December 2020

December 2020

***************** Poems and stuff for December 2020 ***********

As the last rays of 2020 are extinguished for good and a new year arises from those ashes of what has been a tumultuous year that brought ruin and despair to many, let's all come together to be the change needed to create a better life for all on our little planet 🙂💗

~RD

In these times of civil unrest, plague lockdowns, and an unknown future for our nation, focus on what you already have and not on what you want.

~RD

These COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns are giving me an excuse for not getting done the things I want getting done 😕

I need to change this...

~RD

When you cannot defend yourself there is always someone there willing to help... that is if they can get past the gate 🙂

~RD

It's remarkable and alarming how the cell phone has changed our society over the past 20 years in comparison to Covid 19 taking only a few months...

~RD

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Tuesday 01- 67/35F with sunshine and no wind. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, beat on the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I assembled my new router table.

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

I changed the sugar water in the hummingbird feeder; they’ve been hanging around for a bit too long this autumn. 

I addressed and signed all my Christmas cards ready to send out.

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

Wednesday 02- 66/34F. I did my stretches.

I went to town and got gas, picked up my guest’s and my mail, refilled 2 tanks of propane at Dollar General, stopped off at Staters, and then onto Burger King... got quite overwhelmed and was glad to get my ass home.

Thursday 03- 61/34F I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, beat on the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile bike/run.

Friday 04- 66/33F I did my stretches. I drove to Joshua Tree to pick up my guest’s prescriptions. 

Saturday 05- 66/35F I did my stretches and 100 crunches.

Sunday 06- 69/42F I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, beat on the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

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

Monday 07- I did my stretches, 100 crunches, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I went to pick up my 10” miter saw at Home Depot. I assembled it when I got back home.

Took Cassie for a mile bike/run.

Tuesday 08- I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, beat on the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I climbed up on top of my trailer to fix the vent I recently installed.

I drove down to my mailbox down on Lear to get my mail.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

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

Wednesday 09- 69/40F some clouds. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a walk. Dave came over to disconnect his water pipes from my system because he’s getting a 2500 gallon water tank delivered. Later in the evening, me and Cassie took a walk up to see his new tank. 

Thursday 10- 69/37F I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, beat on the heavybag, and took Cassie for a walk.

I patched my left-front truck tire. Had to use 3 patch stripes because the hole was so big.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

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

Friday 11- 58/39F with overcast skies. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I got the spare tire off the truck to fill it up with air and found it had broke the seal around the rim and all the air came out; not very happy about that.

I drove down to my mailbox down on Lear to get my mail.

Jordan and Tia 

 Saturday 12- 66/32F very windy!  I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, beat on the heavybag, and took Cassie for a walk.

Since the wind was blowing hard I worked inside on my computers updating them and fixing a nonworking one. 

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

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

Sunday 13- 58/37F a little cold but nice for someone used to the heat of the desert. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a walk.

I cleaned out the area where the old Homelite Generator I was given after my friend Stoney had passed by his family. It has been over ten years or so since it was started. I checked and cleaned the air filter and then the oil; it was low but clean and good enough for my test to see if it’d start. Three pulls of the rope and she sputtered and stopped; a good sign. I checked the fuel cock and added more choke, pulled once and she coughed, struggled for a bit, and then came to life like a finely tuned machine. I kinda knew it would start right up because Stoney was a master mechanic and would have had the generator ready to go for a long cold winter; for me, it had been a long winter since his passing. I think that’s why I put that generator out of my mind for so many years and haven't until now started it; time for me to move on. Solace

I painted the bottoms of the little trees I have growing in the yard so the rabbits won’t eat the bark.

Stevie Vallerale, a long time neighbor I first met when I moved up here to my little desert cabin is moving away to Illinois to live there with family. Matt, her son and my friend is driving her there in his van towing a trailer with all her belongings. They are avoiding at all cost flying there during a pandemic. I will miss Stevie very much.

 

Monday 14- 61/37F windy but not as bad as Saturday’s wind. I did my stretches, 100 crunches, and took Cassie for a walk.

I spent most of the day cleaning my wood stove with a wire brush and then going over it with an oil rag. Later at night I fired it up to cure the oil I put on the stove; smoked the whole place up but I was ready for the smoke having done it before and had all the windows open.

Tuesday 15- 59/35F cloudy. I did my stretches, 100 crunches, and took Cassie for a long walk.

My Guest and I went to my guest’s post office, Burger King, and then to WalMart to do the drive through pick up.

We were shorted groceries on our trip to WalMart’s drive through: when we got home we found instead of a 15lb turkey we were given a tiny 5lb turkey, among other things like pies and bread set to expire that day! I mean, hey this is Christmas dinner we’re talking about! Now we’ll have to make another trip to town to pick up what was missing; something I truly wanted to avoid.

Wednesday 16- 64/38F clear. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, beat on the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

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

Thursday 17- 65/40F early morning dark clouds but clearing out by noon. Kjtel came by early to chat. 

My guest got a $35 refund for the tiny turkey, the day old bread, and the old veggies we were given on Tuesday from WalMart. 

So, we drove down to Stater Bros in Twentynine Palms and did our shopping there and picked up a nice big Butterball Turkey! We then went to Burger King to get the 2 for 1 special they have going; I like the fish sandwich.

Friday 18- 61/36F sunny and a little breezy. I did my stretches, 100 crunches, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I used the miter saw for the first time and cut 6 2x4s at a 45 degree angle to put on my south-facing patio; I was done in 20 minutes. It would have taken me more than 2 hours if I didn’t have the miter saw minutes to cut them. I painted all the ends and will let them dry and screw them on tomorrow.

Saturday 19- 64/39F. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, beat on the heavybag, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I installed the 45-degree miter cut 2x4s on the outside south patio.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

Kjtel and David came by to chat.

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

Sunday 20- 70/41F sunny. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a walk, and then later we went on a bike/run; Cassie really likes to run with the bike.

I painted all the new braces I cut and screwed in the last few days... all done now.

Monday 21- 73/40F

I did my stretches and took Cassie for a walk.

I drove to Home Depot to pick up my new RYOBI bench saw.

Here it is... The Great Alignment: It's amazing to think that Jupiter is 551.37 million miles from Earth, and Saturn is 1 billion miles from the Earth... And Jupiter and Saturn are separated from each other by 456 million miles! Yes, it is amazing to me that these celestial bodies all align up on our Winter Solstice ❤

Tuesday 22- 76/39F windy. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, beat on the heavybag, and took Cassie for a walk. I would have gone for a jog but it was just too windy for my dog.

I assembled my new RYOBI bench saw after hunting around for an hour to find the instructions...

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

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

Wednesday 23- 59/32F sunny but cold. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a walk.

I spent some time wrapping gifts for friends.

Kjtel came by with her dog to give me money for the welding equipment we both bought from Harbor Freight. We were walking back to her house when we met a new neighbor Glen. We were standing around yapping when David walked up, so here’s most of the neighborhood right here on Winters RD and Borland Pass. FedEx delivered our welders about a half-hour later after leaving the group and I put it in the back of my car and drove it over to her house but the gate was locked. She’ll have to pick it up herself tomorrow.

Thursday 24- 56/36F cold and cloudy with evening showers. I did my stretches.

Kjtel came by to exchange Christmas gifts and pick up her welder, thick leather gloves, and welding hood.

Friday 25- Christmas Day! 62/37F sunny and nice. I did my stretches. Kelly cooked all day to present for dinner a proper Christmas meal with turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and an array of side dishes. Everyone got stuffed on the yummy turkey including Cassie. My little sis Leeanne called to get caught up on what we were doing. My friend Kula called to chat, and then I called my sister Lynn to yammer on about old times growing up.

Saturday 26- 68/41F sunny and nice. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and beat on the heavy bag for a short time, and took Cassie for a bike/run and stopped off at David’s to jaw for a spell before we continued our bike/run. 

I assembled my new welder.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

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

Sunday 27- 63/39F mostly sunny. I did my stretches.

I was taking Cassie for a walk when we noticed a car getting stuck down at the slab airbnb where many cars get stuck in the soft sand and dirt parking there. I helped them get their car unstuck doing it my way by digging out the dirt in front of each tire; works every time. The two Russians, Vialian and Sergio thanked me, one girl there watching said I was very strong; kinda made me laugh and feel proud at the same time.

 

Monday 28- 55/36F evening rain. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and beat on the heavy bag for a short time, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

Kjtel came by with Bodhi to chat. We then took both our dogs for a walk to her house like we do most times when she visits.

I installed the new rear basket on my Rad Runner E-bike. Now I am ready to test riding the bike all the way down to Stater Bros in Twentynine Palms some 13 miles away. Kjtel said she’d have her trailer ready in case the battery dies out. Just have to wait for good weather.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

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

Tuesday 29- 56/37F. I did my stretches.

Audrey called me. We yammered on and on for way over an hour catching up on family stuff. We don’t get to talk too often, so when we do it’s a marathon of a call. 

Wednesday 30- 61/36F I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and beat on the heavy bag for a short time, and took Cassie for a mile jog. 

I set up a 30watt solar panel to charge the 12 volt lead battery system but I got a late start on it and I couldn’t test it out because the Sun set.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

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

Thursday 31 (New Year’s Eve)- 59/34F cloudy with wind. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a long walk. 

I connected up the 30watt solar panel to the battery and let it charge. I’m thinking I have 3 12V 8AH lithium batteries that can be hooked up together giving me 24AH that can replace the lead acid batteries. I’ll work on this tomorrow.

I got all ready and at 11:50PM me and my dog Cassie walked out the door into the cold night to run out 2020 and run into 2021. See ya all next year!

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

November 2020

 

 My guest preparing Thanksgiving dinner

November 2020

Poems:

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

~RD

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

~RD

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

~RD

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

~RD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I did my studies.

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

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

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

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

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

out here they don't care that much

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

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

They just left half hour ago

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

 

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

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

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

I did my studies.

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

I did my studies.

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

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

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

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

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

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

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

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

I washed my car.

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

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

I finished the plumbing for the shower.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I spent the day assembling my new bike.

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

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

I took Cassie on a mile bike/run. 

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

I installed the vent cover to my trailer.

I took Cassie on a mile bike/run. 

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

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells.