June 1st!

Can you believe we will soon be half way through this year!  The second half can't be any worse than the first, but at least I hope we can get back some freedom to move about, if only for a month or two.  I think the virus will be around for a long time though.

 Jeannie is driving me and Rocky to the vet at 4pm this afternoon.  One of the vet assistants will come outside to get Rocky and take him in to get his nails clipped.  They are so long that I plan to make an appointment for the next three weeks and hope they can get them down to a decent length.  Of coure, with totally black nails, they can't see the "quick", so they have to be careful at first.

So he doesn't like to have his nails touched.  I have two bottles - one contains CBD oil (I guess you can use it for people as well as pets), and a bottle of hemp oil for dogs.  I'm uncertain which one I'm going to give him about 45 minutes before our appointment but I hope it will help him stay calm.  I doubt if anything short of a total knockout will calm him down when they try to clip his nails.  You just wouldn't believe it if you could see my son, Joe, clip Rocky's nails.  Rocky doesn't move a muscle, and Joe doesn't have to sit on him.

We never did get the rain that was promised, but we have a couple of cloudy days coming up soon.  I doubt if we will see any moisture, so I keep watering the garden.  I have a squash plant that is growing beautifully.  I actually have about 2 or 3 each of yellow & green squash, but there is one that promises to be exceptional.  It's the same with the tomatoes - some are really growing tall and leafy, and some are short and puny looking.  I did get a couple of ripe cherry tomatoes that I gave to Jeannie.  I love tomatoes but have found them too acidic for my comfort.  The organic, home-grown tomatoes are probably ok, but I'm so used to not eating them and am a little nervous about it.  You might wonder why in the world I planted so many tomato plants when I don't eat them.  I will maybe use a few in salads or sandwiches, but the majority of them will go to Donald to make sauce or whatever he wants to make out of them.  And I'll be happy with a little sample of whatever it is.

I hope all have a good week ahead, as well as a decent month of June.

 

Where's the rain?

The forecast is for thunderstorms and lots of rain today, which will please  my garden and me!  So far the sun is shining, and what clouds there are seem to be moving on.  Usually by this time of the morning I have watered the plants, but now I don't know what to do.  I guess it wouldn't hurt for them to be watered and then rained on, all in one day!

 It looks like 2020 is only going to get worse, and we will probably all be glad to see it go on Dec. 31.  I just hope 2021 won't be as bad, although it will depend on the new president to steer us in a better direction.  We need a Franklin Roosevelt in these times in my opinion.  I don't see one on the horizon though, so we have to make the best of what we have.

I'm trying to clean my living room floor but have to work around a big old black lab who remains firmly and happily on his doggie bed in the middle of the room.  I've cleaned all around him and since he's been good and hasn't tracked on the wet floors, I'll just wait for him to decide to get up.  He's in his "terrible twos", you know!

Last Day of Heat Wave

At least I hope it's the last.  Since we have the entire summer to go through, I think we are likely to have more triple digit days, but I hope not many and not often.  I only take Rocky out first thing in the morning and it doesn't cool off until after dark.  Also, he won't even go out into the back yard while it's so hot.  We have some rain predicted in the next few days, including thunderstorms.   I hope the rain doesn't pelt down and harm my garden plants which are growing nicely with the high temperatures.  A nice soft rain would really be good for them!

It sounds as if some areas want to lift the lockdown, which I hope isn't premature.  I dislike staying isolated as much as anyone, but I will do it willingly until officials (that I trust) tell me it is safe to relax and get back to a more normal life.  "That I trust" is key here - I don't trust many officials since they are pressured by the stagnant economy to entice people to get out and spend some money.  Over 100,000 people have died from the virus (probably a lot more), and to tell you the truth, I think lives are more important than a thriving economy right now.  But what do I know.

The TV continues to perplex me.  I can usually find my way to the science or history channels, which is what I prefer to watch.  Since the TV is across the room (actually not very far) I can't read what is on the screen so I have to walk over to see it.  And the remote is small with faint (to me) lettering, so I have to get it into the light to be able to read it.  I ask myself if it is really worth it and the answer is definitely "NO", but it makes my children happy that I have a TV.  They tell me to watch comedies and happy movies - I have never watched those kinds of shows (not since Johnny Carson left the air), but prefer documentaries and information.  Actually, I'd rather read a book but that is becoming difficult as well.   Whoever said "getting old isn't for sissies" sure got that right!

I'm still walking a mile a day on my treadmill, and am pretty proud of myself for hanging in there.  I should up the mileage, but I'm afraid I would then find excuses to skip a day here and there, so I'd be better off sticking to what I will do faithfully each day.
 
I almost forgot to mention that today is my "baby boy's" second birthday!  Happy birthday Rocky!

 

Keeping Cool

Right now at 4:30 in the afternoon, it is 101F.  It is pretty stifling as I found out when I went out to get the mail.  Rocky was happy to come back inside and take a nap on the couch!    I've been watering my garden as soon as I get up in the mornings, and then take Rocky for a walk - then I eat breakfast and try to stay indoors for most of the day.

I think I mentioned I bought a TV set, even though I've never been a tv watcher.  I think I'm just so bored from staying in isolation that I am buying things I don't need.  The TV wasn't all - then I needed a nice stand to put it on.  Jeannie, Donald and the girls came by last night and Donald put together the stand that I bought for the TV to sit on!  Right now it is in front of the fireplace which will be ok until the fall turns cool and I want to have a cozy fire.

Click on the photo to enlarge it a bit.

I don't know if you can see this very well because everything is black - black stones in the fireplace, black tv, and black stand.  I see my image is reflected in the tv screen!  I don't know yet what to put on the shelves of the TV stand  - it will have to be things that Rocky isn't interested in.

This weather sure saps my energy but there isn't anything I really have to get done until later in the week when the temps will come down quite a bit.

Take care, and stay cool if you are in a hot zone as Sacramento is right now.  And this is still May, so what will summer be like?

Giving up cooking

I have always been a good cook - nothing fancy, but good down-home style.  I don't cook much anymore, and the last two meals I've tried have turned into near-disasters.  So I'm done, although I won't get rid of all my cookware, recipe books, etc. just yet.  I think it's age, and living alone.

Rocky and I have stayed in all day after a quick walk early this morning.  I just went out to check on and water the garden, and I tossed the ball for him to chase a few times, but I think he is as glad as I am to get back into the house.  And this isn't even the worst of the heat that is expected in the coming week!  One of the most wonderful things about Sacramento is that it is almost always cool up until Noon, and today was no exception.  I was able to stay cool with the ceiling fan running, and doors and windows open.  But I'm thankful for the few hours of a/c I'll use each day.

It looks like I am going to have to buy a new computer, and I sure hate to spend the money.  The cursor jumps all around the page and everything seems to be going wrong with it.  I'll get another Mac as I could never go back to a Windows based computer, but I sure wish I could find one that is just a plain computer and no fancy bells & whistles.  And I swear sometimes I want to throw it up against the wall when "Siri" asks me what she can do for me today.  If anyone knows how to dismantle, delete, or otherwise trash this annoying entity, please let me know. 

Stay cool!

The Garden is Expanding

Steve came over today and worked on a couple of garden plots I needed to clear.  The rototiller needed a new spark plug, so he will bring one next week.  In the meantime he did a lot of manual labor with the shovel!  I am going to use one of the plots for pumpkins - and hope to give at least one to each family of grandkids by Halloween!

It was so nice to see him, and he brought the two kids with him.  They are always a pleasure to have around.   He pulled a lot of ripe cherries from the tree, and I had forgotten how delicious they are.  I have an apple tree but the apples it produces aren't very tasty - also there is a plum tree and blackberry vines, and I'm hoping to enjoy the fruits of all of them this summer.  Last year I was so busy with the move and just getting things in place, and I missed all the fruit from trees and vines.  

It is only May and Sacramento is expecting an extreme heat wave next week.  The temps will be 99, 103, 104, 104, and 96, before going back down to the 80's.   This subject to change, of course, and the temps  could go even higher.  I will have to get up early in the day to walk Rocky before it gets too hot.  Our days usually don't get extremely hot until 11am or Noon, and it looks like we will have some cool overnight temps next week (in the 60's).   I will need to water my garden heavily and early on those mornings.

I won't ever admit it to my family, but the TV I bought is a total waste of my money.  Fortunately I didn't spend a whole lot on it.  It's a nice one,  but I simply have never been a TV watcher and I'm too old to start now.  It does get youtube which I use a lot on my computer, but I prefer it on the computer.  The saying "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" is as wise now as it ever was.

I was sitting on the deck in back a while ago and got to thinking about my life.  I am so thankful to have had such a good life, with good family and a few good friends.  I also have to add the good dogs I've known!   It is great at my stage in life to have lots of good memories, and very few regrets.

I'm so excited!

Don't laugh, but in about an hour or so, Jeannie will pick me up and I get to ride with her to a couple of stores, where she will pick up her orders.  We will stay in the car, but hey, it's an outing!  The best part is that Rocky will be going to her house while we are gone so he can play with her girls!

I have been working in the garden but in short timeframes - not all at once.  For one thing, it's getting hot, and the sun in blazing hot when you are out in it.  The temperature is actually not too bad and there is a lovely breeze, but the sun is relentless.  I've been pulling grass and preparing soil in my third plot so I can begin to plant some more veggies for the summer.  Anyone would laugh at how little I accomplish at one time, but throughout a day or two I have cleared some space that I plan to sew carrot seeds among others.  I also want to plant pumpkin seeds soon, so that I can give them to my grandchildren for carving this fall.   But I still have a lot of work to do. 

I am really so tired of this whole pandemic, but at the same time not eager to get back to the way things once were.  I will be glad if we have a break without new cases, but I expect the short break to be followed by another onslaught of virus.  So I won't go out and celebrate any time soon, if ever.  I do hope there will be a short time that the craft brewery will be open and I can take my family for an evening out.  Maybe we can even go to Straw Hat Pizza,  although I often wonder if some of the places I love have gone out of business.  The very worst part is that if action had been taken when it was obvious this thing was going to spread from China, way fewer lives would be lost, and way less economic stress.  I will never forgive the politicians who allowed the spread of the virus until it was too late to contain it.  They have blood on their hands!

I just looked up the 15 day weather forecast, and for four days next week we can expect 100, 104, 104, and 107 degrees!  The saving feature is that the overnight lows will be in the upper 60's, which usually last until about Noon, and it normally cools off when the sun goes down.   This is the part of summer I don't like and never will.  I'd much rather be wearing a sweatshirt to take the chill off!

Have a nice weekend, whatever your weather forecast!