WEDNESDAY. . . . . .

. . . . . . .Today I ran my 'blizzard suit' through the washing machine for the first time in about four years. I had no idea it would look so good. Now, when spring fishing arrives, I will be prepared for those cold afternoons down at the river. I also got caught up with the rest of my laundry. Now my packing can begin. The blue skies and sunshine made for a nice day but too cold for me to consider going out for a walk. Roy even delivered my mail to the door, he reminded me that this was the last time this year that he would be doing that. I thanked him, he's a nice guy.

TUESDAY. . . . . . .

. . . . . . Another quiet day on Pleasant Hill.  The sunshine and blue skies were nice  but the temperature never got above 46. My barometer got to 30.566 this afternoon, the highest reading I have ever seen from it. The forecast for snow early next week has been changed to rain. I do hope it remains no more than that.

ChiChi is doing fine but is still walking three legged. His ability to jump into the chair with me has not been impaired though. I discovered that he likes apples, I had read it somewhere and tried it out. Good dog!

MONDAY. . . . .

. . . .  .The weather was cold but clear today, it would have been a nice day to take the dog for a walk but I washed the car instead. I think it takes more energy to do that than to walk two miles. The only problem is that the dog got no exercise. Life is tough for dogs. This washing is probably the last time this winter that the car gets cleaned, I hope it stays that way for the next week or so. I like to come home to a sparkling car in the spring. I saw a weather report saying snow is expected early next week. I hope that doesn't come about. Getting to the airport in the snow is not my idea of a good time.

SUNDAY. . . . .

. . . . .This turned out to be a football-popcorn and movie day. The real excitement was when several deer walked by the living room window. A couple of them stopped at the window and for a few seconds and watched me watching TV. I got up from the chair to get my camera and they spooked like I had shot at them or something. I did get a picture of a small buck, can you make out his horns?

SATURDAY. . . . .

 . . . . . .ChiChi and I were inside all day today. He did get out once or twice to bark at the neighbors but that was about it. Roy delivered the mail to my door so I didn't even walk the six feet to my mailbox. Rain fell most of the day.

FRIDAY. . . . . .

. . . . .ChiChi got a bath this afternoon. For the second time in his life he did not attack me, well, maybe a little bit, but nothing serious. I had the leather gloves near by but didn't need them. I failed to close the doggy door so the first thing he did after getting dried off was to run outside and roll around in the gravel driveway. I am a slow learner and that dog is always one step ahead of me. The weather was nice enough for a walk this afternoon but I chickened out and stayed inside. My bad.

CHRISTMAS DAY

. . . . . . . . .I was surprised to find that there were no football games today. I was then surprised that NASCAR opened its season this afternoon. So I watched the races and even took doggy for a walk. We went in a different direction and I would guess it was a bit over two miles. It was still the same general location down to the flat lands near the river but we never did see the river itself. It turned out to be a quiet day, just the kind we both like. Some sprinkles fell on the way back from the walk but nothing serious.

WEDNESDAY. . . . . .

 . . . . . .I left doggy home today while I went shopping for some apples and milk. He was limping a bit more than usual and I suppose that was because of the walk we went on yesterday.  I also left him home this evening while I drove to Teigens for the Family Christmas celebration and gift opening. Colton of course was the center of attention since he is only six years old. H made out like a bandit and everyone was happy. Sol and Amber were there as well as Ron's Mom. The party was over I and I left a few minutes before 7MP because the Teigens were going to church services at that hour.  It was a great day, a nice Christmas, again.

TUESDAY. . . . . .

. . . . . .Little doggy and I are pleased to announce that we walked two miles this afternoon. He favored one back leg due to arthritis but at no point did he appear to be unhappy about being out and about. I believe the new medicine is working for him. .  .  .  . We did not get rained on but were happy to get home when we did because rain was seen falling shortly after. Received a nice phone call from my Brother Leonard in Shreveport today. All is fine there except for the Saints, who are not feeling real, real well these days.  

MONDAY . . . . . .

. . . . . I did get out of the house today, it felt good too!   I delivered Bill his Christmas present and met his caregiver. He was still asleep when I arrived about 10:30, she insisted on waking him because he gets so little company. I didn't stay long because I have a lot of trouble carrying on a conversation with the guy. He seldom says anything that moves the conversation forward.   After leaving there I stopped by a Pet hospital looking for some pain meds for the doggy's arthritis but they had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned Cosequin [that Joanne recommended] or Arnica Montana [that Caren gave me samples of]. She also made no effort to offer anything else. She did mention that I should try a feed store and on the way home I drove the West side Highway  for the first time in months to stop by four corners feed store. The man there showed me Glucosamine DS and it seemed to claim to do the job so I bought 60 tabs. Before leaving the area I stopped by the Castle Rock Pharmacy and filled a Depo-Test prescription that I had requested last week. I also stopped by Mel's and dropped off his Christmas present. He asked me to let Mary know how sad he felt about the tough time the Saints are having this year. He is no longer on the Internet so is no longer able to convey the message himself.. . .  .I then drove to the Teigens and played Santa Clause and visited with Ron for a few minutes. Caren and Colton were not home at the time. One of Ron's animals had jumped the fence so I left while he was out chasing cows. Tonight is Monday Night Football so I'm doing just great!

SUNDAY . . . . . . .

. . . . . .Doggy and I have been wasting the whole day waiting for the Seattle Football game to start. No walking or any other type of exercise but I did try to not over eat. Pleasant day in Pleasant Hills!

SATURDAY. . . . ..

. . . . . . . .The river is about three feet over the sitting area at the fishing hole and rising. More rain is expected in the mountains tonight. I'm happy to be sitting on top of Pleasant Hill enjoying the view. Doggy and I walked down the driveway to the mail box this morning, I didn't realize it was raining until I stepped out the door. The rain never stopped all day. Didn't hurt my feelings, I'm doing just fine.

FRIDAY. . . . .

. . . . .The report from Pleasant Hill will be cancelled today. There is nothing to report, I didn't even see rain drops. I just realized, perhaps that is the only news for the day. Be happy, everyone!

THURSDAY. . . . . .

. . . . . .This was the last day of bowling for a while and I did a good job of it. For me.  My scores were 141, 180, 147 for a daily average of 156. The fun part was that during the first two games I was the top scorer on my team. That should tell you how long it will be before we all turn Pro.  I will return to the league around the middle of March. . . . .I went to Safeway after bowling and for a guy who is trying to empty his fridge I spent a lot of money. That store is going to roll out the red carpet for me each time I pull in their lot if this keeps up. I bet a lot of you feel the same way.

WEDNESDAY. . . . .

. . . . . The rain arrived late this afternoon. Of course that is not news for this time of year but things are so quiet that there really is nothing else to write about. ChiChi and I napped a lot today and I must report that he is feeling a lot better with the meds that Caren gave us to use. I will be out shopping tomorrow and pick up the Cosequin that Joanne recommended. It was a good day . . . .Tomorrow is bowling day, the last games of the winter league for me until I get back in late March. I hope I do well.

TUESDAY. . . . . .

. . . . . Doggy and I made a short trip to the Teigen's house this afternoon. That suitcase I will no longer use now has a new home since Caren was nice enough to take it off my hands. We were home again around 2PM; just in time to feed the starving dog. .  .  .  We have decided that Chi Chi has a case of arthritis in his hind quarters, Caren gave me some doggy pain pills, I hope they help the little guy. His tenth Birthday is arriving in April.

MONDAY. . . .

. . . . .I finished my Christmas shopping today. This is the third time I have made this announcement. Things keep coming up and I remind myself that I should have taken care of it long ago.. . . . I was home by noon, very hungry as usual. After lunch I put my shopping items away, some of the stuff was mine, but I sat the actual gifts aside to wrap later. I have purchased a carry on bag for my travels. The large one I had purchased is not going to be large enough for my needs. . . . So now I have a very nice suitcase with wheels I doubt I will ever use again. Any body want it? Its free. I may even deliver. Depending. Life is so uncertain. 

SUNDAY. . . . .

. . . . . .This was a fine day for a walk down the hill to the river; not too cold as long as were were able to stay out of the shade cast by the trees along the path, and certainly bright enough with no clouds in the dark blue sky. At first I was reluctant to go because the dog has been favoring his right rear leg for several days but he was happy about the idea and led the way most of the time. On the way back he was not leading but did a good job of keeping up. In the afternoon he napped a lot while I watched football and generally relaxed. I also had done the laundry earlier in the morning, it's nice to have that chore all caught up. I have one shirt that perhaps need to be ironed. Maybe one day. Maybe not.

SATURDAY. . . . . . .

. . . . . .Spent a good part of the day working on my computer, attempting to clean up a bunch of stuff I thought I didn't need. After I was finished I had to go to my Delete file and restore a bunch if it. Shows how much I know about computers. I am still trying to figure out why my document files are also listed in Window Photo Gallery. When I attempt to remove them from Window Photo they also are removed from Documents. I am convinced I have gotten something screwed up along the way. Just life in the big city, I guess.

FRIDAY. . . . .

. . . . . Just another quiet day on top of Pleasant Hill! The river is too high to go fishing and the fields are too wet to plow so I stayed home and kicked the dog.

THURSDAY. . . . . . .

. . . .  .My bowling was very stinky today. I averaged only 139 for the three lines but I'm happy to say we won. My league average has gone down to 149 and after today I am sure it will be 147 or 148 next week when I next bowl. I really didn't want to leave for the winter with my average below 150 but it looks like that is something I will have to live with. I did win three dollars on  my lotto ticket though.

WEDNESDAY. . . . . .

. . . . . . .The weather was far from good but I am happy there was no snow or ice. I drove into town to attend the Class of 52 Annual Christmas Party. I arrived at ten AM to help with the setup and stayed after the clean up detail was on their way out the door. That does not count the caterers, they were still in the kitchen when I left at about 3PM. I enjoyed myself, George and June asked me to use their camera and fill it with pictures for them so I did that and really got a kick out of it. They are not computer literate so they take the camera to one of the local locations and pay to have prints made. I did partake in some of the Champagne and Orange juice that was available, that is beyond a doubt my favorite vegetable. . . . . I purchased a set of earphones a while back and this afternoon I hooked them up to my HD TV set that has surround sound available but I don't have the speakers for and found that the new sound is really fantastic. My hearing is going to pot but the headset really improves things. For instance I never knew that when  a scene takes place in a restaurant or other "public" place there are appropriate sounds in the background. I was surprised to hear that . . .Little doggy was happy to see me get home because he usually can expect his dinner about 2PM and I didn't show up till an hour later. Life is tough on little dogs around here.

TUESDAY. . . . ..

. . . . .This was the day that I meet with the gang of '52' for lunch and catching up. There were only eight of us for this gathering but we had as much fun as we would with twice that many. Tomorrow will be the Annual Christmas Party for the Class of '52' so I will be seeing them there also. Along with, we hope, many others. . . . . After bowling I stopped by the bowling alley to try my luck. It seems every time I walk into that place I must learn how to bowl all over again. My first two games ended up with a score of 116 and 117. That was a bad start and I talked to myself enough to come back with a 152,175 and 168. My average for the day was 145 but for the last three games it was 162. I do my best to put a bright hallo on my dark cloud of results. . . . . Safeway was happy to see me stop by today. I spent about one hundred dollars on gasoline and groceries. I am trying to empty the fridge so nothing will spoil while I'm gone for the winter. It still surprises me that I have to spend so much just to slide by for the balance of the month. Life is tough.

MONDAY . . . . . .

. . . . . There appears to be a large storm off the coast but we are only on the edge of it so the rain is not really terrible; but it is still rain. Little doggy and I stayed inside all day except for the six steps to the mail box and a few more to the trash can. In both cases I could tell he wanted to continue the walk but I was not about to do that. A year ago he was walking around favoring his left hind leg and I find for the past couple of days he has been limping on the right one. Perhaps he pulled a muscle the last time we walked. I will keep an eye on him, he does not seem to be in pain and wants to go hiking on three legs. 

SUNDAY. . . . .

. . . . .The river level is at 37 feet so that rules out any fishing at the fishing hole. Doggy and I spent the day enjoying football, popcorn and commercial free movies. It would be nice if the weather would cooperate so I could talk myself into taking the dog out for a walk but it ain't happening. I will be pleased when the big bird carries me away for the winter and I can get in some exercise in the warm sunshine. 

SATURDAY. . . . ..

. . . . . Another nothing day in Pleasant Hill. I did watch a football game until the score became something like two much to zero and turned it off. Did a lot of reading and napping, enjoyed the rain best I could and generally got fatter.

FRIDAY. . . .

I wasted most of the day on the computer. In the afternoon I pigged out in front of the TV but began to feel sluggish by 5PM so I began an exercise program during commercial breaks. Actually found myself on my 'stepper' again, for the first time in many months. I think the weather was nice enough to go hiking with doggy  but I never did get around to it. We did walk out to the mail box and back to post a letter. That amounted to about two minutes in the fresh air. Poor dog didn't want to come back in the house. He likes hiking more than I. Some one has to have the smarts around here.

THURSDAY. . . . .

 . . . . . My bowling sucked canal water today. 147-135-146= 143 for the day. We lost two of the three lines as well as the daily score. We were playing the Kelso Elks Team. Four young ladies about my age who put us through the ringer. I mentioned to my team mate, Ed that perhaps next week we would draw a weaker team to play against, his response was that WE are the weaker team. Actually out of 28 teams we are presently in 13 place. . . . . . I received a nice long letter from a lady I have known since 1965 in California. Her Son found my address on the Internet and she wrote me to say howdy. The last time I saw her she was confined to bed at home being fed through a feeding tube going directly into her stomach. Now she is in a rest home wandering around in a wheel chair. She is attempting to find the money to get back on line. She wants to buy a laptop and I am tempted to help her out. Right now Thursday Night Football is on TV so I think I will catch the end of the game.

WEDNESDAY. . . . . . .

. . . . . .I am glad I left for Vancouver early today. When I got to where the Doctors office was the last time I visited I was told the new office was across the street so I left the car parked where it was and walked across the street. After wandering around in that building for a while a Tech asked me if she could help and I took her up on it. After two phone calls she discovered where my doctor was located and walked me to the entrance of her building and pointed across another street and told me that was the correct building. I had originally crossed the wrong street. Sounds like something I would do, right?  Any way the doctor gave me my annual finger wave and said I had the Prostate of a 60 year old. The good news is that it is no worse than it was a year ago. My next appointment with him is next December. . . . . . After driving home I stopped by the bowling alley to get myself primed for tomorrow's league effort. I bowled five lines and averaged 160.2. I was a happy boy! The fun part will be when I fail to do as well tomorrow. . . . . I also have to brag about my Chess rating, for years my rating has been in the low 1800's {2500 is pretty darned good} but for the past few weeks my rating has bounced up to 1950. I have no idea what that is all about but I feel very good about it. . . . I think I failed to mention that doggy and I got in a two mile walk yesterday and my weight is near 200 pounds. If this continues I will lose my girlish figure.

TUESDAY. . . . . .

. . . . .  .I had an early lunch today then left for town for some shopping and to try my luck at the bowling alley. I was surprised to find that the bowling alley was stuffed with people and would not have an open lane until after noon-thirty. . . . .I then proceeded to the market, in this case WalMart in search of some groceries and look for Stereo Speakers for my TV but was unable to find any that turned me on. After purchasing the groceries I returned home.  Earlier in the day I had been having trouble with my computer monitor, it was blanking out on me and as the morning progressed it got worse. I turned it off before leaving for town. My hope was that it would cure itself after a little rest, fat chance. When I got home and turned it on there was no 'picture' at all. Dead monitor, I decided. I phoned Caren and asked her what she thought of the symptoms and she agreed that it was truly dead. I then drove back to WalMart and purchased a new monitor. I am now the proud owner of a 27'' computer monitor. It is almost too large for the  available space but it will be great when I get back to my Flight Simulator. Luckily I have a little money set aside for such emergencies and I don't feel the financial pinch that most would experience. The old monitor lasted seven years and that is the same age as my computer, makes me wonder what's next. At least my Christmas shopping is all finished and the credit card balance is again zero. All I need now is a full tank of gas and I can consider myself a rich American.

MONDAY . . . . .

. . . . The thermometer outside my living room window told me it was 24 degrees this morning. Again the sun was bright and shiny for most of the day. There were a few light clouds but that did not keep the dog and I from a two mile walk this afternoon.. . . . . . When we returned from out walk Mrs Hill asked me to install a new Modem she had purchased a week ago. Poor lady had been without email access for all of that time because she was unable to figure it out how to install the thing. It turned out to be no big problem but I am sure some of the physical gyrations necessary to run those various cords would have been a problem. I was able to get the computer back on line but I don't like feeling responsible for stuff like that. When I got back to the house it was getting dark and the crazy dog wanted to go for another walk. Fat chance of that.