Summer's last blast? (hopefully...)

The forecasters say it will be 112 degrees here today.  Oh, joy!  But, after this weekend, temps will be coming down.  We will have morning temps in the 70's (it is 86 degrees already this morning, on our porch at 7:55 a.m.) and daytime temps in the very low 100's.  That's a BIG relief!  And, it is a big relief for our overworked air conditioner.  Our compressor is 12 years old and our indoor furnace/fan unit is... 17!!! We will have to replace both of these either this year or next.  We can't take the chance that they will break down after another year.

I'm staying home again today after being totally wiped out yesterday.  Hubby is having tummy troubles this morning, so he may only work 1/2 day.  Our daughter, who is also a teacher, is on day 17 of her BAD, BAD head cold and our granddaughter has pink eye!  OYE VEI!  What next?

So, once we get through these "dog days" of summer, at least the temps will be a little easier on our old, tired bodies!   :-)

Cheers!
~Cheryl Ann~
Oh, how I wish it was like this SOON!  Snow on Highway 74, last February, hubby and I!  No, our daughter took the photo.

SICK ALREADY!!!

It's only been 5 days of school and I'm already sick.  I have some horrible stomach virus.  I had a student yesterday morning throw up, so he went home.  After lunch, another one had a bad stomach ache.  I drove home with a headache, chest pains, and a general blah feeling.  After dinner, the virus really hit me.  It's not like me to come home and collapse on the couch.  I even sent hubby out to pick up some dinner, but I didn't really have an appetite and only ate a couple of bites.

...sigh...So I'm already using one of my 10 sick days.

Is SUMMER coming to an end?

We have monsoonal moisture here today.  Yesterday it was only about 100 degrees, but with a LOT of humidity (bad hair day...)More of the same is forecast for today, then, by the weekend, it will be 111 (or so).  I am enjoying all the clouds.

But after that, temps start to go down, especially nighttime temps.  We'll be in the 70's starting next Monday.  And, daytime temps will go down too.  So, basically, we ALL just have to get through the weekend!  Wish us luck! :-)

The dog days of August

A couple of weeks ago the temps rose to 113, 114, 117, and 118 here.  We are now "down" to about 106.  But, next weekend, back we go to the "teens", as the weather forecaster calls them.  Ugh.  Really?  I'm so sick and tired of this heat and humidity...I could SCREAM!

It was down to about 79 degrees Friday night/Saturday morning, so I got out and did some chores outside.  Our son worked on his yard all day (even in the heat).  Since he only drives down here on weekends now, they are either going to rent out their house or sell it.  He has a 5 hour drive from Fresno now every weekend.

Not much else is new.  It DOES look like I have a nice, little (HA!  25 kids) class this year.  They certainly aren't the HELLIONS I have had for the past 2 years.  Good thing, because I was REALLY getting burned out.  I'm going to enjoy this group, as the 2nd graders look like another class from HELL.

I'm going up to the ranch this morning to visit my remaining 4 horses.  I need to give each and every one of them a hug and let them out for some exercise.

Have a good week.
Cheryl Ann

Back to school and RIP Lucille

School has started up again, but I only had 2 days with kids this week.  I actually went into school every day this week.  Monday I got my fabric bulletin boards up and Tuesday, of course, we had a 3 hour meeting (...yawn...).  Then, we all had Wednesday to finish our room, sharpen pencils, pass out math books, and get desks ready.  The kids came Thursday and Friday.  I have 25 and they all seem like nice kids this year!  They certainly aren't the HELL RAISERS I've had for the last 2 years!  OYE VEI!  I play music for them during the 10-15 minutes right after lunch recess, when they come in all hot and sweaty, and only a couple of them have asked for water!  It also gives them a chance to sit and cool down before we continue on with our math lesson.

I lost Lucille yesterday.  She wasn't eating and her back end was wobbling and the ranch owner called me and said it might be time for her to pass.  So, my vet came out and put her down.  She was diagnosed with Cushings, she wasn't eating, and she was wobbling.  It was time to let her go, so I did.  She was the ONLY one of my horses that I ever rode.  I could probably ride Sunni...he trusts me, but, at this stage of my life, why take the chance?  I'm happy just to have them and enjoy being with them.  I don't ask them for anything.  He has been saddled and ridden by my cousin, but then he crow-hopped when her cell phone went off and she refused to ever ride him again.  Oh, well...sigh...

Lucille and I, last year.  She was a good, old girl.  We think she was well into her 20's...

Kids will be outside until it is 130 degrees? This is INSANITY!

So, one of our local school district, Palm Springs Unified, has decided that when it gets to be 130 degrees, kids won't be allowed outside.

130 degrees?  Really?  You've GOT to be kidding!

Look, I've lived here 40 years now and it has NEVER been 130 degrees.  One July, about 17 years ago, it was 128 here in Palm Desert (and that is in the SHADE.  Temps are always taken in the SHADE).  I remember because our air conditioner compressor died that day and it took the crew 3 days to install our newer, better system, which is still running.  I basically sat in front of a fan with a bucket of ice water while the guys did the installation.  And, I was 17 years younger than I am now.  Actually, the last two days here this week, the switch on our air conditioner breaker has flipped and it goes off in the afternoons.  So, we walk out and reset the switch and we are back in business.  We'll have to replace the units again, inside and out, before we retire, so that will probably be this fall.

But 130 degrees?  Kids outside until it is 130 degrees?  Oh, and it's for "test scores".  REALLY?

Here's the article:

http://www.kesq.com/news/heat-precautions-taken-for-kids-going-back-to-school/34730726

Here's the gist of it:

     PSUSD is in the process of adopting a heat policy. 

They have a ranking system for different temperature ranges with specific instructions per range.

Friday would be classified as intense heat. That's when temperatures are between 105 and 129 degrees.

At that point vigorous activity is cut down and kids are allowed outdoors for recess in the morning.

There is one step above intense heat and that's when temperatures are 130 degrees and above. At that point all outdoor activity is cut off. 

Other school districts have similar protocol. 

Desert Sands Unified School District said it's up to the principal to make a decision each day on the extent of outdoor activity. 

Coachella Valley Unified School District has a similar ranking system to PSUSD. 

I hope the parents rise up and complain LOUDLY.  This is endangering the lives of their kids.  PERIOD.

My school doesn't allow the students to even drink water on hot days before coming back to class after lunch!  I complained to the principal and asked him to "revisit" this decision.  Otherwise, I lose 30 minutes of class while each kid gets 1 minute at the inside water fountain.  I can't teach and THEY can't learn when they are hot.

Why is everyone being SO STUPID?  It must be the heat.

Final fire update...hopefully!

I headed out EARLY yesterday morning up to drop off my 5 bags of horse pellets at the ranch before the HOT weather hit.  I left the house at 7:30 a.m.   On my way, I passed where the motor home caught on fire (it had been towed away, thankfully) and I stopped and took some photos.   I came to the command center, at Paradise Corner, at Highways 371 and 74.  There were still a LOT of trucks there, but I did see 7 trucks from Kern County heading home.  I briefly followed them down the road to Anza, where they pulled over and waited for the 2 stragglers.  I was able to get a photo of them going by later that morning.  I didn't see any smoke at all yesterday and apparently the crews were doing "mop up" operations.  

 This is the spot the motor home caught on fire.  Somebody said propane tank?

 Some kind of liquid metal that melted.

 Charred vegetation next to the highway.  The fire quickly spread to 500 acres, up into the very rugged mountains with NO roads.  I did see a road that a fire crew hacked out and bulldozed.

 If you enlarge the photo, you can see the area on the hill where the fire burned.

5 of these trucks from Kern County were going home!  Thank you for all your hard work!

Fire update

Well, the fire is still burning, but it is CONTAINED.  Highway 74 is now open, so I'll drive up today and unload 5 bags of pellets for the horses.  I like to supplement their straight alfalfa and frankly, 3 of them now are on straight pellets anyway.  I'll take my camera with me and post tomorrow what I see of the fire (if anything).  We no longer even see smoke down here in the valley.

Highway 74 was closed for 2 days, so I ran errands yesterday and did some clothes shopping for school.  Our daughter says I need to dress better, so I'm trying!  Frankly, I have NO fashion sense whatsoever.  I just wear what I'm comfortable wearing and that isn't always the most professional choice.  AND, I CANNOT wear heels AT ALL, due to my sciatic nerve damage.  I'm now always tripping over my own two feet and a couple of times last year, I went sprawling across the classroom!  I just wear Reeboks or nice-looking clogs.  I HAVE to wear flat shoes!  I would tip over in heels and they are just too painful now for my feet.  Additionally, Ihave about 5 pair of boots that I can't wear anymore, so EBAY, here I come!

On another note, as I was leaving yesterday to have lunch with 2 of my co-workers, the Cooper's hawk appeared in the yard, in our mesquite tree.  I was going to let the dog out before I left, but we both scampered back into the house.  I FINALLY had to leave, and the hawk cackled at me.  I cackled back.  He cackled again and again and we had quite a conversation!  He cackled...I cackled.  He chirped...I chirped back.  He was quite entertaining!  I notice that he appears now, almost daily, for a drink from the dog's wading pool that I set up in the front yard.  He not only drinks from it, but the outdoor cats make the rounds to it also.  The birds are enjoying all the COSTCO birdseed and the bowls of water I put out for them.  It will be 113, even 114 degrees here over the weekend, so I'll need to make sure the critters all have water!

FIRE!!!

I was on Facebook yesterday when the first reports of a fire near Anza appeared.  Soon Facebook was buzzing with updates.  I even heard fire trucks leaving Palm Desert and going up Highway 74 to the site of the fire.  I immediately called my friend Barb, who lives in Pinyon, because one report said the fire was 3 miles east of 371 and highway 74.  She hadn't even heard about it and took off to see where it was.  Fortunately, it is moving away from Pinyon.  She called me back with an update about an hour later and was comfortable enough to drive down to Palm Desert, to COSTCO!

Apparently a motorhome caught on fire on the Indian reservation land, and vegetation near the highway caught on fire.  It quickly spread, due to winds, and it is now 500 acres.  3 firefighters have been injured so far.  There are water tankers, helicopters, and many crews working on the ground.  The Paradise Cafe is the headquarters for the firefighting efforts.

Here are some photos from the news coverage.  I CANNOT drive up there as Highway 74 is closed at the base of the Santa Rosa mountains and is ONLY open to residents.

Here's the news story:    http://www.kesq.com/news/wildfire-east-of-anza-sending-smoke-into-the-coachella-valley/34638322

Photos from The Desert Sun

9:32 a.m. latest update:   http://idyllwildtowncrier.com/2015/08/11/motor-home-causes-vegetation-fire/

Waterfall!

This waterfall was outside of Ouray, Colorado.  I believe it is Bear Creek Falls, but I don't remember.  I'd been driving all day, had NO lunch, and I was exhausted by the time we hit Ouray.  Really, all I wanted to do was just sit down and have some FOOD and tea!

 I had never seen a concrete tunnel like the one in the bottom figure and water was running down it.  We love to see water and waterfalls and we weren't disappointed near Ouray.  Hubby wanted to go there and find the meadow from the original "True Grit" and we saw several meadows like it, but the actual meadow is only reachable by 4 wheel drive and is quite a way off the highway.

Ouray, Colorado and mining area

We stopped in Ouray for lunch, but hubby got anxious and so we hit the road again.  We eventually had lunch down in Silverton and found a wonderful place!  So, we pushed on.  We traveled through the mining area.

Telluride, CO

We arrived at Telluride during a music festival.  The town was blocked off and we had to tell the operators that we only wanted to drive through and take photos.  We both got impatient to get out of town and get back on the road, but we would LOVE to return sometime (when it is less crowded).

 On the way to Telluride.  I don't even remember which little town this was...

 Downtown Telluride.  There was a music festival there and it was VERY crowded, so we didn't even park the car and just drove through and left town!

 Beautiful mountains...

VERY crowded!  NO parking...sigh...

Last week of vacation...sigh...

Next week will be my last week of summer vacation.  I honestly don't know where the summer went.  Well, I do know.  We went to Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.  That was an 8 day trip.  We came home, rested, and drove up to Fresno to see our son and visited Yosemite and Sequoia national parks.  Came home and rested and then took a quick 4 day trip up to Lake Tahoe, through the eastern Sierra Nevada.  Still, the summer went by too quickly.  I didn't get much done with the horses.  I did make sure they all got their shots and two of them got their teeth done.  Now I'm faced with a final week of vacation before heading back to another year of school...sigh...

While I would really LOVE to retire, I have 5 horses to take care of, so retirement right now isn't an option.  Instead, I'll keep visiting your blogs and enjoying all the things you all do!

Here are some highlights from this summer:

 Canyon de Chelly

 Elk herd outside of Telluride, Colorado...

 I think this is Ouray, Colorado...can't seem to remember...

Rocky Mountains

 Santa Fe, NM

Santa Fe

 Yosemite, of course!

Waterfall at Yosemite

 Lake Tahoe

Owens Valley

Leaving Lake Tahoe~Carson River

We left Lake Tahoe and headed down the 89 toward Markleyville, which had a HUGE fire this year.  But, this area was still GORGEOUS!  That's the east Carson River in the photos.  VERY beautiful!

MORE of Lake Tahoe

More beauty from the eastern side of Lake Tahoe...

2 weeks of summer vacation left! ACK!

Well, I realized that I only have 2 weeks of summer vacation left!  EGADS!  WHERE did the summer go?  I have accomplished absolutely ZERO with the horses.  I DID make sure they all got their shots and 2 of them did get their teeth done a couple of weeks ago, but then we left for a 4 day trip to South Lake Tahoe.  We got home and I spent 2 days recovering from all the driving.  I did ALL the driving, as hubby gets dizzy, so he navigates.  I had some 10 hour driving days up and back, and a 6 hour day when we drove over to Reno and up over the Donner summit.  I seem to have recovered enough now to drive up to the horses this week, however.  I have bags of pellets to deliver and unload and I need to let each of the horses out for some R&R.

Did any of you see American Pharoah in the Haskell?  Hubby and I watched the race yesterday and BOY, was he impressive!  Victor didn't even need to take the whip to him in the backstretch.  He just let him run.  What a magnificent animal!

Here are a couple of links to some videos...if you wish to view them...Man...I haven't seen a horse run like this since Secretariat!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teqfIIMQNJQ

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OelyWStFGv4

Lake Tahoe

We love traveling to South Lake Tahoe and we stay at the Marriott time share there.  One time we got a room with a balcony and blue jays came to the porch.  However, we haven't had a porch since that one time.  We spent two nights there and had a room with a kitchen and separate bedroom.  That was really nice as we could cook our meals there.

On this day we were traveling to Reno to go to the Whole Foods there and pick up more supplies and food.  We took our time driving to Incline Village and then over to Reno.  It was a beautiful day and the lake was calm.