Month: January 2017

As some of our good RVer friends the Quinns say, “Go large or go home!”

Charlie and I have been talking about adding another dog to our “pack” for about a year. The idea was to get a puppy (“a baby for Booger”) who can hang with our dogs, learn the rules of the road, keep Booger and JayJay “young” as they age, and serve as a replacement when the sad day comes when one of the older dogs is no longer with us.

Call us idiots, but we figure, “in for a dime, in for a dollar!”; i.e. how much more trouble can it be to take care of three dogs when you’ve already got two? One problem, though: Our HOA only allows two dogs per household. But, I’ve yet to see any Dog Limit Police searching houses in Bear Creek, and I personally know of one lady (the one who heads the Boston Buddies rescue organization) who has seven dogs at her estate home. So, WTF…

Grandson Craig and I made a 300-mile trip on Saturday to check out a litter of puppies in Merced, California.  The breeder had three left, but one was promised to a couple who was coming over later that day. Craig and I got to pick between a male and female 10 week-old Boston Terrier puppies. Most Bostons are black and white (like Booger and JayJay), some are “Reds” (brownish red and white), some are “Brindle” (brownish color with black swirls and white), and very few others are what they call “Blues”, in which the dark colors on the dog are a bluish gray. The Merced litter consisted of five Blues. We saw the proud Mom, and she was a Blue.

Both the male and female were cool looking, but the female was the most animated. And, besides, Charlie said to take a female if we had a choice. So, we picked the girl, whose temporary name was “Ramona”.

What a sweetheart she is! She endured the 6-1/2 hour drive back to Murrieta without peeing, pooing, or vomiting while sitting in Craig’s lap. Didn’t whine or cry, despite the fact that she was being taken from her Mommy…forever.

Needless to say, Charlie fell in love as soon as she saw her, and a name was agreed upon ASAP: “Baby”, because she will be the baby that Booger never had.

Of course, Booger and JayJay were very interested in this interloper, and spent the evening sniffing and snorting while checking out Baby’s gear and orifices. It soon became evident (predictable!) that JayJay wasn’t over the moon about his new sister, probably figuring that the pie would now be divided into THREE parts. Booger, on the other hand, was very taken by her new sister/daughter, and it didn’t take too long (24 hours) before they were hanging out together and playing.

Baby had an eventful 48 hours. She had a few “accidents” around the house and in her bed, so Charlie and I were kept busy wiping and cleaning and washing. But, that’s all part of the deal.

What’s been very interesting is how quickly Baby and Booger have picked up playing with toys, particularly balls. Booger seems to really enjoy having someone who will mix it up with her. Baby is feisty and persistent. The two of them are going to have many good times together, although Baby’s energy level is so strong that occasionally Booger avoids her by seeking high ground.

And, Jay Jay is beginning to warm to Baby. In the beginning, he would distance himself from her, but after a few days he is now hanging out with her, and even lets her sniff and munch on him, even though he growls (in the same way that he does when he plays with Booger).

Baby has found her forever home!

 

 

In a week’s time we will have a new President, and I can’t remember being this apprehensive about our country since that night in October, 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when Americans went to bed not knowing if we’d wake up at all.

Donald Trump has no governmental or foreign policy experience, he seems to be filling out his Cabinet with scary ideologues, and he continues to publicly demonstrate his narcissism and immature behavior. Add to that his strange behavior towards Russia, and his reluctance to admit that his family business will present him with obvious conflicts of interest, and we have…a dangerous guy ready to occupy the Oval Office.

The Republican Party seems uncomfortably aware that it’s nominal “leader” is a bag of worms, and a week doesn’t go by when many party members have to disavow some quote or policy initiative put forth by the President-elect. One wonders how far down the toilet GOP leaders will allow Mr. Trump to take them before they pull the plug.

I’d say that the odds that the Republican-dominated Congress impeaches their own President within his four-year term are probably better than 50-50.

It is a shame that Americans have allowed this travesty to occur. Over 90 million citizens who could have voted for President in 2016 didn’t bother to cast a ballot. Although Mr. Trump won the Electoral College vote, he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by almost 3 million votes. So, he begins his presidency with the support of only about 25 percent of the electorate…not much of a mandate.

For the sake of our country, I hope that there is a lot more to Donald Trump, in a positive way, than meets the eye. Otherwise, many future generations of Americans could end up paying the price…for our collective lapse in judgment.

The fun and games of the holiday season are now over. Unfortunately, this means that Charlie’s 2017 tax season has begun. So, in addition to all of her company’s regular obligations, she will (in her spare time) do tax work for about four dozen individuals and small businesses. Yipes!

Our youngest son, Jonathan, has come down from frigid Whitefish, Montana to help Charlie get their clients ready for tax work, most of which will be done by CPA’s. It’s nice to see Jon, and it’s an opportunity for the brothers to hang out, shoot the bull, and watch some NFL playoff football. Jon’s team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, are in the playoffs, while Tim’s and Jeff’s favorite team, the Los Angeles Rams, are, as usual, at home watching the playoffs on TV.

Jonathan is the guy in the back, Jeff is front center, and the big hulking guy on the left is Tim. He’s on a diet. And, he’s also helping Charlie Manning Bookkeeping keep on top of things during the tax season.

The past week or so have been pretty tough on my Mom (Bobbie) and our “Manning” family. Mom’s been diagnosed with early dementia and Alzheimer’s, and she recently got the news that her car driving days are over. Needless to say, she’s devastated (what Californian wouldn’t be?), and is lashing out at loved ones in anger, because they are the nearest thing she can lash at. We know that she still loves us, even though it is really tough to take a dressing-down from your Mother. We’re all trying to weather this and hope that she will eventually accept the verdict and move on with her life. After all, she’s only 89.

Here she is in happier times, with my sister Claudia. What a difference a year makes!

My Mom still resides in her Vista home, where she’s been for the past thirty years. Her doctors advise against her “living alone”, so, for the time being, we children are taking turns dropping by to take her out to lunch, movies, and such, while an in-home supportive service lady drops by regularly to check on her. It’s unknown how long this kind of makeshift arrangement can last. The biggest problem is that all four of us kids live at least an hour from Mom’s house. We could lend her more support if she lived closer, that’s for sure.

I’ve spent the past week or so looking into the idea of an “assisted living facility” that Mom could move into when the time comes for more observation and supervision of her daily activities. At the current time, she suffers from short-term memory loss, but can still take care of her house, make her own meals, bathe and dress herself, and get about without a cane, wheelchair, etc. Other than being confused about things that might have happened yesterday, she is still pretty sharp for an 89 year-old lady.

Of the several ALF’s that I’ve visited, I am most impressed by one in Temecula “Wine Country”. It’s very nice, has lots of activities, and doesn’t have the look or feel of a nursing or “old folks” home. Rather, it is more like a cruise ship that isn’t moving.

I drove down to Mom’s yesterday to see how she’s doing. Amazingly, she looked good, seemed happy, and appears to be “over” the disappointment of having her driver’s licensed pulled by the DMV. In fact, she’s ready to get rid of the car “so I can save money on insurance and DMV tags”! My sister Claudia turned her onto a local $3 senior dial-a-ride service, and my Mom is already planning to use it to go to her favorite local spots. I took her to lunch at Chili’s and we talked quite a bit. She seemed pretty lucid, and she seems happy, for the moment. So, I didn’t bring up the ALF idea. As I told her, if she’s happy, her kids will be happy.

I’ve been in the Bear Creek practice bowling league ever since we returned from vacation. I haven’t been doing to well, bowling one time per week in this “social” league. So, I decided a few weeks ago to step up the effort: I joined a second league, a “scratch” league, which is very competitive. Immediately, my scores started improving, averaging between 190 and 200. But, my form was still very rusty, uncomfortable, and off-balance. So, this morning I took a bowling lesson from the local pro, Jim Murtishaw. Jim has taught me before; in fact, he’s the only instructor I’ve ever had. This morning he tweaked my delivery a bit, and I immediately began rolling some good balls. I’m encouraged, and will probably take another lesson in a few weeks, to see if the lessons have stuck. I think I should be able to average 210 if I bear down, and perhaps there’s hope for another 300, even though I’m a decrepit 69 year-old. We’ll see.

 

We conducted our annual “after Christmas” shopping spree this week, by taking the Amtrak train to Santa Barbara for four nights. It’s Charlie’s chance to buy the things that she really wants, and to relax, just a bit, before the dreaded “tax season” begins.

We love Santa Barbara, as do a lot of Californians. Nice climate, beautiful mountains, the ocean, and red tile roofs.

Lots of bars, restaurants, shops, and college kids roaming up and down State Street. Some poster, tee shirt and head shops, too.

We rode up from Oceanside on Dec. 28th in the Business Class car. Very relaxing. Had a chance to re-read one of my favorite books: The God Delusion, while Charlie read a book on her Kindle.

When we got to Santa Barbara in the afternoon, we had a drink and some nachos at “Baja Sharkeez”, did some minor shopping, and then went to the movies.

We saw “La La Land”, which is a musical. Normally, I’m pretty put off by musicals, but this one was good. The cinematography and set design was exceptional, especially in the opening scenes, when there was an ad-hoc dance party atop a freeway flyover in downtown Los Angeles. Pretty cool. I suspect that this film will do well at Golden Globes and the Oscars.

The next day we did some serious shopping on State Street. It is the main commercial street in Santa Barbara and runs essentially from the Pacific Ocean uphill about three-quarters of a mile toward the coastal mountains. The lower end of the street is populated with bars and dives of all stripes, and is very popular with the local college kids. Did I mention that there were a lot of bars?

There’s one hotel on State Street, the Hotel Santa Barbara, and that’s where we always stay. It’s 90-years old and located right at the corner where the bars and dives neighborhood turns into the upscale retail area.

From the hotel, it is a couple of blocks uphill to Macys, Nordstroms, and the like. Uphill of that on State Street you come to some higher up stores like Saks and such. There’s some street art, too.

 

The four-lane boulevard is nicely-landscaped with trees and lights, and is a very cool place just to walk and people-watch. Many of the buildings were built in the 30’s and 40’s.

We donated $5.00 to the local art museum so that Charlie could use their toilet. The art was so-so. I liked this one.

Santa Barbara is very dog-friendly, so you will run into many people strolling with their dog. There are college-age bums lounging about, as well, mixed-in with the yuppies that are actually contributing something to the economy. It’s all good, everyone is friendly.

If you are not familiar with California, you might not know that the really rich and famous people don’t live in Hollywood, or San Diego, or San Francisco, but…in the Santa Barbara area. The creme de la creme, the upper crust, the folks who have pretentious mansions with large estates looking out onto the beautiful Pacific Ocean. We’re talking the Oprah’s, the Bill Gates’, Ellen and Portia, and…all the old money. (Santa Barbara is where the elite conduct the week-long Los Rancheros Vistadores horse “ride” every year. It is the most exclusive equestrian group in the United States, for sure, including 150 multi-millionaires and famous folks. Getting to participate in this event is like being asked to become a member of Augusta National Golf Club. Walt Disney, Clark Gable, Ronald Reagan, etc., are alumni. A good friend of mine, the guy who taught me how to ride, and who stabled my quarterhorse “Louie” in La Cresta, is a current member. Although he is very rich, the freak way that he got in was that one of the “camps” needed a good horseman, and Ed Metzler was maybe the best in Southern California at the time.)

But, I digress…

Anyway, the gobs of money up here…means that the women’s clothing at some of the finer second-hand/consignment shops is excellent. Lots of Gucci, Versace, etc. I always take Charlie to several of these shops, among which “Renaissance” is the best. If you need a mink coat that has only been worn once, this is your place. (Charlie didn’t buy one.)

We saw all of the shops in our several days here. The only thing limiting us was our two suitcases that we brought on the train; we’d have to pack everything back into them, right? I’m no dummy. Yeah, it costs a few bucks to come up on the train, but you save so much by not being able to fill your car with purchases.

On our final day in town (Dec. 31st), it rained a bit, so we enjoyed it by getting a pedicure…

having a nice lunch at Joe’s Bar…

which featured the “upside down Christmas tree” (the way Christians originally used such trees to celebrate Christmas, by the way)…

and, relaxing in our hotel reading a bit.

That night, New Year’s Eve, we had a nice dinner at “Cadiz”, which specializes in tapas and Spanish dishes.

We shared the Scallops and Meatball tapas…

and I enjoyed my Ribeye steak…

All in all, a very good meal!

We rode back to Oceanside on New Year’s Day and, on the way home, stopped in Temecula at Claudia’s house to visit and take everyone (including Ted and my Mom) out to dinner. We all ate well!

What a nice holiday weekend!