Enlarging the neighborhood
Cardiff and I have been getting the new house fixed up and accommodating for us. I have to admit to watching more TV since installing the Drive In screen. Even puppy has taken an interest.
We took a trip to the beach last week, starting to navigate around and get a feel for more of the area. It was a gorgeous day that was supposed to rain but just defied the meteorologists for the lols.
Of course I put the long lead on the doggo, and she was at the end of it the entire time. I really wanted to let her loose, but she is so easily distracted and loses her mind when there are so many things to see. I’d never get her to come back, she’d just chase birds - on the ground or in the sky, no matter - and say hello to every human and dog she could find. It was a good trip.
The truck was sandy and damp afterwards, but that’s what trucks are for. And speaking of which, I finally used the winch on the front of my truck. I’ve been hoping I never need to use it, but was digging out bottlebrush trees from the front yard and decided to use modern technology. I hooked that baby up and had the last one pulled out in a couple of minutes. So gratifying after all the hacking, picking, and digging I had done. Of course there’s not enough room in the yard waste container to throw it out, and I’ll have to sneak it into my neighbor’s yard and pretend it’s not mine.
Also, I’ve been cooking more and trying to healthify my diet. It’s amazing how much time all that takes. Thinking up what to eat, purchasing said meal, the actual cooking time, blah blah blah. I can see why people order those services that provide your meals. I need to expand my repertoire further, as I only know how to cook a few things and just keep cycling through them. If only there were a limitless repository of food information available to anyone with a computer or phone…
My TV can beat up your TV
My oh my, it’s been busy around the castle. I’ve been bouncing back and forth between the old place and the new one, and slowly getting things unpacked and put away.
The old house is devoid of all my stuff. Nothing left except some dust rhinos.
There are still buckets of cash being dumped into the place, at least another mortgage payment, repainting the interior, and sprucing up the foliage and terrain to make it have more “curb appeal”. I have to say it’s ridiculous that I’m spending five digits - more than I’ve invested since moving INTO the place - on making it pretty for the next residents.
I gave up on painting the remaining interior of the new place, and hired a painter for a much more reasonable price to paint two bathrooms and the kitchen.
The solar panels were finally removed from the Paso place, which allowed the roofers to begin.
The complete roof replacement has been completed, just a rusty trailer in my driveway to be picked up and the dinner tab to be paid.
Squeezed in all the activity was hip surgery for my mother, and I spent a fun week with the parents watching movies, cooking comfort food, and hanging out with them.
For those who’ve ever asked me about a show, you’re aware I have no idea what is actually on network TV or current shows being streamed. I can’t even recognize actors or celebrities under about 30 years of age. But I love watching movies. I use quotes at inopportune moments and confuse people all the time. I’ve had a really big 46” screen for the last 10 years or so. Shut up, it was middling-big when I got it. With the new digs, I had a large wall crying out for an unneeded entertainment option. I decided to get an absurdly large 85” screen. It’s like have my own personal drive-in.
As for my co-pilot, she is now 10 months old and doing great.
Below, you see the old roof mostly torn off, some technicians that came by to install the giant TV, the first car at the drive-in, and one nappy doggo.
Moving on
It’s been weeks since the last post, and I’ve been dealing with lots of different things. In no particular order:
Several trips have been made to bring all my stuff from San Jose to Paso Robles. It’s so close to being completed. I just have another trip (maybe two, depending on if it’s raining and I need to only pack inside the vehicle) to completely clear the old house.
My dad spent nearly a week with me painting the interior walls and ceiling of the new place. The prior resident has a rather flexible view on color and design. The new paint looks awesome, but I still need to complete the bathrooms and some of the doors. By the way, anyone who is of the belief that painting is easy is pretty much on the mark. What people normally don’t talk about is the prep time of masking and taping and protecting everything that’s NOT what you intend to smear paint on. For example, I think we spent almost three hours on one room with masking tape, drop cloths, and plastic and paper to protect the non-targeted surfaces, and about 45 minutes actually painting.
My realtor for selling my place has recommended investing in some improvements such as painting, and such. Having just done the interior of the new place I have absolutely no interest in doing the painting of the old place. This, I will throw money at. 💸💸
Additionally, I will need to spice things up with improved yard, plants, and other such “curb appeal” generating updates. Remove wallet, throw contents at problem. 💸💸
Internet has been stopped at the San Jose location. Not normally a big deal, but I have a weekly D&D game which has some special configuration and techno-wizardry to enable a group of non-local people to gather virtually and play seamlessly. This still needs to be setup at the new place, and I’m hoping it goes well 🤞🏽.
I swapped refrigerators between the two locations, since I purchased a brand-spanking new refrigerator less than a year ago, and I have no idea how old the one at the Paso location was. This of course resulting in finding a leak at the water supply line which I will again foist off on the realtor and her contact list of “fix it” people. More money to throw. 💸💸
I’ve made so many little mistakes in scheduling and having the right thing at the right time because I was bouncing between two partially operational households that I’ve completely flaked on more than one commitment. I ended up wearing the same pair of socks for three days because I had packed clean ones and then forgotten to bring them with me to the next place. Thankfully, people have been forgiving.
Additionally, my mom is recovering from hip surgery, so I’ve crashed at the ‘rents house to be on-hand if needed. I mostly sit around and play with the dogs, but it’s nice getting a chance to spend more time with the fam.
Cardiff has been confused with all the moving around. She’s clingy-er than normal, and watchful for me leaving without her. Thankfully she is adaptable and doesn’t appear to be suffering long-term.
We’ve sprung a leak!
There are few things that will wake someone as quickly as the call of a child or the puking of a dog. I was awakened by the latter just after dawn, and threw some sweats on as the puppy hacked and coughed in the only room in the house that has carpet. Of course she did.
I eventually lead her to hardwood and then outside into the rain, where she blissfully pretended I was making up the whole being sick thing. I trudged back inside to clean up, and in the process realized the vomitus contained a thick wad of stuffing the size of a mouse, which had to have come from a toy.
In throwing away the regurgitated mess, I saw water under the sink. Considering it had rained most of the night, I thought maybe a roof leak had occurred. Investigation showed it was actually the plumbing down there, and I set to cussing.
I hate plumbing with a passion. It always looks easy, and if you have the requisite knowledge can be trivial. But I’m always stopped by the most banal questions from hardware store employees: is it left or right hand threaded, 3/4-inch or 1-inch…? I’ve been stalled by others that I can’t even recall now. I find it’s easier to remove and bring everything I possibly can. There will still be questions I can’t answer, but at least I have most of it with me. And that’s just the first trip. There’s always a second trip, and sometimes several.
I shut the water, realize it’s the hot side, and climb a ladder to see if there’s a separate shutoff for hot water coming from the water heater. It does have a valve at the top, and I don’t know if it’s flowing in or out, and there’s no visible indication to inform me. I try cranking the valve and can’t get it to move. I get a wrench, and the valve handle breaks when I apply pressure. Damn it, did it break closed or open? Now I have to replace the handle if not the entire valve as well as the hardware under the sink.
My luck holds true, and as I try to unscrew the shutoff under the sink (also called an angle-stop), the pipe it’s attached to crumbles into rust and corrosion. Okay, instead of replacing a shutoff I now have to replace the T section it’s attached to, and the second shutoff on the other side (one for faucet, one for dishwasher). The T section won’t move at all when I apply wrench and arm.
Alright, I get the dog into the vehicle and make the first trip to Home Depot to get Penetrating Oil to un-stick the T. I look at the angle-stops but have no idea what size pipe is coming out of the wall, so I have to go get it before I can purchase the right parts. <Sigh>
Back home I use the oil and over the next 45 minutes continually apply oil and wrench until not just the T unscrews, but the pipe going into the wall (also called a nipple). Great, I now put the corroded parts all stuck together, and angle-stops into a bag to return to Home Depot and hopefully get the right replacements. On arrival there, I note I have a small metal sliver embedded in my thumb, which I’m reminded of everytime I touch something or try to apply pressure. Amazing how sensitive fingertips - and thumbtips - are to even the tiniest intrusion.
I use my words and ask people for help, and compare what I have to what they have, and eventually leave with all the parts I think I need. I apply plumbers tape (not too much) to all the parts and assemble them. Then I screw the whole shebang into the wall and turn the water back on. It immediately leaks from several locations. Water off again, I disassemble, re-tape, and tighten everything. Same result with water pressure. I try to ease off one of the angle-stops to see if I can re-tape it, and it flies off because some idiot forgot the water was on.
Living along gives you sudden recognition of situations that would be easier with even a slightly below average intelligence grade-schooler assisting. No such help here, I had to leave off holding the ocean back, and run back outside to shut the water. Then I returned to calm the dog who started barking at the 80 pounds of water pressure that had jetted from under the sink into the kitchen.
I hate plumbing.
Again I disassemble and carefully tape and then really tighten all the parts together. You’re never supposed to over-tighten, but how much is tight and how much is over-tight?
So far, I seem to have hit somewhere in the zone. Everything has so far held pressure and no leaks for several hours. The area under the sink is mostly dry now that I’ve soaked up the gallons of water. The kitchen floor is cleaner.
I could actually use water and wash my hands to eat lunch. I pondered my early morning alarm, actually being grateful for it. I would have been ignorant for at least another hour, and that shallow sea would have penetrated further into the cabinetry than it already had. I was saved by puke.
Merry freakin’ Christmas
It’s the year-end wrap up, and it’s been a full year. I still don’t like Christmas, but that’s unlikely to change at this point, but it is interesting to review the closing of the calendar. The last 12 months have kind of blown past, as it’s been one thing after another. Next year looks to be as busy, with Princess B’s wedding coming up, and the likely hatching of the two dragon eggs I’ve acquired. “What are some particulars?” I hear you asking.
January - I completed a 26+ mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail between Hwy 80 (mile marker 1159) and Jackson Meadows Reservoir (mile marker 1185) over the course of four days. It was damn cold. If I didn’t have the team of dogs with me I honestly don’t think I would have made it. I chose this section as it has Castle Valley and Castle Pass at the beginning of the route.
February - If you’ve been following my blog you know I’ve been playing with image generation via AI. I was honored to be one of the contributing artists in the “New AI technology” article in OMNI magazine. I was embarrassed to be included, as the other images were so brilliant, but they seemed to like it. It’s a piece comparing and contrasting the developing AI generation as a window into the future, and revealing possibilities we haven’t even considered yet, as well as recognizing that creativing being constrained by society’s beliefs and expectations about artists and AI in general. (Image below)
March - I took a trip to Carlsbad Caverns, which is on the New Mexico/Texas border to do some touristy observation of cave myotis bats in their native environment as well as learn spelunking. The native species is typically found up to 1.5 miles inside the cave network (try moving that distance on your stomach!). This particular event was a once-every-50-year event where the bats are allowed to engage in atypical behavior of being hand-fed by the human visitors on their way out in late afternoon. I can’t begin to describe what the experience is like to have your body covered by clinging bats and them chomping the wriggling insects in your palm.
April - My last month of work. I officially retired. People told me it would be an adjustment, but I was so ready. I recommend it to anyone that can manage it. There is only so much gold to pile in a cave you never plan to enter and just want to hand the map to your children. Spend some of it.
May - Honestly, this month is a blur. I don’t think I touched the ground once. Retirement agreed with me. I was getting ready for June and July, and acclimatizing to NOT going to work five days a week. So so good. I started whistling again, which I hadn’t done consistently since fourth grade.
June - My travel trailer was looming, but my puppy was foremost in my mind. I was able to go and get the eight week old canine I had arranged for back in March. Cardiff has been an amazing addition to my life, even though I have to stop myself from selling her on NextDoor a couple times a day. Considering I chose her from a blurry video at three days old, she has the best temperament, is smart, and just a happy doggo. I’m so glad she shares my home. Just not in my bed or on the furniture - you have no idea how much she sheds.
July - Having carefully planned out the puppy and the travel trailer (that is to say I screwed up), it became evident that because of the risk of Parvo I couldn’t drive across the country with a puppy that was unable to be on the ground or interact with other dogs. My dad came to the rescue and drove out to retrieve my travel trailer. I’d leave him in my will if I weren’t so determinedly healthy. I began learning about sway bars and brake controllers in the real world and no longer theoretical.
For those of you that are unaware, Hasbro is the parent company of Wizards of the Coast (WotC). The latter has done multiple awful and surprising things contrary to good sense and the support of their customers this year. As a result, my friends and I began a Pathfinder 2E game and abandoned Dungeons and Dragons. This has been super fun to learn a new system and although we’ve had some adjustment, I feel it’s a superior system to D&D. I’m thankful for the group being amenable to the change, and willing to push through and get to the fun stuff.
August - Pee and poop are still filling spots two through nine at this point, but Cardiff is number one. The weather is turning colder, and the ice weasels are starting to be glimpsed on the hills at night. I’m getting used to dragging the trailer behind me, and there’s a trip to Morrow Bay which is fun for us to practice with the travel trailer.
September - The pace slowed a bit as we went to Reno and I took a solo trip to Petaluma for an archery event. Cardiff stayed with grandma for the duration of the Petaluma trip. Both are fun, but seeing the nail polish on Cardiff in Reno is better than the archery trip. The travel trailer is a lot of fun to drag around and stay in.
October - I got to meet up with Princess A and her boyfriend for a weekend air show; something I’d never previously done - it’s unbelievably loud at those things, by the way. I got so wrapped up in just enjoying day to day activities that I kind of neglected updating my blog around this time. Cardiff shows at this point that although she and I have spent almost every day since she turned eight weeks old together, she prefers Princess A to me, and declares her as her most favorite person in the whole world. I firmly believe it’s because A scoops her up and lets her lick her face. Yucko.
Interestingly, I return to working a couple days a week since I foolishly agreed to it back when I left the clinics. I give about 1.3 million flu and covid shots through November.
November - I see an improvement in my AI artwork generation with an updated release of software, and have the benefit of the new laptop I’ve acquired earlier in the year. The difference is startling between taking four or five minutes to produce an image on the Mac to under five seconds for the Windows laptop with a dedicated graphics card. I still use the Mac for everyday tasks, as well as photo editing, but the AI image generation as well as gaming are just so much smoother on the Windows laptop it’s an easy decision.
Princess B visits from the East coast, and we’re able to celebrate Thanksgiving together. It’s a great time, with family around every corner. Cardiff also prefers B to me.
This is also the time I recognize my deep introversion is not working in my favor (surprise!) and create a profile on a dating site. I’ve since chatted with several people online and even been on a couple dates in real life, but not found the right person yet. I’m trying to be more open to meeting someone organically, and speak up when I would not normally in everyday life.
December - Here we are in the last month of the year and I decided to check out houses after looking at the market for weeks. I went back and forth over two very different geographies, but ended up making a selfish decision to live where I really want to and not just where it might be most convenient. I saw eight homes in a day, put an offer in on a whim, got accepted, and now I have a new house. Boom. I hate the color, but luckily that’s something I can change. I can also toss the wolf on cactus carving in the front yard. The location and the rest of it seems too good to be true. Now I need to do all the painting and getting it ready for move-in, and then fix up my current house to sell. Not bad problems to have.
Note: If you’ve read along this far, you should be aware that dragon eggs ready to hatch, as well as the entire contents of January to March are fictitious. I didn’t do this for any nefarious reasons, but to fill in the months prior to establishing my blog that I just cannot recall the details. Feel free to replace with ‘worked five days a week, did archery on the weekends, had dinner with family and friends a couple times a week’ if it makes you feel better (or superior to me). I don’t regret the time, I just don’t remember any specific events worth remarking on in detail.
In closing, I’d like to say I really appreciate and value my friends and family. It’s been a rough transition to bachelorhood, and I recognize the ongoing support and love that has sustained me this far. I apologize if I haven’t made it clear how grateful I am for your patience and presence. I’ve been privileged with the type of Hallmark Afterschool Special people in my life that many never find.
Thank you all.
Git along little doggy
Cardiff is 7 1/2 months old now, and doing great. She’s super friendly to both people and other dogs. She hasn’t actually met a cat yet, but has seen them and wants to chase them - probably to play. We’re slowly getting better with leash walking. She is distracted by everything still, so getting her attention to sit or come to me is iffy at best.
Thankfully, she travels really well, and is patient waiting in the vehicle when I have to go inside a business. This is good, because we’ll be doing a lot of driving between Paso Robles and San Jose in the near future: my new house closes next week. Trips to start moving stuff in will begin afterwards, and we’ll shuttle things with no real schedule at this time.
It’s going to be very odd not being so close to family, but we’ll figure out how to make the best of the new location.
Thirty and flirty
It’s odd entering the dating world a few years from 60. People my age now come with upgrades, add-ons, and additional DLC that are not included in the initial release. When you’ve been married, had kids, and effectively retired you have a whole new checklist for the other person in the dating equation. Earlier in my life I may have hoped for someone with a good job, family I could get along with, and similar thoughts on money spending. Now, I hope they no longer have to work, enough of their family is still alive I can get a ride to the airport when I need, and they don’t owe money to “Frankie three-fingers” or “Wanda the Waxer”.
The pervasiveness of dating apps at least helps with doing some winnowing of the pool of matches. Some of the discovery phase of the trial has been made more efficient. Still pretty crazy-making for me though.
The canine unit has now hit 32 pounds, and is seven months old. She’s SO much less bitey than she used to be, and normally just a great dog. We spent a couple days camping and looking at properties, and she was such a good doggo spending time in the cab of the truck not only during the drive but when I was inside looking at houses.
We stayed at a natural hot spring - which is code for “stinky hippie camp” - and the Casita was great to have and be in. Below is a picture of sunset one of the nights. Pretty colors.
In addition, Cardiff spent time with my parents prior to the trip and made a splash on a Facebook group my mother frequents, eventually getting over 1200 ‘likes’ at the end of the day. I still haven’t gotten any phone calls from movie producers or anyone wanting to do her life story yet. Nope - just checked again - still nothing.
And for those of you who can’t get enough of my incessantly produced AI images, here are some more to ogle over. Again, spanning a large subject base and style.
Shoot for the moon
I received both my Influenza and Covid vaccines last week, and I’m probably not going to do them both at the same time again if I can avoid it. That may prove difficult, as I know there’s a study underway for a combined shot, and I can’t imagine two shots being standard once it is approved. As before, the Covid vaccine kicked me where it counts, and the night and day following were pretty rough. Still, much better than getting Covid - which I’ve done.
I also attended a work party and was very pleasantly surprised to discover a coworker is an amazing singer and (possibly more importantly) a Star Trek fan. Star Wars seem to get most of the media attention, and it’s nice to know there’s still a bit of love for the OG.
Continuing a full week I attended my first air show in Santa Maria, California. Pretty cool stuff. Very loud, but interesting. I was lucky enough to have people in the group that actually know real information about planes, so my basic queries and ignorance was greeted with patience and information.
Cardiff is doing great, and still growing. She just hit six months, and so has an appointment later this month to be spayed. Don’t mention it to her, she thinks it’s just a nail trim.
The last bit of excitement is the dreaded colonoscopy. Congratulations if you’re in the group of humans that live long enough to experience this debilitating procedure inflicted upon you. For me, it’s not the actual scoping so much as the prep leading up to it. Severe dietary restrictions ending with prison grade liquid-only meals and a nasty concoction of jet fuel (see how I tied in the whole airshow and title?) and pineapple we have to drink. And not just a glass or two, but a gallon of liquid that is magically enhanced to race toward the center of the earth with little regard for anything between it and it’s destination. The pharmacy should hand out a little kit with a blanket and a seatbelt to just strap in and live in the bathroom for 12 hours or so. Can’t wait.
Literally, it’s not possible to wait or delay; the liquid will go to the center of the earth regardless of what you wish.
Mark with a K
Cardiff is getting bigger and bigger, almost at six months now. She’s scheduled to go under the knife later this month. We had a hot day, and Princess A and I got the White Trash pool setup in the backyard for Cardiff to play in. She tired herself out, as you can see in the still image.
I’ve been experimenting a lot more with Stable Diffusion, an image-generating AI. I’ll subject you to more of it even though you were too shy to ask. You can see a vast range of subjects and styles, as I’ve not settled on anything long-term. Kind of like careers for me.
Hokey Pokey
This week was celebrated by a trip to Petaluma for an archery shoot. I don’t normally do competitions as I’m just not very competitive. I went to spend time with people and see what the fun was they talk about. It was in fact, quite fun. They had novelty shoots like trying to hit a target from almost 100 yards out, speed rounds of attempting to fire as many arrows as accurately as possible in a 20 second time period, and a golf course for archery. The courses were broken into three sets of 20 targets each, with two sets completed on one day and the final set on the third day. That translated to a LOT of walking up and down the hills behind Petaluma. But we made fun of each other and joked our way through the 9.3 miles on the first day and about half that the next.
Where was Cardiff while I was out shooting my mouth off? She spent time with her Grandma, and laid the foundations for “shake”. We’re still working on it. The environment wasn’t very hospitable for doggos, with burrs, foxtails, ticks, and thistle everywhere (see images below). She had a much better time wrestling with her friend Gracie.
I brought the Casita, and spent two nights in it. I’ve decided the mattress is really not working; just too thin and uncomfortable. Everything else worked out well, and I’m getting better at figuring out how to pack and what to bring.
I definitely won’t do a wine bottle opener like this again. No one’s fault but my own: I’m apparently incapable of using this type of bottle opener. I shoved the cork down into the bottle and sprayed red wine over myself and the inside of the trailer. I was not amused.
Travel and play, not Kid and Play
It’s been a busy couple of weeks. A trip to Reno, another to SoCal, traveling back in time to when getting to the moon was a priority, and Working for The Man.
Reno was a fun trip where Cardiff and I spent time with family and disassembled a bridge and played with a giant. The bridge was my sister’s boyfriend’s wooden bridge in the backyard, and the giant is my sister’s Great Pyrenees, Lucy. Cardiff even got her nails done by my sister.
Lucy - affectionately called “Moosey” - is some 60+ pounds heavier than Cardiff, but super gentle. They had a great time exploring the creek and running through high grass.
We got back from that trip, did laundry, and headed out the next day to spend time with Princess A in SoCal. It was a great trip, and we spent time with her and her beau playing and avoiding pumpkin spiders that are as common as squirrels down there.
The next day upon returning I visited the USS Hornet in Alameda, reconnecting with a friend I haven’t spent much time with lately - Bad Markie. The weather couldn’t have been better, and I was introduced to Cornhole Competition. The kind with the sandbags, thankfully.
If you’ve never been, the Hornet is a battleship in the mothball fleet in Alameda. There’s a ton of information on the official site. The ship retrieved capsules - and astronauts - from the Apollo missions, and hosts a rotating museum exhibit spanning decades. It was interesting to find out someone as short as I am fits a battleship so well. Normal sized humans were ducking and swaying, and I was able to navigate with no difficulty. They built for quality, not quantity.
Finally, I’ve started working a couple days a week administering flu shots. It’s only been orientation and new hire stuff so far, but I keep thinking about how much those hours are taking away from my real job of being retired. I’m a bad person, though, so I just need to get over it.
Buzz buzz
While not quite biblical proportions, I’ve been accosted with flys in my house this week. For background, you should understand I hate flys. I don’t fear them in the “It’s going to bite me” sense, but I cannot get past the filth they carry and transfer to other surfaces. I can have them land on me when I’m outside (because I’ll wash with soap), I’ve been bitten by Deer Flys (not a fan of THAT), and I am not woozy at the thought of one dining on a turd. I just really really dislike the cooties coming into my domicile and specifically landing on my food and beverages.
I don’t know if it’s El Nino, Global Warming, Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), or an as-yet undiscovered open window; but I’ve swatted ten in a single session a couple of different days, and they keep on coming. I count five in the room now. Is this just me, or is it indicative of a plague being laid upon humans? Update: there are now no flys in the room, I couldn’t stand it and “handled” them.
In other news, I’d like to announce the winner of the first Employee of the Month award. Our recipient hasn’t missed a day since starting, is always ready to try something new, and never fails to bring a smile to the faces of other staff members. Congratulations, Cardiff!
When she’s not being an all star employee, Cardiff enjoys going on long walks, chewing sticks (or anything), zoomies, and rolling in roadkill. Be sure to stop by and congratulate our winner! Just don’t get too close, as she’s selected Organ Meat Treats as her prize, and they’ll produce loose stool and noxious gas for at least three days!
Mmmmmm, bacon
If you’re an omnivore/carnivore, there are few things that can improve just about any food more than bacon. I caved and tried the new-fangled “bake in the oven” method because it’s claimed to be easier to make and clean up after. I’m not convinced. I had an unnoticed corner of a strip hanging off the back of the pan, and although I appreciated that the house smelled like bacon for two days because of the enormous gout of steam and smoke that rushed out on checking progress; I’m not sure it was an easier process. I like my bacon super crispy, and it just never got there although I kept shutting it back in the oven.
In other news around the world, I finally got off my butt and filled the water tank on the trailer. I still need to run a bleach solution through it, but at least the system functions and the water pump works. I’ve made two trips to Home Depot to pick up stuff, and still don’t have the right mix of hose and funnel to pour several gallons of the mixture into a fill spout similar to a gasoline tank. Still working on it. I’ll be using the trailer in a few weeks, so I should get it solved.
I’ve been up to the archery range several times, combining the “get Cardiff used to being alone at the house” with practice for an upcoming shoot. I’ve not done competitions before, but this one is a less serious golf-like shoot that I’m hoping is as fun as it sounds.
For those who aren’t aware, I’m a long-time video gamer. Diablo 4 was a big deal earlier this year, and I pre-ordered like all good little consumers do. I have to say I was not as impressed with the game as I would have hoped. I actually stopped playing and have been playing Baldur’s Gate 3 (another long-awaited release). It’s pretty fun, I’m just not used to doing turn-based stuff and it’s an adjustment.
Lastly, to provide the obligatory doggy content, this is what happens when your canine is neither afraid of the sound or the rushing air of a leaf blower. It makes me think of an imaginary wine label I invented a few years ago named “Laughing Dog”.
And here is the video of the hooligan that prompted it.
I’ll be in Reno in a week or so, anyone that needs a sealed bag of cigarette smoke from a casino should let me know.
A Boy and his Dog
Another week has flown by, and although I’m not super busy every day, I don’t seem to lack things to occupy my time. Training Cardiff has hit a standstill, as I haven’t spent enough time in different environments for her to be able to listen well when distracted. She’s awesome in any room in the house, but take her out where the wind is blowing, birds are flying by, and all her best friends (or soon to be) are walking and she zones out and just doesn’t hear me. Not her fault, but feels frustrating. I need to work harder and get her better able to handle it, which will be easier as she continues to mature.
On a totally different note, Princess A visited us and we discovered that she is Cardiff’s Favorite Person Ever. She spends all her time around me, and knows my parents very well, and meets new dogs and walkers daily. But Princess A was there the first day when she was picked up, and Cardiff apparently imprinted on her. They’ve spent a few visits together since, but not enough to account for the attachment and constant attention on her highness. Love ya, kid!
Plans for another trip are in the works, and I’m looking at a couple locations but still need to book. I’ve been dragging my feet and have to work connections for the water and drainage on the trailer, which I will likely need to know this next trip.
I also got a chance to visit where I used to work; I had lunch with a good friend and caught up with a few people there. It was fun being back at the old stomping grounds!
We still have the kiddy pool in the backyard, and she’s gotten very comfortable jumping in and out, as well as fighting and biting the water coming from the hose. Below, you’’l see us on a walk, her lounging in some iceplant, and then both of us looking down at the phone laying in the bottom of the pool.
We be rollin’
Cardiff and I took our first trip, spending the night in Morro Bay as a shakedown run. Close enough that forgotten items weren’t critical, but far enough that we had to drive and deal with the trailer. It went well, but I can’t really recommend the RV park we stayed it. It was beautifully located, literally across the street from the beach, but just a different group of people looking for something different than how I would like to enjoy the trailer. My vision is something more remote, with fewer amenities and people, with more access to nature. This was basically a parking lot filled with people and vehicles of all kinds looking to get their drunk on.
We made do, and had a good trip. First visit to the beach for Cardiff. Unfortunately our film crew didn’t show up so I was the only one able to hold the leash, which meant I couldn’t really get any pictures of the frolicking. The rules in the park were very clear: I couldn’t have her off leash (no more than 6’ long) and couldn’t leave her alone at the site. So she came along everywhere, including the bathroom which had a sign on the door saying “no animals”. Hmmm, someone didn’t think that through. We both went in, and no fights ensued.
You can see where I stopped to pick up lunch on the way in (good burrito!), a tired puppy trying to nap after running in the sand and surf, going out to the harbor and seeing boats and birds, and driftwood structures on the misty beach early in the morning of our second day.
Progress?
Cardiff is learning so quickly, you can see prime examples of “sit” and “leave it” below
She is really enjoying getting out on walks, and we’re working hard to get better and safer at it. She likes playing on people’s lawns, and checking out the different grasses. I’ve chosen to not water my front yard, so it’s dirt and weeds for the most part. But no foxtails. not all yards are created equal, however. We were just 3 houses away when she stuffed her snozz into a bunch of dry weeds faster than I could react. Looking up at me, I could literally see the foxtail hanging from her nostril. Everything went into slow motion and I jump toward her saying “Noooooooooooo” only to have her shaker her head and sneeze mightily.
And what happens after a sneeze? Big inhale.
Zoop, up it went, as I tried to grab the little trailers on the back. See the detailed diagram below for the complex calculus resulting in an Emergency room visit and $525 to remove said foxtail.
I can’t say the experience was an enjoyable one for either of us. After getting home after midnight and a lousy few hours of restless sleep for both of us, she was raring to go, but I’m dragging a bit. The big bonus was her scheduled vet visit to complete her vaccinations this morning. Yay!
This dog is going to bankrupt me.
In other news, the lifting of the in-house restrictions is going well. I’ve removed the stairs’ barriers and started to put some rugs back in place. I’m hoping the trend continues and things don’t suddenly get chewed or peed on.
On a completely different topic, I received a text letting me know my NT#FL!X:053356 Subscript!ons need to be renewed. Yeah, I’ll get right on that.
The Casita is mostly packed in anticipation of the upcoming overnight trip this week. I’m trying to figure out the bedding situation, which is crazy-making. The bed is full-sized, but there are cushions that take up needed space to tuck the fitted sheet in. Am I expected to just let the fitted sheet flop around like an animal? Do I just use flat sheets? Seems like it’s harder than it should be.
Ate days a week
This last week feels like we’ve turned a corner on maturity (with Cardiff). She’s consistently going outside for bio breaks, and listening better about not chewing on stuff - albeit begrudgingly. She barks back at me if something is of particular interest and she’s not supposed to mess with it. Great, dog with a ‘tude.
The daily walks have become very important, and Ambassador Cardiff takes greeting each and every person as a personal mission. She will never be a guard dog, but that’s fine since I don’t want one. I need to get a kerchief to put around her neck. Chicks dig that.
The lemon tree is filled with lemons - currently not ripe enough to be picked - but still loaded. The peach tree has been providing amazingly good fruit as well, especially after I trimmed it back.
You can see below Cardiff NOT helping as I tried a new oatmeal cookie recipe, which turned out better than could be reasonably expected. The rocks were just in a yard on one of our walks and felt like a serene screensaver.
As for the Casita, I’ve been hooking it up and driving around getting used to it, learning about the different systems: engineering, life support, bio-science. Truly, the details are pretty staggering. I’ve kept the Amazon drivers busy with the number of one-off orders for electrical converters, hitch locks, and bits and bobs to flesh out the inventory in the trailer.
Next week we’ll be taking our maiden voyage to do an over-night and try out a trailer park on the coast. I’m hoping to get some good pictures of the scenic stuff nearby.
Our private outside
As I’ve previously posted, my backyard has been positively affected by all the time I’ve been spending with Cardiff there. Today I was doing the now regular cleanup with the leaf blower. She’s so used to it that she chases all the debris as I move. She then also does this really great thing standing or laying in front of me to be blasted by the full force of the blower. It’s so helpful to getting the area clean (not).
You can see her standing in front of me and laughing. The one on the right she’s cosplaying Batdog in the Batmobile.
Because she’s received another round of vaccinations, Cardiff can go on walks in the neighborhood. Still no intensely close contact like dog parks or doggy daycare, but walking around where other dogs have been is now is within reason. We haven’t gone far, but she’s catching on very quick to how the walkies work. She tends towards the sidewalk, and doesn’t yank when there’s an interesting yard. She even saw some lawn ornaments in front of a neighbor’s house and looked back at me like “What the heck are those?” instead of running off. This checking in behavior is great, and she was rewarded with getting to go see them.
She put her nose up to the solar-powered pinwheels and decided they weren’t a threat. The cutout of the snowmen she growled at and shyed away from. I don’t blame her - I don’t like Christmas in December - let alone July.
Being able to go out in public now is a huge deal. We made a couple trips to places, and she loves meeting new people. Of course, she’s the cutest dog any of them have seen.
Pool party
Having the travel trailer and getting it ready to go make for interesting times. It still doesn’t even seem quite real, and I just kind of look at it sometimes. Firefly reference: if you watched the show, think of Kailee just looking at her pretty dress on the ‘Shindig’ episode.
With all the hot days, I’ve been spending even more time in the backyard with Cardiff. She’s become very familiar with the kiddie pool, and likes to walk around in it. She also likes to then come over to dry her paws on me.
I’ve got the biggest crop of peaches that appeared on the tree in the time I’ve lived here. There were literally a couple for the season both previous years, but several dozen this year. I chopped the tree way back to lighten the load and also devote more growing to the peaches Ieft on. I have no basis for making that decision, but it sounded good in my head. They certainly look good, and I’m picking them as they ripen.
Pending arrival
My dad picked up the travel trailer yesterday in Texas, and is midway through Arizona as of this writing. I thought he’d be three+ days on the road, but he may be home tomorrow at this rate. Pretty amazing guy to make that drive!
Once it arrives, Cardiff and I will start assembling the parts and pieces to be able to make forays and test things out. She, by the way, is growing leaps and bounds; almost doubling her weight since she first arrived four weeks ago. She’s super smart and loves to snuggle. She also loves to bite skin and anything moving, but we’re working on that.
Good news is I started to re-pave my side yard and did about half just before Cardiff’s arrival. Progress has been extremely slow since then (see biting moving stuff). But today we used the last brick, and I dubbed it The Walk of Shame because it’s so uneven and janky looking. I’m not convinced it’s any safer than the flagstones I removed to replace with these bricks.
The Supervisor was highly involved with every placement, not caring if it helped or not.