Monday 14- hot!
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.
I went to the Neighborhood Watch and Community board meetings.

 Tuesday 15- hot!
 I took Kelly to Palm Springs to see her doctor- went to Sizzler for lunch/dinner.
I stayed up until 5am for no other reason than I couldn’t sleep.

 Wednesday 16- hot!
I woke up really late in the day and didn’t do anything much.

 Thursday 17- hot and windy!
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.
John Massey took me to Home Depot in his truck so I could pick up some lumber to build a few projects I’ve been planning.
I went for a night run.

 Friday 18- not too hot but really windy!
I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half.
I went for an evening walk. About time I got to doing this again.
 I went outside to do a little stargazing- Saturn is still in Virgo, Mars is still in Leo, and Venus is hanging lower in the western horizon. I saw three satellites cross the starry darkness. I also saw a globular cluster that might have been M3.
I'm watching the first commercial launch of SpaceX Falcon9/Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station... history being made :) ‎ Well dang, it didn't launch tonight: "Launch aborted: slightly high combustion chamber pressure on engine 5. Will adjust limits for countdown in a few days." - But it did something I've never seen, it had already fired main engines and then they shut them down at plus 10 seconds. They'll try again on the May 22nd.

Saturday 19- hot!
I did my stretches and ran a mile.
I went for an evening walk.
I went for a night run.

 Sunday 20- the temps got into the double digits.
I went for a morning walk.
I called a few friends and family early in the day because I’ll be gone at 2pm to watch the eclipse.
 I arrived at the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor’s Center in Twentynine Palms a little after 3PM. There were around twenty folks and a few Park Rangers setting up and preparing for the eclipse that wouldn’t begin until 5:24PM.
One Ranger was using a paper hole-punch to make viewing devices out of thin cardboard stock. The lady Ranger told me she had 200 special eyeglasses for viewing the eclipse and she was hoping it would be enough for those who came to the event.
Two Astronomy volunteers were in the last stages of setting up their telescopes and people began to lineup to observe the Sun and its sunspots; the eclipse was still hours away.
There were folks from all over the world here to see the annular eclipse. I got into a conversation with a visitor from New York State. He came all the way out here to take pictures of the eclipse with his Cannon 7D and this humongous zoom lens stuck to the front.
 Around 4:15PM folks started showing up. The Rangers were showing the kids how to work the pinhole cardboard device, which we discovered later, had too big of hole from the punch and had to be redone by poking a new hole with a nail the Rangers supplied.
 By 4:45PM there were, by my best guess, upwards towards 400 parents with their kids standing in line to get those 200 special viewing glasses. Clearly there wouldn’t be enough. The Ranger asked that only one pair be handed out per family. I decided to wait so those who never seen an eclipse before would get a pair.
One Astronomer volunteers had connected his scope to a projector for viewing the eclipse on a large movie screen. And at 5:24PM the eclipse was beginning and by 5:30 could clearly be seen on that screen. There upon the table by the projector were a few pairs of glasses left and I made off with one. I held it up to the lens of my camera and started taking pictures of the eclipse. I don’t know if I was the first to try this, I didn’t see anyone doing this before I tried it, but now everyone was taking pictures through them using their cell phones and whatever that could go click.
I went here and there taking pictures and videos, listening to folks laughing, oohing and aahing, wearing those funny looking glasses that made it look like they were watching a 3D movie.
 It was mighty fine to see all these folks interested in astronomy. I listened in on one father explaining to his young son about the eclipse; this touched my heart.
At 6:38PM came totality or as close to it as we were going to get from where we were and it being an annular eclipse. You could really notice the dimming of the Sun. I lent my glasses to a young couple from Belgian. They were traveling America and were really excited to be here in our beautiful desert viewing this marvelous feat of nature. I took some fair pictures, but none as good as the ones I took as the Sun and Moon started to set together into the western horizon. I didn’t even need those glasses covering my lens. I just clicked away until the last little speck of light vanished; ending what was a wonderful day.
 The Park had a night program that started at 8PM. The Rangers setup two telescopes to view the night sky. Now I was in my element!

Tags: annular eclipse, joshua tree national park, solar eclipse, twentynine palms
Current Mood: accomplished

Welcome to the month of May! - It was a fairly nice day, a little hazy, with a stiff breeze piping up in the early evening. I did my stretches and ran three miles. I went to Kelly’s and we buried her kitty that had died recently.

  Wednesday 02 – The weather was hotter than the last few days with not much of a breeze to cool things off. I got up early to pick Kelly up and take her down to the Department of Social Services so she could talk to the VA Rep and get her paper work straightened out. This time the Rep showed up and, there being a backlog of cases from the Rep not coming in last Wednesday, it took over three hours of waiting for Kelly to see her. While we waited, we went over across the street to get coffee at Santana’s Mexican restaurant, something we’ll never do again. First there was no sugar. We asked the cashier for sugar and he said there was none. I held out my receipt and asked for my money back. He miraculously found some under the counter. Then there wasn’t any cream. I asked him and he said he was out. I then again held out my receipt and he asked if milk would do. I said yes it would do. The coffee was lukewarm and tasted like it was watered down. We decided to settle for that and took the cups back with us instead of sitting in the restaurant. We went to Burger King and had a Whopper with fries, shopped at Stater Bros. and went home.

  Thursday 03- it’s another pleasant day. I did my stretches and ran three miles. I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter. I went over and checked on a friend’s property while they’re away for a spell.

  




Friday 04- it was windy last night but stopped by morning then the temps rose into the 90s. I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand. I heard a horrible squealing coming from outside underneath the desert willow tree. I ran out to see what it was about. There stood a prairie dog watching its mate being eaten by a snake. The little prairie dog was intent on trying to help its mate and looked me square in the eyes pleading for help. I was too late on the scene, its mate little body already crushed by those mighty muscles of the snake's. The prairie dog stayed with its mate until the end, knowing there was nothing to be done. It's the way of the desert, but it still made me sad. Mac came by with his laptop that we messed around with and kept us occupied for several hours. 


Saturday 05- the day started off windy but settled down to a nice cool day into the mid 80s. I went for a morning walk. I checked on Kelly’s mail I visited Mac and we jawed for a spell. I went outside and walked up the hill with my camera about sunset. I took a bunch of pictures of the SuperMoon; the closest approach of the Moon to the Earth this year until June of next. 


Sunday 06- ditto. I went for a morning walk- called friends and family. 



Monday 07- it’s been kinda windy all day I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand. Linda Sibo called to ask if I wouldn’t mind coming over to help Blake move her giant brain onto a platform. Stacy from the Hi-Desert Star was coming over to take pictures of the Brain and interview Linda. The Brain is an approximately four foot round by three feet high paper mache applied to chicken wire brain shaped object that must have weighed over fifty pounds. We had to lift it and seat it upon four foot high stilts; we figured it out after a few attempts. Stacy came and took a bunch of pics and I went home to rest my poor body after all that work… 


Tuesday 08- it’s still a bit windy which is keeping the heat down. I did my stretches and ran one and a half miles. I videoed me playing a song that I wrote called “I See Your Smile” and posted it on Youtube. I went to pick up Kelly’s mail on my scooter. 


Wednesday 09- very nice day! I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand. I picked Kelly up at 5:30pm and went to WalMart for what I thought was a fast go in and grab what we need and make a quick getaway- we didn’t get home until 11:30pm. We went to Staters Bros to get fried chicken and ate it at Del Taco where we discovered they had WIFI and played with our cell phone browsers. We finally got to her house and sat outside under the stars and yapped until we realized it was 2am!


Thursday 10- it’s getting hotter! I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half. Friday 12- it’s nice and hot, but with a little breeze. I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand. I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter. 


Saturday 11- the temps are climbing to the high 90s. I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half. Cleaning up the yard and cutting up old cardboard boxes were on my list to do today. 


Sunday 12- the temps have now surpassed the century mark at 105 degrees! I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half. I visited my neighbor Mark for a short spell so he could get some work down before he has to leave. I jumped on the Harley and took it for a spin down to Joshua Tree and back, collecting my and Kelly’s mail along the way.

Current Mood: busy

Tuesday 24- the weather was a little cooler with a few clouds rolling in later in the afternoon and evening. I did my exercises and went for a mile run. I rode the little Honda to fetch my mail and then drove it to Landers. Mac came over and we set him up with an online account and he bought himself a laptop on eBay.


Wednesday 25- it was very nice outside today. I got up early to take Kelly down to Social Services to see VA Rep. We got there a little after 9AM and found out the Rep called to say she wouldn’t be in, dang we’ll have to try next Wednesday. We went to Denny’s and ate breakfast. The wait for food was long, but the food and the service were okay. After Denny’s we made our way to the Social Security office in Yucca Valley so Kelly could get duplicates of her stuff. I checked out when I should apply. They said no until three months before my 62 birthday; I’ll be 62 in one year and three months on August 8th…. We stopped off at WalMart and Stater Bros before going back home.


Thursday 26- it actually got a little hot today. I did my stretches and ran two miles. My neighbor Mark Delgado came by with his son Mark Jr. to see my solar panel setup. They are out for the weekend to do some work on their cabin across the street and down a ways from me.


Friday 27- it was nice and cool. I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand. I heard hammering across the way. It was my neighbor Mark Delgato, his son Mark Jr., and brother-in-law Royal working on their cabin. I went on over for a visit. Later in the afternoon I took Kelly to the post office to pick up her new cell phone. We then went to a Chinese restaurant and got stuffed on sweet and sour pork. We sat outside at her house drinking cokes and jawing. 



Saturday 28- it was nice and cool again. I did my stretches. I went to potluck were about twenty happy but hungry desert folk showed up. Chris Jonas made his Fabulous Macaroni Salad. Folks were asking Dorothy Jacobsen for her recipe for her macaroni and cheese corn casserole; her fig bars were tasty too. Dyan Carroll provided a wonderful shrimp and crab seafood lasagna along with Sunday truffle that was mighty fattening. Ruthie Malton brought a Bundt cake that disappeared quickly. Mary Koval and her daughter Chris cooked up a feast of Cowboy Casserole, miniature date nut muffins, and chocolate strawberry cupcakes. Marie Morrison’s Au Gratin potatoes vanished quickly from the table. David Royer spent hours concocting a scrumptious pasta tuna salad for our gastronomical pleasure. Rose Matich steamed up some carrots and peas. Pretty Marybeth Rubin cooked us up some vegetarian chili with cheese bread that I really liked. I noticed sadly nobody had any of the rice I brought. I thought that Marybeth’s chili would go good on my rice and I must have said it out load because most everybody came back to put it in with their chili. The rice and the chili were gone in a flash. I stopped off at Kelly’s to drop off some leftovers and we drank a few cokes outside again.

Sunday 29- it was a little breezy and hazy outside. I did my stretches. I called a few friends and family. I dropped over to Linda and Blake’s for a bit of tea and to chat about thermonuclear devices.  

I started writing a new book after seeing a drawing of Bonnie Young’s. Name of the book is “Girl in the Cellar”… I still need to edit my first two books :(



Monday 30- it is getting hotter, into the 90s, and so hazy you can’t see the mountains to the west. I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand. I planted some tomatoes and dell peppers, so I guess I’m finally starting my garden… Goodbye to April- seems like I packed a whole lot of living in ya!

Current Mood: crazy

Friday 20- temps are in the mid 90s on a cloudless day. I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand.


Saturday 21- temps got a bit over a hundred! I did my stretches. I am rearranging my exercise schedule a little bit where I do the heavy stuff on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be my running days. Saturdays and Sundays are my days off. I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa website and sent out the Newsletter. John Massey came over in the evening after dark and we sat and jawed about astronomy and science while watching the Lyrid meteor shower. John has practically no night vision. I’d be pointing right at a big one that shot across the sky and he wouldn’t even see it. Most of them were dim and if the Moon would’ve been out we wouldn’t see them at all, but there were others that came in hot and their tails smoking. John left around midnight while I stayed out till almost 3AM- I always feel as one with the universe when I gaze into this dark starry vastness. It was well worth it!


Sunday 22- temps are still over a hundred and no wind. It’s Earth Day and I put up a new solar panel to run a small 12volt DC Igloo cooler to keep a few food items that I don’t want frozen by my freezer. 


Monday 23- a little bit windy, but still hot with a few clouds rolling by. I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand. I didn’t do much of anything except mess around some on FaceBook. I’ve been doing too much of that these last few months… I went for a night run.

Current Mood: busy

Monday 09- a little overcast here and there, but still nice. I cleaned and mopped the bathroom. I watered the plants. I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand. Mailed Condo key to Kula. Neighborhood Watch meeting, then Board Meeting.


Tuesday 10- a little overcast and not as warm as yesterday. I did my stretches and ran a mile. I went over to Stoney’s to check on the roof, run the suburban for a spell, took a plunger to tub and tried to unstop it; Roger said it was slow to drain. I talked to Jimmy later in the evening and he said it was okay to use Drano or whatever to free it. I did my laundry while I was there.


Wednesday 11- the wind was blowing really hard. I did my stretches and lifted weights. Kelly called to tell me she saw a big UFO


Thursday 12- the wind is blowing harder and clouds are moving in. I did my stretches and ran a mile. I went to town to get Kelly her meds.


Friday 13- there was bad weather today; wind and rain all day. I did my stretches, core trainer, yoga, lifted dumbbells, rode the bike, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran up and down the hill carrying 5lbs dumbbells in each hand. I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.


Saturday 14- the weather is still a little nippy at 59 degrees and mostly cloudy. I did my stretches. I was on my way to the Honda dealership in Yucca Valley to buy a Honda Metropolitan 49cc scooter when John Massey dropped by to hit the heavy bag. He also wanted to check them out because he ain’t getting much fuel efficiency. We spent most of the day at the Honda shop jawing and swapping bike stories with Rocky and Chris who work there. The mechanic got the scooter all ready and I had John drive my car back home while I took the scooter. On my way back home I took the side streets to stay off hwy 62 and passed through different neighborhoods were children would wave and tell me what a cool bike I had. I never got that response on my Harley, from anybody! The little Honda drove very well and I was surprised at the power it had- not that I’d win any races, but it did climb up a long hill at an average speed of 30-35mph. At 114MPG it will be very useful on driving short distances here and there. And besides I ain’t in no hurry to get anywhere.


Sunday 15- A fine day outside; just right for visiting neighbors. I heard hammering across and down the street. I knew it was my new neighbors that came out to do some work on their cabin. Watered all the plants. I rode the new scooter around later in the day. I was being chased by dogs and stopped by the house to have a talk with their owner. He seemed not to care, but I was polite to him anyways.


Monday 16- just a beautiful day. I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand. I took the scooter over to visit Mac. He says he likes the little bike. I did a night run.


Tuesday 17- the weather is getting kinda warm out there! I did my stretches and ran a mile. I messed around the house fixing and cleaning this and that. I did a night run. I played the guitar. I need to get back into playing it more. Wednesday 18- the weather is nice with temps about 85 degrees. I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, yoga, lifted weights, punched heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back carrying 5lbs in each hand. I took Kelly to Rite Aid, state disability, post office, McDonalds for some hamburgers and fries, back to Rite Aid to pick up her meds, then to Stater Bros to do her shopping. I got home around 9:30PM.


Thursday 19- the temps are now into the 90s! I did my stretches and ran a mile. I drove to Yucca with John Massey. I had to deposit a check at BofA and then shopped at Home Depot- needed sandbags to hold down heavy bag, and a few other things to hookup another solar panel. Around 4PM Kelly got a hold of me to fix her air-conditioning unit- turned out a nut was loose on the fan motor which I tightened and that fixed the problem with the loud noise. We went down to her mailbox and painted her name and address on it. We got back to her house where I dug a hole for her kitten that had passed on earlier in the month. Got back to my house and washed the Cougar. I’m feelin mighty tired…
I went for a night run at 11:30pm.

Current Mood: chipper

Welcome to the month of April!- Spent the day packing and getting ready for my trip to the Southbay!

Monday 02- It is still windy as all get go, but I’m headed to Redondo Beach to stay at my friend’s condo on the beach.
It was a nice drive and the Cougar ran just fine using little gas. I stopped off at Carl’s Jr. on PCH and 190th and got me a Big Burger. Called Kula and Tom, they’ll be waiting outside to open the security gate.
They got me settled in, gave me the nickel tour of their beach condo. Then Kula and I went for a short walk down on the bike path.
Kula cooked up some fantastic chicken and rice we had for dinner.
I went for another walk along the beach at night.



Tuesday 03- Beautiful day outside.
A woman from France came to pick up a table that Kula had listed on Craig’s List. Tom and I carried it down to her car and put it in her SUV. Her husband worked on the Harry Potter movie filming. She also said her family is going to JT and I suggested she try Joshua Tree Lakes Resort to see if they could get a better price than the $600 for three days she was telling me about.
Tom helped me get my cheap Chinese bike I bought at WalMart ready to ride the strand. I really need to get a better bike, especially after seeing Tom's nice bike. He does a lot of riding up to PV and back. I don't need anything like his, but I do need a proper bike.
I went for a walk to the pier.
I went for an evening walk.


Wednesday 04- Tom and Kula woke me up at the ungodly hour of 5:45AM so I can drive them to the LAX airport so they could catch a plane going to Iowa. I got back to the condo and went back to sleep.
I rode my bike to Hermosa Pier stopping along the way to take a lot of pictures of the marina where I lived so many years.
I went for an evening walk along the strand.


Thursday 05- Very nice day.
I drove over to visit Tom and Aki in Torrance. They are doing fine and appear to be in good health. Had a nice chat with them about old times and places we’ve been.
I then went to the Fashion Mall in Torrance. I visited a huge Barns and Noble store there and talked to the tech guy there about their EBook readers. I bought a pair of running shoes because the pair I brought are hurting my feet and I forgot to throw my running shoes in the car before I left Joshua Tree. I got a good pair of New Balance for $39, so I didn’t feel that ripped off.
I think I ate my last Super Star at Carl’s Jr. I need to start eating healthier.
I then walked across the parking lot to Albertsons to get some supplies. I saw a woman I recognized, but couldn’t place her. Her name was Fatima or something close to that. She has been working there for 30 years and I used to shop there all the time, so that’s probably where I’ve seen her; she agreed.
I got back to the condo around about 6PM. I tried to help two women put a large table into their car that was parked in the underground garage, but it wouldn’t fit.


Friday 06- Smiley day!
I went to visit Aunt Audrey. I could have spent another 6hrs with her but we both were tired after the first 6 :)
She has so much history. We'll have to chat sometime about her; I'd really like that. Oh, and she just loves you!
One funny thing happened is when Aunt Audrey had called someone and handed the phone to me and said it was Kelly and Kelly started talking to me saying this and that about her family, and I'm going ah huh, ah, huh, while I was trying to figure out how she was related to me. I only found out after hanging up the phone and asking Aunt Audrey who I was talking to. Kelly is my second cousin, Frank's granddaughter. Audrey had probably mentioned her before, but there are so many for me to keep track of. Aunt Audrey told me all about the Gooseberry bush out back in her yard in England in the 1920s.


Saturday 07- Another Smiley day!
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
Then I went for a long walk down to Torrance beach taking pictures all along the way. Once I got there, my objective was the old steep ramp we had to use in the olden days before the city made less steep ones to the north. I use to climb that ramp struggling to get to the top when I was 8-10 carrying all kinds of beach paraphernalia like chairs, buckets, balls, while wearing flip-flops sandals. Later I would carry my surfboard up and down without any problem. I rode my skateboard down a few times flying out onto the sand for many yards.



Sunday 08- I drove home.

Tags: beach
Current Mood: cheerful

Okay, the rest of the month I’ve was still sick and when I’m sick, especially with a headache, I don’t feel like doing anying. I even turn off the ringer to my telephone. I mostly watched “Monk” and a few movies everyday. I spent too much, way too much time on FaceBook; that will have to stop! So don’t expect much to read here… 

Tuesday 20- I’m sick.

Wednesday 21- I’m still sick.
I had to go to the post office to pick up a package.

Thursday 22- I’m feeling’ sicker.

Friday 23- Just wanted to stay in bed today.
I took Kelly and her cat Calypso to the veterinarian, post office, and onto a sandwich shop in 29 that served falafels; never had one, tasted mighty fine.

Saturday 24- Mostly sunny till mid afternoon when high clouds started forming overhead.
Sick I’m still.
Updated the Copper Mountain Mesa website and sent out the Newsletter.

Sunday 25- The wind blew fiercely and almost rained.

Monday 26- The weather cleared and I felt a little better so I did some light exercises; stretches, yoga, dumbbells, core trainer, punched heavy bag, went for a walk, and rode the bike partway up the hill.

Tuesday 27- I’m still ain’t feelin’ well…
The weather was great so I drove to WalMart for some 12hr nose-spray, then on to Stater Bros to get some supplies.

Wednesday 28- aarrhhgg… laid in bed mostly.

Thursday 29- I did a few light exercises.

Friday 30- I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the newsletter.


Saturday 31- Very windy today.
Annelies sent out an email titled “Tragic News from Copper Mountain Mesa… Bill and Elizabeth Treas lost their youngest son David, in a tragic accident last Wednesday morning... The Treas are holding a Memorial/Celebration of Life get-together at their Home in Landers, tomorrow Saturday March 31st, from 12noon.” I remembered I had some pictures of 2yr old David I had taken at a couple of our Potlucks; Bill had once asked me for a copy a year ago or so. I needed to rush, it was already 11:30AM. I spent the next hour searching through my picture files until I came upon about twenty of them. I burned them to CD and called Annelies for directions; she wasn’t home, dang. I had a hunch and went to the Hi-Desert Star website where I found an article that contained the approximant address and then look it up in Google Maps. All I had to do was drive to that block in Landers and hunt around for about 15mins before I found the place; there were many, many people there. Annelies, Patrick, Chris Jonas, Marcie and her son were there. I gave the CD to Bill and told him how sorry I felt for his family. Before I left I told Chris I wasn’t going to Potluck today because I’ve been sick; he said he’d drop me off some leftovers, which he did a little after 5pm. All in all, I spent about a half hour there and was glad to get back home and covered up in bed.
Kelly’s wonderful cat Calypso has passed on and Kelly is mighty upset right now. At birth Kelly had to breathe life into the stillborn baby kitten, and held that same cat 12 years later in her arms as Calypso gave her last breath.
Clint, my nephew and a Marine, is coming back from Afghanistan tonight around 11pm. Audrey and John drove from Tucson to San Diego to see him.
Goodbye to March! I hope I get over this cold or whatever it is in April!!!

Current Mood: sick

Welcome to the Month of March- The wind has settled down a bit from yesterday, but there is still a stiff breeze and the temps never got above 60 degrees.
I lifted weights and did light stretching because of my hip sprain which is feeling better, but I’ll stay the course and favor it for a good week and not do any running and definitely no bicycling where I believe I got the sprain when I powered up the hill like I’ve never done before, outside my house.
I spent most of the day writing a response to an article in the local newspaper about the City of Yucca Valley town council voting to take all the Block Grants themselves and not sharing it with their rural neighbors; which Copper Mountain Mesa, where I live, is one. Got me pretty darn upset!

Friday 02- Ah, a nice day outside!
I did my stretches, lifted weights, core trainer, and punched the heavy bag.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I was almost done doing the above when my neighbor John Massey came by to punch the heavy bag. He said he really needed boxing gloves because it was hurting his hands which he had broken many times before, he said. I’ve been thinking of getting some gloves myself and called up Big 5 in Yucca and they did have boxing gloves. They did. So we took his truck to Yucca and did some minute shopping at WalMart and Staters Bros and then headed over to Big 5 and I purchased the gloves.
I went for a short walk that evening. Then I settled down to watch a new episode of “Castle” and “Endgame” before going on FaceBook.


Saturday 03- It was another nice day with temps up to 70 degrees.
John Massey came over and we both beat the hell out of the heavy bag using the new boxing gloves.


Sunday 04- Okay, the weather is wonderful outside, what gives?
I went over to Linda and Blake’s house.
I watched “Fringe”.


Monday 05- It is a beautiful day. The sky was overcast for most of the day, but still it was pleasant.
I did my stretches and ran a mile.
I did my studies outside.
I went for a walk listening to Astro 7B lecture #11 by Joshua Bloom.


Tuesday 06- It is mighty windy but not too cold. The winds must be gusting up to 60mph!
It’s too windy to do a run, but I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, core trainer, punched the heavy bag, and lifted weights.
Jimmy called to tell me his renter said that some of the roofing is coming off Stoney’s. I called John Demers but he already knew about it.
I watched “Endgame”. I subscribed to Netflix for a free month and watched “Unlimited”.

Wednesday 07- Another windy day and cold too!
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, core trainer, punched the heavy bag, and lifted weights.
I did my studies.
I’ve been watching a lot of episodes of “Monk” on Netflix.

Thursday 08- Still a lot of wind.
I did my stretches and ran a mile.
Kelly and I drove to 29 to do a little shopping. We ate chicken from Stater Bros at her house.


Friday 09- The wind has died down and it’s a beautiful day.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, core trainer, punched the heavy bag, and lifted weights.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the newsletter.
I did my studies.

Saturday 10- A little breezy today, but nice.
I did my stretches and ran a mile.


Sunday 11- A very nice day!
I did my stretches.
I called Family and Friends. I might have talked too long to one of them…
I watched “Serenity” (2005) on Netflix.

Monday 12- Another very nice day with temps into the high 70s.
I did my stretches, yoga, lifted dumbbells, rode my bike, core trainer, lifted weights, punched the heavy bag, and ran with weights.
I did my studies.
I went for a walk listening to Astro 7B lecture #12 by Joshua Bloom, about: Change of state of the electron in Neutral Hydrogen, in clouds, creates radiation at 21cm or 1420Mhz.
I watched lecture 22 on the Berkeley biology course about: Viruses, Bacteria, Plasmids, and Transposons.
I went to the Neighborhood Watch meeting at 5:30 and stayed for the community board meeting that started at 7pm. Got back home a little after 8pm. Both meeting went well. At the NHW meeting, we’re still getting our rules and procedures in order. At the board meeting, we discussed ways of getting more members and volunteers, also discussed Yucca Valley taking all the Block Grant monies.
I spent a good hour out in the yard doing a little stargazing. Mars was at oppositions on the 3rd and is shining brightly about 60 degrees above the eastern sky. Venus and Jupiter are almost in conjunction (March 14th), hanging together in the western sky. Venus is the brighter of the two.

Current Mood: happy

Friday 24- The weather was fabulous- I ate breakfast and did my studies outside.
I did my stretches and ran a mile.
I sweep and mopped the bedroom and living room floors.
Linda S. brought back a gallon of gas I lent to her. I keep a couple of gallons on hand for my friends who run low and need it to get to town. They always bring it back filled.
The Cougar needed a little cleaning inside.
I went for a walk listening to Astro 7B lecture #9 by Joshua Bloom.
I watched lecture 20 on the Berkeley biology course about: Regulation of Gene Expression.
I watched a new episode of “Castle” and “Endgame”. 


Saturday 25- It’s another beautiful day in the neighborhood. It got a bit windy later on in the evening.
I did my stretches, yoga, core trainer, punched at the heavy bag, and ran a mile.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out theNewsletter.
I setup the new scanner to the Toshiba Laptop and now will scan everything into it and go paperless, well as paperless as I can.

Potluck was special this month because it’s Chris Jonas’s birthday. Around thirty of us stood up and sang Happy Birthday to this wonderful, dynamic man!
Mary Koval and her daughter Chris made a poor man’s lasagna, dinner rolls, and baked up some peanut butter cheesecake brownies.
Chris Jonas and family went all out cooking up some mighty tasty meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy. The chicken tortilla casserole that Dorothy Jacobsen brought was undeniably a show stopper. Ruth Malton whipped up her Waldo-jello salad. Rose Matich steamed some peas and dragged Joe, her husband, to the center. Dyan Carroll spent the last couple of days slaving over a hot stove preparing us a magnificent meal of lasagna with a side dish of cauliflower covered in a special melted cheddar cheese sauce, yummy. Marie Morrison brought candied yams. David Royer concocted a ham and pasta salad for our enjoyment. I brought my regular stuff which paled in comparison to these others.


Sunday 26- Today started out with a little wind, but settled down by noon.
I did my stretches.
I cleaned the terminals on the batteries and topped them off with water.
I backed up all the community picture files onto two hard drives.
I watched the new episode of “Fringe”.
I messed around on FaceBook for most of the night…


Monday 27- Dang, windy today with dark clouds coming in over us.
I did my stretches, yoga, dumbbells, core trainer, lifted weights, rode my bike, punched the heavy bag, and ran up the hill and back with weights.
I did my studies.
I went for an evening walk listening to Astro 7B lecture #10 by Joshua Bloom.
It got cold and the wind was really howling, so I lit up a fire and settled in for the night.
I found out that I sprained my hip muscles and it hurts like the dickens to put any weight on it when I walk, now I’m stuck hobbling around the place.
I watched lecture 21 on the Berkeley biology course about: Regulation of Gene Expression.
I got caught up on my astronomy readings.


Tuesday 28- A very nice day out but unfortunately I sprained my right hip muscle riding my bike full blast up that dang hill that runs by my house, yesterday. So now I have to stay off it for a few days. I mostly messed around on FaceBook and read.


Wednesday 29- A very blustery day it was with winds blowing a hard gust out of the NW at 50MPH.
I’m still resting up my sprained hip muscle. I did do a few light reps on my weights.
Kelly and I did drive to Staters Bros. at 8pm to get some munchies and bring them to her house. We had all her critters after the chicken we bought. We buried Solomon her cat that died a spell ago. I had dug the grave a few days ago, so it didn't bother my hip.

Current Mood: calm