THE MAGIC CASTLE IS OPEN

 Here we are once again ... it's Magic Castle time.  Not the enchanting place it used to be, but it was considerably better last night with a new Boss for the evening.  Things went well for the first three hours of our night, since we actually start setting up at 2:00.

But first ... I had to do something to get the day started, and Kitters kept knocking stuff off the coffee table.  By the way, I was awakened at 4:35 this morning by a tapping of paw on my arm and a quiet little mew.  NOOOOO that's not allowed.  Go eat or something!

Next up was a request for some of my old pictures, which of course still live on not two, but THREE other computers.  Thankfully they all still work.  So a quick trip to Walmart was in order to pick up six thumb drives ... the BIG ones.  

It didn't take terribly long to transfer all my low res blog pictures to just one drive.  That's when I decided to transfer the photoshop images.  That is taking forever, but at least I will have most all of them on thumb drives for later use. 

With that almost accomplished, I gussied up for the trip to Bingo.  It's pretty much my only contact with the human race.  It was like the old days.  The kitchen gals and I had lots of laughs.  It was good for my soul.  

There was one oops when the kid who volunteered to make the peach cobbler we sold for dessert, forgot how it's made.  Apparently WATCHING it be made and MAKING it are two different things.  He forgot the brown sugar cinnamon on top.  It's warm I said ... pour it on and stick it back in the still warm oven for a few minutes.  Maybe not the best (it needed more peaches), but not bad since we sold out.

Because I was working with my all time favorite handyman on this night, we all had a great time.  Unfortunately he played limp-along since he just had knee surgery, which turned into knee replacement, a big infection and probably MORE surgery because no one thinks that doctor did it correctly.  YIKES!  I'm glad my only big problem was the van smog!!

There were a few slings and arrows, mostly from the experienced crowd dealing with the newbies.  At least none of them were aimed at the volunteers on this night.  

The good news is they didn't even flinch when I said NO TAPPING once again.  We give cash back, so at least half of the crowd pays with their debit card.  No credit cards allowed.  We did allow tapping last week until I found out it ran every debit card through as a credit card and charged us 3.6% interest on every one.  It's much less with a debit card.

So in spite of me saying NO TAPPING once again (and explaining why), they didn't complain much at all.    There must be something in the air!!  It smelled like skunk weed, but only from about four folks.  I digress.  

There was a bag turned in early in the evening ... apparently found outside the building.  They said there was a wallet inside.  I opened it up, only to find rotten food and what looked like a makeup case filled with bottles of pills.  I didn't look any further.  In fact, I RAN to the bathroom to scrub my hands.  This thing was FILTHY and DISGUSTING.  The boss said to throw it in the trash, but I didn't even want to pick it up.  No telling what kind of drugs might be in there, and we have had people here die from just touching fentanyl.  Well that was fun!

By the end of the night I was pretty beat and yawning like crazy.  Luckily the infernal machine was nice to me.  There was one incident as I headed for the door.  I was hugged by a gal who is a friend of a friend.  She is one of the kindest people around and actually gave me a fabulous coat when I commented on one I saw her wearing.

Here's what she said to me.  I'm SO very sorry you lost your puppy as she gave me a big hug.  I have the sweetest pedigreed Yorkie who I am breeding to a fabulous male.  In about five months I will have puppies ... and I want you to have one.  You could have knocked me over with a feather.  

I don't know if I can go there ... I said that's amazing, but I have no one to babysit if I fly anywhere on trips that I have been considering.  Her response ... I WOULD LOVE TO PUPPY SIT.  I don't think I'm there yet, but it's a consideration.  We shall see what happens.  Honestly, every time I look at my Facebook account, I see movie after movie about Yorkies.  Maybe it's a sign, but it's just too soon to think about.

And so I drove home feeling a little better about the Magic Castle.  It's nice when the NICE people work and we all get along.

The last view was the Hotel Tioga.  It's as old as the hills ... the first big hotel in this town that housed all the big mucky mucks.  One of them was Mr. Cooper, a cattle baron of old, who sold us our ranch.  The only one within miles that had cattle scales.  I've mentioned him before.  

They lived in the suite on the top floor, and as a kid, I got to visit them occasionally.  Going through the big round revolving door ... going up in an elevator with a grate the man in the green suit pulled closed ... walking down carpeted hallways (unheard of back then) to the door with their name emblazoned on a gold plaque.  What an experience for a 6 year old kid.  A true cattle baron, Mr. Cooper never wore anything but 3-piece suits with a big gold watch chain, and his wife always dressed in beautiful dresses and big black old lady shoes.  That was over 65 years ago and I'll never forget them as long as I live.

Here's the hotel today since being renovated.  It was once visited by Eleanor Roosevelt and Marilyn Monroe.  Now it's been turned into apartments, which is very sad for me to see.  The red lights?  I've no idea, but they change color every so often, making for striking pictures.

Lastly, my good boy Cooper once again.  The ball was never far away!!!  

FIFTH TIMES A CHARM

Monday .... Monday .... not my favorite day of the week for sure.  That hails back to working I suppose.  It just amazes me that I've now been retired for fifteen years.   Having worked every week since I was fifteen years old, and that's not counting the ranch work, it just seems incredible that I can now be as lazy as I want!

On the other hand ... I have a list of things to get fixed, including yet another light fixture that just fell out of the patio ceiling.  On this day I chose to once again go to the SMOG shop.  Big sigh!  I went on Facebook and asked for prayers.  I checked the code reader to find a nice GREEN check mark, meaning the permanent code was finally GONE!

Unfortunately, I checked the particulates too ... and they were at 96%, meaning it was going into regen VERY soon.  Maybe, just maybe I'll slip by.

The very nice folks at the shop know me by name.  Hi Nancy ... you're BACK!  Is the code gone?  It's nice to be remembered, but not at this place.  He took the keys and went to check the codes first.  Looks okay, you want me to go ahead?  Yes please.

HALLELUJAH!!!  IT PASSED ... though he asked me if I wanted the good news or the bad news.  The bad news being he wouldn't see me for two years now!  Yes you will, I've got two other vehicles.  I gave them a BIG tip and said lunch for both of them was on me.  They went above and beyond to get this thing done.

Back home I was a bump on a log.  I kept thinking about Cooper and needed to get out of the house, so off on my bike I went.  It was hot, but not TOO hot.  Wrong ... 5 seconds later it was WAY too hot, but I kept going.

Not far however ... about one mile was all I could muster.  I turned around, not even falling off, which is a plus, and headed back home.

That's when I noticed this.  Remember the brown lawn?

Gee ... what a difference a sprinkler makes.  He had to adjust two of them again, since one was hitting the window and the other pouring water out the bottom, but I think they are fixed ... at least for a couple months.

It felt like Sunday all over again, so I watched a little more rodeo.  Seems it's raining in Canada, making for a muddy mess.

It's hard enough riding these guys, but then you have to get off.  Rarely does anyone land on their feet.  These two ended up covered in thick mud.

The bull doggers were even worse.  They have to LAY in it!!!  Notice no one wore their fancy embroidered shirts!!

Terrible pictures of my TV, but these guys didn't get off so well.  I think the riding part would be fun, but the getting off WAY too scary.  Looking up at a bull belly cannot be the result they were looking for.

This is why they are required to wear helmets now, unless you are of a certain age.  Both of these guys got stepped on.  OUCH!  It cuts a lot of bull riding careers short.

The problem with sitting on the couch watching rodeo, is the commercials cause a frantic stint of Amazon ordering.  I'm actually looking for summer clothes, which of course cannot be found in the summer.  Everything comes from China and most all of it gets sent back.  It looks great in the pictures, but it's as cheap as it comes.  

That was followed by a Walmart order (this time a nice delivery guy) to get the ingredients to make jam.  While at the Non-4th Party, I was ordered to take peaches from the Dole Ranch and Nectarines from the yard.  I can make jelly or jam ... or maybe freezer jam this year.  I haven't done that in ages.

And so ended another day of missing my boy Cooper.  I don't think this will ever get better.  

DON'T BE WASTEFUL!

Big Yawn ..... good morning from rainy California.  Our sunshine turned into clouds and rain early on this Sunday morning.  The good news is it might even be cool enough to do some yard work.  The bad news is it might even be cool enough to do some yard work.  As you know, that's not high on my priority list.  Lucky for me, the rain didn't last long enough to stay the heat ... so I was spared the hard work because it was just too HOT!  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. 

Food on this day became a test of my what-the-heck-am-I-going-to-do-with-this cooking skills.  You already know I'm not great in that department.  I literally have a half gallon of that chili cheese stuff I don't want to throw away.  

I tried it on a breakfast sandwich of wonderful croissants with tomatoes.  Croissants don't broil well, but the burned taste was masked by the Ortega chilis.  The tomatoes soothed my burning mouth when I took a big bite WAY too soon.  This was a big NO.

Sundays are always the worst for me, and this day was no different.  I walked around a lot and spent way too much time ordering stuff on Amazon that I don't need and will have to return.  While cruising the hallways, I spotted this guy.  

Kitters has graciously volunteered to donate some of her old food that she no longer likes, to the outside kitties.  Rarely do I EVER see these guys.  I'm not sure where they hang out, but they are as elusive as a good recipe for chilies and cheese.

That's when I spotted THIS guy.  I've no idea where he came from, but it must have been a hard life.  Just look at those torn up ears.  It looks much worse in person.  The left ear is tipped, meaning he/she has been fixed.  

Miss Kitters was not the least bit happy, but she didn't make any noise and just flicked her tail.  The front is not her territory, but she oh so jealously guards the back yard now like a banshee.  

That was only entertaining until the kitties ate all the food and left.  What to do, what to do.  I again walked the hallways in tears.  Maybe I'll try quilting once again.  So I loaded up the machine, triple checked the newly filled bobbin and case, then hit the go button.

It actually went pretty well, though I'm super sensitive to the sounds coming from underneath.  I kept crawling under with a flashlight to make sure it wasn't wadding up the thread on the bottom.  

I held my breath a time or FOUR, praying it would keep going.  This one actually made it to the bottom without having to hit the PANIC button.  Sadly not Cooper approved once again, but it turned out okay.

Test number two ... chili cheese stuff on sourdough bread for lunch.  This might have been okay, except by now, I'm sick of it.  There's WAY too much chili and that hot cheese burns the roof of your mouth in seconds.  I forced it down with a big bottle of water.  Those blisters will go away in a day or two.

I really didn't do much after that ... watched a little rodeo once again just to keep me occupied, and I watched Kitters sleep, which is like watching paint dry.

Okay, this is the LAST try!!!  If this isn't any good, I'm throwing the bowl in the trash.  I melted it in the microwave and had Fritos and dip.  Yessiree ... into the trash can it's going.  Though the sourdough bread was the best of the three, it wasn't really worth wasting a good slice of homemade sourdough just to keep from getting rid of it.  

Ding ... I just had a thought.  It MIGHT be tasty spread on a grilled cheese sandwich, with lots of extra cheese.  I'll try it later on ... the LAST chance to live one more day!

Oh to pet my sweet boy once again .........

HAPPY 250th AMERICA!

 HAPPY 250TH BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!  What a celebration it was!!  Of course you know me, I would have been happy to have spent it in an underground bunker where it was quiet.  I love celebrations, but this was ridiculous.  It sounded and felt like there was a war in my back yard!  

A big thank you to all the Veterans out there, and our troops who keep us free.  Without them, we would not be celebrating!

I was pretty much exhausted from putting up all those easy ups and chairs, so I spent the morning watching COWBOY CHRISTMAS.  Beginning just a few days ago, it  continues for over a week.  This is when all the big rodeos are held ... including the Calgary Stampede ... which means big moolah in their attempt to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo.  The top 15 money winners get to compete in the biggest money making rodeo ever.

Here's my fav Stetson Wright winning the first day saddle bronc category with a 90 point ride.  This horse was HUGE!!  He better watch out though ... his brother Rusty was right behind him by just a couple of points.

On to the bull riding.  Look how high this bull gets ... and he's a mean bugger!!  They told Stetson the second he got off, to RUN!!  

It's fun to watch these very respectful kids rodeo ... and it kept me out of the fridge.

Mostly anyway ... since it was my job today to make chili-cheese bread bites for the party.   But first ... Kitters toys were delivered.  Let's try THIS one.  Okay, it was a big fail.  This thing moves around so fast she didn't know what to do, but she did follow it as it made the rounds of the entire house!

I finally turned it off.  It might be better if it went in slow motion.  Kitters was not impressed.

Instead she laid on the well used coffee table and moved the feathers around while I baked the little pieces of bread in the oven.  I let them cool, then placed them in bags.  Time for the cheese topping.

True to my luck, I could not find the recipe to save me.  I thought she said it was one cup mayo, one cup cheese and one can of Ortega chilis.  Simple.  Except that was WAY too much mayo!!  I kept adding cheese until 3/4 of the block was gone, meaning I had to add more chilis too.  

I think my good luck has found me again.  I tested one and it was a fail.  NOT the look or flavor I was going for, but it's too late now.

To make it ever MORE interesting, I had a safety pin in my hand while walking to the bathroom, tripped over Kitters and stuck myself in the eye.  Just a tiny stick, thank goodness, but good grief!!!  There was no blood ... it was just a knick, but really?  Now my eye is throbbing.  

So let's see if we can make anything WORSE!  I grabbed my thermal cup out of the cupboard and dumped not one, but TWO boxes of toothpicks all over the counter and floor.  Kitters ran for her life.  Please Lord, I'm just trying to get out the door.

Finally at the party ... I'm the only one there ... I took one look at my friend and said YOU SHOULD CANCEL THIS before you make everyone sick (as I moved my chair much further back).  Besides, it was so hot outside that 12 people cancelled.  It's too bad they bought so much food, but I'll buy two of those tri-tips from them for my smoker.  We made the phone calls together, I grabbed my stuff and headed back home.

So what am I going to do with 3 pounds of cheese sauce!!!  Dinner was cheese appetizers.  They were terrible.  The sauce was okay, but the bread was tough as nails.  What did I do wrong?  It was barely chewable.    

Lucky for me, as I walked into the house, there was a bag full of gorgeous yellow squash and tomatoes by the back door.  Someone really knows how to grow veggies, and it's not me.  Maybe some of that sauce will go on the squash.  

That's when the booms began.  Four of my five neighbors were out screaming in their pools and lighting off fireworks, along with Mexican music so loud it shook the windows.  I know you like to have fun, but could you be just a little respectful to your neighbors?

This was the calm before the storm.  Luckily the guy who used to set off the M80's has moved, or as I mentioned, is in jail.  The big fireworks party was out at Castle Air Force Base.  It was lovely to SEE bits and pieces but not HEAR anything.  But wait until dark ... it got pretty crazy for about two hours.  Even poor Kitters refused to go outside.  

By midnight it was mostly quiet, but that didn't last long.  The guns came out at 2 am and went off for an hour.  Who has the money for that much ammo????  If I had any fireworks, I'd be lighting them off at 4 am.

So ended our 250th birthday celebration.  Very early this morning, I'll be going over to take own all those easy-ups we put up.  Neither of them are in good enough shape to do it alone.  I'll just make sure I stay far far away so I don't catch anything.

My eye?  It's better this morning, but I can still feel it just a tiny bit.  I think a two hour nap might make it better.

And just because I love him so much, here's my Cooper enjoying the ocean.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

 LET THE FIREWORKS BEGIN!!  Yeah, not so much since nowadays instead of sparklers they set off M80 explosions, enough to rattle your windows and scare the heck out of any critters.  I think this year however, those people must have either moved out of my area or are in jail.  Hopefully the latter.

There were a few here and there, but mostly in this area you hear gunfire.  It quit about 10:00, so not too bad.  Tonight will be a completely different story, I'm sure.

I began yesterday with a breakfast of champions.  Cheesecake!! That's the one good thing about getting old.  You can eat any darn thing you want and no one yells at you.  On the ranch we rarely had dessert.   It was too expensive to make, but when we did, you were only allowed a small portion and only AFTER dinner.  I don't think that was because it wasn't good for you, I think we couldn't afford it.  Besides that, everything was from scratch, and even a small cake took forever to make.

First up ... drive the van one last time.  I'm hoping this makes 15 cold starts.  Oh but WAIT ... I check the particulate level and I'm at 96%. AAAGGGGHHHHH!!!  It's going to go into regen mode and I won't be able to smog it again until I do all that driving.  This stupid smog stuff is causing me an ENTIRE TANK OF FUEL!!!  I kicked the tires and went inside.

That's when I found Kitters latest Amazon delivery.  I'm surprised she was not more interested.  I gave her the catnip filled mouse and all she was interested in was the tail.  Finally she got a whiff and paid more attention.

She rubbed her face on it a bit, but really could care less.  It's still on the floor where she dropped it.  So much for those $$$.

It got hot pretty quickly, so I hung out inside and watched the Calgary Stampede Rodeo.  It's worth it just to watch these kids.  This is something I would have done if they had this contest when I was young.  These kids are maybe 8 to 13 years old and have to wrangle a wild pony until one jumps on and rides for two seconds.  

Completely wild and crazy these ponies.  The biggest kid tries to control the head so the second in line can jump on.  

But first, they have to STOP the pony.  Not the best pictures of my TV, but this team got him wrangled ......

While the second kid jumped on ... not the easiest thing to do when you are short ......

Then try to RIDE the bucking pony for two seconds with nothing to hold on to but a little mane.  Only three teams rode the pony, and this team won.  It will make you laugh a LOT!  Worst case, they hang on to the rope for dear life and get drug around the entire arena.  That brings a standing ovation from the crowd and the kids love it!!

That's when I got to work.  I've been looking for someone to prune this tree so long the branches were touching the ground.  I finally got out my big pruning shears and went to work.  Won't the gardener be surprised to find all the trimmings on the lawn.

And there's more back by the fence.  There's still more work to do, but I can't reach it.  I spent the next hour in the sweltering sun cutting about 1/4 of the branches up into tiny pieces so they would fit in my bin.  No worries, that HUGE blister will go away in six months or so.

That's when I got the phone call.  I'm going to a Fourth of July barbecue late today and they need help ASAP setting up all the tables and chairs.  This gal and her husband are great friends, and I would do anything to help them.  

It took about 90 minutes to set up five big easy-ups, six tables and 36 chairs.  I think I was hotter than ever in my life by the time I got home.  The oven in Central Cal has been turned on and is heating up to broiling.  I'm thinking the party tonight won't last long.

In the meantime, I have to make dozens of appetizers ... Ortega chilis, cheese and mayo spread on crusty bread pieces and broiled.  It's delicious!!

And so ended another day.  I only cried maybe four times.  Just when I think it might be getting better, it's not.

So Happy Fourth of July!!!  We The People need to continue to keep our country free from the communism that seems to be raising its ugly head.  We need to fight this my friends, or we will be in the same boat as Venezuela was.  

Say a prayer and raise your glass to 250 years of FREEDOM .... where nothing is free and you have to WORK for everything you have and hold dear.  Happy 4th!!!