Reflections on a Fault

 Sugar

 KT

 The Nest

California Fall Colors

These are photos of my trip a few years ago to my cousin's home in Angelus Oaks, close to Big Bear Lake.  She dearly loves her home, her critters, and her friends - fellow mountain dwellers.   Last week she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and today she had a mastectomy at 1:00 and was home in the early evening.  I still can't believe how quickly you're kicked out the door after major surgery...

I didn't go to be with her, although she would have been the first to show up on my doorstep, if I needed her.  She does, but I cannot forgive myself for not being the first one she saw when she came out of the anesthetic.  I should have been there to take her home, make her comfortable, and see to her needs. She knows why I didn't come and forgives me for my shortcomings and failings.  I don't know if I can.

Dinner on the River

 

I love Kernville.  I guess you've figured that out by now.  That, and it's a 45 minute trip - probably 20 minutes if you were a bird.  The old road is really rugged - lots of hairpin turns.  When we get the wanderlust we usually head here or Tehachapi.  Kernville is hot in the summer, though, so we usually head up Hwy 58 to Tehachapi.   In fact, it's apple season there. Time for a jaunt!

The Kern River Inn is a B&B, and if you've got a good arm, you could stand on the porch and throw a stone in the river.  We took a look inside and the rooms are really nice, and you can even hear the river from the front bedroom.  Hubman's birthday is in October - maybe that would make a nice gift!  A night on the river and dinner at Ewing's, which is known for their marvelous steaks ...

Hmmmmm. Just wondering....

 Cujo Jr.

 I wonder what it means when you're about a third of the way through a book on Bi-Polar Disorder ("Hurry Down Sunshine...") and you realize you've already read it - and it was published in '08. That means you didn't have a whole lot of time to forget it.  Does it mean I was manic when I read it, or was I too depressed to remember it!

Just wondering.....

Whitewater Cruising

Here we are in Kernville again. They're really more photos of our last visit. I'm standing on a bridge that spans the river, watching the white water rafters return after a trip down river. It was a very warm (hot!) day and they looked so cool, literally and figuratively, coming in for a smooth landing.
 

(One of the women that worked for one of the rafting companies was a contestant on Survivor several seasons ago - can't remember her name.)

There are several rafting companies that operate out of  Kernville.  I'd really like to try this while I'm still able to get on and off a raft!  A lot of people (hubman included) go tubing on the lower river, closer to Bakersfield, but the currents can be deadly.    I'll stick with rafts with guides that know the river and know what they're doing...

No, I'm Not Dead...

...just resting.

Isn't that the coolest planter you ever saw?  I loved it the minute I laid my eyes on it.

A couple of weeks ago, we had a party at my daughter's house - combination birthdays for Corinne and her step-daughter, Amber.  They all wanted to play "Bocci Ball."  If you've ever seen a movie with elder Italian playing what appears to be lawn bowling, then you know what Bocci ball is.  The object is to throw heavy wooden balls at a smaller ball that's been tossed out towards the opposite goal.  Let me tell you, those balls are heavy!  There are teams of two, and I played with my son-in-law and we kicked some butt!  But even my trusty right arm couldn't save us.   We finished in 2nd place.  I couldn't move for two days. 

I've got a fuzzy little juvenile delinquent resting on my feet.  Homer is a little terrorist.  He's so adorable when he's sleeping, but when he's "zizzing" around the house, he's a handful!  We're not a bit sorry we got a puppy, though.  It's fun watching him learn the ropes from our Katie, our older dog.  He's already mastered "sit," "drop-it," "bring it," and we're working on "no-bite!"  He's little baby teeth are like Parana teeth! 

Fall is in the air here - although it is expected to be in the 90's again at the end of the week.  Fall means shorter days, which I hate, and cooler weather, which I love!!!  We only had to use the A/C about ten days this summer, opting instead to use the cooler we bought.  Man, I wish we'd done that two summers ago. Our highest electric bill was under $70!  Considering that just last summer it was well over $300 per month, we're thrilled!

Why is it that during the day I can think of so many things I want to talk about, but when I start typing and thinking it all evaporates?!?  I guess I need to start making notes.  But then I'd just forget where they are...
I'll put my thinking cap on and see what I can come up with.

Happy week, every one. 

"Death in the Chimney" Update

Well, it just got weirder and weirder.  It would appear that Dr. Kotarac was in a rocky relationship. She and her boyfriend were supposed to leave for Amsterdam last Friday, and I guess they had a brouhaha.  She tried to see him Wednesday evening, but he sneaked out the back.  She then tried to break the back door down with a shovel, and when that didn't do the job, she got a ladder and got on the roof, removed the chimney cap and went in feet first.   This happened Wednesday.  The boyfriend stayed elsewhere and didn't return until Thursday, spending the night and leaving for Amsterdam as planned, but by himself, on Friday. 

On Saturday, a neighbor, who was taking care of the boyfriend's fish tank, came in and noticed a rank odor (makes me ill to even imagine, especially given the heat), looked up the fireplace and then called the cops. 

The boyfriend had noticed Dr. K's purse, along with her cellphone and other personal "stuff," in the backyard Thursday.  He and Dr. K's office assistant then called the police, not knowing what had happened to her, and filed a missing persons report.  Sadly, she was there all the time.

Her brother said when they were kids they lived on an old property that had a huge fireplace.  You could see up through the chimney when the flue was open. He thinks, given her mental state (and yes, she had been drinking), she indeed thought she could get in the house.

I keep thinking about her and what a horrible death she must have had.  The official COD was asphyxiation due to chest compression - so it wasn't instant.  And they say truth is stranger than fiction....

Too Strange to be True!

Just a short post:  I just heard on the news that my doctor died over the weekend!  I'm still reeling over this - she was found dead in her boyfriend's house - in the chimney!!!  I don't have all of the details yet, but apparently she was trying to get into the house in his absence and tried to go through the chimney?!?  Something ain't right here.

Why wouldn't she break a window?  Maybe afraid it would set off an alarm?  Could it be that she had a little too much to drink and wasn't thinking straight?  Could she have had a mental breakdown? 

Dr. Kotarac was just 49.  She was a brilliant lady - right now I can't begin to remember all of her awards and titles, but this was no 3rd world country bumpkin.  An autopsy wasn't completed at the time of the report, so that will prove to be interesting.  It's such a shame and what a loss to our community!  She was loved and respected by a lot of folks....

You Have No Idea ...

 This is "Jay" Leno - our resident Scrub Jay.

... how very much I appreciate all of the kindness shown to me and hubman.  Your comments just make me realize what a wonderful community we have, here on our blogs!  I've been at this for some time and it still boggles my mind that we can care so deeply about people we may have never met!  ♥♥♥

I now remember what it's like having a toddler in the house, but one with little razor-sharp puppy teeth! Homer is one active little guy and smart, too.  He's figured out how to get out of the doggie door but we're not ready for him to be outside on his own.  We've got a few too many gaps in the fence, so hubman is headed to Lowe's for some fixin' stuff.  

We were doing really well with the potty stuff, too, but we're regressing and running out of Resolve!  I feed him, immediately take him outside and wait, and wait, and wait.  Give up and bring him in.  He poops.  He's got it all backwards now. (But, thankfully - never thought I'd say this - the carpet in this place is on the top of the list for replacement.  Couldn't be a better time to house train a pup!)

And poor Katie!  She's such a sweet natured little girl, and all he does is pester the daylights out of her.  He hides and dive bombs her just like cats do, so she runs away from him.  Ha!  Now he thinks he's the Alpha Pup!  She's finally starting to growl and bark at him.  I know they'll work stuff out...

Again, you guys mean a heck of a lot to me and I just wanted to tell you how wonderful you are!

Meet Homer....

This has been a crappy week.  I was getting back into the swing of blogging regularly, but our Mini Schnazuer began to fail rapidly, so we made that gut-wrenching decision to euthanize her.  It will be a week ago tomorrow.  This was one very special pup - exceptionally bright - and she had such expressive eyes.  When she looked at you she was asking questions: "What can I do?  Do you need me, right now...?"  Our little Shih Tzu, while very lovable, just wants to be loved...nothing else, nothing more.  And that's a good thing, too.

We held Zoey in our arms while the doctor gave her the injection.  It was a very peaceful, gentle death.  She will always be in our memories...

We made a decision to find another dog, against popular belief.  But we thought it would be the best for us and for Katie.  Katie has had surgery, put up with that stupid collar for ten days, lost her sister, and now is beleagured by a puppy.  The little guy, Homer, is wanting to play with her but she's not wanting any part of him.  She has not growled or snapped once - although, I think if she did, he might back off. 

He was part of a litter whose Yorkie mom was stolen.  The folks that took the litter in hand-fed them around the clock so he's a real lover boy.  His dad is a Shih Tsu, so he should be a real cutie to go along with the attitude! 

By the way - I am not responsible for naming him~

Little Bits and Stuff...

This photo finds us back in Kernville again.  We had horrific wildfires that are just now getting contained, one of which was just north of this spot.  Fox News picked up the story, probably because there was another fire up in Tehachapi, close to the wind farms.   When this photo was taken, we stood on the bridge and watched fire truck after fire truck, along with the Hot Shots, headed up to a fire.  We could just barely see the smoke when we left.  That fire was shut down quickly, and by the fast response, I'm not surprised.  But this one was vicious.  Thankfully, no injuries or worse, just heartbreak over lost homes. 

Our Shih Tsu got her "Elizabethan" collar off Friday.  It was funny watching her, even though we felt sorry for her in her efforts to get around.  She tried to go through the "doggy door," and it was a sight!  And yes, we did open the door for her!  She bumped around a lot but adapted quite well.  I think she kinda liked the fact that the collar was a great way to catch all the doggie snacks!

We're still not certain about our Mini Schnauzer, Zoey.  She has congestive heart failure.  She's on meds but she's losing weight rapidly, even though she continues to have a good appetite.  We go back to the vet on Wednesday.  (Holding my breath...)
  We got the bill for our rent, which includes all utilities.  Our previous summers have been totally out of sight - like $400-$500 for electric.  I tentatively  opened the envelope, expecting to have the vapors, but the electric was $65!!!!  The swamp cooler we had installed has now paid for itself!  It's so dry here we're not bothered by the moisture.  I keep telling hubman that it's good for all of my houseplants.  (My former husband said when he came home at night he felt like he had to grab a vine to swing through the living room.  It's true - I love plants!)

Had a email message on FB from my son's ex (?), completing dragging me and hubman over the coals for all the wicked and evil stuff we've done to my son.  I blocked her from FB.  There's definite mental issues here - and I'm not trying to be hateful. It's the troof.  (For those of you who may not know - he's 42 and a total wreck.)

No plans for the week ahead except a trip to Target for sundries.  Oh, the trip to the vet, too.  I saw a cartoon last week (Pickles- It's the adventures of an older retired couple).  Their daughter asks them to go to dinner with her and her husband, but they pass because they'd miss Jeopardy!  I thought, "Oh, Lord.  Please don't let me get that bad!"

Wishing you blue skies, lollipops and rainbows.... Crap.  Now I've got to go wash out my ears.  I hate that song!
Happy Monday!