715 Horses

One of our neighbors ran out of gas. This gentleman, known at J.T around here, is a WWII Vet, totally deaf, built this hot rod and it is LOUD. Jack drove J.T home in our golf cart to retrieve a gas can, then took the opportunity for some pictures. 

 

Storms and Stuff

                                                        A Desert Sky

The wind picked up and we had rain overnight. Black clouds and cool temperatures this morning...43 degrees. Always such a refreshing change from heat and sun. I went for an early morning walk to see if the snow level had dropped on Mt. San Jacinto, but the top of the tram was not visible through the clouds. If it is clear tomorrow the views should be spectacular.

We had a nice dinner last night hosted by Jeff and Liesl P. We welcomed cousins Anna and Mark S. from WA. who ditched the cold for a road trip to the warmer weather. 

A baby giraffe was born at The Living Desert on Monday. It is a girl, 5'10 inches and 145 pounds. She will not be on view to visitors for another week at least. So stinkin' cute

Golf with Mike and Patty C tomorrow. Might be a long pants day.

 

Gyros, Golf Balls and Goats

                                                        My new golf balls.

 Jack and I went to COD (College of the Desert) weekend street fair/market and bought some golf balls, dates and one of his favorites, a Gyro. I was disappointed the Tamale Man wasn't there today. We were out of there by 9:30 AM and it was starting to get crowded with tourists. 

I stopped to admire the goats but did not purchase any. A pleasant 75 degrees.

Golf Day

 Jack and I played nine here at the Ranch with Mike and Patty C. and then lunch in the clubhouse afterwards.

Good news today that the golf course has purchased seed and will scalp and re- seed next Fall. It will look so much nicer.

Random: Brian, our landlord in Shelton, texted that he has been feeding Wally the Squirrel. Jack and I don't think it is Original Wally, (who I suspect I killed with a bar of Irish Spring) but it seems to make Brian happy, so we'll let it go.

Super Bowl

 Congratulations to the Rams. We were rooting for the Bengals. In my opinion the commercials were horrible except for the one with the dozens of goats. It seemed like the majority of them were pushing electric vehicles, 5G and Peacock movie streaming. Half time? Meh. We still like Snoop for short periods of time.... he's old school... but no one can top Prince's performance.

So, we're mid-February already. My baby girl turns 39 tomorrow and the gift I sent her via UPS is AWOL outside of Portland according to the tracking information. 

Politics or Cats?

 Ha you're getting cats because it's my blog

Last Winter we started out with five feral cats.  Trapped them, had them spayed, neutered, got their shots, defleaed, named them and they were returned to our location to work as rat patrol agents for the neighborhood.

Cheeto was hit by a car last Summer and Clipper has been MIA for almost 2 weeks. Coyotes are wandering the golf course and desert looking for meals for their babies. I try not to think about her fate. She was warming up to us and coming into the house for brief periods. She would let me pet her 3 times then basically let me know that was enough, now feed me! 

The little Calico, Smudge, was obviously the runt of the litter when we began feeding them. She is still petite. She has started to wander around the garage (food is kept there) and sleep in the golf cart.  She will show up for breakfast with Queso and Javier around 6:30 AM and alone for dinner around 3:30PM. In the afternoon she is not really hungry, but we think she doesn't want to miss any good grub just in case. In the afternoon she will wait for the other two to arrive and they all greet each other and eat together. Watching this feral family has been educational and entertaining.  Our lifestyle isn't really favorable for having a pet. Our landlord in Shelton doesn't want animals and we don't want to spend 3 days and nights on the road going back to Washington with a dog or cat. Fortunately, we have a neighbor who will feed these kitties again this coming Summer.

Grandkids will be here in 48 days. 

                                        In Memory of Clipper. Maybe I will paint this

                                                    Smudge, the Runt of the Colony

Three C's

                                                                                    Cactus

                                                                Chickens

                            No cats were available for pictures so here is a sign instead

 The closer you get to Joshua Tree the weirder things get.

 Road trip to Morongo Valley this morning to Cactus Mart.

 Three C's Cactus, chickens and cats. A funky place with yard art, dig your own cactus, and a bicycle in a tree. Butch and Sundance the resident cats were busy and not greeting visitors today.  The chickens, names unknown, will follow you from building to building. While we didn't dig our own cactus, we did purchase some with the hope they will survive the Summer.

 

Painting Sunflowers with the Drunk Bridal Party

JoAnn and I did a Sunflower paint and sip deal at Pinots Pallete in Rancho Mirage. I always learn something even if my pictures aren't that great. Joining us today was a bridal party from Orange County who enjoyed several bottles of champagne. Hopefully they had a designated driver as they were pretty sloshed. I want this life-size cutout of Bob Ross and his pet squirrel.

                                                        Yeah, Bob Ross was there

                                                           JoAnn completing her masterpiece

Everybody is Retired Now!

 Getting together with friends is always enjoyable and last night was no exception. Leisl P. finally took the plunge and officially retired so she and Jeff threw a party to celebrate. Thank you, JP and LP, for turning us on to a great new pizza place nearby and for your hospitality.