HEAT, HEAT AND MORE HEAT! Oh, and politics.

Hi temp yesterday - 104. Predicted today - 105, then up for a couple more days. Yikes! I've been up since 5 AM and will soon walk dogs before it get any hotter.

I really hate this! Everything from fibromyalgia to my sleep disorder seems to be badly affected by this level of heat, especially when it goes on and on. With my husband leaving next week for several days in San Diego - with good reason; caring for his dad - I'll be in charge of all watering, all dog walking, all refilling and cleaning of the little fountain, all feeding of birds, feeding of dogs and cats (at least those can happen indoors), cleaning out the kitty litter and hauling the garbage up to the top of the steep drive. Doesn't this sound like fun? When all that's done I can clean, do laundry, maybe even sleep a bit.

I researched a lot of things about this place, Three Rivers, Tulare County, California, USA before we moved here; but the things I neglected to check out include temperature ranges, air quality, and the health issues related to those. In addition to the God-awful heat we have strange air currents, down canyon in the morning and up canyon in the afternoon, that trap heat and nasty ozone right here - sitting or maybe lying against the Sierra Nevada. Even the Sequoia trees in the Park are affected by the lousy air quality.

So, the County Supervisors in their wisdom seem to be getting behind a plan to develop Yokohl Valley into what is essentially a brand new small city. Yokohl Valley at present is beautifully rural, full of wildlife, home to a few ranches and cattle, and totally lacking in infrastructure. But, much of it is owned by the Boswell company and/or family. For a good look at their record in California, check out The King of California which documents how the patriarch managed to turn arid land prone to seasonal flooding into a major farming center. Air quality, wildlife, long time residents and anything else that got in the way be damned. Now they are wooing any and all with donations to a bike race, a boys club, etc., etc., etc., in their efforts to garner support for their plan to utterly destroy this valley. So, will our local "leaders" succumb to the idea of tax dollars pouring in and completely overlook the cost to the county and its residents? Well, that would be in keeping with past records.

Still, the San Joaquin Valley Air Quality District is getting more active. It may be self-preservation of the financial variety, but it could lead to self-preservation of the life variety! It seems that economics drives public choices and only when an issue becomes economically disastrous are most elected leaders willing to act. Take health care. Our nation has fallen drastically in world-wide health statistics. I don't recall exactly but we are something like 29th in infant mortality and 40-somethingth in life expectancy. But, only now that the cost of health care has become utterly out of control does it appear our national elected officials may actually do something.

Isn't it true that the primary job of a government is to protect its populace in ways that individuals cannot? That doesn't mean just the formation of an army, etc., but must include regulation of dangerous products, basic health care, education, air quality, and all the other things required to live in a world that has grown so over-populated and under-cared-for as to be nearing the proverbial tipping point. When huge "dead zones" exist in the oceans, so polluted as to fail to support any life; when many of our beaches are often closed due to water pollution for longer and longer periods; when air quality in certain areas fluctuates back and forth between "unhealthy for sensitive individuals" and just plain "unhealthy" . . . oh, you see where I'm headed with this.

Why are we as a species so self-centered and short-sighted? Even the far right should understand that with dominion comes responsibility. As you can tell, I'm discouraged about the future of my little corner of the world and the World as a whole. But, I simply can't allow myself to stay in that frame of mind or I will become paralyzed. So, back to "think globally; act locally." My husband is working on building a tumbling composter for me. We are working section by section on installing drip irrigation to save water. We recycle. We use the gas-effecient little car 90% of the time. We contribute to the "causes" that try to make a difference. And, we carry on.

Baby Buck's Adventure

If you haven't met him, this is Buck, aka Baby Buck. He's four, about 112 pounds and the biggest lap dog around, or at least thinks he should be. That is UNTIL his protective instinct kicks in.


Buck is half Lab, half Great Pyrenees. The GPs are bred to live with and protect flocks of sheep in the mountains of Europe, mostly from wolves. Buck seems to have an instinctive hatred of anything "wolf-like", which means coyotes. In New Mexico he chased them totally off our 98 acres.

I am, of course, leading up to a Buck story. We have a dog door, a big one to accommodate this guy, and we close it at night to prevent who-knows-what entering. So, the other night about midnight, Buck comes up from a sound sleep barking like mad, growling, etc., dashes down the steps - - and OUT the dog door that had been closed for the night! Huh? All we can figure is that the door, which has a little latch when it's pushed all the way down, wasn't fully closed and he butted it with his nose, something he loves to do with anything, until he got it open and got out.

So, midnight and I'm outside in jammies calling for Buck, who also tends to take off and be gone for hours. Fortunately he came right back, acting quite proud of himself for having defended the home from some marauder. He got back to sleep much more quickly than did I. You can bet we make very certain the dog door is all the way down now.

FF

I gave it a name.
Every enemy needs a name
by which I can call it out,
recognize it for what it is,
and muster my own resources
to fight the bitter foe.
I call this one FF.
It's not nice, but
it wasn't meant to be,
and it certainly isn't polite.
That swearing habit of mine
is often unappreciated, but
for now, for this situation,
it works.
FF.
In my world that's
F'ing Fibromyalgia.
Bringer of pain.
Swelling, lack of sleep,
that crazy sensitivity
to heat that keeps me
stranded indoors
when I long to be out.
Funny red spots that
cover my swollen fingers.
And, something else.
Oh, of course, the loss
of memory thing that happens.
Short term memory.
What was I in this room for?
What time am I to be there?
Damn.
And there I am,
swearing again.
With all of this I'm grumpy.
And the mustering of resources
isn't easy.
By I do have them, and
call them up I will!
First, of course, is rest.
As little as I sleep,
I must at least rest.
And, baths.
Soaking in the old
claw-foot tub that was
my mother-in-law's.
What a gift to have it!
Air conditioning, too.
Staying cool helps.
Until I turn too cold.
Then a warm dog to cuddle with.
A nap next to a soft, warm dog,
even if I don't sleep.
Did I mention dropping things?
No, that fell to the memory problem
It's little things:
a pencil, a bar of soap,
a paint brush.
That makes it difficult to paint,
yet painting remains a
wonderful distraction.
Perhaps I can paint the pain.
And that would be a double joy.
Maybe painting pain would give me
a route to the more abstract expression
I've longed to find in my painting
as well as distract me for a while at least
from FF.
Every enemy needs a name.
FF is mine.