we ate at Denny’s.

Wednesday 27- I did my stretches, core trainer, and rode my bike.
Worked on roof….

Thursday 28- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, lifted weights, and ran a mile.
My iPod arrived today!
Kelly came by to borrow some gas. She is on her way to Yucca to get her hair done; she was all excited about it.
I worked on the roof and managed to get one OSB panel nailed down before the winds came back up.

Friday 29- I did my stretches.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
It was too dang windy to work on the roof so I watered the plants.
I went on my evening walk and finished listening to Astro 7b lecture 3.

Saturday 30- I did my stretches. Since there was no wind I thought I’d forgo any exercises and complete putting the remaining OSB panels on the roof. So I climbed up and down the ladder carrying tools, 8x4 foot panels, hammer and nails to my workplace on the roof. It took a few hours now it’s done and I’ll move on to my next project.
I ordered two 125watt solar panels and they should arrive next week sometime. This should bring my wattage into the AC inverter at 1006watts total.
I cooked up some rice and turkey stuffing and headed down to potluck at 4pm. We had almost 30 hungry folks showing up and they brought a bunch of yummy food along with them to share! I did my thing with the camera chronicling the lives in pictures of our wonderful bunch of humanity out here in the high desert.

Here’s a poem I wrote:
Nighttime in Hermosa where the air is brisk and sweet. Nighttime in Hermosa where in our youth our crowd would meet. Many a day I wish, many a night I’d dreamt, that we’d all come together on those sands of Hermosa Beach.

Goodbye to April- you’ve been a kinder month then the previous month!

March 2011

Welcome to the Month of March! - I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, and rode my bike.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 39 to 61 degrees, calm winds, humidity around 29 percent, mostly sunny skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 67. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm. Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47. West wind between 3 and 8 mph.”
I didn’t have anywhere to go today, so after I gave Mac’s laptop a tune-up I did my studies! I'm really thinking that I should go back to college or something.
I studied my Latin flashcards. Then I read a chapter of pre-algebra on increasing and reducing fractions.
FedEx delivered three electronic books and I read the first chapter of “Electronics for Dummies”; I like the Dummies books because most times their concise; short and to the point.
I went for my evening walk listening to my Latin lectures.
I read aloud from the textbook “Astronomy Today” about interstellar dust and gas.
I started lesson 2 of “Building your first web page” and will complete the assignments tomorrow.
I watched “THX1138” (1971) Directed by George Lucas and starring Robert Duvall. This is another movie I saw when it first came out and is worth seeing again. It’s about an underground technological civilization where babies are conceived in tubes and people are forced to take drugs to suppress sexual desires. The story revolves around a man and a woman who stop taking these drugs.
I read a few chapters of “Spinward Fringe: Broadcast 1 and 2” by Randolph Lalonde.
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Wednesday 02- I did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 46 to 71 degrees, calm winds, humidity around 34 percent, cloudy skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 67. West wind between 3 and 8 mph. Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. West northwest wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.”
I did about the same as I did yesterday with only a few interruptions.
I studied my Latin flashcards. Then I read part of a chapter of pre-algebra on multiplying fractions.
I read the second chapter of “Electronics for Dummies” about parallel and serial circuits.
I talked to Kelly for a long spell. She seems to be getting better from her flu thingy.
I read aloud from the textbook “Astronomy Today” about nebulae.
I finished lesson 2 of “Building your first web page” by completing the assignments.
I read a chapter of “Spinward Fringe: Broadcast 1 and 2” by Randolph Lalonde.
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Thursday 03- I did my stretches, yoga, lifted weights, did the core trainer, punched the bag some, and rode my bike. I’ve had a problem with my right foot, kinda like a bone spur, for a few weeks now; very painful at times. So I’m trying to keep off it and not doing any running or long walks until I get some proper running/walking shoes.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 43to 70 degrees, WNW winds of 8 to 14 with gusts to 40 MPH, humidity around 32 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Friday: Sunny, with a high near 68. North wind between 11 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. Northwest wind around 7 mph.”
I had a bunch of paperwork, letters, and an assortment of stuff to file or throw away that I should have done at the beginning of the year. I did this throughout the day and my desk looks clean for once.
I watered the plants and did some cleanup around the outside of the house.
I studied my Latin flashcards and listened to Latin lectures on my iPod all day.
I kinda kicked back the rest of the evening surfing the web and reading a few chapters of “Spinward Fringe: Broadcast 1 and 2” by Randolph Lalonde.
I wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Friday 04- I did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 43to 69 degrees, NW winds of 11 to 15 with gusts to 21 MPH, humidity around 24 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Northwest wind at 6 mph becoming southeast. Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Southwest wind between 3 and 8 mph.”
I spent a few hours over to Mac’s helping him with a few things and didn’t get back till just before sunset.
I again kinda kicked back the rest of the evening surfing the web and reading a few chapters of “Spinward Fringe: Broadcast 1 and 2” by Randolph Lalonde.
I wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Saturday 05- I did my stretches, lifted weights, did the core trainer, punched the bag some, and rode my bike.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 47 to 71 degrees, nice breeze, humidity around 24 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Breezy, with a west wind 7 to 10 mph increasing to between 20 and 23 mph. Winds could gust as high as 32 mph. Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. West southwest wind between 14 and 18 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.”
I called family and friends throughout the day.
What I was planning to go out shopping but that fell through and I ended up messing with some solar panels and other stuff.
I read and finished “Spinward Fringe: Broadcast 1 and 2” by Randolph Lalonde, and then bought the next book in the series for my Kindle.
I watched another Dirty Harry movie called “Sudden Impact” (1983) Starring Clint Eastwood; great film!!!!
I wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Sunday 06- I did my stretches, ran a mile, lifted weights, did the core trainer, and punched the bag some.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 46 to 72 degrees, WSW winds at 7 to 20 gusting to 30 MPH, humidity around 21 percent, hazy skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Monday: Areas of blowing dust after 10am. Sunny, with a high near 64. Windy, with a west wind between 22 and 32 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph. Monday Night: Areas of blowing dust before 10pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 43. Windy, with a northwest wind 35 to 38 mph decreasing to between 22 and 25 mph. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph.”
Again I called family and friends throughout the day.
I listened to my Latin lectures while I worked around the house.
Ginger called me to say she has a lady coming down to her property to look at and possibly buy her metal horse corral fences, and wanted me to let her in and show her where they are; no problem. The lady, Kimberly, arrived with her helper Phil, her daughter Deirdre, and dog. Kimberly spent an almost hour there trying to decide if she wanted the fences because one was bent and both were not as high as she thought. In the meantime Deirdre, Phil, and I played fetch the ball with the dog. They drove all the way from Big Bear and were headed down to Desert Hot Springs to look at some more fences. They seemed like nice folks to me and Kimberly’s daughter was very bright for a 10 year old; I think kids are getting smarter these days or I’m just getting dumber with age.
I yapped at Kelly for a long spell.
I started reading “Spinward Fringe: Broadcast 3” by Randolph Lalonde. This is the next book in the Spinward Fringe series I’ve been reading.
I did my stretches, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Monday 07- I did my stretches, lifted weights, did the core trainer, and punched the bag some.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 42 to 67 degrees, NW winds at 22 to 30 gusting to over 50 MPH, humidity around 35 percent, hazy skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 65. North northwest wind between 13 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44. Northwest wind between 5 and 9 mph.”
It was really dang windy today and it increased during the night blowing stuff not tied down into Arizona.
I studied the Latin flashcards, and pre-algebra: adding fractions.
I started reading “Beginning Electronics” chapter 3 about resistors.
I read lesson 2 of “Building Your First Web Page” and completed the quiz but still need to do the assignments.
I went for my evening walk and listened to my Latin lectures.
I read aloud from the textbook “Astronomy Today” about emission nebulae.
I yapped at Kelly for a long spell.

Tuesday 08- I did my stretches, ran a mile, lifted weights, did the core trainer, and punched the bag some. I read up on bone spurs and found that sometimes you can massage it and get temporary relief. So I tried standing on a gulf ball and rolling it back and forth over the sore tendons in the foot. It worked quite well and I been able to run!
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 43 to 66 degrees, NNW winds at 10 to 16 gusting to 23 MPH, humidity around 21 percent, mostly clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 72. North northwest wind between 3 and 6 mph. Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48. Calm wind becoming west southwest around 5 mph.”
I was informed that a very dear friend of mine is in ICU after a fall and I just don’t feel like posting right now.

Wednesday 09- I did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 50 to 74 degrees, calm winds, humidity around 19 percent, mostly clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 8 mph. Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 19 to 22 mph decreasing to between 11 and 14 mph. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph.”
It was such a fine morning I took my breakfast outside along with my netbook and sat out there enjoying the view of the snow covered mountains to the west and reading my emails. I even did some yard work too!
I got news that my friend is in stable condition at the local hospital and his wife is with him. I’m a little relieved but still worried.
UPS delivered a book I bought online called “The Practical Entomologist” by Rick Imes. It has all kinds of beautiful pictures and illustrations. The reason I got the book was that I was reading another book and it mentioned the word antomology and I wondered what that word meant. So I did a search and found it was misspelled and should have been entomology. I read the Wikipedia article about the study of insects and found it fascinating. So I ordered this book.
I watched the movie called “Space Cowboys” (2000) Starring Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, and Donald Sutherland. and I thought it was a mighty fine watch!
I read a few chapters of “Spinward Fringe: Broadcast 3” by Randolph Lalonde.
I wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Thursday 10- I did my stretches and ran a mile.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 49 to 77 degrees, calm winds but picking up later in the evening, humidity around 19 percent, mostly clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Calm wind becoming south between 5 and 8 mph. Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 19 to 22 mph decreasing to between 11 and 14 mph. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph.”
At 1:30 I moseyed my way over to Mac’s to borrow his little car and drive Kelly down to her Doctor’s appointment in Palm Desert.
We stopped off at Staters and got some fried chicken and ate it at my house before I drove her home.
I read a few chapters of “Spinward Fringe: Broadcast 3” by Randolph Lalonde.
Major tsunami damage in N Japan after 8.9 quake! WOW this is a real bad quake! I watched a video of the tsunami rolling over the land carrying cars, houses, and other stuff! YIKES!
I wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Friday 11- I did my stretches, yoga, ran a mile, lifted weights, core trainer, and punched the bag some.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 49 to 78 degrees, SW winds at 5 to 12 MPH, humidity around 20 percent, mostly clear skies.
I spent most of the day thinking/remembering/worrying about my friend whose wife took him home from the hospital’s ICU. So I really didn’t feel like posting today.

Saturday 12- I did my stretches, ran a mile, core trainer, and punched the bag some. That punching bag is getting a lot of use lately.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 50 to 75 degrees, WNW winds at 8 to 16 MPH, humidity around 23 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 75. Northwest wind between 3 and 10 mph. Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52. West northwest wind between 8 and 11 mph.”
I was able to see my friend who just got out of the hospital. He is home and his wife is taking real good care of him. Everyone hopes he’ll turn the corner and feel better soon. I spent a little more than an hour or so by his bedside and I am mighty thankful for that!
I got back home and called family and friends.
I went for my evening walk listening to a Latin lecture.
Now that I can concentrate I was able to do a bunch of my studies-Electronics about potentiometers, Pre-Algebra about subtracting fractions, read aloud from “Astronomy Today” about Dust Clouds, “The Practical Entomologist” about the Phylogenetic tree of life forms.
I watched a new episode of “Fringe” about lighter than air people.
I read a few chapters of “Spinward Fringe: Broadcast 3” by Randolph Lalonde.
I did my exercises, practiced my guitar, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Sunday 13- I did my stretches, yoga, ran a mile, rode my bike, core trainer, lifted weights, and punched the bag a bunch.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 52 to 75 degrees, WNW winds at 6 to 14 MPH, humidity around 26 percent, mostly clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Monday: Sunny, with a high near 77. Northwest wind between 7 and 16 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Northwest wind between 10 and 17 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.”
At around 11am I called Linda Dehart to see when she would like me to bring over some cans of applesauce so that she can mix Ron’s medicine into it to make it easier for him to take. She said that she had just gotten Ron to sleep and she needed to rest and would call me later.
I did some work around the house watering plants, fixing this and that, and accidently scaring a dove on a next with two eggs while looking for nails to repair another place where doves can nest which was too exposed to the wind. A dove will pretend that it is hurt and flap around the ground to draw your attention away from its nest.
At 3:40PM Ron’s wife Linda called to tell me the bad news that my dear friend, my buddy for many years had passed away at 3:30PM. He went to sleep and had never woken up.
Ron and I spent many hours discussing and debating all kinds of subjects. He was the only one here who I felt comfortable talking with and knowledgeable on a wide range of subjects that we covered. I will miss that! I will also miss the inside jokes we’d play on each other. I’ll miss the stories we told each other about growing up; he was from the east coast and I from the west. We had so much in common and yet we were so different and all this made for a good friendship I’ll never forget and a friend I’ll deeply miss. What you left behind in our physical world are our memories of you and a well used empty chrysalis that has brought forth something bigger than the whole. When I think of you it will always bring me a smile because that is the kind of person you are and the kind of humor we both shared. Too bad we never got to eat that pizza with the extra anchovies!
I spent the rest of the day/night talking to Kelly. She was stunned by the news of Ron’s passing. She was a great help keeping my mind focused.
In between talking to Kelly I managed to go outside and take a picture of Ron’s last sunset; I’m sure going to miss that guy!
I did my stretches, wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Monday 14- I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, and punched the bag a bunch more.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 51 to 78 degrees, NW winds at 8 to 18 with gusts to 26 MPH, humidity around 24 percent, mostly cloudy skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 80. Northwest wind between 9 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. West northwest wind between 15 and 21 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.”
I went on over to Ron’s house to see him one last time. I wasn’t going to do this but for some reason I felt I had to. There were some of his friends there who have been keeping watch since he passed on yesterday. He laid there with a smile and some said that it looked like he was winking. I stayed a few moments and then went into the next room and about cried until friends said it was okay and gave me a hug; it was hard. I spent a spell reminiscing with others and then I left.
I went down to my mailbox and dang if it wasn’t full of packages for Kelly. Well she said to me she had a couple coming; there’s also a notice for one more at the post office. I dropped them all off at her house and she gave me a big hug.
I spent the rest of the evening thinking of Ron; it’s hard to lose someone special in your life.
Linda called around 11pm telling me she needed the internet early in the morning to take care of some of Ron’s business and if I’d come over early to help get it connected. I told her I’d come right over now and get her hooked up, which I did and made my way back home.
I wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Tuesday 15- I did my stretches and ran two miles.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 53 to 79 degrees, NW winds at 10 to 18 with gusts to 35 MPH, humidity around 26 percent, mostly cloudy skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. West wind between 8 and 10 mph. Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. West southwest wind between 9 and 16 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.”
Linda is having a little get together of Ron’s close friends at 4pm but wanted me to print out a PDF form for her before I came over. I spent the rest of the time before 4pm going through twelve years of photos on my computer and putting every picture of Ron and Linda in a folder to take over to her; it ended up being 280Megs, 234 pictures and one video.
I arrived at Ron and Linda’s and helped Linda break down the hospital bed and put it away outside. Terry Serrels, John Demers, Linda Sibio with her husband Blake, Seimi Shiba, Ruth Denison, and Piper Cort showed up a little later bringing food and friendship. We all sat and took turns telling our stories about Ron. Each story was like the changing scenery from a train window as it races its way through a mountain pass and onto farmlands, towns, and cities; a life that was complex but well lived. I could write of these stories here but I think it would be appropriate of me to keep them private to our little group who knew and loved Ron so very much.
I got home a little after 10pm and wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Wednesday 16- I spent much time with Linda, Ron’s Widow, today and it was a very personal and private time for both of us.

Thursday 17- I did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 48 to 62 degrees, WNW winds at 8 to 16 MPH, humidity around 36 percent, mostly overcast skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71. West northwest wind at 7 mph becoming south. Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. West southwest wind around 9 mph.”
It was Kelly’s birthday and I took her to the Sizzler Restaurant for dinner where we proceeded to make pigs out of ourselves eating steaks and stuff from the salad bar. I had a lot of fun and I hope she did too. Happy Birthday Kelly!
I got home a little after 9:30pm and wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Friday 18- I did my stretches and yoga.
To tell ya the truth I forgot what I did during the daytime hours :)
I spent some of the evening over at Linda’s house. We hiked to a secret canyon where Linda and Ron liked to spend much time together.

Saturday 19- I did my stretches, ran a mile, lifted weights, did the core trainer, punched the bag some, and rode my bike.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 45 to 59 degrees, SW winds at 7 to 17 MPH, humidity around 27 percent, mostly overcast skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Breezy, with a calm wind becoming south between 21 and 24 mph. Winds could gust as high as 34 mph. Sunday Night: A 50 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. South southwest wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.”
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter; I even wrote a little story for Ron on the website.
Linda called to ask if I wouldn’t mind coming over for a spell. I moseyed on over at 5pm and brought some pictures that I took of the get-together we had last Wednesday night where we all gathered to remember Ron. Linda wanted to walk around the property and check things out and show me some desert lilies. Afterwards we called John to come over to help us hang a painting of an ocean scene that Linda bought at the Hospice Thrift room. We would go outside often to look for the fullest Moon in twenty years but the clouds kept it hidden from us until much later into the night.
I got home a little after 10:30pm and wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Tuesday 22- I did my stretches, ran a mile, lifted weights, did the core trainer, punched the bag some, and rode my bike.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 38 to 59 degrees, SW winds at 10 to 12 MPH, humidity around 40 percent, mostly clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. Calm wind becoming south between 17 and 20 mph. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. Breezy, with a west southwest wind 22 to 25 mph decreasing to between 14 and 17 mph. Winds could gust as high as 34 mph.”
I’ve been moping around the house these last few days and haven’t written in my journal since Saturday. I’ve been keeping up with my exercises but other than that I haven’t done much. It started to hit me on Sunday that I won’t be seeing my friend Ron ever again and I just need time to come to terms with that. I helped Linda get collect Ron’s clothes and take them down to the Hospice Thrift Shop in Joshua Tree and then we had lunch at this health food place; the food was actually not that bad. I guess this is all part of dealing with a friend’s passing. Linda found a friend who will be staying at her house and keeping an eye on things until she gets back this summer.
Earlier in the day a neighbor called to tell me that he was woken by two men outside his house going through his storage shed. He yelled out the window “Shoot them Tom, shoot them, shoot them Tom” and these would be thieves dropped everything and ran to their white truck and sped off down the road. My neighbor lives alone and there was no Tom! I thought that was some quick and smart thinking on his part.
I must have talked to Kelly for the better part of the evening or maybe I should say most of the night.
I wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Wednesday 23- I did my stretches, did the core trainer, and punched the bag some.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 39 to 59 degrees, SW winds at 8 to 18 MPH, humidity around 34 percent, mostly clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. West southwest wind between 14 and 18 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 44. Southwest wind between 13 and 21 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.”
Mac came by to pick up some frozen chicken I got from the USDA food distribution that I didn’t have room for in the freezer and didn’t want to go bad. We sat for a spell and yapped and did a little target shooting with a 22.
I stopped off at Kelly’s to say hi and drop off her two packages that came in the mail. I also check on Stoney’s house on the way back home from Kelly’s.
At 5:30pm I arrived at Linda’s for a little going away party our little group planned. Terry, Piper, Linda and Blake, and Seimi all showed up to eat a fantastic dinner and say our goodbyes. I was put in charge of firing up the barbecue and later actually cooking the trout and these really gigantic Portobello mushrooms that tasted like porterhouse steak, yumm! Everyone brought something to add to the meal. Blake made this dessert the he used a blowtorch to melt the sugar that he sprinkled on top; that was mighty dang good, I think I had three servings of that. Piper did all the cutting of the salad and made rice and some other things like strawberry shortcake! We all had a wonderful time yapping about Ron and speculating on if Ron came back what kind of animal would he be; I think we all agreed he’d come back as a dog. It seemed to me that nobody wanted to leave and we all finally left at 11:30pm so that Linda could get some sleep for tomorrow’s journey back to Texas and her job as a teacher.
I wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Thursday 24 was very private and personal day for our little group of friends here.

Friday 25- I did my stretches.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 39 to 59 degrees, W winds at 6 to 18 MPH, humidity around 32 percent, mostly clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. South southeast wind 6 to 9 mph becoming west. Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. West southwest wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.”
I went to my mailbox and then down to the post office in Joshua Tree to pick up a package, get my prescription filled, and get gas in the Harley. It was a nice drive even though it was a little windy. On my way back I stopped over at Linda’s to pick up some keys and a tape she left for Ruth Denison and then took it to Dhamma Dena Desert Vipassana Center where Ruth was waiting for it.
I messed around with the new toy I got myself for a spell setting it up and getting it updated. What was in the package was a first generation iPad 16Gig AT&T 3G that I saved over $300 on; they are making way for the new iPad2 and selling the old ones at a deep discount. Now when I travel I’ll be able to check my emails and write to my journal anywhere I can get a signal from AT&T.
Kelly called and wanted to go out to eat. I picked her up around 6pm and went to Denny’s in Twentynine Palms. We had a two for one coupon and got two double cheese burgers with fries. Dang we both got stuffed and couldn’t finish but half the burgers. On the way over to Denny’s we passed by the drive-in theater and decided to go there after we ate. The movie “Hall Pass” (2011) was playing. There was another movie playing before “Hall Pass” but it is not worth mentioning. We bought a big bucket of popcorn and a large Sprite. “Hall Pass” starred Christine Applegate; one my favorite actresses. It was a very juvenile movie but fun to watch because it had us laughing all the way through to the end. It was a great night and we both had a lot of fun. I dropped Kelly off and was backing up to leave when I ran over a large block of wood that my truck got stuck on. It took both of us to get it unstuck after some lifting and kicking.
I got home and had a message from Linda saying that she had made it all the way to El Paso Texas and is doing well. That is great news!
I talked to Kelly for a spell on Skype.
I wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Saturday 26- I did my stretches, ran a mile, lifted weights, did the core trainer, punched the bag some, and rode my bike.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 43 to 62 degrees, W winds at 6 to 15 with gusts up to 23 MPH, humidity around 31 percent, mostly clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. South southwest wind between 5 and 8 mph. Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 49. West wind between 6 and 10 mph.”
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I took Kelly to Rite Aid to get her prescriptions filled.
Then I went to Potluck at the community center. We had almost 20 hungry folks showing up. I made my famous turkey stuffing and also some brown rice. There was more food than people could eat and I ended taking Kelly a plate home to her when I was done.
I got a call from Linda saying that she made it all the way to Austin Texas. That’s a whole lot of driving in two days. I called our little group of people and told them the news.
I talked to Kelly for a spell on Skype.
I wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

Sunday 27- I did my stretches. I pulled a muscle in my shoulder so I’m going to be laying off the weights for a few days or so. I called family and friends throughout the day. I watched an episode of “Castle” on my laptop. Got a call from Linda saying she lost her driver’s license which I found on my scanner- must have left it there when she needed a copy of it last week. I told her I’d be sending it to her tomorrow on a Next Day Delivery.

Monday 28- I did my stretches and ran a mile.
Today’s Weather was: Temps of around 51 to 73 degrees, W winds at 8 to 17 MPH, humidity around 22 percent, clear skies.
According to the National Weather Service: “Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 77. North northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph. Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53. West northwest wind between 6 and 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.”
I called John to tell him I’d be late coming over because I had to go to the post office to mail off Linda’s license. John said that he had to cancel anyways since he had to take care of some business in town and had to get a money order at the post office and would mail Linda’s license for me.
I talked to Kelly for a spell on Skype for a spell.
I worked on my Latin and went for my evening walk listening to a Latin lecture.
I watched two new episodes of “Fringe”.
I wrote to my journal, posted it to the web and called it a night.

I’m changing the format of my journal. I think I only need to post maybe once or twice a week. I’ve been doing it every day for many years and spend much time on it that I could be doing other things that interest me. I am not going to do the weather anymore unless there’s a flood, storm, or some other calamity. Basically I want to write when I have something interesting to write about and concentrate on that. I may still keep a log of my daily exercises and studies, but the weather is out of the journal along with posting every day. I’m going to mess around with it until I find something comfortable I can live with.

Tuesday 29- I did my stretches and ran two miles. I forgot to mention yesterday that I got a call from Stevie Villarreal jokingly saying she had a bone to pick with me about stealing her doves. It seems that many of the doves that have been coming around her place for years are missing. She read in my journal that I been feeding doves. I assured her that I only feed about eight of them. I think she used the doves as an excuse to call and check to see how I’ve been; folks are like that out here. We went on to yap for almost an hour on this and that; it was a nice chat.

Wednesday 30- I did my stretches, ran a mile, and rode my bike. Linda called to tell me that her brother had passed on.

Thursday 31- I did my stretches and yoga, ran a mile, lifted weights, did the core trainer, punched the bag some, and rode my bike. I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter. I watched a couple of episodes of “Castle” online at ABC. I really like the program and may start watching it again.
Goodbye to March; you've been a very upsetting month for me and my friends.