It's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Well, not really, it's already hot outside and it's not even 9 am yet.

I found out yesterday that the little post office in the dry cleaners that I walk to each day, at least each day when I have orders to go out, will be closing. What? Now I'll have to drive either the 7 or 8 miles to the big post office over by the airport or the 6 or 7 miles down to the other post office that is a big pain to get to because of road work and always lots of traffic and at 5 pm you'll sit through 4 or 5 cycles of the light on Calloway and Rosedale because of LOTS OF TRAFFIC.

So, instead of shipping every day (when I actually have orders, that is), I'm going to ship on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and see how that goes.

Anyway, walking to the post office is how I get what little exercise I get, and while it's been getting hotter and hotter and I'm dripping sweat by the time I get home, at least I'm forced to get some of that all important exercise. Yes, I could join a gym but I don't have any money and I'd still have to WALK there, so...walking it is. And since the post office is closing, I won't be forced to walk there, so I'd better get myself out and walk around the neighborhood at least.

Which I did this morning. And it's already hot. But at least I got some walking in.

You feel really weird when you walk in this town because nobody, and I mean nobody walks anywhere. Need to go around the corner to walmart? Jump in the car and lets go! Need to go down the block to check your mail? Get in the car! Seriously, you feel like everyone is staring at you because NOBODY WALKS HERE! Probably because it's too hot.

Our neighborhood is kind of going the ghetto way, with abandoned houses and dead lawns, and the hillbilly houses around the corner that never ever take their Christmas lights down. I even got to see the remnants of what looked to be like a successful party last night, with folding chairs, and not even lawn chairs, folding chairs like what go with your folding table type chairs, sitting in the middle of the sidewalk with about 50 empty beer cans surrounding them, and another 25 or so empty beer cans in the gutter.

But, anyway, I got my walk in and now I can be lazy for the rest of the day and crank up that air conditioner. It was 96 here yesterday.

Oh, and here is a cat picture, the cats are also feeling the heat and have been extra lazy recently. My shoes were in the corner so Mimi managed to fold herself around them for her nap.

More Weekend Projects

Here's what Keith did this weekend. Yes, he is still working on the backyard, too, which may get finished sometime this decade.

I had seen these evergreen trees over at walmart for only $10.00, which for a tree is a pretty cheap price. So, along the side yard they went.



These trees are supposed to get 8-12 feet tall (if they don't burn up in the hot sun and die, that is) and are low maintenance (yay), so someday we'll have a nice privacy screen and shade on the driveway.

We had summer this weekend, temps got up into the 80's and 90's, and are supposed to get near 100 today. What the heck? It's only April. I even turned on the air conditioner last night before we went to bed to cool off the house a little. A week ago we had a cold front coming through and almost turned on the heater.

Isn't It Supposed to Be Fall?

Why is it still 96 degrees outside on October 1st? What the heck?

We were teased with a little bit of fall nip in the morning air a few weeks ago and had two days where I actually turned off the air conditioner and opened up the windows to let the foul polluted Bakersfield breezes in. But then the heat returned and the temps were back up in the high 90's again. Fooled ya!

We are promised some relief later this week with the temps cooling down and then all of a sudden getting quite chilly for this area, down into the 70's by Sunday. I can't wait. We are both totally sick of hot weather, especially poor Keith who has to work outside all day. Soon we'll be breaking out the long underwear and jackets and then we'll start complaining about how cold we are. I'm really looking forward to it!

What The...

It is about 100 degrees outside today. Keith is outside burning stuff in the backyard. Making the backyard about 200 degrees.

Why? I don't know. And please disregard our junky back yard-he is still working on his gravely project out there. In the 100 degree heat. Sigh...

A Good Excuse

Not to do any housework.

We have had record breaking high temps this week, getting up to 109 here in town. So, the power companies have us on a 'flex alert' meaning to 'flex' your power by not using major appliances before 7 pm, keeping your thermostat at 78, turning out your lights, etc., etc.
While I don't think it's the average household using up all the energy since most people are at work using up all the energy in those big buildings, I'll do my part and not use my vacuum cleaner before OR after 7pm. How's that?

Also, this week is bike, carpool, or take the bus to work week. Why the city would pick what is traditionally a very hot week to advise people to ride their bike or sit at an unshaded bus stop is beyond me. You aren't even supposed to be outside if you can help it this week because of the extremely unhealthful air, much less ride that bike to work in the 100 degree plus temps. Why not have this public awareness week during the spring or fall when the temps are pleasant and the air might be just a little cleaner? Makes sense to me. Carpooling is a good idea, if you can find someone that lives close by that works in the same place as you. This is a very very large spread out city and driving around picking up all your co-workers would probably use just as much gas as everyone driving themselves to work.

There has already been one heat related death and two men went to the hospital yesterday for heatstroke, one so bad he had to be airlifted. I really feel for the farmworkers during the summer. It's harvest time for all the summer fruits but to have to be out there picking fruit to try and put a meal on your families table in this heat, not to mention that farmworkers housing is usually one step up from a cardboard box with maybe a swamp cooler if they're really lucky. They don't have the choice of staying inside and not breathing the toxic air.

And then, there is the water shortage that is affecting the summer crop. We saw on the news last night that farmers have already used up their allotment of water and will have to plow under unripened crops because they can't water them anymore.

But, if you are looking for a job, here's good news.

We were watching our local news and an ad came on for the town of Hobbs, New Mexico saying to come to New Mexico, we have 2600 jobs available! Keith and I looked at each other totally perplexed. Huh? I've never seen a town advertising for people to come fill jobs before, and why would they pick the city of Bakersfield to advertise in?
Well, after a little googling, we found that Hobbs, New Mexico is in the southeastern part of the state right on the border to Texas and is currently part of the new oil boom going on there. So, if you like desert-hot in summer, cold in winter, and no rain-go to sunny New Mexico! And Bakersfield is an oil town, so where better to advertise for roughnecks to go work in the oilfields of Texas and New Mexico?

Vet Visits and Nasty Cat Bottoms

Poor Pepper. She and Bear both went to the vet today for their annual shots. They both knew something was up and I think they understand the word vet-Bear ran off and tried to hide under the bed, Pepper hid under the entertainment center and then ran around the living room while we chased her. We finally got them both into their fancy cat carriers that look like duffel bags with mesh windows. Pepper was up on the vet table first and needed her bottom washed off because she is too fat to clean herself. She's had trouble with her anal glands needing to be expressed, so the vet helper person washed her butt and got the glands expressed. That put Pepper in an even crankier mood.
Then, we had to wait and wait for the vet, there being some sort of emergency or something. He says she needs to lose about 3 pounds, which doesn't sound like a lot, but when you only weigh 16 pounds, is actually quite a big chunk of kitty fat.
Bear is fine and so very docile, she didn't complain too much, but her gums are looking pretty bad so she's going to go back for a cleaning. She has always had kitty gum disease, the vet said it could just be genetics. We're supposed to try and clean her teeth every few days, uh huh.
And, since Pepper needs to go on a diet, they're all going to be on one. The vet says with so many cats, if one has to do something, they all do. So now we are going to put food down twice a day, and then pick up all the bowls after 30 minutes. He says after about 3 days they'll get used to it and eat when it's offered or not at all. Pepper has meds that need to go on her food once a day anyway, so maybe this will help get those meds into her.
Poor old Bear has 2 different meds that are supposed to help with her gums that you squirt into her mouth. She sometimes tries to make a run for it when she sees me coming, but I guess the stuff doesn't taste too bad, one of them smells like beef broth.
Next we have to get little Lucy spayed, she has been in heat for the last few days and the poor thing just doesn't know what to do, she goes around mewling and raising her tail and bottom up in the air. Come and get me boys!
Good thing they don't go outside or we'd have every boy kitty for miles hanging around our house!