September 2019

September 2019

Sunday 01- 112 degrees F with late night rain into Monday morning. 

I went to our community center's Art and Music Festival and there were a lot of desert folks showing up. There were Belly Dancers too!

Monday 02- 102 degrees F. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, hit the heavybag, and jogged a mile.

Tuesday 03- to Tuesday 10- I had a bad case of hay-fever and there was extreme heat alerts for our area, so I decided to stay inside and focus on getting my book edited and editing my other books getting everything ready to put them all on paperback. I did do my stretches and took Cassie for her walks when possible.

Wednesday 11- 98 degrees. I did my stretches, core trainer, jogged a mile with Cassie, weight bench, and punched at the heavybag for a spell.

Thursday 12- 98. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog.

Bonnie and Larry came for a visit

Friday 13- 106. I did my stretches.

UPS delivered the 12V 200AH Gel Battery. I hooked it up

Saturday 14- 108. Sunday 15- 103F. Not feeling well.

Monday 16- 101 degrees. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, hit the heavybag for a spell, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I worked on my books.

Tuesday 17- 98 degrees. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I worked on my books.

Wednesday 18-  97 degrees. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised with the 10&20 pound dumbbells, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

Thursday 19- 99 degrees. I did my stretches. I helped my guest set up her solar system on her trailer. 

Friday 20- 96 degrees. I did my stretches. I continued to help my guest with her solar system. Now she has power and is ready to move onto her own property.

Saturday 21- 93 degrees. I did my stretches and jogged a mile with Cassie.

Sunday 22- 96 degrees with some clouds. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised with the 10&20 pound dumbbells, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

Monday 23- 98F. I did my stretches. It’s Cassie’s birthday and we were going to celebrate, but she was sick during the night and I stayed up with her until 6 AM in the morning. She started feeling better in the evening... what a relief because I was going to take her to the Vet if she wasn’t better. I wasn’t feeling all that great myself.

Tuesday 24- 94 degrees. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, punched the heavybag, and went on a mile jog with Cassie.

I drove to Stater Bros to pick up some supplies.

I did my evening stretches.

  Wednesday 25- 91F. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised with the 10&20 pound dumbbells, and jogged a mile with Cassie.

I did my evening stretches.

Thursday 26- 87 degrees. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, punched the heavybag, and went on a mile jog with Cassie.

I did my evening stretches.

Friday 27- 86F. I did my stretches.

I went to our community’s Friday nite BBQ.

I did my evening stretches.

Saturday 28- 88F.  I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, punched the heavybag, and went on a mile jog with Cassie.

There were about 20 denizens of the desert attending our little community’s potluck. Cal Mayers- fruit plate. Pretty Patti- pulled BBQ pork, Hawian rolls, cheese bread, pear dump dessert. Mary and Amuyah: potato salad. Chris VanNortrick and Mary Kobal- pork beans vegetable pasta and cornbread. Mary Rider- potato salad. Other kindly donated money. 

I’d like to include this quote from Dyan Carroll she sent me by messenger: 

“BBQ Chicken, Reuben casserole, pork in a chili Verde sauce, spinach casserole, cauliflower with cheese sauce, Spanakopita Appetizers, bacon ranch dip with crackers, and last but not least a banana cinnamon trifle. I know it sounds like a lot but, you can’t make any of these dishes for yourself and enjoy them. They all require friends.”

We all had a wonderful time with wonderful friends jawing and chowing down the yummy grub!

I did my evening stretches.

Sunday 29- 84F. I did my stretches, core trainer, jogged a mile with Cassie, situps, and punched at the heavybag for a spell.

I did my evening stretches.

Monday 30- 82F. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, punched the heavybag, and went on a mile jog with Cassie.

I went for a bike/run with Cassie.

I did my evening stretches.

******************** Poems for September 2019 **************

My successful life I'm still working on and never did care about how others measured me... and my satisfied life will probably never be satisfied; I'm forever searching, endlessly discovering, and always questioning. 　

Sometimes we can love too much and are taken for granted

Sometimes we are loved too much and take this for granted

Sometimes we live on the edge

Sometimes we fall off

Sometimes we laugh with friends

Sometimes we cry alone

Sometimes we triumph

Sometimes we fail

Sometimes we move on 

Sometime there will be no more sometimes 

~RD

I might be wise but indifferent 

I have pain from my diligence 

I love by my envy 

I hate by my sorrows

I cry for my loneliness 

I frown at my laziness

I smile for my kindness

I shout at my stupidity

I yawn at my emptiness

I fear for my jealousy 

I laugh at my incompetence

Deranged or inspired

Intrepid or loathsome

I am amused 

~RD

In this world of ours, it's difficult to find the truth...

In this world of ours, the truth may not be what it seems...

In this world of ours, it's hard to hear the voice of truth among the deafening roar of falsehoods...

In this world of ours...

It's best not to lie...  

Because that's the only truth you'll really get to know.

~RD

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

August 2019

August 2019

Thursday 01- 103F with blue skies. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I did my studies.

Cassie and I were invited over to Kjtel and Bodie’s house to watch “Das Boot” (2018) the new series.

Friday 02- 107 degrees. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, hit the heavybag for a short spell, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I went to pick up some packages, one containing 100 feet of wire ordered from Amazon, from the post office. I gassed up the car and stopped off at Stater Bros to pick up a few supplies.

I went to the BBQ night at the community center.

Saturday 03- 109 degrees. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I did my studies and wrote a song.

Sunday 04- 110F. I did my stretches; rest day.

I did my studies.

Monday 05- 111 degrees. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, punched at the heavybag, and went for a mile and a half jog.

I did my studies.

I went to our movie night at the community center. We watched a very interesting kinda who done it called “Bad Times at the El Royale” (2018) starring Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman and Chris Hemsworth. I believe one of the wonderful songs from the early ‘60s was kinda out of sync with the times portrayed, “He’s a Rebel” (1962) but maybe I’m wrong, it might have been a flashback of Darlene Sweet (Cynthia Erivo) the female singer, who is a mighty fine singer. Lots of hidden easter eggs that most of the older generation would get.

I give the movie an A!

Tuesday 06- 109 degrees humidity high. I did my stretches and jogged a mile with Cassie early in the morning when it was cooler.

I did my studies.

Wednesday 07- 110 and very humid. did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, punched at the heavybag, and went for a mile jog.

I did my studies; too humid to do anything else.

Thursday 08- 107 degrees with a bit of humidity. I did my stretches and jogged a mile.

I took my guest Kelly to her doctor’s appointment in Cathedral City, then on to Star Pharmacy, Home Depot, and then to Applebees to celebrate my birthday.

Friday 09- 105 degrees. I did my stretches.

UPS delivered the new modem to replace the old failing one that has been giving me headaches for the past month. The old one was a workhorse for me given its 12 years of service at my house.

I went to the community BBQ...

Saturday 10- 

Sunday 11- 98F and kicking back on this beautiful sunny day.

Monday 12- 102F and not a cloud in the sky. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, punched the heavybag for a spell, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I went to Movie Night at our community center to watch “American Hangman” (2019) starring Donald Sutherland. We all seemed to like it and it was very suspenseful, well thought out, and had a surprising ending. I’ll give it a B+ 

Tuesday 13- 

Wednesday 14- 

Thursday 15- 

I took Kelly my guest with me to Stater Bros. to get some supplies, and then to Burger King for lunch.

Friday 16- 

Saturday 17- 

I took Cassie for an evening mile jog; she was very happy to go and so was I. 

Sunday 18- 

Monday 19- 

Movie night at the community center. We watched “Arctic” (2018) starring Mads Mikkelsen and María Thelma Smáradóttir. 

Tuesday 20- 112 degrees hot. I did my stretches and then Cassie and I jogged up the hill and back down.

Wednesday 21 to Tuesday 27 got kinda sick from my hayfever and there were excessive heat warnings throughout our area through this period, so I stayed inside and finished editing my new book and started editing on past books in the Copper Mountain Series and will combine them all into one or two books. I did go to the store a couple of times for supplies and I also did my stretches and took Cassie for a walk every day :)

Wednesday 28- 110 degrees. I did my stretches, lifted weights, went for a good mile jog with Cassie, core trainer, and sit-ups punched the heavybag. 

Thursday 29- 108 degrees. I did my stretches, lifted weights, went for a good mile jog with Cassie, core trainer, and sit-ups punched the heavybag. 

Friday 30- 112 degrees. I did my stretches, lifted weights, went for a good mile jog, core trainer, and sit-ups punched the heavybag. 

Saturday 31- 110 degrees. I did my stretches and went for a mile jog.

To me our last Saturday of the month potlucks are more like a monthly Family gathering around the dinner table than anything else. Over the past 20 years since we started potluck I’ve seen many a dear friend pass-on and watched others come and go. Their images I capture with pictures, but my fond memories of them are deep-seated into my soul which no camera can capture.

There were about 20 denizens of the desert attending. Dyan Carroll- cabbage rolls, yams, broccoli salad, and deviled eggs. Cal Mayers- fruit plate. Elizabeth West- chocolate strawberry banana cake, taco bolosh, and BBQ pork. Mary and Amuyah: potato salad. Jeff Dongvillo- BBQ pork. Chris VanNortrick and Mary Kobal- BBQ bean vegetable casserole and fruit salad. Yvonne Francis- banana pudding cake. Charles Lange- blueberry pie. Other kindly donated money. There was so much food we all got stuffed and made off with the rest for dinner the next day. 

******************** Poems for August 2019 **************

If I don’t receive my morning coffee, I'd be forced to cavitate my mood into a deeper darker abyssal state of apocalyptic proportions...

~RD

Life is a beautiful wondrous phenomenon. We only get one chance at it but have many chances to take different paths. Have fun on your journey :)

~RD

Some friends can't dance, don't want to cast shadows on your sunshine, and only come out during the worst of storms when you need them the most 　 

~RD

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

July 2019

July 2019

Monday 01- temps in the high ‘90s with lots of haze. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, hit the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I took Kelly to get her prescriptions filled and then stopped off at WalMart to get some supplies.

Went to movie night.

I took Cassie for a night jog up the hill and back.

Tuesday 02- temps still in the ‘90s.  I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog.

Wednesday 03- 105F. I did my stretches.

I drove to the post office in Twentynine to get my new computer, a Surface Go, and also a 2006 Britannica Concise Encyclopedia I purchased on Amazon in brand new condition for $13. I find I like real hold in your hands reference and textbooks. If I find a decent whole set of Encyclopedia Britannica I may purchase them. I remember as a kid I’d sit cross legged on the floor flipping through the set of Funk and Wagnalls dreaming of all things possible.  

Thursday 04- 104F. I did my stretches and jogged a mile.

I painted 3 coats of paint on 8 2x4s for mounting the solar panels on the patio.

Used the BBQ for the first time and invited my trailer guest Kelly over for hamburgers.

Friday 05- temps around 100. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, hit the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I worked on getting the solar panels ready to mount on the patio.

I rode the scooter to the community BBQ and yammered on about nothing of importance. 

The 6.4 quake hit while I was on my scooter on our bumpy road coming home from the BBQ and I didn't even feel it.

Saturday 06- temps in the lower ‘100s with light cloud cover. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog. Later in the evening we went for bike/run; lots of fun.

The 7.1 earthquake hit and I slept right through it. If it wasn't for FB I wouldn't even known there was a big quake. I really feel for those in Trona California

I mounted 4 panels onto the patio roof; no small feat doing it by myself.

I went for a cruise on my scooter just to get out and about.

Sunday 07- around 100 degrees with a bit of wind. I did my stretches.

Cleaned out the garage work table draws of pack rat nests; a nasty job.

Monday 08- nice weather today. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, jogged a mile with Cassie, and hit at the heavy bag for a spell.

Movie night “Duel”

Cassie and I went for a night jog up the hill and back, and then I did my stretches.

Tuesday 09- high ‘90s. I did my stretches, yoga, and jogged a mile with Cassie.

Kjtel and Bodie house for dinner and a movie.

Wednesday 10- 106 degrees. I did my stretches.

Thursday 11- 110 degrees. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, jogged a mile with Cassie, and hit at the heavy bag for a spell.

Friday 12- 111 degrees. I something I ate the day before gave me stomach pains and had a hard time sleeping... no exercise today.

I did go to the bbq at the community center. I didn’t eat much but had fun yapping away at the good folks there.

Saturday 13- hot. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, jogged a mile with Cassie, and hit at the heavy bag for a spell.

Sunday 14- hotter. I did my stretches. 

I went back to work on the patio hooking the solar panels on the roof. 20min outside, 20min inside for most of the day so I wouldn’t get too overheated.

Monday 15- hottest. I did my stretches. Took Kelly my guest to the DMV to get her licence and a few other errands she had to do. I went to the post office to pick up my whole set of Encyclopedia Britannica (1989). Though they may be old, they are in great condition and wasn’t very expensive at $200. I always wanted these. I remember sitting on the floor of the local library flipping through them when I was around ten to thirteen. The Encyclopedia Britannica sadly went out of print in 2012.

Tuesday 16- really hot. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, jogged a mile without Cassie, and hit the heavy bag for a spell.

I continued to work on the patio painting some rails to hold the panels to the roof.

Wednesday 17- a bit cooler. I did my stretches.

I went to work continuing installing solar panels on the patio. I will hook up the last of them tomorrow. I just need to wire them altogether.  

Thursday 18- a bit cooler still around 104 degrees. I did my stretches.

UPS delivered my new 49” television I’m hooking up in my bedroom. Watched it tonight and boy it’s really nice watching movies on a bigger screen.

I got the last bit of wire connected in but all mickey moused until the parts come in I need to do a more professional job.  

Friday 19- hot. I did my stretches, core trainer, and jogged a mile.

I went to movie night at the community center.

Saturday 20- 103F. I did my stretches and jogged a mile.

Sunday 21- 108F with a few clouds. I did my stretches.

I went to the poetry reading at Space Cowboy Books in JT to read my poem and listen to other’s read theirs. Took lots of pics I shared online with them all.

Monday 22- 103F and overcast. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, punched the heavybag for a spell, and jogged a mile.

Movie night at the community center. The movie was called “Confidence” (2003) and everyone kinda got bored of it and went outside. 

Tuesday 23- overcast. I did my stretches. 

Wednesday 24- rain. I did my stretches

I went to Home Depot and then onto Walmart to gather supplies.

Thursday 25- more rain. I did my stretches.

I went to visit Bonnie and Larry.

My car sent me an email at 10:44 telling me my left-rear tire was flat. I went to check it out and sure enough it was flat.

Friday 26- 106 degrees. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, punched the heavybag for a spell, and jogged a mile.

I spent most of the day hunting down parts to fix the flat. The cheap floor jack from WalMart didn’t work; it only worked once before. 

Had ribs at the Community BBQ and jawed with friends and some new folks who showed up.

Saturday 27- 108 degrees. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog. 

I’ll have to wing it on this potluck story folks because I had forgotten to pick up the list of people who contributed when I left for home stuffed happy as a pig in slop. 

I want to thank those who worked so hard cooking in this desert heat, taking the time to drive on our bumpy dirt roads to our little community center and carry inside container after container of homemade yummies. All the regulars showed up, some first timers living in our area, and a few more arrived I’ve never met. They were well received by us desert denizens and mighty happy to share our little part of the desert with them. The serving table was cram packed with all kinds of wonderful dishes of meats, casseroles, and yummy desserts we all pigged out on. What a wonderful bunch of folks we have living up here. I feel mighty blessed to be one among them.

Sunday 28- 110 degrees. Rest day.

The computer I picked up at Bonnie and Larry’s to work on was a complete loss. I dismantled the iMac G5 to take out the harddrive and found the graphic and processor cooling fans were so stopped up with dirt and hair that they wouldn’t spin up; the system was fried, toast, bricked. I applied power to the harddrive with my own data transferring equipment, but the drive was as dead as a fossil. I put the computer all back together and called Bonnie I wasn’t going to waste anymore time than the three hours I already wasted on a machine someone had badly neglected and had not taken the time to backup their precious pictures I was trying to recover for them.

Monday 29- 103 degrees. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, punched the heavybag for a spell, and jogged a mile with Cassie.

Tuesday 30- I did my stretches and jogged a mile with Cassie.

Wednesday 31- 102 degrees. Rest day!

******************** Poems for July 2019 **************

Remember: interesting people with their misadventures are what makes life interesting for the rest of us :)

~RD

It's the quality of friendships we hold close to our hearts and those wonderful memories of old friends that surface in our minds from time to time which create the wholeness we all share together <3 span="">

~RD

Sometimes those born out of adversity glow the brightest <3 span="">

~RD

The Dream

I was following a steep trail making my way very carefully climbing over boulders, scaling ridges, traversing gullies and cobbly streams of icy-cold glacial melt. 

Ever so slowly I climbed higher through the pass as billowing dark clouds grew towering before me. Ominous in their vast glory of turbulent foreboding warning me away. With much arduous effort I finally reached the summit of the great mountain I fought. 

I saw a man standing alone before me, immobile, right knee bent at the edge of the precipice, looking casually out at the grand expanse of snow enshrouded mountain ranges. 

Cold thin dry air forced its way down nostrils and lungs from my panic upon seeing this unholy aberration who stood before me. My nose began to bleed. I could feel its warmth as it oozed down against my numbing cheek. 

The mysterious man seemed oblivious to this extreme environment as he stood glowing brightly against the dark ambiance of the surrounding storm. Wind-blown hail pelted him as his long black cloak rippled in the winds like the sounds of a gale flapping through untrimmed sails of a mighty clipper ship rounding Cape Horn. 

Weakened by my climb, I clung to rocks and crevices as I slowly crawled to the foot of the man. Fighting the bitter icy winds, frost formed encrusting my beard, teeth chattering, and I could no longer feel my stiff icy fingers. Both hands felt heavy like cast iron claws connected to my arms. I reached out in a feeble effort to grab onto this omniscient man’s ankle. 

He finally took notice of me and bent ever so slightly to peer questionably into my face. What I saw shocked me to my core. Like a mirror, it was my own image staring back! Now I became that man standing immobile, right knee bent at the precipice, looking casually out at the wide expanse of mountain ranges. 

Stunned by what I saw of this lowly creature who dared to climb up to the precipice where I stood to grab at my pant leg, I swiftly kicked the weakling of my former self back down the mountain trail far from the raging madness where I now stood at the edge of forever. 

A blast of brilliant light so intense it seared deep into the tendrils of my soul and I awoke from this dream a different man. I felt empowered by this vision I have dreamt many times before with different endings with me always falling down that tall mountain. Now I am that man standing on the precipice at the edge of forever. I am now in control of my own destiny.

~RD

Treat everyday as if it is your birthday. Awaken to a fresh renewal of self-awareness and reflect upon life and all its wondrous diversity. Go out and find a new adventure to undertake. Dance barefoot through a field of grass. Stand in awe like a little child beneath the glistening stars and become whole again at peace with yourself and the universe.

So, Happy Birthday to you!

~RD

Her passing was to me as if a tornado ripped a deep chasm into my chest and tried to suck away at her existence, but my heart prevailed <3 span="">

~RD

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

June 2019

June 2019

Saturday 01- warmer with a light breeze. I did my stretches, exercised with the 10 and 20 pound dumbbells, and took Cassie for a mile jog. We saw a tortoise on our jog; we stopped for a sec to say hi and then jogged on leaving the critter be. 

It’s been awhile but I did the poop patrol because Cassie was running out of places to go.

I finished the wash I let soak overnight and hung it out to dry.

I edited April’s journal and posted it online.

When it cooled down enough we went for a bike/run; just don’t want Cassie to overheat.

I did my studies, practiced guitar, and read aloud.

Cassie and me had a bunch of leftover energy so we went for a night jog up the hill and back. I then did my nightly stretches.

Sunday 02- a little windy. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, and Cassie and I went for a mile jog.

I did my nightly stretches.

Monday 03- getting warmer. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a walk.

I went to Twentynine Palms to pick up a package containing an old Apple Clam shell and then did some shopping at Staters Bros.

I went to movie night at our community center and we decided to watch “Backdraft 2” (2019) Directed by Gonzalo López-Gallego. With Joe Anderson, Donald Sutherland, and William Baldwin, Alisha Bailey. It is the sequel to the 1991 movie with the same name starring Curt Russel. It was nice to see Sutherland again playing Ronald Bartel, and William Baldwin playing Brian McCaffrey as they did in the original Backdraft. My guess this is the longest, 28 years, for a sequel ever. Now I’ll have to go back and watch the first one to make a bit more sense out of this one. I’ll give it a B :)

I did my studies of biology.

I did my nightly stretches.

Tuesday 04- breezy and warmer. I did my stretches, yoga, and went for half a mile jog with Cassie. It would have been a mile but she seemed to be getting overheated and we walked back. We’ll have to go for evening jogs for now until cooler weather.

Cassie and I went for a night jog up the hill and back to make up for earlier’s failed attempt.

I did my nightly stretches.

Wednesday 05- hazy and 106 degrees. I did my stretches, exercised with the 10 and 20 pound dumbbells, and later in the evening took Cassie for an evening jog up the hill and back.

I messed around inside the house doing the little stuff that keeps things running efficiently. 

I did my nightly stretches and jogged up and back down the hill with Cassie.

Thursday 06- hot at 102 with a stiff wind blowing. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, and jogged a mile with Cassie; I got up earlier when it was still cool. 

Went right to work on the new patio before the wind comes, nailing the two plywood sides up. I got them up okay but had to stop at that point because I was getting overheated.

I did my studies

I did my nightly stretches and jogged up and back down the hill with Cassie.

Friday 07-  103 degrees with a bit of wind. I did my stretches, yoga, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

It got up to 103 degrees and I've been trying to get work done on my new patio I’m building. If it ain’t wind it’s heat that’s been hindering me. I should had got it all down by now. I did go out early and continued working on the wall of the patio.

I went to the community movie night and we all watched “Gravity” (2013) starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney; the only people in the movie. With megastars like these two we all thought the producers couldn’t afford anyone else to cast. This one had us all glued to our seats. There were a few squeaks I heard emitted from a couple of females in the crowd behind me as Sandra Bullock bounced around among all the debris of the space station as it was broken apart by bits and pieces of satellite wreckage. I’ll give this one an ‘A’ for astounding.

I did my nightly stretches and jogged up and back down the hill with Cassie.

Saturday 08- cooled down into the ‘90s. I did my stretches, exercised with the 10 and 20 pound dumbbells, and took Cassie for a mile jog. We saw another tortice on our jog, stopped to say hello, and continued on our way.

I did my studies and read aloud from the biology book. I practiced on my guitar “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by the Beatles.

Cassie and I went on an evening jog up the hill and back. I did my nightly stretches.

Sunday 09- in the high nineties. I did my stretches, yoga, and took Cassie for a walk. 

I did some of my studies.

I went to the poetry reading at Space Cowboy Books and read one of my poems. I asked Charles to read one of his own instead of one by Leonard Cohen. He said it was the first time he read one of his own poems in public... He did really good :)

Monday 10- 103 degrees. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, punched the heavybag for a bit, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I worked on the new patio painting the first coat of white paint on the walls. I could only work 20-30 minutes at a time because of the heat.

Did a load of laundry too!

I went to movie night. The movie I thought was mighty gross so I left early.

Me and Cassie went for our nightly jog up the hill and back.

I did my studies.

Tuesday 11- 106 degrees. I did my stretches, yoga, and took Cassied for a fast walk.

I took Kelly, my guest, to her post office box in Twentynine Palms to collect her two 200 watt solar panels. We stopped at the county office so she could get some filing papers she needed. Shopped at Staters.

Cassie and I went for a night jog up the hill and back.

Wednesday 12- 108 degrees. I did my stretches and went for a mile jog, but it was too hot to take Cassie.

Kjtel came by with Bodie for a chat just before I left for the DMV.

I went to the DMV to get my driver’s licence renewed. It wasn’t all that bad as I imagined it would be.

I took Cassie for a bike/run when it was cooler; I kinda owed her for staying in the house most of the day.

Thursday 13- 107 degrees. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog. I sprained my left wrist somehow and it hurts when I move it in a certain way. I’ll have to give it a rest for awhile until figure out what weight lifting I can do without making it worse.

I did some of my studies.

I smelled the fire around 11pm 

Friday 14- 106 degrees. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a walk.

I drove to WalMart to do a bit of shopping and get a haircut; my hair was getting way too long for summer. Stopped off at Home Depot to purchase a showerhead cutoff. 

I went to movie night to watch “Gran Torino” (2008) starring Clint Eastwood.

Saturday 15- 104 degrees and breezy. I did my stretches

I worked on the patio.

Sunday 16- 101 degrees and breezy. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog.

Space Cowboy Books 

Monday 17- 106 degrees. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, punched the heavybag for a bit, and took Cassie for a mile jog. Wrist still hurts so I will lay off it for the time being.

I went to Movie Night.

Tuesday 18- I got very sick

Wednesday 19- 108 degrees. I did my stretches. I went right to work moving some of the panels off the house and positioning them on the new patio roof. I would work for 20-30 minutes in the heat and then take the same off inside where it was much cooler.

Thursday 20- 103 degrees. Still not feeling very well, but had to get up early at 7AM to hook up the solar array to the new battery. Went back to sleep until 12:30.

UPS delivered my Radio Shack TRS 80 Model 200 computer. It was built in 1985 and it adds to my collection of TRS 80 Model 100 and 102 computers. I have many old computers I collected over the years, so I guess it’s kind of a hobby of mine which I never really intended it to be.

Friday 21- 105 degrees. I did my stretches and went for a mile jog with Cassie.

I went to the community BBQ. A few sat around jawing swapping stories, some started playing board games, and I kinda mingled here and there with everyone.

Saturday 22- 102 and windy. I did my stretches.

I sat around outside trying to figure out how I want to arrange the solar panels I’m putting on the patio roof.

I did part of my studies.

Sunday 23- temps in the high ‘90s. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised with the dumbbells and on the weight bench, went for a mile jog without Cassie because it was too hot and I don’t think she wanted to go anyways.

I did part of my studies and practiced on my guitar.

Messed around with some electrical stuff around the house.

Took Cassie out for a night jog up the hill and back.

Monday 24- around 100 degrees. I did my stretches and went for a mile jog with Cassie. 

I went to Home Depot to get me some wire for the solar panels I’m putting up.

I picked up my neighbor Jeff and arrived at our community center for movie night for a movie starring James Garner and Marlee Matlin called “Dead Silence” (1997)

Tuesday 25- a little cooler today. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised with the dumbbells and on the weight bench, went for a mile jog Cassie. 

I did all of my studies and more :)

Wednesday 26- temps in the high ‘90s. I did my stretches. I just decided that Sunday and Wednesday will be my easy days and won’t do any strenuous exercise.

Thursday 27- temps still in the ‘90s- I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, hit the heavybag, and  jogged a mile and a half; too hot for Cassie to come along.

Cassie and I went to Kjtel and Bodie’s home to eat apple pie and watch the last three episodes of HBO’s “Chernobyl” one of the best shows I’ve seen in a longtime.

Friday 28- temps climbing back up to the hundreds. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog.

Saturday 29- into the hundreds again. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, hit the heavybag, and  jogged a mile with my faithful doggie.

I did the poop patrol and there was a lot of it.

I cooked up my pot of rice and headed on down to our community potluck. There was quite a crowd showing up and this was a good thing because we had enough food to feed a company of hungry Marines; I had to loosen up three notches on my belt! The theme this month was celebrating the 4th of July 1776 when 13 small colonies declared independence from Great Britain. 

Dyan Carroll fired off the first salvo at the attacking British with a pot roast, stuffed peppers, and a strawberry trifle; that was two notches off my belt right there. Elizabeth West, along with Sarah and Andrew made a direct hit on the enemy with their ham mac and cheese. Pretty Patti Huges picked up her friend Kim as she landed in Texas on a flight from China, and then they drove nonstop all the way to our little community with her lip smacking lemon bread to feed our famished troops. Crystal and Ted bombarded our foe with strawberry pear crisps. Mary Koval and Chris VanNortrick poured vegetable chili and pea salad on the advancing British forces. Jeff Dongvillo, John Jacobsen, Charles Lange financed our cause as Gil and Bruce reloaded our canons with yellow cherry cake.

Finally our antagonists retreated and Cal Mayers and his daughter Tina planted our flag in their fruit salad plate. 

We here at Copper Mountain Mesa wish y'all a very wonderful and reflective Independence Day.

Sunday 30- dang it I forgot to write down what I did today, but it must have been really important ;)

****************** Poems June 2019  *****************

If you rely only on actors for your political views and opinions you’re living in a bigger fantasy world than I.

~RD 

Bullies come in groups of two, three, or more, but hardly ever alone and never on even ground.

~RD

Remember: Seek out that special reality fitting to your beautiful nature and go out and live it.

~RD

At this particular moment in my life when friends and lovers become distant memories and the future grows ever present. When violent discord rips through our great nation brought on by a biased news media infected with their own self-righteous indignation and complacency. When social media giants have become our censors banning those with opposing views. As our elected officials sit high on their moral asses promoting character assassination based upon vacuous unfounded claims. I find I have no need to impress anyone anymore but myself.

~RD

We should not be so selfish as to keep all life contained here on Earth. Instead, let the universe drink deeply upon our planet’s sweet biological nectar and share our most precious rare commodity out there among the stars...

~RD

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May 2019

May 2019

Wednesday 01- very windy. Exercised on the weight bench jogged and took Cassie for a jog.

I finished the second coat of paint on the new patio.

Thursday 02- very windy still.  I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog.

Worked on the patio putting on a third coat of paint.

Friday 03- I called my doctor about the anti-inflammatory steroid pills Prednisone. I told him I’m only getting 2-3 hours of sleep a night, also it’s making me feel irritable and short-tempered. Oh, I got a whole lot of work on the patio and around the house because of the pills, but now I am feeling really burned out. He told me to stop taking them.

Saturday 04 and Sunday 05

Wow, coming down off the Prednisone is really bad. My body aches all over and has retained a whole lot of water which I’m expelling quite rapidly.

Monday 06- cloudy, windy, with evening showers. I did my stretches, jogged a mile with Cassie, worked out on the weight bench and punched the heavybag.

Tuesday 07- windy day. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a bike/run.

FedEx delivered 2 lithium batteries... one had 13.9 volts, but the other had .69 volts. I’ll have to call MightyMax tomorrow and ask them what’s up.

UPS delivered my GenZe E-Bike, but it didn’t have a battery! I called and got a hold of John at the company and he is going to ship me out a battery right away and also a lock for the bike for my troubles.

I put another coat of paint on the patio.

Took Cassie out for an evening walk.

Wednesday 08- still windy. I did my stretches.

Me and Cassie went for a walk with Kjtel and Bodie and ended up at her house watching two episodes of GOT.

I received two ML100-12LI - 12V 100AH Deep Cycle Lithium Batteries I ordered. One had a charge of 13.9 vdc, but the other had a charge of .69 vdc 

I called customer service and was told to take the bad one to AutoZone and have it checked out, which I did. The store manager tried to test it and said to me the device he was using cannot detect any charge at all. I took the photos and emailed them to MightyMax for their reference. They emailed me a return UPS label I printed and taped on the battery package getting it ready to ship back to them.

Thursday 09- cloudy with a bit of wind. I did my stretches and jogged a mile with Cassie.

I went to Yucca Valley to the UPS store there with the bad battery to return it. Then I went to Home Depot to collect some wood I need for various projects.

Me and Cassie went for a night jog.

Friday 10- windy, cloudy with some rain. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog.

UPS delivered the new battery that was missing for my new e-bike. I put it on charge right away and will test it out tomorrow.

I worked on building a frame for the fan vent for my little trailer. I didn’t saw through the roof to put it in because it might rain today.

I went to the Friday night movies at the community center. Mack, Pat, Steve, Melody, a girl who rides horses, Lana and her husband (I didn’t ask his name), and Kip showed up and we stood around yammer on and about this and that and other things. The movies were western horror film called “The Burrowers” (2008) , written and directed by J. T. Petty. Evil creatures live below the surface of the prairies in Dakota Territory around the 1870s and prey upon the living. I’ll give it an S- for kinda scary.

Saturday 11 and Sunday 12- not feeling well again... very tired and just stayed in the house. On Sunday I couldn’t get any sleep until 6am or so, and then slept until 4pm missing the poet reading at Space Cowboy Books.

Monday 13- nice warmer day. First day I really felt better since I stopped taking those anti-inflammatory Prednisone steroid pills on Friday the 3rd.  I did my stretches, yoga, and jogged a mile with Cassie.

I went to movie night at our community center and watched “The Meg” (2018) directed by Jon Turteltaub and starring Jason Statham. It reminded me a lot of “Jaws” (1975) with those underwater shots with dangling swimmers’ legs. I could almost predict what was to happen next and most of the time I was right. I enjoyed the action and was nailed to my seat with anticipation a few times. Of course there were a few scenes that were over the top impossible.

Tuesday 14- warmer still but with a nice breeze. I did my stretches, exercised with the 10 and 20 pound dumbbells, and jogged a mile with my Cassie.

I did some writing in the book

Wednesday 15- a windy day outside. I did my stretches, exercised on the weight bench, and jogged a mile with Cassie.

I wrote a bit in my book.

Thursday 16- very windy. I did my stretches and jugged up the hill and back down with Cassie; too windy for our usual mile jog.

Friday 17- less windy but still very windy. Not feeling very well and couldn’t sleep last night; must be my allergies kicking in again. I did my stretches and that was about all.

Saturday 18- another windy but nice day. I did my stretches, yoga, and went for a mile jog with Cassie

I cleaned up around the house, and swept the floor of my utility trailer.

I stopped off at my neighbor’s house for a birthday party for Sophia; absconded with a few cupcakes. 

I did my studies: the anatomy drawing book, pre algebra, Linux, practiced guitar, and read aloud from the biology textbook; trying to get back on point with my studies.

I did my nightly exercises (finally) and went for a night jog up the hill and back with Cassie.

Sunday 19- Windy! I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, and went for a mile jog with Cassie.

I again cleaned around the house; swept out the bathroom and washed the small trash container in there.

 I did my studies: the anatomy drawing book, pre algebra, Linux, practiced guitar, and read aloud from the biology textbook.

Cassie and me went over to Kjtel and Bodie’s house to have a long walk, dinner, and watched the last 3 episodes of Game of Thrones. It was mighty fine show and sad that it ended.

I did my nightly exercises. 

Monday 20- still windy but not as windy as yesterday. I did my stretches, exercised with the 10 and 20 pound dumbbells, and jogged a mile with Cassie.

I went to the post office to pick up a part I ordered for my Honda Generator, went to Stater Bros (I ran out of butter) and picked up a few other items.

I took Cassie for an evening walk. 

Kelly my Guest came over for dinner and a movie.

I did my studies, practiced guitar, and read aloud from the biology book.

Again, I did my nightly exercises.

Tuesday 21- cold and windy. I did my stretches, yoga, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I replaced the starter rope assembly of the Honda Generator with the new one I picked up yesterday. It was a bit of a challenge getting the nut off the rotor shaft but a little ingenuity and patience I got it all together, done, and working.

They looked a little thirsty so I watered them all the plants outside; they be happy now.

My sister Lynn called and we talked for over an hour about this and that and other things.

Kjtel came by with Bodie and we went for a walk all bundled in coats and scarves to keep warm in the cold wind.

I remembered to do my nightly exercises.

I did my part of my studies; mostly some online pre-algebra course, and the anatomy coloring book.

Wednesday 22- rained most of the day and was mighty cold. I did my stretches and took Cassie out for a short walk between the rain showers.

I did some of my studies...

Thursday 23- windy and cold. Took Cassie for a walk.

Drove truck back and forth on the driveway I’m creating to pack it down.

I did my studies.

Friday 24- a very nice day finally. I did my stretches and went on a mile jog with Cassie.

Saturday 25- another very nice day but with a tiny bit of wind. I did my stretches and went for a mile jog with Cassie.

I made my rice and headed on down to our community potluck. We were all happy and surprised to see Mary Kobal take up her usual seat at our dinner table after a two year respite. She arrived bearing peach and key lime pies along with a jolly old smile planted on her face being glad to be back home among her desert friends.

Chris VanNortrick stirred up her magical bean casserole. Cal Mayers and his daughter Tina brought a fruit plate full of fruity goodies. Elizabeth West with her Grandson in tow prepared biscuits and gravy for us to quickly devour. Yvonne Francis thrilled us with an Italian bean salad and her famous dump cake. Dyan Carroll loaded our plates with her amazing spicy but mild tamales, a tasty mac and cheese, along with a tossed green leafy salad. Charles Lange, Bruce Chronister, Gil Aiken, Mack Dodd, John Jacobsen, and Bruce Kroeze, donated huge amounts of kindness, friendship and support for our little community. We hope y’all had a wonderful Memorial Day as we did.

I did my nightly stretches.

Sunday 26- really really windy. I am lucky because just before the high winds hit I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, punched the heavybag, and went for a jog with Cassie my sweet doggie. And then all hell broke out as 60 MPH gusts hit our area!

I did my nightly stretches.

Monday 27- windy again, even rained a bit here and there. I did my stretches.

Jimmy called and we talked for over an hour. I cooked breakfast while we talked. I was so into our discussions that I forgotten to turn off the gas to the pan I cooked the eggs in. I only noticed after filling the room with grease smoke, making me open all the windows to air my little cabin out. 

Cassie and me were invited over to Kjtel and Bodie’s home to watch two episodes of HBO’s series “Chernobyl” wow! Can’t wait to see the rest!!! Very intense!

I did my nightly stretches.

Tuesday 28- a nice windy day. I did my stretches, yoga, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

Wednesday 29- a wild and windy day. I did my stretches.

Thursday 30- windy still. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, punched the heavybag, and went for a jog with Cassie.

I did my nightly stretches.

Friday 31- a bit breezy and warmer. I did my stretches, yoga, and jogged a mile. It was too hot for Cassie to go along but I’ll make it up to her tonight.

I drove to Yucca to pick up a port-a-potty like you see on construction sites. Paid Hamid (a very nice easy-going fellow) $250 for it. 

I first stopped off at Bank of America to withdraw the money and found out they are shutting down this bank on September the 9th. The closest BofA is in Desert Hotsprings 40 or so miles away! I decided to close out my savings account and thinking of going to another bank or credit union with my checking and money market account too. 

Cassie and I went for a bike/run. She was overjoyed because we haven’t done it for a while. 

****************** Poems May 2019  *****************

Never give up! Never stop learning! Never stop asking questions! Never let others stand between you and your goals!

~RD

The writing of a book is never complete even after it is published. There’s always something nagging at the author’s mind of a bit of a thing to add or change. This is why the souls of writers haunt the halls of libraries, coffee shops, and old bookstores... they just can't seem to let it go.

~RD

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April 2019

April 2019 

Monday 01- a hazy day but nice. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, hit the heavybag, and took Cassie for a long walk. 

Kjtel came by in the afternoon for a cup of tea and a chat.

Tuesday 02- cloudy day. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a long walk.

I worked on the shower putting in the plumbing so it’ll drain outside. Took most of the day and still haven’t completed the job. I’ll have to work on this another day. So many projects, so little day to complete them all.

Wednesday 03- a very nice day. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, hit the heavybag, and took Cassie for a long walk.

I drove to Yucca Valley and my guest Kelly went along for the ride. We stopped at the pharmacy to pick up her prescriptions. I then dropped her off at WalMart to shop while I went to Home Depot to get materials for my new patio. Afterwards we both went to Stake & Shake for a hamburger and fries. 

Thursday 04- windy. I did my stretches, exercised with the 10 and 20 pound weights, and went on a mile jog with Cassie.

I worked on the new patio.

I went to movie night at the community center to watch “Mojave” (2015) written and directed by William Monahan, and starring Oscar Isaac, Garrett Hedlund, Mark Wahlberg, Louise Bourgoin, and Walton Goggins. I kinda liked the movie with its unexpected twists and turns. I'll give it a 4.5 for succeeding in fooling me a few times :)

Friday 05- cloudy with wind building up in the evening. I did my stretches, yoga, and took Cassie for a mile run.

I worked on the new patio all day.

Saturday 06- a windy but a nice day where the dark blue expanse of the sky opened up and drew me in and all I wanted to do is kickback and squander time by writing poetry. I did my stretches and went on a bike/run with Cassie.

I did my studies, practiced my guitar, and read aloud from the biology book.

Sunday 07- a very nice day. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, hit the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog. Later we went for a bike/run and an evening walk.

I worked on the new patio again for most of the day putting up another cross beam. Slowly it’s all coming together.

I did my studies, practiced my guitar, and read aloud from the biology book.

Monday 08- overcast with a light breeze and temps into the high 80s. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog. 

I drove to the post office in Twentynine Palms to pick up some packages. I then went shopping at the supermarket there.

Kjtel came by with Bodie and we walked over to her house to have dinner and a movie: “The Highwaymen” (2019) Directed by John Lee Hancock. Starring Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson, and Kathy Bates. About two Texas Rangers who went after Bonnie and Clyde in the 1930s. A very highly memorable movie that will come back to haunt you. The filming and directing was superb along with the stars who fit and acted their characters to a tee. It was nice to see the story told from the perspective of law enforcement exposing the wicked side to Bonnie and Clyde, and how the newspapers and radio romanticized them as heroes instead of the vicious violent psychopathic killers they were.

Tuesday 09- a very windy day. I did my stretches and stayed inside messing around with my antique computers.

Wednesday 10- still very windy! I did my stretches, yoga, and took Cassie for a bike/run. 

I worked on putting in the shower stall and hooking up the rest of the plumbing. What a big hassle it was. The whole shower is made of this hard to work with flimsy plastic sides that has to fit into these grooves. It took me all day to get them in placed, and once together had to remove it twice when the sides came undone. I felt like throwing the whole monstrosity outside in the dumpster.

Thursday 11- not quite as windy but cloudy and cold. I did my stretches and jogged a mile with Cassie.

I think I finished putting up the cross beams of the patio. I may have to put a few more on to make it a little more stable or maybe not.

I finished up working on the patio putting everything away and drove to the community center for movie night to watch, “Silence” (2019) Directed by John R. Leonetti. Starring Stanley Tucci, Kiernan Shipka, and Miranda Otto. The movie kept me entertained despite the errors. Everyone here kept asking why did they do this or not do that; leaving home without food was one, simple stuff like that. Oh, and coming to a highly secure fence surrounding a cabin and able to gain easy access by crawling through an oversized drain.  I’ll give it a C+

I remembered to do my nightly exercises... finally.

Friday 12- nice sunny but windy day. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a walk.

I drove to WalMart to pick up a few items and then shopped at Home Depot getting some caulking for the shower and a drain pipe hookup. 

Made a Doctor’s appointment in Yucca Valley for tingling in my right hand little finger and my pointing finger that’s been bugging me for the past two months. I thought it would get better, but I was mistaken.

Saturday 13- a wonderful day. I did my stretches, exercised with the 10 and 20 pound dumbbells, and took Cassie for a mile jog and later for a bike/run and an evening walk.

I did everything I had on my to do list for today: fixed leaky sink, caulked the whole shower, poop patrol, laundry and hung it out to dry, and did all of my studies, practiced guitar, and read aloud from the biology book.

Sunday 14- I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, hit the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog and later for a bike/run and an evening walk.

I drove on down to JT for the poetry reading at Space Cowboy Books. I took lots of pictures to share and even read one of my poems.

I got back just in time for me and Cassie to go over to Kjtel’s house and watch The Game Of Thrones.

I came back to do my studies, guitar, and read aloud from the biology textbook.

Monday 15- a bit windy with clouds. I did my stretches, yoga, went for a jog with my doggie. Later we went for a bike/run and an evening walk. 

I did my studies, guitar, and read aloud from the biology textbook.

I went to movie night but only stayed there for a little bit because the movie they were showing kinda sucked.

Tuesday 16- rain, cloudy, and windy. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a walk.

My guest Kelly came over and cooked us up some yummy corned beef sandwiches. 

I wanted for a delivery of my Latin study books I bought from Amazon but they never came. 

I did my studies, guitar, and read aloud from the biology textbook.

Wednesday 17- breezy but still a fine spring day. I did my stretches, exercised with the 10 and 20 pound dumbbells, and took Cassie for a mile jog. Later we went for an evening walk and a night jog.

I checked OnTrac online and their website said my Latin books were delivered. I called and spoke to the service rep. She said she would have the driver come by or call me today... they never came by or called.

I cleaned around the house straightening up the place and sweeping the dust bunnies from under the bed and in the corners.

I did my studies, guitar, and read aloud from the biology textbook.

Thursday 18- a very nice spring day. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, hit the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog and later for a bike/run and an evening walk.

I called Amazon about my missing Latin books. The Rep was very nice and said she would have my books reordered and sent to me on Friday and if my lost order from OnTrac magically shows up to just send them back if I can.

I did my studies, guitar, and read aloud from the biology textbook.

Friday 19- a fair spring day. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a short walk. 

I kinda got bored and drove to do some shopping in Yucca Valley. I went to Staters Bros, and WalMart. I got hungry and got a quick meaty cheesy burrito at Taco Bell... it had something hard I bit down on and it turned out to be Fritos corn chips! It was mighty good!  

Saturday 20- a windy day! I did my stretches. I wasn’t feeling all that great and spent the time in bed writing.

Sunday 21-  another windy day. I did my stretches, core trainer, exercised on the weight bench, hit the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog and later for a bike/run and an evening walk. 

I worked on the new patio a bit, but because of the high winds had to quit.

Monday 22- 

I did my stretches and exercised with the 10 and 20 pound dumbbells.

Tuesday 23- yoga 

I went to Joshua Tree to the Beatnik Cafe to listen to a few speakers talk about climate change, stopping the trapping of Bobcats, and someone yammered on and on about owning a Tesla. I talked with the lady who spoke on Climate Change and found out she was promoting the Green New Deal; didn’t sound promising of passing through Congress to me, but then again I didn’t think Trump would get elected President. I asked the speaker who owned the Tesla how much he paid a month; $600! That puts it way out of my reach!

Wednesday 24- very windy. I dropped my guest Kelly off at WalMart so she can do her shopping and then went to my Doctor’s appointment in Yucca Valley for tingling in my right little finger and my pointing finger... he believes it’s carpal tunnel and gave me prescriptions to fill.

Thursday 25- windy. I went to have my blood tested at LabCorp in Yucca. Shopped at Staters Bros, and then stopped off at Star Pharmacy to get my prescriptions filled. 

Went to Thursday movie night but they had changed it to Fridays from now on and didn’t tell me. I wonder what that’s all about? :)

Friday 26- sunny and hotter. I did my stretches.

I worked on a few things around the house. 

I missed Friday movie night because I didn’t feel well.

Saturday 27- cloudy and windy. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a walk. 

I cooked up some rice and headed on down to our community center. It took me awhile to notice (with all the yummy food around) that the theme for this month’s potluck was Easter with bunnies and colored egg candies decorating the fancy tablecloths. Dyan Carroll brought bunny treats of carrot cake, apple salad, and a biscuit and gravy casserole. Chris VanNortrick made us thump the ground and twitch our noses with a vegetable chili and veggie rice. Yvonne Francis proudly presented her four bean salad and scrumptious bunny lemon squares. Cal and Tina Myers hopped in with their mouth watering fruit tray fit for every bunny. Mary Rider hid her chicken enchiladas we had to hunt down. Pretty Patti Hughes came with her Easter basket filled with lemon breads and desserts. Charles Lange Bruce Kroeze, Gil Aiken, Mack Dodd, John Jacobsen, and Bruce Chronister, hopped on over telling bunny tales and donating large amounts of kindness and friendship. All in all it was a mighty fantastic Potluck.

Sunday 28- cloudy. I did my stretches and jogged a mile with Cassie. Hangnail on my foot is much better now.

I went right to work on the patio putting up reinforcement knee braces connecting on all the beams and posts; it doesn’t sway now, very sturdy.

Monday 29- windy and rainy. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I went right to work painting and doing a wash of clothes. Then right in the middle of this large dark thunder clouds came whipping up my way. I continued to paint but I decided to leave my wash soak overnight. I had most of the patio painted before it just got too dang windy and cold.

Tuesday 30- very windy. I did my stretches. 

I hung my laundry out to dry that had been soaking all night.

I finished the first coat of paint on the patio, the wind was so hard it blew my ladder down twice before I had to call it quits.

FedEx delivered my two new 136 watt flexible Uni-Solar panels.

****************** Poems April 2019  *****************

Yup it's true... some people who borrow money have a lapse in memory when it comes to paying me back. I am not a bank I tells them. I really don’t expect to be paid back, I just gives them a bit of money and that is that. But when they comes back later asking me for more I says to them "What did ya do with the money I already gave to you?" I never had a one of them ask me again :)

~RD

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