Seeds of Hope

The Fire is completely contained. They are now spreading seed.

Hopefully, it will grow enough brush that next winter when the big rains come, there will be minimal mud slides.

I am leaving for Southern California area Friday.

I am riding down with Xavier and Trish.

Will be staying a week and visiting Gretchen, with some time with Laurie.

Alex was so excited that he kept jumping up and down. He looks like he's floating in the pic.

Diet Barbecue

My health is much better than last winter. Right now, it's just the usual balancing act. Have been on prednisone and recently came off it, and always feel good at this point. Hope it lasts the summer, at least.

I have stomach issues, too. Been back and forth to Gastro doc over the years and many tummy meds tried. Some work for a while.

But, I am having the best success now, of not having any tummy problems with the Dr. Oz diet. Not necessarily to lose weight, just am following his recommendations for healthy food, and it is making me feel much better. Every time I get stuck in a situation of eating foods he doesn't recommend, I find the symptoms pop right back up immediately. It is amazing.

Memorial weekend is coming up.

My parents always went to the gravesites of family. But, I just can't do that, due to distance, and if they were close, I wouldn't anyhow. It's just not me. So, for years it has been a non-holiday for me and I have done nothing to observe it at all.

So, now it has become the kind of holiday that many others around me observe... a party.

My Kats bought me a Barbecue last week. It was quite an exciting moment. He has wanted to do this for years, and I have told him NO, as I had no interest in it.

I had pictured myself standing outside over hot coals in 95 degrees temperature in a backyard full of weeds! I just couldn't relish the idea. Not mustard or catchup either!

But, when we were in Home Depot last week, I saw him hungrily eying the barbecue equipment and suddenly I realized how dearly he wanted to buy it. I know how much he loves to cook. Why hadn't I understood all those years I turned him down, that the barbecue, though a present for me, would be used by him? Duh!

The price was incredibly low and the unit was amazing. So, when he started hinting for the zillionth time about getting me one, I said, yes. And suddenly I was just as happy about it as he was.

So, tonight he will spread all the parts out in the living room, put it together and take it outside to cook.

It will be interesting to see if he will be cooking in the dark or not.

I told him I won't go outside because of the local " forest fire" polluted air. But he wants to be the cook anyway, and doesn't mind that I wont be out there with him and will bring the cooked food into the house for me.

He's such a good and kind man!

Home Again

I'm back home now with house closed up and air filters running.

The temperature has dropped and we are having a little bit of rain, so this makes it easier on the firefighters.

Hopefully they can get the fire contained! I hate to see the forest decimated like this. In the winter and spring when we get heavy rains there is nothing to prevent the mudslides.

Thank heavens the weather is cooler, and wind is in opposite direction.

The smoke from the is not so bad.

Escaping Smoke

Had to escape from the "Summit Fire" nearby. Ash and smoke everywhere.

The part of California where I live has patches of redwood forest encroached upon by civilization. The fire started in a rural area about 7 miles from where I live. Even though I am in a city (and surrounded by strawberry fields), I am well protected from it spreading to my area or home.

Strong southerly winds drove the smoke and ash directly into town, and further. I haven't had an asthma attack in at least a year and I didn't want to wait around to see what would happen.

Since my son and his wife live in San Francisco, it made sense to go stay up there. Conveniently, I had a medical appointment today at UCSF. So, I used a tank of gas to complete two tasks at $4.15 a gallon!

The fire has moved further up the mountain and since the wind has turned north, I think it's safe to go home and sleep in my own bed tomorrow. The weatherman says it looks like we will be having rain this weekend.

The picture, I took with my cell phone as I drove east out of town. Notice the size of the trees in the middle line and you can get an idea of the size of the cloud of smoke. It was approximately seven miles away, in Corralitos. The hills in the background are where the fire has now moved.

Note:
See more info from Wikepedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summit_Fire

Prednisone

Coming off the Prednisone now, so we shall see how I do.

Feeling Sew Sew

I have actually decided to get a life. I have signed up for a once a week, two hour sewing class.

I already know how to sew by machine. But for many years have done by hand. Right now, though, my daughter's god-daughter has Ewing's Sarcoma, and going through months of chemo.

5 years old and this child had the thickest curliest never-cut hair, but now it is gone.

I have been hand sewing her kerchiefs to cover her head. But, realize that sewing by machine would be much faster for finishing the hems properly on all those squares of fabric I have cut.