Last Saturday Stevie and I hiked up the Two Trees trail. It was rather warm. We got to the top of the trail and I was hailed to my stepmothers house by Scott because of a water leak. He was mowing her lawn and edging around the steps and water started appearing. Back down the trail Stevie and I went. Upon our arrival, water was definitely leaking. It was coming out of the ground by the base of a tree and flowing downhill under the cover of the grass and looked like it was coming out of the ground where the lawn meets the concrete walkway to the house. Hence, Scott concern that he broke something. A plumber was called and all is well.
This Saturday, Stevie and I decided to go up Mt Rubidoux. It was warm today as well. I took plenty of water for Stevie and I. We went up a dirt trail as opposed to the road that everyone takes. There was definitely more distractions, as the area is used by more people with dogs. Stevie wanted to go sniff here and go sniff there. She got really excited when she saw a small bunny hopping down the trail.
On the trail over the top there was a steep portion that required a careful descent. It is in a area where you go over some rocks. Stevie was positioned to go down to the next level. As she began to make her move I did as well. What I did not expect was for her to leap out six feet and land on the next flat area of the rocks. Especially when she was on a seven foot leash. I was encouraged to move a little faster by gravity and a good pull as I was standing on one foot when I go the tug. Perhaps on of those retractable leashes are in order.
As for the hike, it was fun, I will probably do the four mile trip later in the evening when it is cooler next time. I will just need to leave about an hour before sunset. The hike took an hour and fifteen minutes. I can make it back the last mile or so under the lights of the city.
Elizabeth turns 9 months old today. She is standing a lot and holding on with one hand. She will switch between hands to do things like wave hello of goodby. Her crawling abilities are quick and stealth at times. She loves the outdoors and it is one of her favorite places.
Tonight I went for a walk. As I returned home, there were flashlights looking through things on the neighbors porch. The neighbor lost her house, it was posted a couple of days ago and from that day she has 18 days to get any of her belongings out. So, back to the story, she had some things on her porch. A Rubbermaid tote, light bulbs and some other household items. She may not have wanted them. However they were hers to decide if she wanted them or not.
A few months ago, another neighbor lost a shop vacuum of his porch. A couple of weeks ago we has a couple of strangers come through our front gate and look around. It seems like people have not limits to what they will do.
As for the couple rummaging through the items on the neighbors porch. They filled up the Rubbermaid tote with things that they found. I asked them to leave. The excuse was, “Someone was here before we were taking things.” I told them that the items did not belong to them and that they needed to leave the items and go. The woman kept digging saying that the stuff would probably end up in the dump and she was saving room in the landfill. I can hear it now, “Officer, the car parked in front of there house was going to end up in a landfill some day so I thought I would make sure that it did not by taking it.”
I though to myself, it does not matter if the stuff ends up in the landfill, it is not yours to decide. Being a good citizen, and being told by the police to call if there are strangers in the neighborhood causing problems, I chose to call the police non emergency number. The Neighborhood Watch program instructs us to do the same as we have an unofficial Neighborhood Watch going on in the neighborhood.
I gave them the police dispatcher address, the description of the people and the make, model and license plate of the vehicle the woman carried the Rubbermaid tote to with all the things that she had rounded up. The man was going to stay around, but the woman told him that they needed to leave.
He was willing to wait for the police. However, I was told that the officers were busy and could not be there soon. I was also told to call back if they left. The flashlight wielding Rubbermaid tote stealing crew started the truck up and off they went with the Rubbermaid tote full of stolen merchandise. I called the non emergency dispatch number back and let them know that the people had left.
Now that the house next door is vacant, I wonder if there is any reason to call if there are problems. Last time I called there was a woman and a man fighting in a car at the corner. He had hit her in the face a few times. She got out of the car. She took the keys and would not give them back. They argued back and forth for a good 10 minutes. I called the non emergency dispatch number that night as well. Within about 10 minutes she had sat back down in the car and they drove off a few minutes later. They were gone by the time police arrived.
So if someone is snooping around the house, you can call the non emergency dispatch number and they will send someone out when they can. If someone breaks into you home, dialing 911 might be more prudent. However, the same people answer the non emergency call as 911 calls. It all comes down to, are the officers busy or not.
As I was out visiting people tonight I received a text message that Stevie, a dog that needed a home. I had looked at Stevie a few months ago and expressed an interest in providing a temporary home as a test. However, an eight year old that lived a the home could not let Stevie go.
My thought was that we need someone to make noise as we have an alley behind us and occasionally strange people walk through or hang out. No one wants to hang out with a dog barking at them, so I had an interest in a dog.
So this evening I made the couple block walk to the former home of Stevie to pick her up. I will need to get the full story on her name. As she is an short haired English Setter from what I can tell, she is white with light brown freckles for lack of a better term. She also has two light reddish brown spots on her back about seven inches in diameter. As I walked home, I though we could get her a gold chain around her neck and call her “Two Spots for Sure.” When I mentioned the “Two Spots for Sure” name, my daughter gave me a strange look. Charles, our neighbor chuckled at the thought.
As for Stevie, I am fairly certain that she will keep her name. She is well mannered. Her only bad trait is desiring to get out and go on a runabout for 15 to 20 minutes. We cannot have that as that is how she became a “rescue” because she caused a problem with a cat that someone was walking. I will not ask why someone was walking a cat. However, to a some dogs, that is like bait on a string. So, if she remains good mannered and does not run out the back gate every morning as I drive my truck out into the alley, she will have a happy life and she will be permanently rescued.
As for Stevie, Elizabeth has taken a liking to her.
This week I pondered on some of the risks that I take. Risks where I know what the consequences may be. There are those that have unfortunate outcomes without knowingly taking any risk. After reading a post on the blog of Brigid, titled “Tales of Travels – The Science of Risk”“Tales of Travels – The Science of Risk” I decided to put my thoughts into words.
When I do most things in life, I cannot help but think of the risks involved. I used to ride a skateboard with my kids. That is, until I fell and cracked some ribs. I have a t-shirt with a skater and the symbol of the circle and diagonal line over the skater. I wore it once and a neighborhood kid saw me. He calls me “non skater” every time he sees me. If he only knew how it hurt to breath for several weeks with the cracked ribs, he would know that I wear the shirt with honor. Especially because my doctor told me I was too old to be on a skateboard.
As for risks, I usually hike alone. I let my wife know where I am going and when I will be home. Much of the time I hike within the coverage of a cell phone. At worst, I hike outside cell phone coverage, but within sight of one of the local HAM repeaters so that I can make contact. However, occasionally I find myself on a trail where my only communication would be a whistle and hope that someone heard me and understood what three sharp blasts of a whistle meant.
I willingly take the risks, because I prepare my best for what may happen, even if it takes wrapping my mind around the thought that there are large furry animals in the forest that may be hungry. However, when something happens, it gives pause to how mortal we are. Simply being out backpacking in the dark and stepping to close to the edge of a trail on a steep slope where the ground gives way causes a quick wake-up call as you lose your balance and start to slide down the slope. But you cannot sit on the trail in the dark as the temperature drops and feel safe. You must go on. You know the risks.
Unfortunately, there are those that lost their lives and those that were injured this week in a place where there was a very low risk of injury or death. Only at the hands of those with evil in their minds did the danger become a reality. That type of risk should not be part of living a normal life standing on a sidewalk in a crowd of people. If I find myself on a trail in the dark blowing my whistle for help, it is because I purchased that ticket and took that ride. It is a regrettable fact that those people in Boston had no idea what impact the day would have on their lives. My heart and prayers go out to all those afflicted by this tragedy. On the other hand, if I get eaten by a large furry animal in the forest, I know what my neighbor will say. “I told him he would get eaten by an animal.” Before I leave on a backpacking trip, my neighbor always tells me I am going to get eaten. I just smile and tell him that is a risk I am willing to take.
On Friday morning I set off to a gun show in Salt Lake City Utah, a drive from Southern California. Being born in Utah over 50 years ago and visiting the state many times over the years, there are many things I enjoy in the state of Utah. One of the things I love is the red sandstone in Southern Utah. I got on the 15 freeway her in Southern California and began my drive North.
The desert of California has a certain beauty early in the day. Wildflowers were blooming in the hills and mountains of the barren desert of California. Things were more barren as I approached Nevada. One of the first features at the state line of Nevada and California is a dry lake bed. From there it is about 40 minutes to Las Vegas.
I quickly moved through Las Vegas and back out into the open desert. Soon I was at the Nevada and Arizona state line. As a child I remember the route that headed North around the mountain. However, in 1973, the path through the Virgin River Gorge was finished. That short stretch of highway through Arizona saves an hour off what it took to get around the mountain before it was finished. After making it through the gorge, I climbed up towards the state line with Utah and Arizona. From there I could see the red sandstone of Southern Utah in the mountains in front of me.
Further up the 15 came the off-ramp for the small town of Kanosh. Less than a year ago, our family buried Grandpa Rogers in the Kanosh Cemetery. He made it to 100 years old and was loved by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As I passed the off-ramp, I took a picture, knowing that Grandpa was out there with Grandma below the snow covered mountains.
I arrived late and my brother Alan’s house. It was nice as my other brother Wayne was there as well. Wayne and I got up early and went to the gun show. This was my first gun show ever. In the state of California, to purchase a gun, the process is like the trip to Utah. You have a lot of paperwork, you pay a fee to the state and then you have to wait 10 days to get your gun. Part of the thought I had was, why go to a gun show if you still have to do paperwork, wait and go to a gun store 10 days later to get your gun. Hence, never going to a gun show.
So at the Utah gun show, people had guns on the tables. There was also knives, ammo, first aid supplies and a whole lot of other things. As for the guns, if you were from the state of Utah, you could purchase a gun. It looked like there were people doing paperwork at some of the vendors tables, but when they finished, the took their gun with them. Of course there were several walking displays as well. Those with a gun over their shoulder and a sign stating what they were carrying and what it was being sold for. Some cash, show some id verifying that you were from the Sate of Utah while not acting like a lunatic and a person could purchase a gun.
In California you can only purchase one handgun every 30 days. You are exempt from that rule if it is a private party transfer. However, it looked like if you to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas with a new handgun every day, you could do that with one purchase in Utah. In California, you would have to plan ahead a year in advance, actually starting before Christmas the year before.
So I have first handed seen the “Guns Show Loophole” in action. Would changing it save lives? Maybe. Would changing it keep firearms out of the hands of those that should not have them? With all the rules we have in California and the lack of follow-through and prosecution of those the violate the current laws of the state, people who should not have guns still get them.
My thought are, I made it to a gun show in a “free” state without getting hurt. The only thing that was upsetting about the whole day was the polish sausage from the concession stand at the gun show. It was costly and was not good at all. One could say it was assaulting. Therefore, the gun show loophole is not a problem and we need legislation to prevent the public from being served food that is disgusting. On the other hand, I should have known better.
We left the gun show and headed back to our brothers house. We arrived as the sun was going down behind a storm in the west. The wind was gusty during the night and the trip to the car at 3:45 California time was chilly in shorts as the temperature was 34. Of course the temperature was colder several miles south where radiated through the glass as it was 27 degrees out. I guess that is what you get when you wear shorts in the winter in Utah. Then again, it was only in the low 60’s upon my arrival back in Southern California. The trip was great and the gun show was interesting. I am just glad they do not require you to sit in your car for 10 days in California before you can pick up you new firearm.
This evening I decided to take a hike up the Two Trees Trail. I arrived at the trailhead about 4:45. I checked my Sundroid app to determine that sunset was at 7:17 and that I should have plenty of time for a long hike. I made it to Cassina Springs where I stopped to take a picture and drink some water. Another hiker came along and let me know that he has seen a couple of rattlesnakes that were about 4 feet long in the area in the past couple of weeks. The hills are really brown as compared to the area around the spring.
I kept hiking on and watching how the colors had changed from my last hike. The vegetation was starting to turn brown on the southern faces. The grass was long enough now that as the wind blew over the grass it acted as waves in the ocean moving about.
I continued up until I arrived at the actual park parking lot. The sun was still fairly high off the horizon so I continued on up the Spring Trail. I arrived at the place where the spring water, which I have never seen, seeps down the ravine. It was also green in this area in contrast to the browner parts of the park.
Once I got to the end of the Spring Trail, I decided to go up the road to the Ridge Trail. I made fairly good time as the elevation gain was not as great. Once I was up on top of the ridge, I looked eastward towards Mt San Gorgonio rising above the Cherry Valley and Oak Glen area in the distance. Moreno Valley is scattered closer in the valley.
As I came down the Ridge Trail it was obvious I was not going to make it back to the truck before the sun set. I elected to go back on the road to the parking area rather than go further out on the road to get to the Edison Trail. I made quick time on back to the top of the Two Trees trail. As I descended, the sun moved lower in the sky. The light began to paint the hillsides with an orange red glow.
Continuing down the trail the sun began to hide behind the hills in the West. There was enough ambient light to make it back to the truck. The hike was 6.4 miles in two hours and 46 minutes. It was a great hike and I did not have the opportunity to meet up with Mr. Rattlesanke after the sun went down.
I look around the garden almost every day. Elizabeth makes a trip into the garden with me almost every day as well. Today I ventured out alone. I know that there just had to be some fruit on the Early Girl tomato. The Early Girl produces medium sized fruit and from what I have been told it will set it’s fruit in cooler temperatures. It does not do well in the heat so it is our go to tomato for the first tomatoes of the season. Much to my surprise, there are some small fruit on the plant just waiting to grow.
As for the other tomato plants, we should see some fruit within the next several weeks. Then the day will come that we will have more tomatoes than we can eat.
I have given the concept of Yin and Yang thought throughout my lifetime. A little mediation on the idea of seemingly opposite or contrary forces which are interconnected and interdependent within our world has been fairly though provoking. Light and dark, fire and water, hot and cold, male and female, life and death as well as possibly “new” and “used.”
To fully discover this Yin and Yang perspective, it can be told in a parable, the parable of the Boy and the GMC Truck. One day there was a boy who was blessed with the use of a “Used” GMC truck. The truck would take him to school and other places of his desire, provided he kept the fuel tank full. This GMC truck had a model name, that of Sierra. It was a beautiful name, one that conjured thoughts of the majestic towering peaks of the Sierra Nevada range of mountain, a range with the tallest peak in the contiguous United States. However, this boy had a nemesis at school named Siera. The relationship was such that the name Sierra on the truck needed to be vanquished. He and a friend put together a plan to send the name Sierra to outer darkness to never be seen again.
A few years after the “Sierra” had been vanquished, a magical thing had happened. The boy had grown up to be a young man that worked hard and had learned many things. His perspective on life seemed to have changed. He had a greater desire to work hard. He wanted to do the right thing. His life had been blessed because of the choices that he had made. He now had the ability to purchase his own vehicle. The choice he made was to purchase a new GMC Sierra. His wise father offered to remove the Sierra name for him in the same manner in which the young boy had removed the Sierra from his truck. This new Sierra was much brighter and shinny. Oh, how a dull screwdriver being jammed under the shinny name would have worked just as well on the new Sierra as it did on the old Sierra.
The young man felt bad for taking part in vanquishing the Sierra off the old truck and was not really enthused about having the new Sierra vanquished off the new truck. The father and son talked about how the son had grown up and become more responsible. How, because the son had worked hard, he was given opportunities. How he once was a “slightly disrespectful boy that would take a screwdriver to the tailgate of dads pickup truck to remove its name, which was similar to his nemeses” to a young man that “shows respect for his father, is proud to be an Eagle Scout like his dad, understands that a good work ethic is important in life and is generally a delightful son.”
So as the Parable of the Boy and the GMC Truck goes, the Yin and Yang of life continues. Yin and Yang are actually complementary forces, not opposing forces, interacting to form a whole greater than either part. The young boy caught between doing the right thing and doing the thing that will make him happy. As the young boy grows and learns to balance the two sides, he becomes stronger, because of his experiences. The interaction of those two forces causes growth. So weather it is an old GMC Sierra sans the Sierra or the new GMC Sierra with the Sierra, there is a young man that now has a greater perspective on life. I do have to say, a perspective that does not want dad prying off the Sierra on the new truck with a screwdriver. At least the young man is a happy one. And so is the truck, it has its name . . .
But that bumper looks like it needs an adult bumper sticker . . .
Today Elizabeth is eight months old. We go out to the garden almost every day to look at the plants grow. She eats little sprigs of broccoli off the broccoli pants as well as chews on the snap peas. The past few days she has grabbed a small piece of a kale leaf to chew on. When the carrots and beets are ready we will have to munch on those as well. As for now, she is definitely, cuter than a garden gnome, even without the pointy red hat . . .
Elizabeth and I went out to the garden today at lunch and looked at the beet, carrot, onion and tomato plants as well as several other plants in the garden. Today was the big question, can you see a tomato yet? We think we see a tiny one. Only time will tell.
The only other question is, what is the purpose of a “tomato cage” in the garden? You can form your own answer.
It was a good day to work in the garden. I have two areas in the back yard where I grow vegetables, one on the East side and one on the West side. On the East side I have four tomato plants along with basil, 2 red bell peppers, kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, onions, carrots and beets.
The project this morning was to thin out the carrots and beets. This is a project I never liked. One has to pull up perfectly good plants and send them to the compost pine. I may pick this angst up from my father. Years ago, like 20, he gave me a palm tree in a five gallon bucket. He said that he could not kill it. This palm tree came up in his yard in a place that he did not want it and instead of pulling it up and tossing it, he put it in a 5 gallon bucket and gave it to me.
The palm tree was planted in a spot in my yard for a couple of years. I did not like where it was planted and I really did not want to get rid of it, so I moved it. The palm tree was then moved to a new spot between the sidewalk and the street. My father did give it to me so I had to keep it. A few years later, it was hit by a woman who accidentally hit the accelerator at the stop sign down the street. She ended up on the sidewalk, took out a couple of fences as well as the entire picket fence next door before careening back towards the street where she hit the palm tree and one of our vehicles. The poor tree was leaning at a 45 degree angle. It was my chance to put the tree out of its misery, and I could not do it.
The palm tree is now at least 25 to 30 feet tall, a little bigger than something that can be plucked out of the ground. It now drops seeds directly or via birds. The net effect is that I get these little palm trees coming up in my yard. I treat them like a week and take them out with a hoe. However, some day, I may put one in the five gallon bucket and give it to one of my children to put in their yard. They may all get one, we will have to see. As for now, I call it the Ken Palmer Memorial Palm Tree.
As for thinning, the carrots needed to be thinned when they were two inches high to a distance of two inches from each other and the beets needed to be thinned when they were 6 inches high to a distance of four inches from each other. Thinning out plants is a great topic that I could write a lot more on. As for now, I am not going to write about thinning the things out of our lives that keep us from growing to our fullest potential. I will save that for another day. But if you look at the picture, there are a lot of carrots and beets that cannot reach their fullest potential without a little thinning.
It was then time to go to the nursery and purchase some more plants. Elizabeth and I made the trip. We picked up pepper plants in the habanero, Serrano and red bell pepper varieties along with beans in the Kentucky Wonder and blue lake varieties and a Japanese eggplant. The red bell pepper was to replace on the bugs munched up.
As for the day, what needed to be thinned was thinned and what needed to be planted was planted. The herbs were trimmed and more broccoli was picked. There was even time to make a floral arrangement from some broccoli and chives.
There are some people that are placed on earth that have an impact on others in a positive way. Many years ago, while attending RCC, I happened to take a speech class where I met Dr. Dina Stallings, or “Doc” as she was better known as. She always seemed to stretch us all past what we thought we could do. She was always positive and a great influence on all she met.
Just last night I was cleaning out a filing cabinet to make room for another years documents and I ran across the original newsletter that was published with picture of the original Board of Governors for The Friends of Riverside Community College Forensics some 18 years ago in 1996. I was part of the original Board of Governors and conveniently left my name off the newsletter as I was publisher. Doc did not let that happen again as my name was on the next newsletter that was published as the publisher. The picture from that original meeting is below.
Today her Celebration of Life is being held. She passed away a couple of weeks ago and I have spent some time thinking of her great example and years of service. Then, this morning, I ran across the photograph of our 1980 Forensics Team at RCC.
I am thankful for Doc and the growth she inspired in myself. She will always be remembered.
Additions – –
The Celebration of Life was wonderful. Many memories of the things that Doc said as well as her persuasiveness. There were many speakers that spoke of how their life was influenced by Doc.
This evening I prepared to go on a walk with Elizabeth. We left in time to watch the sun slip down behind the mountains in the west while we were on the top of Mt Rubidoux. As we got three blocks from the house, Elizabeth fell asleep. When we returned from the 5.4 mile adventure, her eyes popped open when I stopped the stroller in front of the house. She gave me a look like, “Did I really go on a hike?” The answer was yes, and I have a picture to prove it.
