MadGravity

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

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

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.

September 2020 

Tuesday 01- 107/82F hazy skies. I did a light workout: I did my stretches, core trainer, worked out on the weight bench, and punched on the heavybag.

I didn’t do much today. I could have started up my studies again. I haven’t done them in a week or two, maybe tomorrow I will. I have been working on a couple of new songs I made up working on the words and chords.

The Moon was too bright for me to go outside and gazed out at the universe.

Wednesday 02- 105/75F I did my stretches. 

I drove over to visit my good friends Larry and Bonnie over in Landers.

I then drove to Home Depot to get some potting soil for the compost toilet.

Thursday 03- 110/84F and hazy. I did a heavy workout: I did my stretches, jogged a mile, core trainer, worked out on the weight bench, and punched on the heavybag.

Friday 04- 111/79F a nice breeze to cool me off. I did my stretches, jogged a mile, core trainer, worked out on the weight bench, and punched on the heavybag.

I did all my studies except French... I am reconsidering learning it because I’ve tried and it seems to me if I ever had to learn it I’d have to go to France or Quebec and talk to those folks there.

I did yoga, exercised with the 10lbs dumbbells, and took Cassie for an evening mile jog.

Saturday 05- 112/81F hot! I did my stretches, core trainer, worked out on the weight bench, and punched on the heavybag.

I did my studies.

Took Cassie for an evening walk.

I took a picture of the Sunset this evening... lots of smoke to the west from the El Dorado fire near Yucaipa.

I just saw the Moon rise up in the eastern sky and Mars was right next to it, like Mars was riding atop the Moon across the heavens...

Sunday 06- 113/83F heavy with smoke from the El dorado fire finally made its horrid way to our little community that blocked out the sun and made my lungs hurt, nose run, and my eyes sore. You couldn’t see much over a mile it was so thick. I did my stretches

Monday 07- 115/82F with heavy smoke. I woke up to smoke-filled skies this morning. With all the riots, pandemics, hurricanes, heat-waves, and fires going on, I now believe the Mayan calendar was off by 8 years.

I did my stretches 

Tuesday 08- 115/84F heavy with smoke. I did my stretches.

UPS delivered the new battery for my scooter and I put it in now something else is wrong and it will not start. I’ll have to recharge the new battery tomorrow.

Wednesday 09- 86/61F Can you believe it! Finally a break in the heat! Yay!

Wow! What a change in the weather! I got up this morning and the temp was 68 degrees and all the smoke that's been choking us had blown away... thank goodness because I don't know how much longer I could have taken being cooped up in the house not able to finish projects I had started before the heat spell that lasted for months. I was able to do my exercises in the heat if it was under 106F degrees but this heavy smoke stopped all that. The hottest days on record combined with the smoke made it seem like Hell himself/herself has risen out of the bowels of the Earth to invade our beautiful desert.

I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and took Cassie for a mile jog. Feels good to get out of the house and jog in the fresh desert air again.

The new battery I put in the scooter was dead when I tried to start it this morning. I charged it up and tried starting the scooter but it wouldn’t go. Seems it’s not getting fuel to the carburetor. I wasn’t planning to spend anymore time on this, so it’ll have to wait until some future date. I called my insurance company and told them to take it off my policy.

I worked on building a battery box with lithium batteries of six batteries of 12v 8ah. When I get it done I’ll have a 48ah 12v system in a battery container. 

I did my evening exercises with the 10lbs dumbbells.

Linda and then Jeff came at the same time with their trash to put in my dumpster. Almost couldn’t get their trash all inside.

I did my nightly exercises with the 15lbs dumbbells.

Thursday 10- 91/63F. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I did all my studies. I decided French would be just too difficult finding the time needed to study it would take away from my other projects. 

The only local news around here is from a radio station and the Hi-desert Star newspaper of which I used to post my weekly column. Both are online now. I do go to Google News feed to glance over what's happening in the world so I stay informed but only a few articles I actually open. So, I'm not entirely ignorant of what's going on in the world. I like to pick what I find interesting and not to be spoon-fed my news :)

Friday 11- 94/66F hazy light smoke from the fires. I did heavy exercises today: I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and hit on the heavybag. 

Jimmy made a quick stop off at my home to say hi. He was up here signing papers to sell his house here. I hope this isn’t the last time I see my good friend.

I spent most of the day washing clothes and bedding.

Remembering an old friend:

It's been 15 years now since your passing and I still tell people of your magic screwdriver. We were working on Joice's old truck that was always falling apart and you'd fix. Well, something went wrong with the engine and it accelerated while you were working on it. "No problem," you said as you held up the magic screwdriver and stuck your head under the hood. It began to whine even louder to high-pitched complaining shriek that my dog Blackie ran off and I stepped back a few feet. I thought the engine was going to rattle itself apart or blow up. I had a quick idea come to my head and I reached into the driver's side and turned the key to off. I had kidded you about that screwdriver ever since... even now! 

I miss you, Mr. Kern Watson.

Saturday 12- 97/67F smoky hazy. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and hit on the heavybag. 

Sunday 13- 100/69F smoky hazy. I did my stretches. 

I walked up the hill to meet my new neighbor. His name is Dave and seems to be a nice guy. Right now he’s living in a very nice trailer and moving things from his old residents down near LA to his desert property here in wonderful Copper Mountain Mesa.

Monday 14- 101/70F smoky hazy. Not feeling well. Must have been something I ate. I did a little work on the pool cover but that’s all I did.

Tuesday 15- 102/70F smoky skies. I did my stretches.

Wednesday 16- 103/70F heavy smoke!

I took Cassie for a short walk and just stayed inside.

Kjtel and Bodhi came back from their trip up north and dropped by to say howdy and tell me about their trip.

Thursday 17- 104/70F hazy smoke. I did my stretches.

Me and my guest, who have no means of transportation, went to town to get our blood work done at LabCorp. I weighed myself, 179 pounds, while waiting for the nurse to draw my blood. I seemed to have lost some weight, I hope that’s a good thing. The nurse had two orders to draw blood, one from my Doctor and one from the Wellness Clinic. She said she would have to draw them twice for each order. I asked her if they had the same requests for what was to be tested. She said yes. I told her just to draw one order because they’ll both get the same report.

We then drove across the street to get our flu shots at a drive-thru flu clinic. Then it was on to Vons to do our shopping- I like Vons because there aren't that many people there wandering around getting in my way and crowding me. We were all done except to pick up her prescriptions at Rock’s that took almost a whole hour waiting outside in the hot smoky weather. Stopped off at Steak and Shake to get burgers, fries, and two Dr Peppers. We were gone for four hours and I was pooped but managed to take my poor Cassie for a walk before I collapsed on the bed.

Friday 18- 105/71F damn hot with heavy smoke. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 50 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

Took Cassie in the car with me when I went to the mailbox. I need to get her comfortable riding in the car again, so when we go on vacation it won’t be much of a problem for her... and for me. 

In the afternoon I worked out with the 10lb dumbbell and did 50 crunches.

In the evening I did my stretches, worked out with the 15lb dumbbells.

I took Cassie for a midnight mile run and did 50 more crunches.

At the end of the day I had done two-hundred crunches because I saw a video when I woke up with Arnold saying you need to do two-hundred crunches a day. I think he meant all at once but I spaced them out at fifty four times a day.

Saturday 19- 102/69F smoky in the morning with light haze later on in the day. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

In my evening workout I exercised with the 10lb dumbbells and did 50 crunches.

I took Cassie for a light night mile run and did 50 crunches.

Sunday 20- 102/70F hazy. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

I called my brother Kevin and we chatted for a spell.

I did my evening workout with the 10lbs dumbbells and did 50 crunches.

My guest barbecued pork and made some yummy hummus for dinner.

Dave, my new neighbor, dropped off his generator for safe keeping while he’s gone to Newport beach.

I took Cassie for a late night mile run and did 50 more crunches. I like running at night... in the daytime I seem to only jog but at night I run.

I went outside after our run like I’ve been doing almost every night this month when the sky was dark and clear. I watched Mars

Monday 21- 102/69F smoky hazy.  I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

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

Tuesday 22- 104/77F smoky.  I did my stretches and a 100 crunches, I thought I’d lay off the heavy lifting of weight for a day.

In the evening I did 100 crunches.

I took Cassie for a mile night run and then came back to sit outside and watch the stars. 

Wednesday 23- 99/68F smoky.  I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

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

Kjtel and Bodhi   David

Thursday 24- 101/67F smoky. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

I took my guest to Twentynine Palms to get our mail and also she had to take care of some business while we were there. We did some shopping at Stater Brothers and the 99 cent store. We drove through BurgerKing and got 2 burgers. I got a fish sandwich that was so yummy I want to get back there as soon as I can, and she got the chicken sandwich but after I let her taste my fish sandwich she wished she went for it instead.

I was kinda burned out from all the shopping and stuff that when we got back all I did was relax and enjoyed a movie on Netflix.

Friday 25- 97/66F still smoky. I just don’t do any jogging on smoky days. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

I helped my new neighbor run a water line to tap into my water system which he can use until he gets his own water on his property.

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

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

Saturday 26- 99/66F hazy. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

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

I did my late night stretches and worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells, and took Cassie for a mile run.

Sunday 27-  98/67F 100 very smoky. I did my stretches and crunches morning

Talked to Kula and then my Brother

100 crunches evening

Monday 28- 96/65F clear. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 225 crunches, and beat on the heavybag.

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

I did my late night stretches and worked out with the 15lbs dumbbells, and took Cassie for a mile run. I twisted my right ankle halfway through the run and had to continue to run the rest of the way home. I’ll not be doing any running or jogging for a few days. I can say that I did 325 crunches today!

Tuesday 29- 92/66F a little bit hazy. I kinda wonder when these forest fires are going to stop. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, 100 crunches, and beat on the heavybag. Cassie and I went for a bike/run up to our new neighbor’s house to say hi. She really loves to run with me on the bike. After our visit we then continued to ride for another mile. 

I went to my appointment to get my pneumonia shot in Yucca Valley. On my way I mailed off Tom Merrit’s late birthday card. His birthday was in January, so I guess you can say I’m late and at the same time really early. There was a nurse checking patients for the covid flu before they could enter the building. I was in and out in about 20 minutes and happy to get out of there!

Went shopping afterwards, got a pizza and some fried chicken to eat while me and my guest watch the Presidential Debates tonight. The debate lasted 90 minutes but seemed like it’d never end. I’m really not all that political and I believe it was more of a yelling match than a debate; both men were really rude to one another. Who won the debate? It doesn’t matter because both sides will say their side won and use little bits and pieces as talking points in their election campaigns. 

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

Wednesday 30- 101/67F smoky hazy. I felt kinda sick from that pneumonia shot I had yesterday, so I kicked back and read most of the day. I did do my morning stretches and 200 crunches though.

Kjtel came by with Bodhi for a little visit.

*************** Poems for September 2020 **********

Looking at the past through photos capturing a moment in space and time makes me feel a kinda peace and reminiscence of the lives of those in the photo and their stories left unwritten, untold and have vanished into dust over these long years until I write something...

~RD

I would not consider any religion that didn’t take the notion of all creatures having souls and this is what gives us life versus lifeless inanimate objects like a stone or a toaster. My playful dog Cassie agrees.

~RD

Sometimes we walk alone upon this earth of ours and miss the companionship of our fellow homo sapiens. Reminiscing on their joys, antics, and laughter they brought in these times of our silent wanderings...

~RD

Your mind is connected to your tongue, so you are responsible for what comes out of your mouth and once spoken you have to live with the consequences 🙂

~RD

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

July 2020

Wednesday 01- 99/69F with a nice breeze. I woke up early, did my stretches, had breakfast, and then went right to work Snow Coating the rest of the roof. I used up a whole 5 gallons. I have another 5 gallons left I might use to put a second coat over the whole roof or until it runs out. I was kinda beat after finishing the roof and took a 2-hour nap. I didn’t do much for the rest of the day.

Thursday 02- 102/69F clear. I did my stretches and walked Cassie. 

I went to Twentynine Palms with my guest to go to the post office and get supplies at Stater Bros supermarket. 

Staters Bros was full of people and I felt my anxiety start to kick in, so I grabbed everything I needed and checked out while my guest spent another 45 minutes inside. I waited for her outside where I met a man called Elton. He was collecting donations for disabled Veterans fund. We had a nice long chat. He was in the Marines and I was in the Army and we found out we were both stationed at Fort Leonard Wood located in the Missouri Ozarks, but decades apart. We had a lot in common to talk about and it was a great way to pass the time while waiting for my guest to complete her shopping.

We got back home, I helped my guest with setting up water to her swamp cooler. It was too late to test it out.

LOL!!!! I just bought CF19 for $45 and the caddy was $35! Had to laugh when I read your comment.  Mine has an IMEI and MEID numbers for cell which I hope to get working. There's a crack on the lid which I'll bend back into place and use some hot glue on the insides. I got lucky when I charged the completely dead battery. It held a charge for several hours when I ran Puppy Linux on it. Now I wait for the caddy and an SDD 128 to load an OS on it. :)

Friday 03- 104/73F clear with a late afternoon breeze. I did my stretches.

My guest’s swamp cooler wasn’t getting water. Spent a few hours troubleshooting it and finally had to disassemble the dang thing to find the float wasn’t working. I adjusted it, put it all back together, and it’s working fine now.

I did my studies

Cassie and I jogged a mile in the evening. Just too dang hot on her paws in the daytime. I took her out for a midnight jog up the hill and back too.

Saturday 04- 105/74F clear. I did my stretches, core trainer, and weight bench.

I kicked back. My guest cooked up hamburgers for dinner. We watched the fireworks from my property. 

Sunday 05- 107/73F clear. I did my stretches.

Batteries refrigerator 

I am gathering up some old French language books I had bought in the past, maybe over 30 years ago, and I’m going to delve into learning the French language.

Monday 06- 111/80F clear. I did my stretches, and weight bench, too hot for anything else. 

Funny this should happen now. I received a notice from Rosetta Stone that I can upgrade my course “Spanish” I bought ten years or so ago to the online course for free! I changed my course to French and put in my activation code from the old Spanish box and they accepted it! Now I have the French course to follow.

Tuesday 07- 107/70F kinda hazy. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and jogged over a mile. I had to leave Cassie behind because it was too hot for her feet.

I went into my small pool for about the third time since I had it filled... felt mighty refreshing after all that exercise.

I did my studies throughout the day.

I lifted 10lbs dumbbells and took Cassie for a nice evening walk.

I took out my small reflector telescope for the first time this season and spied on Jupiter and Saturn in the southeastern sky. Then I pointed the scope south to the red supergiant Antares 554 light-years away in Scorpus. Nearby was M4 a globular cluster a whopping 7,175 light-years distance. I saw a few satellites and meteors scoot across the sky during my stay outside in the summer night’s bounty of majestic stars and planets.

I did my stretches, exercised with the 15lbs dumbbells, and took Cassie for a midnight jog up the hill and back.

Wednesday 08- 105/70F hazy. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and jogged over a mile.

I did my studies throughout the day.

I lifted 10lbs dumbbells and did some yoga that I haven’t done for a while because of my sprained ankle.

Kjtel came by with Bodie for a chat and a nice long evening walk.

I started my French language online Rosetta Stone course. 

I did my stretches, exercised with the 15lbs dumbbells, and took Cassie for a midnight jog up the hill and back.

Thursday 09- 107/74F clear. I got up early before the heat of the day to do my stretches and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I worked on the house roof removing old panels and their supports. Tomorrow I’ll go up and put roofing tar on the holes.

I did my studies, but not the French lessons yet.

Took a nice evening walk with Cassie.

I did my stretches and took a midnight jog up the hill and back with Cassie.

Friday 10- 108/79F 

I got up early enough before the heat set in to do my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and took Cassie for a mile jog.

I did my studies throughout the day; including my French lessons.

In the afternoon I did my yoga and exercised with the 10lbs dumbbells.

FedX came with some colored pencils my lovely Sis Lynn sent me... Thank you for your gift! Now instead of not having enough colors, I have too many to choose from.

I took Cassie for an evening walk.

We went for a midnight jog up the hill and back.

Saturday 11- 109/86F with scattered clouds and lots of humidity.

Today was a complete loss for me. I had a hard time sleeping Friday night because of the humidity and heat. I woke up after sleeping only an hour and took Cassie up to the top of the hill Saturday morning at 5:30am to see the comet but unfortunately, that was obscured by clouds :'(

I finally fell asleep and slept until 1pm and spent the rest of Saturday lying around. Really not what I wanted or had planned to do. I took a shower and then jumped in the pool.

Sunday 12- 114/83F a few clouds. I woke up late but did my stretches and jogged a mile anyways: It was 107F when I started.

I did my studies and French lessons too.

Kjtel came by for an evening chat and a short walk with the dogs.

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

Monday 13- 111/77F with strong winds out of the southwest. I worked out on the weight bench, and core trainer.

I took Cassie for an evening mile jog. She’s been cooped up in the house all day and thought we both needed to get out.

I did all my studies and even a French lesson.

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

Tuesday 14- 106/73F with a nice breeze. I did my stretches and went for over a mile jog. I had to leave Cassie at home because the ground was too hot; she stared at me while I left.

Linda Harter dropped off some trash and we chatted for a long spell.

I did all my studies throughout the day; French is very frustrating.

I did yoga, exercised with the 10lbs dumbbells, and then took Cassie for an evening walk.

I did my stretches, exercised with the 15lbs weights and jogged up the hill and back with Cassie. 

Wednesday 15- 105/74F. I did my stretches.

I drove to Twentynine Palms to pick up some packages. I stopped at Desert Supply and purchased 7 feet of hose and a hole drill so I can hook up the pool filter system.

I installed a new SSD hard drive and Win 10 on a Panisonic Toughbook CF-30.

I took Cassie for a walk.

Finally sighted the comet in the northwest at 9 PM. That’s a hell of a lot better than getting up at 5 AM!

I did a few of my studies and a little French.

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

Thursday 16- 105/74F clear. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and jogged a mile with Cassie.

I did all my studies throughout the day.

I am definitely not an astrophotographer but here are some images of the comet NEOWISE, Jupiter, and Saturn I took tonight with my little telescope and my iPhone's camera. I will remember to clean my lens next time.

Friday 17- 107/76F clear with a nice breeze. I did my stretches and exercised on the weight bench. Too hot to run and I’d have to leave Cassie behind sulking in the shadows, so I’ll take her for a jog later.

I installed a new SSD hard drive and Win 10 on a Panisonic Toughbook CF-19.

I did all my studies, even the French lessons. 

I took out the larger 8” Dobsonian to look at the comet NEOWISE; trial and error.

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

Saturday 18- 110/77F a bit hazy. I did my stretches.

FedEx delivered the 4 100 Watt solar panels I ordered.

I watched a few videos explaining how the kidneys function. I am at that part in my anatomy studies now. 

I checked USPS online and found they delivered some computer parts I need for the Panasonic CF-28 I’m repairing and drove to my mailbox on Lear to get before the mail thief took them. 

I started repairing the CF-28 with the new hard drive but couldn’t get the BIOS to recognize the USB CD. So, I had to load everything by floppy disk. I happened to have a set of Windows 95 and loaded all 20 of them but unfortunately it came up with an error code and failed to load. SO, I ended up loading first DOS 6.5 and then Windows 3.1 successfully. I kicked back playing solitaire for a short spell and then decided to order a CD drive. I found one on Ebay for $12.

I stayed outside after I took Cassie for a walk, grabbed a chair and my binoculars and sat for a long spell as the night progressed into darkness and the comet NEOWISE became more brilliant.

Sunday 19- 112/78F a hazy kind of sweltering heat with winds to cook you to the marrow. I did my stretches, core trainer and worked out on the weight bench; no jogging today.

I went to work on the pool pump I am trying to install. I could only spend 20 minutes outside and then cool off inside; kinda made me feel like one of those workers at the Chernobyl reactor when it went critical. The wind increased to the point of blinding me with lots of dust and sand as I put on the pvc pipe glue. This caused me to fumble the glue spilling a good portion of it on me. I found that using petroleum jelly was the best way to remove the dried glue from my hands. Anyways, I decided to quit after I found a small leak and tried to fix it. Hopefully tomorrow when I go to work on the pump I don’t find an empty pool.

I did all my studies throughout the day and into the evening.

NEOWISE

Monday 20- 109/77F with a stiff breeze. I did my stretches; after working in the heat I thought I’d rest today.

I took my time cleaning and rearranging my house. 

I took Cassie for an evening walk.

I did a few video how-tos.

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

Tuesday 21- 110/75F with a nice breeze. I did my stretches.

Jeff dropped off a box from the USDA Food Distribution for me.

I worked on the pool pump and got it all setup and working. I topped off the pool with the gardenhose, and then jumped in to cool off. The pump seems to work fine.

I did most of my studies, even the French, throughout the day; had to help my guest who had a medical problem and didn’t get to all of them.

Cassie and I went for an evening mile jog after I exercised on the weight bench and core trainer.

I was outside looking at the brightening comet when I saw 20 or more satellites, I lost count, coming out of the northwest following one another in the same orbit spaced out about 15-30 seconds apart. The only thing I could believe this could have been was a Spacex’s Starlink deployment. Other than Starlink, I do not know what the satellites came from in such a formation.

Wednesday 22- 108/79F nice. I did my morning stretches; because of the heat I’m doing my exercises in the evening.

I did all my studies, even the French.

Thursday 23- 103/70F hazy. I did my stretches and worked out on the weight bench.

I did my studies

I took Cassie for an evening mile jog and then a midnight jog up the hill and back.

Friday 24- 102/72F hazy. I did my stretches and worked out on the weight bench.

I made a trip down to the pharmacy to pick up my guest’s meds. As I was opening up the gate to leave 

On my way I came upon a tow truck 

Jeff came by

I took Cassie for a jog up the hill and back. At the top of that hill is the neighborhood dogs’ message pole and I always linger around as Cassie sniffs and pees on those spots left by male dogs.

Saturday 25- 105/73F another summer lazy day. I did my stretches.

I wrote some poems.

Went to watch a movie at Kjtel’s house with some friends.

Sunday 26- 107/77F a few clouds. I did my stretches and worked out on the weight bench.

I gave my brother a call and we talked for over an hour about crazy things.

I took Cassie for an evening walk.

Monday 27- 106/74F I did my stretches, core trainer and worked out on the weight bench.

I did all my studies throughout the day, even the French lesson.

I took Cassie for an evening mile jog.

I cleaned and sorted cans in my pantry. The other day I grabbed a power bar and found ants were crawling around the bar. I tossed the bar after eating a forth of it once I discovered those creepy crawlers on my hands. I sprayed the whole pantry down with bug spray.  

At midnight we went for a fast run up the hill and back.

Tuesday 28- 109/74F. Worked out on the weight bench, did my stretches and the core trainer.

Went to the post office in Twentynine, stopped to get gas and propane, and then on to Stater Bros. to pick up some supplies like food and such.

When I filled up the car I didn’t wipe my hands after handling the pump and I had to use the restroom and washed my hands afterwards. I arrived at the post office and realized this and squirted some hand sanitizer on the palm of my hand and reached down inside my pants and rubbed it on my private parts... it really burns. I guess that’s how paranoid I am getting, and probably everybody else, about the pandemic. 

I did yoga, stretches, worked out with the 10lb dumbbells, and took Cassie for an evening mile jog; nice breeze blowing at sunset.

I did my stretches, worked out with the 15lb dumbbells, and ran up the hill and back.

Wednesday 29- 110/78F I did my stretches, core trainer and worked out on the weight bench.

I started working on my Harley taking the carburetor off and dismantling it. I went online to see about purchasing a rebuild kit for it but found a new one for my bike on eBay costing $56 with good reviews, so I bought it. If it works, Great, if it don’t, I can use parts off it to rebuild the one I already have

I did all my studies throughout the day, even the French lesson.

I took Cassie for an evening mile jog, yoga, stretches, and worked out with the 10lb dumbbells.

At midnight we went for a fast run up the hill and back.

Thursday 30- 112/82F I did my stretches, core trainer and worked out on the weight bench.

Kelly's little dog Ruffie had a heart attack while jumping up on her bed. I rushed over to her trailer and brought the poor doggie to my place and tried to revive him without any luck. We buried him with a few of his toys next to Lillie, another one of Kelly’s dogs, and Barney, where he will rest for eternity. I am truly going to miss that little guy. 

Friday 31- 113/81F very hot and there is smoke in the evening air. I did my stretches. Because of the heat I thought I’d better cool it with the heavy exercising I’ve been doing lately except for yesterday when I was dealing with the passing of Ruffie.

************************** Poems for July 2020 ***************

We make our own roads... some are two-legged highways leading off to faraway places while others are jammed freeways going in circles...

~RD

To sail the seas to distant lands, casting our gaze upon faraway stars... to daydream of future adventures beyond the golden glow of our brilliant Sun, to become one with the universe and knowing for the first time we are not alone.

~RD

An old wedding dress spread neatly on a bed of cotton stuffing and wrought iron steel

Photo albums lie open to pictures of family and friends 

A note was found the ink has since long dried 

Whose words were thoughtfully chosen with love, respect, and pride

While her fragrance still lingers on that sweet-scented page

Of things that were wished for and gladly received

Of love that was given and always returned

Of a life that was promised and happily lived

Of dreams that were dreamt on lazy warm summer days

Undiminished are the whispers transpired between lovers in the night

The long sleep has come, the lovely old woman slowly closes her eyes and passes away

~RD

I am always looking back and looking forward to the future.

~RD

If you try to learn everything you will learn much about nothing. 

~RD

My mind grows dull, laden with the burdens of criticism and undue utter contempt for my virtues by these merchants of a faithless society of which I have no control. Closing my eyes now, I am distracted by images of hate and despair planted there by uncaring communicators of false hopes and lies, if not in photos from the death and dying ghettos of my mind, then by words written down on rigid parchment with the blackest of inks siphoning off all luminosity in what was or pretended to be my soul. In a futile gesture to my nemesis for reason; my unyielding mind neither denies nor accepts a truce. My only recourse is to live out my days in this twisted tormented wasteland of my being and hope for redemption.

~RD

Personally, the only systemic diseases I have caught from my Forefathers are Freedom, Individuality, and the Right to Speak My Mind.

~RD

Music is poetry with an added dimension.

~RD

Instead of letting the media, Marxist, fascist, and politicians drive a wedge between the races, we should begin with ourselves spreading the truth and love we feel for one another. It’s the only way we can beat back these interlopers of hate. 

~RD

Don’t try to be something you ain’t, instead, go for something you are and stop sailing against the wind near a rocky shore.

~RD

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

I've been staying home except to take a friend to pick up her prescriptions. We both stayed in the truck and they brought her meds out to us. 

I've been all set up for the big earthquake the geologist keeps telling us to prepare for. We've been waiting over 50 years for the damn thing to hit, so I have a whole lot of food stored away and don't need to go shopping. I only go to town maybe 2 or three times a month if that. I have always kept myself busy doing something as you can tell reading my online journal.

There was a quote I heard once... I think it was in an old Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movie. When asked “how does he find the time to do all the things he does”, Sherlock's simple reply was, "You don't find the time Watson, you make it." 

Sunday 01- very windy.

Monday 02- 59/46 windy and rain.

Tuesday 03- 73/47F still windy with clouds.  

Wednesday 04- 75/48F nice. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, jogged a mile with Cassie. 

I did my studies. 

I finished, hopefully, and published my book...

Wednesday night Cassie was barking and I went outside to investigate and saw in the sky to the south an orange glow like an orb with brighter yellow dots in a circle inside this orb. It moved in the direction of the Constellation Canis Major near the star Wezen. It was brighter than Venus. There were other aircraft in the vicinity of this orb. I watched this for about a minute or less. All of a sudden the orb kinda vanished and I saw what appeared to be a light of some craft shoot skyward from it. This was followed a few minutes later at 7:09 by two loud deafening booms. I have no idea what it was and haven’t read or heard anything about what I saw.

Thursday 05- 78/49F very nice day. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, jogged a mile with Cassie. 

I did my studies.

Friday 06- 80/50F a little cloudy. I was mighty sick last night. Must have been something I ate. I didn’t get to sleep until early morning and woke up around 2 pm. I went to the post office to pick up a package and went straight home and back to bed.

Saturday 07- 72/46F with clouds. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, jogged a mile with Cassie. 

I did my studies. 

I did the poop patrol. 

I did my nightly exercises.

Sunday 08- 67/43F sunny. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, jogged a mile with Cassie. 

The hummingbird is back and visits me about this time every year. I put out the feeder filled with sugar they seem to like.

I did my nightly exercises.

Monday 09- 73/57F and overcast thick clouds. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and took a long walk with Cassie. 

I did my nightly exercises.

Tuesday 10- 63/49F with rain all day long. I did my stretches and took Cassie for a short walk.

I did my studies and worked on my books.

Wednesday 11- 71/49F lots of clouds coming in. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and jogged a mile with Cassie. 

I did my studies and worked on my books.

I tend to like everyone... The Jehovah's Witnesses came to my gate... they're good people... they come every week...

They know they're not going to convert me... Out in the desert, it's rare people drop by anyways so we chat about solar panels and electric bikes.... they hand me one of their flyers and leave...

This time they came by and I got on their case for being out and about with a Pandemic and told them to come back in a month or two and to stay at home. 　

Thursday 12- 64/44F heavy rains and thunderstorms. Winds are kicking up to 50+ MPH. Lake Lucille had made her appearance to unknowledgeable drivers to our area getting stuck in the mud. I did my stretches and took Cassie out for walks between showers. Worked on my book most of the day until I had to disconnect my inverter because of lightning storms coming through. I did my studies.

Friday 13- 62/46F  I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and took a mile jog with Cassie. 

I got calls from Stevie Valeralle and Kjtel.

I did my studies and worked on my books.

Saturday 14- 56/42F with cold wicked winds. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and Cassie and I went for a mile jog. 

I did my studies and worked on my books.

Sunday 15- 68/43F nice day. I did my stretches

I did my studies

Kjtel came by and we walked the dogs.

I did my nightly exercises.

Monday 16- 67/44F windy. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and took Cassie for a mile jog. 

Dyan called and we decided to cancel the potluck. First time in 20 some years there won’t be a last Saturday potluck.

I did my studies and worked on my books.

Tuesday 17- I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and took Cassie for a mile jog. 

I did my studies and worked on my books.

I did my nightly exercises.

Wednesday 18- rain and drizzle all day long. I did my stretches.

I did my studies and worked on my books.

Thursday 19- 59/39F cold winds. I did my stretches.

I did my studies and worked on my books.

I did my nightly exercises.

Friday 20- 62/45F overcast. I did my stretches and took Kelly, my guest, down to Joshua Tree to get her prescription filled.

Where we live out in the desert isn't so bad as to infections, not like the rest of California. I have a good friend who is in a nursing home on hospice I cannot visit.I've been staying at home. I don't go out much anyways, so I do my writing and editing, watch movies, do my studies and exercises. I had to drive Kelly my guest to the pharmacy to pick up some of her meds. I made her wear gloves and asked them to bring out her medicine, which they did. We drove right back home. I ain't taking any chances. I have enough food to last a nuclear winter. I even have enough toilet paper. Be careful and stay safe. We'll get past this pandemic.

I worked on my book.

Saturday 21- 68/51F cloudy with light winds. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and took Cassie for a mile jog. 

I worked on my books.

I did my nightly exercises.

Sunday 22- 72/51F cloudy. I did my stretches.

Monday 23- 77/58F some early morning rain cloudy with winds.

Tuesday 24- 73/46F a nice sunny day. I did my stretches. I wasn’t feeling very good so I just took the day off and edited my book.

Wednesday 25- 67/41F and windy. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and took Cassie for a mile jog. 

Kjtel and Bodie came by for a chat and a walk.

Went to work on the book.

Thursday 26- 61/43F cold and windy. I did my stretches.

I worked on my book and I believe I finished the editing. I just have to format it correctly and resubmit it.

Friday 27- 64/40F sunny but very windy. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and took Cassie for a mile jog. Me and Cassie saw our first Tortoise this season.

I did my studies.

Kjtel and Bodie came by with some groceries we ordered from Stater Bros. I got coffee, eggs, bread, and butter.

I did my nightly stretches.

Saturday 28- 68/46F a little breezy but sunny. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and took Cassie for a mile jog. 

I did my studies throughout the day.

I did my afternoon yoga and 10 pound dumbbells. Took Cassie for a walk.

I worked some on the roof of the garage.

I did my nightly stretches (which hasn’t been too nightly) and exercised with the 15LBS dumbbells.

I practiced my guitar.

Sunday 29- 69/47F a little rain and wind. I did my stretches.

I did my studies.

I did my evening stretches. 

I'll be taking some time off from FaceBook to work on a couple of books I need to get done: one to edit and publish, another to write. The past two months have been stressful for everyone with the Pandemic and Politics and I feel the need to step away from FB and the News Media and refocus my mind. I'll still be doing FB Birthdays. If you want to say hi Message me.

I also hang out at FaceBook Goes to Mars and Beyond... :)

I love each and every one of you and will see you at the other end

Monday 30- 76/50F nice and sunny. I did my stretches, core trainer, weight bench, and jogged a mile with Cassie.

Dore Wilhoite called and we chatted. Then Bonnie Khan called and I chatted some more.

I did my studies throughout the day. Practiced my guitar.

I did my afternoon yoga, exercised with the 10lb dumbbells, and took Cassie for a walk. 

Kjtel came by and we went for a nice evening walk. She left her iPhone here and I had to walk back to her house.

I did my nightly stretches and exercised with the 15lbs dumbbells (I found out they weren’t 20lbs after all)

Tuesday 31- 80/56F. I did my stretches.

No poems this month... just ain’t feeling it with the pandemic and all the craziness going on.

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

~RD

Sometimes those born out of adversity glow the brightest <3

~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

~RD

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