2/23 Anderson

Spring is not officially here but it sure seems like we are already there?  We are having great weather no rain and that is about all that is missing?  I think we are 10 -15 degrees above the normal seasonal averages for temperature.  It is still a little cool in the morning but the sun warms things up very quickly.

We are having a great week end here in Anderson.  Kathy took off Thursday and yesterday was her AWS ( alternate work schedule) so we are having a great 4 day week end.  Kathy only had a 2 day work week last week - talk about spoiled.  She was very busy and paid the price for the short week for sure.  The lab is going through lots of financial exercises to try and cope with the government's budget woes and sequestration.  That clock is clicking down very quickly - - 3-4 days to address the issue.  Good thing that congress took the week off last week to  think about it?  Not holding my breath that they will make good choices - - - not good business practices for sure.

Getting ready for Spring yard work here in Anderson.  I had to get a new battery for my mower - the old one was on it's last legs.  I also had to get some more propane for my weed dragon.  I did manage to get rid of  my burn pile.  I also was successful in removing one of the blackberry bushes that was hanging on the fence on the back pasture.  I tried using the weed frog but it would not catch fire - just burned a few branches.  Today, I cut the branches put them in a big pile and torched them and the pile was gone in 15 minutes or less.  I have other areas that need to be addressed as well but not looking forward to the extra work of cutting the branches.  Somehow, I need to find a way to generate a pile for kindling then let it start the fire ans sustain it.  I have some work to make that happen.  I know that burning the bushes down will not get rid of the bushes but it does reduce the size of the plant to a manageable area.  At any rate - I am happy with the progress thus far and look forward to having this project done in the near future.  The County will allow open burning for the next 2-3 months.  They cut it off in the summer after things have dried out - the clock is ticking!!

Kathy is deeply entrenched with her drawing.  She is learning a lot in her on-line class and yesterday she was able to spend part of the day with her art/craft buddies here in Redding.  Several of the ladies have opened a shop and has opened a workshop up to others.  This is beneficial for lots of reasons - that ladies have something in common and I am sure the creativity and competitiveness kicks in a little when they are working together on their respective projects.  I am sure the ladies spend lots of their time with babble but that is part of the process and the interaction is nice for all. 

Lots of fun with golf last week - got to play 2 days.  On Monday, I played  (holes) with several different people and was able to collect a record 156 golf balls.  I was also able to sell some balls to a regular at the course.  I also returned balls to several of the other regulars at the course.  I cleaned up about 1300 balls and found with special markings, I know lots of the golfers by their markings.  I give them their balls back after I clean them up.  This is a win-win - lots of those folks have bought balls from me in the past.  I did re-post my golf balls again on Craigslist but have not had any takers recently.  I suspect that things will pick up in a month or so.

Not much else to news - - hope you all have a great week. 

More later

Ron, Kathy, Tessie and Sammie ( the cat)

2/9/13 Anderson

Spring is just around the corner, getting warmer each day and hopefully we will even get some of those Spring showers.  January was one of the driest months on record - I think we had 3 days with rain fortunately we got some good rain in December which helped to fill up the lakes and lots of snow for the mountains.  The Northeast sure got dumped on yesterday sure glad we don't have snow and cold systems like that in these parts!! 

I am still not sure if the Baltimore Ravens are for real?   The 49er game was terrible - they did not even show up for the game until the second half when they turned on the lights.  The Ravens have been very lucky for the last 3 games of the post season.  They should have lost each of those games - take away 2 or 3 plays in the entire game and they would have lost for sure!!!??  Guess I just have to get over it and move on to next season?  If I were a betting person I certainly would not bet on Baltimore to repeat!!

Two weeks ago I ordered up and received my "weed dragon". I used the propane tank from the BBQ put it into service yesterday - - - - not really that happy with this product, it certainly works as advertised on weeds in the yard but does not do much for the dead or dormant blackberry bushes I wanted to burn out.  The conditions were not perfect so I will wait until next time to give my final verdict.  We had a pretty good rain Thursday evening and the wind was blowing pretty good yesterday - both of those factors may have played a part in preventing the dragon from working better.  It certainly burned 1 or 2 branches when I had the torch on but for some reason I could not get the brush fired up.  Previously, I have had good luck with the blackberry burn piles that I have created and eventually burned off.  Those piles were pretty dense and dry which made it easy to burn??!!  I did burn out some weeds but will have to wait a couple of weeks to see if the plants are dead?

While watching the boring football game - I finalized our 2012 taxes and sent them off.  The Ca taxes were accepted almost immediately.  Got a not back from TurboTax about the Fed taxes - turns out our wonderful government still has to finalize some our deduction items and our Federal taxes are being held until they get the issues resolved.  Based on their performance last year, that may take a very long time!!  We have some very big issues when it comes to our government financials.  It is a terrible shame how they are managing or (not-managing) our budget.  In business, one of my big jobs was to manage my budget and I was measured accordingly for my efforts.  There was accountability in that system  - - that (a) word is non-existent in our government.  Enough already - I can only hope they get their act together, our overall economy is driven by their actions - failure to act will result in yet another recession or opportunity to kick the can down the road for someone else to manage?

This blog has been a little on the "downer" side now it is time to pick it up and share some of the work that Kathy has been involved with lately!!  Creation is the name of her game and she is certainly producing some great work.  Each time a new project comes out of the studio I am amazed at the advancement from the previous work.  These pieces have been generated as part of  a on-line training program she is participating in with lots of other folks around the world.  Press HERE to go to the album of her work.

Pretty amazing how our communication media of today allows us to interact so freely with the rest of the world.  I am sure there are many downsides to this - one being the US postal service, my guess is that it will go private in less than 2 years.  On the up-side, the commercial carriers are picking up the slack and meeting the demands of their customers.  Last week they announced in Tracy that Amazon was going to build a new 1 million sf warehouse.  That will add about 1000 jobs plus construction jobs and the Tracy economy will certainly improve as a result.  I am sure there will be many other hi-tech companies that will come in to help support Amazon which will only increase the number of jobs.  This is certainly an upbeat story!!

Played lots of golf last week and yes got lots of balls as well but have not sold any yet this year?   My new golf shoes that I got last August were starting to split along the seams so I took them back.  Got a replacement pair and now I need to condition them from the moisture.  The shoes get pretty wet as I get out early and there was water from the dew or frost and now they are starting to water.   I have another pair of shoes that I rotate so I don't have to walk around in wet shoes.  The other golf folks don't seem to have problems with their shoes - guess that is because they are setting in the little carts and now walking much.  Lately, I have been averaging 27 holes and that seems to give me a pretty good workout.

Enough babble - - hope you all have a great week!  Also - hope the 4 boys (Pete, Bobby, Jodi and John) had a great day on their b-days.

More later

Ron, Kathy, Tessie and Sammie  (that fat cat)

1/26 Anderson

We can see the change in the season around us.  Everything is starting to get green, lots of new babies ( goats, sheep, cows and horses) and temperature ranges are definitely more fallish than winter.   We have had lots of frost each morning for the last month - now we get fog and even got a couple of days when it was clear thanks to little wind that helped bring the temp up.  Hard to believe that we are approaching the end of January already.

Last week end we headed to the bay area to celebrate the 70th birthday for the father of some friends.  It was nice to get out  - over the hill and yes we had the typical traffic jams and the overall density is very significant.  You can certainly feel the pace pick up when in the urban areas.  I guess both Anderson and Tracy are rural by comparison.  We did enjoy the celebration - the birthday celebrant is Indian and it was very nice to see how they keep their culture alive and well through food, music, dance, language and clothing.  It was a great party and we were pleased to be a part of it!!

Over the last 2 weeks I have been very busy making blackberry pies (4 total), and keeping us stocked with squeezed orange juice.  Our inventory of frozen blackberries was around 4 gallons between the two places - I decided to work off that inventory with fresh baked pies.  We still have about 1.5 gallons of blackberries remaining here in Anderson which came from this years harvest.  I get the fresh oranges from Redbridge - we have a lane at the entrance which has orange trees lined up on one side.  Lots of oranges to be had but nobody picks them - I do.  I get 2 plastic bags of oranges take then home and squeeze then which gives us about 1.5 gallons of fresh OJ.  I have been doing this for about 2 months and am at the end of the harvest season.  I suspect my last picking will occur tomorrow.  After that I need to work off the orange inventory from our own trees in our orchard.  I already got the grapefruit and 1 orange tree and have 6 more to go.  Guess you might call me a naturalist of sorts?

Kathy is working very hard with her drawing these days - seems that she cranks out of new drawing each day.  She does get stuck on some of them ( perfectionist)  but is able to move on without too much fussing?!  She is participating in a virtual art class with lots of other artist types all over the world.  She spends lots of her time checking out the work of others - totally amazed at some of their work??!!  I happen to be also be an evolutionist and it is very interesting to see how Kathy has evolved over the last 4-5 months.  A little guidance and direction has gone a long way - she sure enjoys the creativity and pleasure that this hobby affords her.  It will be interesting to see what new and different avenues she will take in the future??   I for one have no clue!!



Charcoal

soft pastels in earth tones

Yesterday, I was working outside and tried to get the burn pile going - it was still a little damp and would not start properly.  I also looked at some of the blackberry bushes on the fence line and want to burn then down as well.  I have killed the vines now I need to get rid of the branches.  I did some poking around on the computer and it appears what these country folks use is a "weed dragon".  This is a torch that you connected to a propane bottle which comes with a hose and wand.  The BTU is over 100K so that should be enough to keep a fire going and it will certainly work to burn of  those bushes.  We have lots of blackberry bushes in the adjoining pasture which are getting too height which impedes our view.  The owner has killed the patch but left the branches - - I might even venture there with my dragon?   That would be a little scary - it would be a very large fire and I don't have water hose long enough to reach it?  This one will test my courage!!??

I am playing lots of golf and collecting lots of golf balls.  I have only had 1 golf ball sale this year - several inquires but no other sales?  I suspect that will increase in the Spring?

Enough already  - - more later

Ron, Kathy, Tessie, and Sammie (the cat)



Sammie (the cat)

1/12 Anderson

Winter wonderland - 25 for a low and 48 for a high for the last couple of days.  Last week in Tracy is was also cold only around freezing enough for a good frost on the golf course which resulted in a late start?  It looks like we will still have some cooler morning but the daytime temps should improve a little.  We sure like the extra daylight - - - one of the best days of the year 12/21 that is when the days start to get longer again.

Lots of chores inside this week end, had planned on working outside.  One of my tasks was to get rid of my burn pile then try burning out some of the blackberry bushes on the perimeter fence.  For reason we are in a no-burn period so can't do that.  I suspect it may have something to do with the temp and inversion?  Not really a problem - - easy task for the near future.

Last Tuesday I had another tooth implant, actually just the post inserted then in 3 months or so when the post is anchored in the bone I get the tooth.  I started this process last year with a tooth extraction then bone graft.   This procedure last week took about 1 hour and at a cost of about 2K.  Wish I had all the money that I have invested in my teeth over the years?  I have included an animated YouTube video of the procedure if you are interested in how they do it.  I visualized the whole process as they were working in my mouth and it was pretty close.  Here  

As a follow-up to some of our tales of woe late last year -  this is what has transpired.  (1) Kathy paid her speeding ticket (expensive) and has signed up for a on-line traffic course, (2) the roof and ceiling in Tracy have been repaired and proofed tested with a nice rain last week (3) the car roof scrape from the garage door incident has not been resolved.  I contacted ( with pics) our auto body shop and they have not responded with a quote - I suspect that this job may be too small and not paid by insurance, I will work with other shops to get a estimate, etc.  (4)  the cows and horses have been moved and will not return - as the folks have moved to Red Bluff , we are looking for another neighbor who may want to use the pasture and (5) I took Kathy's car back to the tire shop or re-alignment, the tires were out of balance, not sure what happened with that?  We are ready and set for new challenges in 2013 - bring them on!!

Kathy has been very busy as she heads down uncharted waters with her new art mediums.  At present she is into drawing - she has several classes on-line which she is taking and much of the work comes from assignments from the classes.  She is very impressed with the work of other - nice process where the students get to post their work for other so so a critique.  She likes the interaction and challenges that these courses provide.

Last week she created a piece for a friend suffering from cancer. She collaborated with another friend in preparing a book of quotes to lift his spirits. Kathy's artwork will be on the front cover of the book. Kathy enjoyed this project - a little extra pressure as it had to be done a specified time period. I am sure her hard work will be appreciated.

Looking forward to Broncos (donkeys) football playoff today with the Baltimore Panthers.   We don't  have Tv so I am stuck with listening to it on the Internet radio.  It should be a good game - looks like they are favored which may not be a good thing?  I have been wearing my Bronco hat at the golf course and the peeps are giving me the business.  I have worn it in years past without any fanfare much different this year as they are certainly on a winning streak and I hope they can go all the way to the Super Bowl!!

Not much else for news - - - hope you all have a great week.

More later

Ron, Kathy, Tessie and Sammie (the cat)

12/29 Anderson

Happy New Year!  Hope you are all ready for the new year?  We have certainly had our share of NorCal winter weather.  Not really surprising as we should be used to it by now?  Relatively speaking for the rest of the country - the winter has been pretty mild.  We have only had 1 or 2 sunny days over the last week or so.  Looks like we may get another one for New Years day!!  Our rainfall is about 170 percent of normal and snow pack is even better than that.  We have just started the Winter and sure to come Spring weather pattern.  I think Lake Shasta is at 70 percent of capacity already the lake level is about 8 feet higher than last year at this time.

Initially, I was going to devote this page to a reflection to looking back at 2012 - - - mentally I did that and have determined that the good and bad things of the past are no longer important.  What is important is how we address our future both personally and as a society.  We all have our challenges and we collectively will address them in due course.  From a reflection standpoint it will be interesting to see how we accomplish our challenges in 2013?!!~  2013 bring it on!!

We don't really get out much while we are here but we did make a run to Redding.  We has fun at Harbor Freight - lots of cool stuff that we really do not need but cool to see whats out there.  Kathy was looking for "texture" to use in her art and  I was looking for tools and stuff.  We both made a haul and one of the items I came up with was a rain suit - old yeller.  I have been looking for one to carry in my golf bag.  This one may work, might be a little bulky but it should do the trick on the course.  I have been scheming on one for some time - they all ran $30 or more - this one was $8.99, what a deal!!

Kathy has been very busy with her mixed media artwork.  Each day brings a new and different creative opportunity which she captures and puts to canvas.  She enjoys the ability to express herself through her artwork.   She allows me to be the critic - she trusts my unbiased opinion and makes adjustments as warranted.  She worked in lots of art media over the last 2-3 years  - - most of her work has been directed at her potential customers, the media she is working with now seems to be directed inward for herself.  Kathy will find many new forms of art media in 2013, now that she has settled into her studio the creative juices have been intensified.  The only limiting factor is the amount of time she is able to spend in the studio?

I have not been very productive - limited on the number of days which I was able to get outside.  I was able to do a couple of things one of which was to remove the flag pole which was anchored to the front gate.  The flag hole is aluminum and in sections for a total height of 40 foot tall.  This Spring I will reinstall it closer to the house either anchored to the fence or a post hear the driveway.  I was also able to pull up some of the weeds that are cropping up in the front yard - with all the moisture they are getting a great start.   The rest of the yard and trees are doing great!!

We do not have Tv service (dish)- terminated it early on because we never used it. We do have 2 Tvs so I thought we might be able to get some coverage via the rabbit ears.  I started working with the Tv in the master bedroom - - had it ready to go and tried to turn it on.  No power - - it did work earlier in the year but dead now.  I did leave it plugged in and I think a capacitor on the power circuit blew?  Pretty easy fix but have decided it is not worth messing with.  At some point we may activate some type of Tv coverage and I am sure that Kathy would prefer a new flat screen tv.  Enough for that project - -  Kathy and I have gotten into viewing the movies and shows on Netflex via the Internet.  Kathy enjoys movies in general and now she can view them in her own space.  I have been using them as well and have enjoyed them very much.  The movies and Tv series are not new but we have not seen may of them so they are entertaining for us and certainly take the place of Tv dish service.  The only thing I miss is the news and Golf channel?

We sure get some great sunrises and sunsets!  This week end we got to see a great full moon rising and setting.  It rises on back of the house and sets on the  front  - opposite the sun of course.  Over time these kind of pictures may become a little boring?  For us we are very fortunate to be able to experience them in person each day!!

In closing - - we hope you had a great 2012 and which you a very happy New Year. 

More later (in 2013)

Ron, Kathy, Tessie and Sammie  ( the cat)  

12/22 Anderson

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to family, friends and strangers.

We reached 1200 hits on this blog and we can only hope the information we have shared has been interesting.?  It looks like we are on a 2 week cycle and that seems about right - this way I won't get too carried away with my babble. 

We arrived this morning in Anderson - they had snow that last 2 days but none in sight now.  We do have a system moving through an we may get some white stuff later today or tomorrow.  Our weather pattern for the last 2 weeks has been pretty consistent - new frontal systems move through each day - cool mornings (44-46) and high temps for the days ( 55-60).  These temps keep the fair weather golfers off the course -  have it to myself for most of the morning.  The course starts to get busy after lunch.  Speaking of golf, last night I got a order for 300 golf balls before Christmas, of course I was able to provide them.  This was a repeat customer - that was a good thing, nice to have some of those folks returning.  I have done very well this year with golf ball sales - running neck and neck with Kathy and her bus.  I have a pretty good inventory but she by far exceeds me in that category. 

Kathy and I have been fighting colds - neither of us seem to be able to kick it.  We are taking medication but that does not seem to be doing much.  Last month when I went in to see the doctor about my ear I actually thought about getting a flu shot have never had one before?   I have done pretty good avoided it for 4 years or so.   We are both on the mend but slowly.  I am beginning to think it might be better to fight it without medication? 

Kathy continues in yet another direction with her artwork.  She is into drawing and incorporating portraits into mixed media.  I am sure some of you have seen some of her handy work?  She is definitely getting better - much improvement in her technique.  She will have lots of time for creation this week while we are in Anderson.  She is very comfortable in her studio and I am sure it enhances her creativity??!! 

Several weeks ago we had roof leak in Tracy - lots of extra water and a nice big hole in the dining room.  The roof was repaired last week and the ceiling will be fixed soon.  Turns out the problem was not structural.   The problem is those pesky tree leaves.  We have a tile roof and the the leaves find their way wedged between the flashing and tile.  The problem area was on a flashing located at the front was supposed to help drain the water downward.  The leaves create a nice dam and the water then is diverted across the roof - under the tile and tar paper and then down into the interior of the house.  They had to remove the tiles adjacent to flashing then replace the tar paper as well.  Cleaned out the debris then replaced the tiles.  I asked about what type of things I could do to prevent future leaks - their answer was quick and decisive - " cut down the trees".   Somehow we have to manage this leaf issue much better - - sure glad it is seasonal!!   Wonder what the neighbors would think if I draped a blue tarp over the roof tiles to collect the leaves throughout the fall and winter?  With the fussy HOA I would get a letter in short order!!??

Kathy had jury duty last week.  It took 2 full days for the selection of a jury for a misdemeanor case.  Kathy was bumped and not too disappointed.  She had to spend the best part of two days at the courthouse.  She is off  the hook for another year/!!

Not much else for news from these parts.  Next week I will create a New Years Post which summarizes all of 2012.  That should be fun.

Again - we hope you all have  wonderful holiday!!

More later

Ron, Kathy, Tessie and Sammie  ( the cat)

12/8 Anderson

We are having a great "fallish "  week end, sunny, a few clouds, no rain and no wind.  This week end fills the opposite side of the spectrum compared to the weather they had here last week end.  Three big storms blew through and when we arrived on Thursday night we saw first hand some of the havoc it created.  We had lawn furniture strewn all over the driveway and yard, roof shingles missing on the southside of the roof and soil is saturated.  I think I have everything back to normal?

Two weeks ago we started a string of back luck of sorts.   In our life, we are very lucky but we do hit periods of time when things go a little stray?  Everyone has mishaps of sorts and some are major and some are minor - - fortunately ours are minor.  This list represents relative life issues for us.  It really started two weeks ago (1) we leaving Anderson, all packed up and on our way out of the garage, for some reason I changed my routine and I did not let the garage door open and proceeded to back into the door before it was fully open.  Now, we have a nice crease on the roof.  (2) Kathy was on her way to work and was traveling 5-10 miles over the speed limit and proceeded to get a speeding ticket.  (3) during the storm last week end we had the most rainfall in the 20 years of so that we have been in Tracy.  I have been fighting a roof leak in the dining room for some time and with the water extra flow the ceiling caved in and now we have a 2' hole in the ceiling.  (4) when we arrived on Thursday here in Anderson we found 2 cows (Blackie and her buddy Red Angus).  The soil was saturated and they make holes in the yard everywhere they walked.  The holes were about the size of a cup on a putting green,  Guess I should mow the grass short and then use it as a putting green?  I would have hundreds of holes to work with.  The holes are not really a big issue - - I can probably back fill them with soil but the real issue is the fences that they destroyed while entering the yard.  I spend the full day yesterday repairing the fences and other storm related projects. (5)  last Friday I took Kathy's car into the tire shop to get the tires rotated and balanced - a task I get done every 10K miles.  Early in the week Kathy reported that the car had a shimmy at higher speeds.  We all know that this is usually a balance problem but I just got it balanced - what is up with that?



Blackie's imprint on the lawn.

Solutions - - (5) I took the car back to he tire shop on Thursday and they rebalanced the tires and now it is fine.  Not sure what happened there but the the problem was resolved and she is ready for her next tire rotation?  (4) we contacted the owner of the cows and said we do not want Blackie in the pasture.  They know she is a pain and totally  familiar with her antics - - I never really knew cows had much personality - wrong, she (Blackie)  has a very bad personally and causes trouble wherever she goes.  The cows were moved this morning and I feel very good about that.  I suspect that the cow owners will want to bring them back in the Spring after the grass recovers?  My words to the owner as they departed were "Blackie is note suited for this pasture and I do not want to see her back here".  It will be interesting to see how that plays out?

Bye bye Blackie!!!

 

 (3) we are working through the roof and ceiling repair - I contacted the building superintendent, he is out next door neighbor and he contacted the appropriate folks to take care of it. He said he would repair the hole but was not sure about the roof - 1 year warranty not sure how that will work out?

The hole

The mess - and now you've seen the whole mess!

2) Kathy has to pay the fine and then sign up for the online drivers school refresher - that should be fun? (1) we will get the car repaired during the Christmas break - anyone want to guess how much that little stunt will cost us?

Tango with garage door.

Reflecting back on the items I have just mentioned they seem pretty trivial in the greater scheme of life.  At any rate - I am hopeful that the trend for these kind of issues has passed?  As always, we will continue to share the good and back anomalies of our very simple life.  We like our simple life and are very thankful for what and who we are today!!

Now that Kathy has her studio put together she has turned to producing some art work or craft work not sure what the correct term might be.  She seems very comfortable and in harmony with the workspace.  We are slowing moving all her supplies and materials from Tracy.  She is quickly running out of space - it will be interesting to see how much additional space she may need in the future.  She still has much of her inventory of  art show items in the dining room (Anderson) and that will likely be the storage for that stuff in the future - many items and many of them are too large for the studio.



"Let the song of your soul give flight to your desires.  Are you listening?"

Golf was fun this week - very nice weather, a little cool in the early morning but warmed up quickly.  I had a little fog on Monday but none the rest of the week.  It is always interesting to drive into a fairway or green in the fog.  The results of your shot are only visible within 10 feet of so from the hole.  It is nice to have the knowledge of the course - distance and direction are not really a problem.  I picked up a good golf tip on the golf channel this week.  I happened to notice that my iron divots were pretty small and it turns out that is because the front of the iron is angled up.  The tip I got was to keep the iron flat on the strike which creates a square larger divot.  I just dropped my hands - closer to my knees on setup and swing and that flattened the shot out.  It gave me more distance, control and accuracy.  It will be nice to see it it continues to work for me next week? 

Enough babble already - - better get on with my week end chores.  Hope you have a great week!!

More later

Ron, Kathy, Tessie and Sammie (the cat)