Christmas in Michigan

I’m back !!

Well, I’ve been back since the 29th when we flew into Sacramento and we were greeted with 50+ mile/an hour winds and rain blowing sideways and coldness. We decided to spend the night in Woodland and drove the next day, talking route 16 to 20 around Clear Lake. Wish i would of gotten some pics of that, but I was already coming down with a bad cold which is still with me today.

The Michigan trip was good, but too short for the amount of energy it took to get there and back, next time we will stay longer. Russel felt good for a few days and that was really a blessing. We had a white Christmas, which for me was quite unusual, I haven’t seen one of those in too many years to count.

The snow was just starting here:

snow on clothesline Michigan back yard at the Kenslers

This is my Dad, brother and me and my nieces:

It was odd, I usually was in the pictures, not taking them, so I had to spend some time in Photoshop to help them. I am thinking of using Ofoto for prints for the family to go to and get. I may get to Costco or somewhere else up north tomorrow that will take my cf card and i can get some 5x7s.

Oh, btw….. HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

Going to Michigan …

for Christmas to visit Dad & the rest of the family. Currently it is 29 degrees there, and snow flurries. Now to many people that is warm/balmy/ok with them type of weather, but I moved away from Michigan and then Colorado because I didn’t want to handle the cold, snow bitter freezing winds.

Any way, I am sure I will be indoors for the most part, and it looks as if the flight day will be clear of any disrupting weather, that’s a good thing. This flight, takes us from Sacramento (5 hour drive from here) to St.Paul/Minneapolis to change planes for Detroit. I have never done that route when flying before.

I am hoping I can connect while there and blog, upload pictures, but don’t know if I will be able too.

I am excited to see Dad, and the whole family. I actually like most of my family, of course living on the other side of the country helps with that i am sure :).

To all who come to visit here, Happy Holidays to you all. May you be warm, dry, safe and prosperous in the new year. I will be back before NYE.

Bruce Cockburn coming to the Mateel CC

Bruce is coming to town!!

Bruce Cockburn is coming to the Mateel Community Center!!!!
22 February 2004 – at the Mateel Community Center presented by our local radio station KMUD.

( photo credits: Doug Stacey, 19 July 2003 Madison, WI. show at the Barrymore Theatre )

I also put a new front page article, part of the From the Road series, up at the the Cockburn Project.

I am surely looking forward to this new show right here in town, hope to get a short interview, some pictures, and a really fun time.

I have plans for a project i want to make for Bruce, but more on that later, as i gather all the needed materials.

This is really the best news I have had in a long time. I really have needed to wrap myself up in Bruce, just to get through the last few months.

Citizen of the Year – Day to Day

Estelle Fennell – Citizen of the Year

Last fall we had fires. We also had our intrepid reporter and news manager at KMUD, Estelle Fennel, who 24/7 kept us informed, went into the fire zone, and won great respect for her efforts from CDF and other locals.

Estelle Fennel has been named Citizen of the Year, by a strong vote. There will be a party in her honer on Valentines Day at the Mateel Community Center in Redway.

I am really glad to see this honor go to her. She has been the lifeline through many El Nino storms, keeps a level head and perspective to an often diverse population at odds with each other. She is fair, honest and we, are very lucky to have her.

Day to Day

In other news, Russel got a chest cold on top of what he was already dealing with. He has been home in bed most of the time since last Thursday. Poor baby,
this is so not him.

I have no Holiday Spirit.

We are going to Eureka, if he can make it, tomorrow to buy tires for the Toyota, as they are bald and we need to drive about 200 miles over hill and dale to Sacramento on Saturday to catch our flight to Michigan on Sunday.

Michigan where it was 10 degrees and snowing the last time I looked. brrrr

Give me wet windy 50’s in northern California any time.

I miss working on sites. My host (Hosting Matters) just added some new software within CPanel that is gonna be great to start playing with. I need to redo my www.creationdreams.net site. [Still needs to be done 3/15/2010 !]
And I am still waiting on content for the client site i started almost 2 months ago.
When I return from Michigan, I hope to start in earnest these web projects.

More Health Updates

Really, I am still here!

Been to busy to think. Have spent many days and nights away from the computer, with many more to come, so I thought a quick update would be nice. ;-p

On the VA-Russel illness front, all tests are good. No GERDs, but the pain and congestion in and around his broncials persists. He hasn’t felt well now for over 5 months, not a happy camper for sure. The whole thing is stressing us to the max, just trying to keep on keepin on, ya know? Maybe more tests after the years end.

We leave for Michigan to visit Dad, and the rest of the family, on the 20th. We have e-tickets, which I have never used, so hope all goes well.
I am not a great traveler any more. Used to be, but now the thought of sitting on a plane for hours is just dreadful and will be painful.

The rare smile:

Frustration with the VA

I really don’t believe this…

but the last visit to the VA clinic could of easily been done over the phone! The main gist being, we were seeing a doctor in the ‘chest clinic’ and he ruled out anything being wrong there, and now we need to start over in the “GI clinic”.

Well, a few choice words and some whimpering helped and he sped up the process that would of taken us another 3 weeks at least if not six. He speeded it up so much that we get to go down there 2x in one week!!

We leave on Monday, spend Monday night in SF, and then the appointment on Tuesday. This time he is scheduled for an Endoscopy and, just for fun, a colonoscopy 🙂

At least this time we may actually get a real diagnosis.

I am just completely fried with all this.

To add to the stress level, my Dad just called with the news that he is footing the bill for us to fly home (Michigan) for Christmas.
Now this is a good thing on one level, but it still takes a lot to get there from here. More on that later, after this last (I hope) trip to the VA.

Getting Ready for the Coming Rains

Today Russel finished insulating all our water pipes under the house. Tight crawl space under there, with his bruised rib and bad back, not really a good time, but good to have it done. I pulled all the dead squash and tomato plants out of the garden. Last weeks rain and coldness did them in. There is still more to do in the garden but no time.

We also need to move the solar panel that powers the battery that powers the little pump that lets us have water in the house for good things like showers and flush toilet.. we had to charge the battery today with the generator. We will be out there all week end so it will eventually get a good charge. Russel also did a pump, (we pump water from a lower gravity fed holding tank) to a tank up by the house. Full tank… lots of showers 🙂

With the bathroom happening there I like staying out there more and more. Power is still an issue. I miss not having my computer there. Once that happens I will most likely shun town and only come in when i really have too.

We leave tomorrow (Wed) for the VA clinic in SF again. The pain is still there. We are leaning towards thinking this is GERDs.. and hope to get some help. Prilosec hasn’t helped. Diet change hasn’t either.

Wish us luck.

Harmonic Concordance

This picture on the of me :

bobbi wisby 1987 top of Lembert Dome - Harmonic Convergence

was taken at the Harmonic Convergence. This was on the top of Lembert Dome, in Toulumne Meadows – Yosemite.

I was very into astral works at that time. Since I have moved up here to Humboldt County, for some reason, I haven’t stayed as in tune.

Anyway, a friend turned me onto this, this site on the Harmonic Concordance which will be and is in effect now.

Can’t get to a mountain top, like I did before, but will get out of town and do some tuning in on the weekend.

On My Beat

Living in the hills of southern Humboldt