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Thursday

Everything is great in the desert and it appears that all is right with all of you. However, I did have to take Luis to the vet yesterday he was in a lot of pain with spinal problems. $500+ later we have him on antiinflammatories.He needs to take it easy for about 3 weeks. No running, jumping, etc. So, of course, I bought a baby gate to keep him of the table in the trailer and he circumvented it anyway. I may have to zip him into his little house for awhile.



Steph and I are off to Gina's for chili tonight. Kind of an early get together since Ruth and Norm (Gina's inlaws) won't be here for Alexis' party on Saturday. The weather is great and I am having a truly wonderful time with my peeps.

I wrote - I really did!

Hello Everyone,



On Sunday night I happily sat on the bed with my laptop in hand and I wrote to all of you to recount the nice day I had meandering along the Schuykill River. I then managed to loose what I wrote. Sid reminded me that I should save while I am writing and I was so frustrated and just yelled back, "am I supposed to save after every sentence?" I was so annoyed to say the least!



Anyway, Sunday was a beautiful day and all the urban dwellers were out running, roller blading, biking along the river, etc.... It is definitely my favorite part of the city. Every Sunday, a group of very energetic roller skaters congregate in this square, blare really upbeat dance music and dance in synchrony. It is so neat, you could just watch them for hours. I was admiring them - as I always do when they come out. A lovely young woman starting talking to me, and it after a long and fun conversation with her, she revealed that her name was Sandra, and she was from Haiti. She had come to the US as a young girl and she talked lots about the wonderful cuisine she enjoys when she goes home every year. I even discovered that Haitians (and she tells me all Carribeans) eat "Bacala" You may remember the fish I described to you in the past. It looks like a piece of wood that you have to soak for days and then cook. It is super salty and amazing delicious. And here I thought only Italians ate fish that feels like a piece of wood when you buy it.



Once again the desserts are impressive. They look so delicious and I was really craving a piece of the chocolate torte when I saw it. How is Murray doing with his pastry creations? I guess we will soon be seeing photos of them :-)



KC, that horse looks sweet. Maybe the next time we talk you will be talking about your horse. If you need encouragement in getting the horse, just talk to Nina. I am sure she will convince you that it is an essential.



As always I am thinking of you all. I have to rush back to my work, I have another situation that I have to deal with now. Or should I say another bullet to dodge.



Stay well everyone.



Love,



Sandra









Hounds and Things

I had a competition in NM this weekend, but discovered my single running dog Durango was lame in his left hind. As a consequence of me having a free weekend, I managed to get some major tasks out of the way. It's a nice feeling to have the decks cleared (so to speak) for action. With Christmas rolling down on us--not to mention Thanksgiving (I'm not going to mention Bop's birthday, too painful)--I need all the cleared deck space possible.

Last Wednesday, we shipped our last two little puppy girls with Hans and Dagmar. They arrived safe and sound in Germany and are, no doubt, experiencing the luxury of green grass and lots of loving attention.

Here are some pictures of a grey mustang mare that has caught my fancy. Don't ask me why. A horse is not what I need right now. She's fun to fantasize about anyway. Greenbroke too--can you imagine me and my old bones going flying?!!

Tom and I have been sending good thoughts and vibrations Mike's way Kay. Where do these cancers come from anyway? Terrifying. I'm so glad his will be curable, more than likely. Hairy cell -- sounds very unattractive and that's exactly what it is.

Jessica is quite the cook. Is there something in the air up there in Seattle that's turning so many folks towards baking?



This is the green-broke 5 year old grey mustang mare that I've been thinking about.


Hans is holding our little Tornado x Aramis son Eclipse. They are waiting for the lure to get started. He did very well chasing the plastic. He'll be six months on 10 Nov 10.


Hans is releasing Eclipse's brother Encore in this picture. Like his brother, Encore had no trouble figuring out what his job in life will be all about.




Congratulations to Bill of course--20 years go by quickly. By the way, do those Halloween decorations stay up when court is in session? Yeow. Bet it gives the defendants worries about where they may be headed if their court cases don't go right.

Jess cooking - for a work-related shower (boo hoo!)

First a chocolate, raspberry torte.




Toasted almonds make the torte completely gorgeous!




This upside down cake was made with fresh pineapple. Too bad I cannot testify to how it tasted because I DIDN"T GET ANY!!!

Ridgecrest

The trip down was great. I came via Eugene, Klamath Falls, etc. Stopped in Carson City for the night. The dogs travel really well but you still need to stop periodically for potty breaks.



I am so glad that somebody in the family saw President Obama. Good going Noah. Bill, Congratulations.



Steph had stocked the trailer with food and toileteries and made the bed prior to my arrival. It is very nice to be in a cat free environment and to have a place for the dogs. The trailer is totally fenced in with a high fence so I have privacy from the street and from the very LARGE dogs in Stephs backyard. It is very comfortable.



Stephanie went to her 30th high school reunion last night. I guess she had an okay time. Gina, Steph, Alexis and I went shopping yesterday and then yesterday afternoon, Al, Steph, Crystal and I went to the Fair. Tonight we are going to a demolition derby at the fairgrounds because Christopher has a car and a truck entered. However, he is not driving.



When Gina dropped me off this morning (KMart shopping trip) I saw black smoke so I immediately hitched up the dogs and started walking across a desert field in that direction and it was a mobile home fire (mobile home park). Looked like the adjacent shed had caught fire and then took out the side of the double wide and the frontside of an adjacent trailer. There was a small stone wall between the desert and the park so I could only see the upper half of the firemen as they worked. Apparently, Gina's husband Greg was there helping although he works outside of Ridgecrest somewhere.



Nathan is a motorcycle policeman and boy does he look sharp on his bike. When I arrived at Steph's he pulled up out front and I did not recognize him. Since I know he is a motorcycle traffic policeman, I will watch my speed.



Sandra, instead of watching for cougars and bears, I now watch for sidewinders. My fear is that the dogs will try and attack a sidewinder and I will be rushing them to the vet. Not sure if they would survive.



Noah saw the President

President Obama and Patty Murray at the University of Washington on October 21, 2010

Autumn in the Air

Hello Family,



Hope everyone is well and I imagine you are all very busy. Seems like there is a merciless, relentless pace to most people's lives. Not really sure what it is, but most people seem to have so much going on with very little down time. I don't feel like I have adequate time to be able to write on the Blog at a leisurely pace.



Anyway, Kay I am sorry to hear about Mike who is suffering from leukemia. That sounds really tragic. It taks so much mental strength to stay focused on what you are supposed to be doing when you are suffering from a serious illness. I hope he can keep working up the strength to fight it.



Kay, as far as your adventures through the woods, I don't know why you would ever worry about cougars with those two fierce dogs you have. Okay just kidding. I guess when you encounter any dog, in the face of a cougar, a domestic dog doesn't stand a chance.

Mike Hunter

Just got off the phone with Mike Hunter - today was his first day of chemo but he sounds good. Here is what he emailed me earlier -



"I have Hairy Cell Leukemia. This rare type of Leukemia gets worse slowly, or does not get worse at all. Going in for chemo treatment starting today thru Friday. Dr. says one treatment 90% of the time, kills it."



So, it sounds like he is one of the lucky ones. He will send me daily reports on his chemo treatment to let us know how it is going. They seem to think the one week round of chemo will do it. He will probably lose his hair but he isn't concerned because it will grow back. He and Joanne just got back from giving training in Anchorage and they had a great time although he wasn't feeling a 100% and that is what prompted the doctors visit. Glad Joanne made him go. He is supposed to be bird hunting in eastern Oregon with friends but will obviously miss it this year.

Sunday

This is Kay. I am at the CV house waiting for Judi and Cheryl and boy is the rain coming down. Great pictures Dee. Is that window display from Jessica's store?



I wore Bop's cat jacket today. It made me a little emotional because she wore it so often. So, I think I will just keep it in the closet to look at and remember.



Tell Jess that RV beds are for people the size of her auntie - not tall people. My knees have been aching for the last couple of days so I am going to the drug store sometime today and see what drugs I can find. My car is road worthy - the mechanic went through it and put on new brake pads and then I bought new tires. Surprising how much nicer the car rides - perhaps having balanced tires made a difference.



The dogs and I went to the EE Wilson area and walked a few days ago and I remembered that Bopcha had showed me this area and had made the walk all the way back to the lake. Seems every thing has a memory attached. This time I passed hunters with big guns and bird dogs but it didn't appear that any of them had bagged anything. Beautiful water dogs and one mean pit bull.



Everyone here is on the lookout for cougars because there have been so many sightings. I watch tree tops and behind me - and so far the dogs are still alive and well as opposed to being a cougar snack.



Steph and her Dad are off to a Nascar race somewhere with a lot of older people and she said that her dad is really excited that she is going. Like I tell the kids - make a memory

Jess and Gavin in Palo Alto, California

Justin (played high school bb with Gavin), his girlfriend, Jess and Gavin are sightseeing in Palo Alto this weekend. They rented an RV. Jess said her feet hang off the end of the bed!




This is the Aritzia window. Flying cats - now that is an image we cat lovers can identify with! I'm pretty sure one of the cat angels is JB's Clair, may he rest in peace.

Work





Diana, that Dilbert cartoon made my day. I just printed it and I will be posting it around "appropriate" places meaning I will give to "friends" at work. The funniest thing is that I was sitting here in my office (my home away from home) reading your cartoon and eating an apple!!



See it's all true - everything. Dilbert speaks the truth!



I think of you all and I miss you - seriously. I always enjoy the company of the sisters!



By the way any word on Tory's travels. Would love to hear about them.



Love,



Sandra

Saturday

Absolutely unbelievable that Noah is 24. Can't believe my little Jonah is that old (inside joke-when Noah was born I got his name wrong and sent a card calling him Jonah. Well hey they are close.)



Judi and I just knocked around today. Went to Home Depot and did some dreaming and then to Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity outlet. Just dinging around. Then of course we hit the Dollar Store. Big day on the town



Turned warm just in time for the Beavers game. Have no idea of the outcome but I am sure our resident OSU sports follower does. Well Dee that would be you - what was the outcome of the game?



Judi did more work at the CV house yesterday but I stayed home and did yardwork and planted daffodils. Just wait until spring when hopefully they will bloom. My crazy neighbor next door keeps getting my big tomatoes as they ripen. So far I have only beat her to one. Next year I am planting them in a different location so she has to come further into my yard to steal the produce.



Oh the book written by Dave Wolske arrived. Sid can we say harp music dvd and/or this book will make Bill happy and I will let him read and interpret. I am perusing the chapter entitled "CDW Comments on Amillennialism." Actually the book is a mixture of a lot of things that Sid and Bill can interpret and argue over = when I am through with it in case there is a quiz some day. Perhaps KC would also like to read.



Hope all of you are having a great weekend. Somebody send me Tory's site so I can catch up on her vacation. P-L-E-A-S-E.