More Living Desert pics

As of October 1, the Living Desert will return to its normal daytime schedule, not the summer one.  During the hot summer months, they open at 8:00 a.m. and CLOSE at 1:00 p.m.  During the normal season, they open at 9:00 and the last admission is at 4:00 p.m.  I used to stop there after school and walk the 1 mile Eisenhower inner loop, which went up by Eisenhower mountain, through the washes.  I don't do that anymore.  First, my school gets out 20 minutes later this year, and second, well, I honestly haven't had the energy!  I'm hoping to be able to do that on the weekends this year, however.

We always buy the family pass.  That way, we can enter an hour before the park opens, and before there are strollers all over the place!  HA!  Our daughter and son-in-law had their stroller with us on Saturday for the little one.

A beautiful day here yesterday and a visit to the Living Desert!

We had ourselves a BEAUTIFUL autumn day here yesterday. Our daughter and her family called and asked us if we wanted to join them at the Living Desert Reserve, so we met over there at 8:15 a.m.  Both families had to renew our memberships ($75.00), so it was a good thing we all went!  It was PERFECT weather!  The granddaughter was in her stroller, but got out several times to either walk or to play at the discovery center.  I picked up some info on school field trips.

We ended up walking around for nearly 2 HOURS!!!  Even hubby went with us, taking the day off work.

After that, we went over to Whole Foods and bought sandwiches for lunch.  I bought some of their organic carrot Thai soup and boy, was it DELICIOUS!  I can see where stopping by Whole Foods is going to become a daily habit!

Here are some pics from the Living Desert, which is at the bottom of Deep Canyon.

AUTUMN is here!

I know that autumn has arrived for a couple of reasons.  First, the temps dropped way down into the 70's last night.  Phew!  I ran around the house and opened up ALL the windows!  And, we turned the air condition OFF!  Finally!  It has run virtually nonstop from May through September (until today)...Fortunately we had a $700 credit from Southern California Edison and that took us through MOST of the summer months!   :-)  I have a tendency to inch up the thermostat while hubby isn't looking, so we had a huge credit this year!

Second, sites are filling up at Thousand Trails RV park in Bermuda Dunes!  I drive by it every day to and from school.  It sits empty during the summer months and the owners trim all the palm trees and I'm sure they do maintenance then.  But, by Thursday, I did notice a few brave souls enduring the last couple of days of 106 degree temps.  Yesterday, it was down to 100 (I think...) and today, down to 89!  YIPPIE!  And, double digit temps for the REST of the week!  Whoo, whoo!   :-)

Finally, with the dropped temps, our nighttime temps have dropped too and we can sleep much more comfortably and open the doors and let the cool air inside during the mornings.  Right now it is a delightful 73 degrees!

Fall is JUST around the corner

If I can make it through today, fall is just around the corner.  Today will be in the 104 - 106 degree range.  Then, double digits after that, through next week.  PHEW!  Not a moment too soon!  I took the kids out for PE on Tuesday.  That did me in.  I was exhausted, achy, feet and legs ached.  I was barely able to drive home.  Came home and collapsed on the bed.  Turns out, it was a virus and I stayed home yesterday to recover (and sleep).  Hubby says it is going around his work and half the folks there have it.  Oh, joy!   :-)

Our Whole Foods opened yesterday here in Palm Desert and it was a WHOLE bunch of chaos!  Hubby drove me over after he got home from work and the place was so packed he could barely turn the shopping cart around!  We got separated a couple of times and nearly lost one another forever!  I DID stop at the juice bar and get a shot of wheatgrass ($2.25) and it was the SMALLEST wheatgrass shot I've ever had!  Next time (when I have my wits with me...), I'll tell them what a small shot they are serving!  I mean, it was TINY!  I wasn't too happy with that.  I'm hoping it will get me through the day today (the wheatgrass)...we'll see.

And, they put the wine area right next to the produce section!  Huh?  Really?  They do have a nice outdoor seating area (with misters), so folks can come sit outside (when it is cooler).  AND, they open at 7:00 a.m.   :-)

Considering the chaos of yesterday, I think I'll stay away for a week.

First day of autumn

No, autumn didn't arrive with a roar.  Instead, yesterday, it arrived with a gentle breeze.  A subtle shift in the atmosphere, I believe.  It was so delightful that I took the kids out for morning PE!  We played 4 square for 45 minutes!  I may do it again today, and maybe even the rest of the week!   :-)

And, it was barely over 100 degrees here.  By next weekend, the evening low will be down in the 70's!  Time to put another blanket on the bed, I guess!

Photo of Bishop creek, in the eastern Sierra Nevada, is from the Mammoth Times (NOT my photo!)

Seniors beware! New SCAM!

I recently received a bill from a "Professional Credit Service" (yeah, RIGHT!) for a bill from my local hospital, which they said was UNPAID and if I didn't dispute it within 30 days, they would consider it legal.

SAY WHAT?

The ONLY time I was even at our local hospital recently was in December of 2013, when I was hit by a kid running to kick a soccer ball and he ran into me and I fell down and had a concussion.  Fortunately, this was a workman's comp case, as I WAS in the hospital most of the next day after I vomited in the morning.  As workman's comp, since it happened at school, during the school day, I wouldn't be responsible for anything, let alone $269.00!!!!

I knew it was bogus.  I tried calling the hospital several times and nobody answered.  I DID manage to get a quick call in to the credit service and they said, "Ooops...er...it was an error"!  An ERROR?  REALLY?

I confirmed it that afternoon with a call to the hospital.  Right away the gentleman on the phone said, "Is this regarding Professional Credit Service?"  I said "Yup".  Apparently they have received quite a few calls and complaints about them. And, NO, I don't owe $269.00.  It was an "error".

What a SCAM!  Just imagine if 10% of those receiving bills paid them!  What a ton of money that would be!

I fired off 4 letters of complaint, along with copies of my now-"bogus" bill from PCS to various governmental offices in Salem, Oregon (since it is an Oregon based company) AND a law firm in New York City.

What sealed it for me is that one of my co-workers ALSO got a bill from them, TOO, for the same hospital!  What a coincidence.  Seems they (PCS) targeted certain zip codes or hospitals.

SO...if you receive a bill from them, PLEASE, stop, call the hospital listed and confirm that you do NOT owe them money!  SCAM, SCAM, SCAM!!!

Beware.

I made a mistake at the park and this is what happened!

Last time I went to the park, a couple of weekends ago, I made a BIG MISTAKE!  I walked around taking photos, then went back to my car, and took out 4 quarters.  The quarters are for the duck food.  You can guess what happened.  ALL the sleepy ducks heard the turn of the gears on the duck food and came a' runnin!   Good thing this was 7 a.m., before lots of people got to the park.  I was quite amazed.  For 25 cents, you get about 10 pellets of duck food!  That's not even enough to feed 1 duck.  AND, I noticed the park even took out one station.  There used to be 3 feeders...now there are only two.

THIS is what happened when the ducks heard the quarter drop and the wheels turn on the feeder...

They ALL started following me, begging for MORE FOOD!

Ravens!

This afternoon, out of sheer boredom, I went to the Toro Peak webcam.  There are puffy thunderheads all over the valley today, in spots, and I wanted to see what the webcam would show.  It isn't as hot as yesterday, either, and we are forecast to have RAIN by Thursday and Friday.

At first, I thought they were spots on my laptop screen, but I keep it meticulously clean.  I could see that they were NOT spots on the webcam lens.

No, they are RAVENS!  There are 3 of them that I can see...I often see them gliding along Deep Canyon, especially near Vista Point, where they stop to feed off the TRASH that people leave.  I mean, for a pullout like that, why in the world aren't there trash cans???  And, why aren't there RECYCLE bins for glass, cans, and plastic?  They (CalTrans) would make a fortune, believe me.  I've often been tempted to climb over the stone posts and go collect all the cans and bottles myself!

Anyway, back to the ravens...They frequently do stop there to enjoy the leftover McDonalds and other food items left by careless and thoughtless travelers.

The top photo is the UNcropped one, but I cropped the bottom one...You'll have to click on them to enlarge them to even see the ravens.

A VERY long week!

Last week just dragged ON and ON and ON.  I was home Tuesday with a stomach virus.  Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, I had to drive and pick up the granddaughter from day care because her mom was doing instrument rental night.  Thursday evening I had Back to School.  By Friday I was dragging!  I didn't walk one single morning at the park and I didn't have the energy to do so today either.  I took a LONG afternoon nap (2 hours) and feel better now, but basically I'm STILL dragging.

I DID get over to one of the mini-malls here in town to the shoe store (Famous Footwear) and I bought a pair of new, white Reebok walking shoes.  They used to be $26.00.  They are now $49.00.  OYE!  I also bought a simple pair of black loafers and a pair of Mary Jane shoes.  Buy one pair, get the 2nd pair 50% off, so I saved $26.00...I need something to wear with my long black pants when the weather turns cooler.  And, my old Reeboks I'll save for the garden.  I mean, when you have a 3rd grader say, "Teacher, your shoes are OLD!" ... you KNOW it's time for a new pair!   :-)

How bad was the flooding yesterday?

Here are some photos of the flooding in the Coachella Valley yesterday after the hurricane's clouds moved through the valley.

FLOODING here in the valley today!

I called a colleague and asked for a ride to work this morning because one of my tires was very low and I didn't wish to risk driving it another 50 miles today.  Turns out, that was a wise decision.  She picked me up and once we were on Interstate 10, it started raining and raining and raining.  It was a complete downpour!  We slowed to 25 mph on the interstate and our 20 minute drive took 45 minutes!  We couldn't even see the stripes on the highway!  We heard thunder at school and it rained until lunch time, when the clouds spread apart and the sun started shining.  Apparently Thousand Palms and La Quinta got the worst of it with flooding along streets and houses.  Cars were completely submerged.  Roads were closed.  Fortunately by the end of the school day, the sun was out.  We got a LOT of rain today and I'll have to check the news reports as to the amounts.

Hurricane near Baja...we expect RAIN!

As Hurricane Norbert moves its way north from Baja California, we are expecting RAIN!  Probably it will come Sunday evening and into Monday, but yesterday and today...phew!  THE HUMIDITY!  Oye!  I made the mistake of taking my 20 kids (5 were absent) out for PE yesterday at 9:15 a.m.  FORGETABOUTIT!  After 20 minutes of teaching them how to play 4 square CORRECTLY, I was drenched from the humidity.  Of course, THEY wanted to stay and play, but I cut that short and told them all to go get a drink of water!  I nearly collapsed from the humidity!  Phew!

I took a look at the Toro Peak webcam yesterday and saw this photo.   There are NO clouds yet this morning, but the air is saturated with humidity.  I'll check in later and see what the valley view looks like.

Not much going on here...

There isn't much going on here.  Hubby took 2 days off mid-week because the first day he was sick and yesterday he was tired.  Sick and tired.  Seems to be the norm these days...sigh...

I'm chugging along with my little class this year.  And yesterday, it WAS little.  5 kids were out sick, so I only had 20 kidlets.  Of course, my drug baby child was there, and he got green marker ALL over his hands and desk and those near him...sigh...what can I do?  He CANNOT sit still, he CANNOT help but blurt out answers.  He really has ZERO self-control.

I did manage to get dressed early enough yesterday to take a 20 minute walk at the park.  Talk about "water wasters"...the park had lots of pools of sprinkler water and the ducks sure were enjoying them, but, to quote my class this year, "COME ON!"

I didn't have my camera with me and if I have time to go this morning (and I probably will), I'll take my Nikon.

Speaking of having time, I came home yesterday and hubby made...CHILI!  Oh my goodness!  By 4:30, we were both chowing it down.  By 5:30 p.m., I was sound asleep!  I only meant to sleep for one hour, but I awoke at 10:30, and was wide awake, so hubby and I watched a pilot on Amazon Prime...I can't remember the name of it, but it is a detective story that takes place in Los Angeles.  Went back to sleep at 11:30...Guess I needed the rest!

September 1st already and fall isn't far away!!!

I can already notice a difference in the afternoon sunlight in our front yard:  AUTUMN IS COMING!  And, not soon enough!  While we've had a relatively mild summer here (knock on wood), I'm TIRED of the heat.  It was 114 Friday, 111 Saturday, about 109 Sunday, and today it was down to 104 on our front porch at 4:00 p.m.

I drove up to the horse ranch to exercise the horses yesterday and our local Santa Rosa mountains are...GREEN!  It's from the monsoon rains.  And, I saw a lot of wildflowers (yellow)...

Our mornings have been quite pleasant over the Labor Day weekend.  I was able to go out this morning and use the weed eater.  I want to plan for my sweet peas along the chain link fence in the back yard, like I did last year.  I'm thinking about ordering some hollyhocks and morning glory seeds too, so that the birds can enjoy them and maybe even some nasturtiums to grow up along the fence.  I'm going to bring down some old, moldy alfalfa that the horses can't eat and use it to supplement our sandy soil.  Oh, and some horse manure, too!

Here are some of the flowers up at the ranch and a scene from our local mountains.

Losses

When Quad colicked last week, I went into a complete funk.  I just lost my beautiful palomino mustang mare, Cali, in December of 2012 and the thought of losing another horse nearly drove me crazy with grief.  Fortunately Quad pulled through after a vet visit and a gallon of mineral oil.  However, it took him several days to er... expel all the sand he had in him and the vet said there is still some left in his intestines and it could be 2 YEARS before he gets rid of that.

I just read RV Sue's moving post about her beloved dog, Spike.
     http://rvsueandcrew.net/the-day-after/
I just wish I could reach out and put my arms around her and we could both have a good cry!  I'm still not over the loss of Cali and I still cry every time I think about her.  She was so loving and gentle!  She would have made the perfect riding horse for the grandkids, had she lived.

I have no memorial for the two horses I've lost:  Beauty and Cali.  I do have a chunk of their mane.  Some people send it away and have a memorial made out of it.  I haven't done that.  I prefer the actual mane.  I also have 2 of Cali's baby teeth!  :-)  Finally, I have photos of both of them.  Beauty died in a freak corral accident.  We believe she went down to roll one night, hit her head on the corral bars, and poof!  She was instantly dead.  I found her the next morning.  There were no signs that she pawed the ground, so we believe she died quickly and painlessly.  Cali wasn't so fortunate.  She had a twisted intestine and after the 2nd vet visit, the ranch owner and vet euthanized her on the spot.  she was in a lot of pain and was having trouble breathing.  I'm glad I didn't see her like that.  Instead, I have memories of her  running in the arena, coming up for a smooch, and nuzzling my hair.

It was after the loss of Beauty in 2009 that Quad came to us.  He had been sent to a large thoroughbred rescue near Sacramento, right off the track.  Fortunately, he never ended up on a feedlot.  I visited the rescue one summer and met Quad for the first time.  After the death of beauty, a fellow blogger paid to have Quad shipped down to me.

I bought Lucille from the ranch owner after her previous owner got 6 months behind in her board and was riding her all over town trying to sell her.  Lucille is the oldest horse I have, about 18 or even 19 years.  However, she's the only one I ride.  She is a gaited 1/2 draft, 1/2 Tennessee Walker.  She's very calm and the grandkids can ride her when they are able.

That's Beauty and I at my cousin's ranch in Garner Valley, about 2008.  I let my cousin take Beauty for 6 months to train her.  She fell in love with her and I nearly didn't get her back!  Beauty was a very sweet, calm, intelligent mare who would have made an excellent trail horse.  She never balked and was very willing to listen to her human.  Beauty picked me as her person and she would always nicker when I drove up to the ranch.  RIP Beauty, 2009.

Cali, my palomino BLM mustang mare, about 2010.  Even though she was a mustang, she LOVED people!  She would nuzzle our hair and almost climb into our pockets.  She LOVED water and would often stand in her water trough.  Unfortunately, she was in the same large corral as Scout and Scout would always chase her off the food, so she ate off the ground and got FULL of sand, which eventually killed her.  For a long time, I was so mad at Scout...I HATED her.  I have since forgiven Scout and we continue on with our relationship. RIP Cali, December, 2012...colic.

This is Lucille, the oldest horse in my herd.  She is very friendly, very calm, and very experienced.  She doesn't like the tractor or cars, however.  I am learning a lot from Lucille.  I got her after the death of Cali.  SHE will be the horse the grand kids ride.

This is Quad, my off-the-track thoroughbred.  He is a great-grandson of BOTH Secretariat and Affirmed, and he has Man O'War in his pedigree.  Unfortunately, he didn't have the desire to race, so after 7 races, he came off the track.  He's very laid back.  Our grandson, Ben, has declared that Quad is HIS horse!

This is Sunni.  Sunni was the first horse I rescued back in 2006.  He is too flighty to be ridden.  He is, however, MY horse and he trusts me completely.  He was the unwanted byproduct of a mare bred for her urine when Premarin was popular, like many THOUSANDS of unwanted foals.  Fortunately he was rescued by United Pegasus Foundation and brought to Southern California, to await adoption.  He has a beautiful, fluid trot, but, like I said, he spooks easily.  I'll never ride him, but he is my buddy and companion and we walk in the arena together.  He would probably allow me to ride him, but, at my age, I just don't want to take the chance.  My cousin was saddle training him and he did crow-hop and throw her into the metal railings in the round pen.  THAT was the end of his saddle training...sigh...Maybe SOMEDAY I'll get on him as long as my trainer is there to help me, but I'm in no hurry.

This is Gigondas, my BIG red thoroughbred mare.  SHE should have been the race horse!  This gal has the desire AND the ability to run.  HA!  I'll NEVER ride her!  She was on a feedlot in WA state when I found her ad online.  I adopted her and Beauty together.  Gigondas doesn't really care for people, although in the last couple of years, she has finally allowed us to touch her head.  She leads quietly and has never misbehaved.  I always wanted a big red chestnut mare, and I got one!

THIS is Scout.  In the wild, in a herd, I'm positive she would be the alpha mare, or the herd leader.  She is extremely intelligent.  She READS people.  Of all my horses, if I bring somebody up for some "horse time", SHE is the one they go to.  She is a natural born leader and she and I have had our tug-of-wars.  Unfortunately, most of the time, SHE won!  I've had a trainer now for 2 years and Maia has taught Scout some manners!  Scout now waits quietly at the corral gate and doesn't push me out of the way!  She doesn't take off running either, with me dragging along behind her!  She would make a terrific barrel horse as she is very quick and is built like a tank!  I'll probably NEVER be able to ride her...I'm just not that good of a rider and my trainer refuses to get on her!  I need a 16 year old with flexible bones to hop on Scout...sigh...She has been saddle broke, but NOBODY wants to get on her and break her in.  So, my trainer comes once a week and works with each horse.  That's my trainer, Maia, taking Scout into the arena for her weekly lesson in manners and polite behavior!  She LOVES Scout and spends the most time with her.