Loss of a Friend

The email I knew would arrive did so this morning. My dear friend, Billy Ray Smith, passed away last night.  Given the time difference from LA to Oklahoma I can only ponder if his departure caused me to awake from a dead sleep around 1:30am PST.  One never knows does one? BR's contribution to my life was huge. Some of the most memorable moments.  A kind, generous soul. Long life. Just realized he missed his 81st birthday by 5 days.  No more pain Mr. Smith.

"A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out."
George Bernard Shaw

Mood Swings

Each day I have things to say and don't.  Time moves forward, I putz and nothing gets written. I'm at a loss.  Today is no different. While on the trail before dawn many thoughts rattled in my head, things I wanted to say. All gone now. Sigh.

Gremlins

Have you ever wondered if they really exist?  I'm back in the Land of La.  Upon my return I've discovered the internet cable modem was screwed up and my tiny gas heater wouldn't work. Spent hours on the phone trying to resolve the internet issue, certain that the upgrade to Lion had caused the problem. I was wrong. It was the modem and it took the repair guy 35 minutes to resolve the issue.  Seems something in the basement had "frozen?"  Really?  Frozen? What the hell does that mean?  Great guy actually and I'm pleased it got repaired but how and why did it happen?  The next issue was the heater. Pilot light is always lit. When I returned the temps dropped enough that I wanted some heat.  Turned the knob. Nothing. Tried lighting the pilot light, always a fearful adventure. Nada!  Waited 4 days for a repair person.  Nothing wrong with the unit. He informed me that when the pilot goes out there's a failsafe shut down. Nice. 10 minutes of examining the unit, running down to his truck, coming back up and then he lit the pilot light. Gremlins, I swear, gremlins.

Tis A Puzzlement

One of the dumbest things about the Y house is the fact that the heating oil furnace is in the living room. Great furnace. Blasts hot air like crazy BUT it only heats the living and dining rooms. There are no other heating elements in the home. Not in the bedrooms or baths.  Thus when it cold outside they become contained boxes of frigid cold air. Again I ask "what were Mom and Dad thinking," when the bought this place. Why did they move from a small two bedroom home they had built in Lake Shastina to this four bedroom, two bath 1960's ranch in Yreka? I still ponder this. My only rationalization boils down to two options. 1.) Lake Shastina is MILES away from a hospital which worried them OR 2.) the dementia that afflicted them both had already taken hold and buying the Yreka house was a result.  It's in the 20's outside at the moment. Frost on the ground. Furnace is blasting in hopes some of the heat will be retained. Did I mention the house has no insulation? Did I?  At present, Ramona is happily ensconced in front of the heat source becoming a "toasty mosty." girl. A high of 54 is predicted for today. I'm already in 3 layers of clothing. Rapture.

Reality

Time to face it dammit!  Must have been on crack when I dug my feet into the dirt and stated I was going to keep the house in Yreka. Claiming "a house is all I ever wanted from Dad," must have been delusional.  Yes it's lovely up North. Quieter. Calm. HOWEVER, it's a very depressed area, frigging cold in winter, AND there is $125K left on the TWO loans. In finally acting like a responsible adult I now know
it's not worth keeping nor do I truly want it.  Unless I can find a soul who wants to pay me a $150K in cash, bye bye Yreka house.  Let the B of A deal with you.
What a relief!!!!

The Agony of Defeat

I ruefully admit I was a late comer to the 49ers bandwagon this season.  I don't like Jim Harbaugh's arrogance, thought Alex Smith a complete bust and didn't get to see much TV coverage of their games so didn't see the vast improvement.  I've always suspected a conspiracy when it comes to broadcasting the Niners in the LA market. Rarely are their games broadcast unless it's a national feed and even then it's the third level broadcasting team.  Well, yesterday after one of the BEST ever football playoff victories to get to the NFC championship game, they came oh so very close to going to the Super Bowl. Brutal loss but no one to blame but our collective selves.  Some bad play calling, horrific turnovers, (they always bite you in the ass), some ego fueled stupidity and the undeterred desire of Eli Manning. An overtime loss at home when you are so close. Painful. So painful. Take stock though. We are BACK!

Oh By The Way

Won't be hiking here anymore.  Too creepy!!!!! Was just up there hiking last week.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/us/body-parts-found-in-los-angeles-bronson-canyon.html

Gallery Show

Posting for a friend who had his first show Friday night.

Changin' It Up

2012 began and I FINALLY got off my butt and painted the wall in my apartment. The same wall that I've been saying I'd paint since July. Same wall that I had paint samples leaning against all that time.  Damn it's hard to get motivated these days! Thankfully, I did and I LOVE the color.  Brightens up everything, even my melancholy mood on most days.  Now there's a plus.  Also permitted me to rearrange art. Don't be fooled all the art is aligned properly.  Little Miss DYI uses a  level to be certain.  I'd just hung the mirror so it wasn't secure and obviously not straightened.  Given I'm still partly in the 20th century with a Panasonic 27 inch tube TV, I had to use it as the centerpiece.  Did pretty well don't you think?!?

Still working on the rest of the reformation of the room. Two trips to IKEA scouting, pricing, measuring for a shelve or two to go above my desk.  Think I found what I wanted today but held off buying it. Wanted to be certain the measurements were correct for the space.  Also needed know I can position the  shelve and bolster with studs.  3rd floor! State that quakes. ALWAYS have to keep that reality in mind.

Cannot complain about the weather since the new year began.  Leave it to LA to be in the 70's and 80's in January. As you can see I'm not the only soul on the trail who appreciates the stellar sunrises we've being experiencing.

As The Sunrises

Eye opening LA sunrise this morning. Sightlines for miles as the hound and I trod the trail.  Took our time and enjoyed the beauty.

Not sure why Old Glory and Israel's flag were waving but....

Our pace was leisurely so we could enjoy solar uprising.

Yep, a beautiful day in the neighborhood.