December 17 to 22 2012

Monday 17- nice and sunny but a little nippy. I could see the clouds trying to come up over the ridge and flow into Morongo Valley.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, yoga, core trainer, lifted weights, and punched on the heavy bag.
Chris J stopped by with my USDA groceries. He said 84 folks showed up for the distribution.
I drove the Cougar down to Stater Bros in 29 Palms to get some supplies. It turned out to be $105 when I got done! It didn’t seem to me that I bought $100 worth of stuff, but I did. I even had to go back in the store again to buy bread I forgotten to get the first time.
I went for my evening walk and was halfway through when I heard noise down at Biker Ron’s old house, he’s the one who passed away in 2009, so I ran back to my house and jumped in the Cougar with my camera. I started taking pictures when I drove up and one guy said “Hey there’s someone taking pictures of us”. He turned out to be with the guy who came up here with Biker Ron’s mother last week, and everything was cool.
Linda H came by with a chair she didn’t need and dropped it off. We carried it to my patio until I can decided where to put it.
Our community had our first ORV meeting to address the off road vehicles that are ruining our precious desert. Philip M. Klasky and Victoria Fuller from the ORV Watch organization came and gave a very informative presentation. We are not against ORV, but we are against those who ruin our beautiful desert and tread upon our lands unlawfully. The meeting lasted for an hour and a half and was well attended with around twenty folks showing up. Everyone got to have their say; one woman told about being harassed by ORVers after she called Code Enforcement to asked them not to ride on her property and in the wash where turtles lay their eggs. Her home was visited late in the night with ORV circling her property. I think it is very un-American to try to silence somebody who is trying to uphold the law.
Peggy was the one who organized the meeting has assumed the leadership position for now. We decided that we will communicate online and setup our goals we want to achieve and tentatively have a meeting along with the Neighborhood Watch on the second Monday in January at 6pm. It was a very successful meeting.

Tuesday 18- windy, cold and raining.
I did my stretches, yoga, lifted dumbbells, core trainer, and punched the heavy bag. Linda H came by with a table that I can use next to my bed instead of the little folding table I have there now. It is a little too big, but I can move my heater over five inches and it should be okay. Until I move the heater it is a little cramped in my room.
There’s not much I can do outside except get wood for the stove, feed the doves and quail, and then stay inside.
A nice lady of 87 years old called from Yucca Valley asking my help with her VCR or computer (she wasn’t very clear which one), she had a DVD from her son-in law about her daughter who recently passed away. She said she used to read my column in the Hi Desert Star faithfully every week until I stopped writing it a few years ago. I told her that I wouldn't be able to come down until after the holidays, but she might find someone who might help at the Yucca Valley community center right around the block from her house. I told her I would keep in contact with her to make sure she got somebody to help her watch it.

Wednesday 19- very cold but sunny. It is officially winter; my cement pond froze.
I did my stretches, yoga, ran three miles today with 1.5lbs around each wrists, core trainer, and punched the heavy bag for ten minutes.
I had to cover all my plants because the temps are going to be in the 20s at night for the next few days.
I went for my evening walk, but a short one because of the cold wind.
The wind was blowing pretty hard and I decided now to go for a night run.
I watched episodes 6 and 7 of “Voyager”.

Thursday 20- very nice and sunny with no wind, but still cold.
I did my stretches, yoga, ran up the hill with five pound weights, core trainer, and punched the heavy bag for ten minutes.
UPS brought tin of cookies and candy that was sent by my very good friend Carolyn S. The cookies didn't make it into the night :)
I went for an evening walk.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, and went for a night run.

Friday 21- the world didn’t end and the weather was just fine outside!
I did my stretches, yoga, ran three miles today with 1.5lbs around each wrists, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for ten minutes. It seems like ten minutes is starting to be the norm on the heavybag.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter. I started a Neighborhood Watch section on the website.
I did my studies; a lesson in Beginning Latin book, and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something: a strange face of a person.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, and went for a walk with my backpack. I trying something new by doing dumbbells before my evening walks and night runs.
I studied “Molecular and Cell Biology for Dummies” and finished chapter 3. I read and got caught up on my astronomy.
I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, and went for a night run. There was a large ice ring around the Moon; meaning there is a lot of moisture in the atmosphere and we could get rain later in the week.
I practiced my guitar.
I am trying to get things back to normal with my studies and guitar, and seeing that this is the winter solstice it seemed like a good time to start again.
I watched episode 8 of “Voyager”.

Saturday 22- sunny and nice.
I did my stretches, yoga, ran one and a half miles with 1.5lbs around each wrists, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for ten minutes.
I yapped with Kelly for a spell. She is doing fine but will have to wait until sometime in February for her surgery.
Linda called to come over to change a couple of electrical wall switches. Simi was there when I arrived. It was good to see him, but I wish he’d start wearing shoes instead of sandals during the winter. Linda gave him some bean soup she had made before he left. I installed the switches and we went on an evening walk together. She treated me to some of that bean soup for dinner. She had a movie called “The Ides of March” (2011). It was supposed to be an action packed movie it said on the cover, but kinda dragged here and there; it did get better at the end.
When I got back home I did my stretches, lifted dumbbells, and went for a night run.
I did my studies; a lesson in Beginning Latin book, and another in “1100 words you need to know workbook”, and I drew something: a hideous face. I also started reading chapter 4 of “Molecular and Cell Biology for Dummies”
I practiced my guitar and tried to remember a song I had written but had forgotten many years ago.