Just a Typical Day

 Someone has become a beggar.  As you can tell, he's pretty focused on that pork chop.  For the first time ever, he has figured out how to acquire the most tasty pieces from my plate.  It's okay, he's almost fifteen and deserves to be spoiled.  I'm in shock that so many years have gone by so fast.  This kid has certainly kept me entertained!!  No, he does not get stuff that is bad for puppies, he only gets tiny bites of meat.  He has to watch his waistline!

Here's another blast from the past while I was digging through that cupboard trying to make room for more important stuff.  I won't tell you my age here, but I am closer to 60 than 50.  I ran the Nike Women's Half Marathon for four years before taking on the entire 26.2 miles twice in a row.  

This was held in the hills of San Francisco, and yes it was for women only, but they let men run if they wanted to pay the fees.  Back then it was beautiful and safe.  I would spend every weekend in the city running the route for practice.  There was of course the one time I got lost.  Apparently I made a wrong turn (before the course was posted) and ended up at a Fire Station near the old military quarters.  Yeah, they got a big laugh out of that!!  Now you couldn't pay me enough to walk the streets.  

There was also a San Francisco Marathon for a few years, but all of them have gone elsewhere.  No surprise, no one wants to step in THAT!!  I owe all my fitness and strength over the years to running because I ran for over 30 years.   It's a different lifestyle for sure!

With everything now stuffed in those cupboards, I figured it was time to sanitize the tanks on my rig.  That's always a fun job.  After all these years, I have finally figured out I need to wear old clothes.  Bleach makes lovely holes if you're wearing your favorite shirt.  

They make it pretty easy for you, with directions glued right on to the panel.  A few hours later it was done and I was soaked.  My faucet has some kind of regulator thing on it.  Turn it off too fast and it squirts water in your face.  I never seem to remember that until it's too late!

Next up I had a couple of returns to Costco.  I never know when to go there so as to beat the crowds.  Usually it's 8:30 in the morning, but on this day I headed out at 10:00.  Surely by then most of the early birds are gone.  

How lucky could I be!  I got a parking spot right up front and waited in line about three minutes.  WOW!! That's a first!  As I turned around to head out, the refund line was out the door.  Good timing!  It always amazes me ... one couple were talking about the bed they purchased before Christmas.  Apparently it was for company to sleep on ... and now they were returning it because they don't really need it.  Are you kidding?  And yes, they got their money back.  

Now to fuel up my truck.  Costco here does not have diesel, so I headed off to the worst station in the next town ... not the best part of town either ... to get the cheapest I could find.  It was a good test of my new truck springs.  Yessirree ... perfectly level.  The sad part ... it cost me $185.00 for 3/4 of a tank.  I don't worry about it though.  The alternative of selling a house and moving is not worth it right now.

Speaking of the house.  Now you see them .........

Now you don't.  When I got back home, I decided to take the lights down.  I have to admit, these were the easiest to take apart.  Just take out the center stake and squash them to the ground.  Slide into the box and DONE!!  

 I really did like the lights.  They lit up the front of the house nicely.  Maybe I should leave them up all year round.  Okay, probably not.  

That was it ... a not so exciting day in freezing cold California.  It did snow quite a bit in the mountains, but we got no rain here.  I hear there was more rain in Yuma and the surrounding desert.  Gosh, we haven't had wet years like this in a long time.  It's hard to know whether to take shorts or winter coats!!

Tonight .... it's penguin night.  An initiation of new members into the Elks Lodge, meaning tuxedos.  I sure wish they would go with Levis!  Maybe if I wear BLACK ones, they won't notice!!