Notes From The Canyon

It's been a while. I've been busy both with fun things and with diabetes issues. I definitely don't want to write about the latter and with the recent horrors taking place in our country, I feel I should write a serious post about my thoughts and feelings. But I seem to lack the energy for that, as well. 

My thoughts go out to all those who are affected by the violence and hatred that seem to overshadow so much of what's good in this country. 

It's Sunday afternoon and the air is filled with smoke. Still several hours before local news comes on TV and it would be good to be on social media so one could find out where this fire is located.

Since I'm not, let me instead tell you about some of the busy and fun things in my life. In the picture above, I was keeping an eye on Joyce's cattle, when unbeknownst to me, I got this good shadow shot of myself. 

Joyce is a very calm and mellow woman and all her animals respond to that. The large Guernsey bull, the brown and white one, is such a sweet critter. This country life, enjoying farm animals without being responsible for them, is just perfect for this time in my life.

Last Saturday, the canyon CERT team organized an evacuation drill. It was mainly Dave and Bernice, our hard-working leaders, and a few others who organized it, but we all participated.

Here I am, dressed up in my CERT gear, whistle and ID around my neck, and the very ugly trucker hat perched on my head. But not for long! I seriously tried to wear it, my ears would stick out, I had to put them back inside the cap, and it still popped up on my head and made me look funny. Even though I have by now lost all vanity I possessed earlier in my life, this hat was just a little too much. So it came off and I replaced it with one of my own.

There's only  one public road leading in and out of the canyon. If it becomes blocked by fire, flood, or earthquake there's another, private, road that can be used for evacuations. It's a dirt road with several gates, leading through fields with cattle and horses, and across land belonging to the cement plant. Most people in the canyon are unaware of it, so these drills serve our community well. This year, the attendance was really good. We had firemen with a large truck, EMT people with their truck, and someone from the Sheriff's Office too. 

We had coffee and cookies to help make it a fun morning. I could tell the coffee was very much appreciated by all. 

And here is my friend Joyce, who had taken a class in how to direct traffic, so she got to do that. I volunteered to hand out a brochure called Ready Kern, where after you complete and forward it to the appropriate office, you will get a notification of any county emergency on you cell phone or any other device of your choosing. Many people live isolated here, without neighbors close by, and I was surprised to find out that none of the people I talked to knew about Ready Kern. Well, now they do.

I guess this is enough of an update for now. But I have more tales to tell, so later.......