More Ramblings from the Forest: Decimal: 40.513052, -121.812724. Degrees: 40° 30' 46", -121° 48' 45".

You’re probably wondering why I gathered you all here. So am I. (And....of course I didn't provide my real coordinates)

OMG that title was hella too long. Reminds me of middle earth from LOTR. If you don’t know what LOTR is then GTFO. And if you don’t know what GTFO means then you should Google it. Finally if you don’t know what Google is then you probably live in Antartica. That being said let’s get on with my blog.

First off, my rules to live by:

Don’t take life too seriously. No one gets out alive.

Life is a roller coaster. You can either scream every time you hit a bump or you can throw your hands up in the air and enjoy it.

The best way to hang up on someone is to do it in the middle of YOUR OWN sentence. that way, they never suspect you hung up on them.

The Miss Universe pageant is fixed. All the winners are from Earth. Universe my ass.

Don’t worry about people from your past, There’s a reason why they didn’t make it to your future

Now on to some of my observations:

Hey Nikon, just a friendly heads-up here… NOBODY gives one single crap what camera Ashton Kutcher uses.

What’s all this jibberish about people having to find themselves? Don’t they realize all they need is a compass, a map, or a GPS system? Or an iPhone. I wonder if ET feels really stupid now that cell phones exist? iPhone Home. Speaking of iPhone and the many users that are irate that their wireless signal suddenly drops, well .... Steve Jobs said the problem is in the software and recommends that they download the latest version of Apple's iDon'tcare. Technology - it’s all too fast for me. "I had to walk to school 2 miles in the snow... barefoot" was good in my day. But imagine the sheer terror on your grandkids face when you say "When I was born there was no internet". Actually I feel sorry for today's generation because they will never understand the ‘awesomeness’ of a mixed tape or the thrill of waiting by the radio all day long to record your favorite song. Ut-oh, just ‘aged’ myself didn’t I? Seeing that age is just a number, can I get mine unlisted?

The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when they fill out a job application. But I also think job interviews are kind of like a first date. You dress up, pretend to be someone else and spend the entire time wondering if you're going to get screwed.

I told my dog Finn it is weird that he follows me into the bathroom all the time. So he walked out. Now I know for a fact that Shelties are a very intelligent breed of dog, but now I’m just weirded out that he speaks English. Speaking of dogs, I'm sure you all know that I live with four canine 'buddies'. Well, when someone rings my doorbell, why do my dogs always assume it's for them? Now, yesterday I got quite the surprise. Apparently my four dogs had invited over some local neighborhood friends for an impromptu party. They knew the doorbell was for them. Imagine my surprise at 17 dogs lined up at my doggie door. Of course I have no objections to my dogs having fun with other dogs, but my rule was that they all had to make sure they relieved themselves prior to coming into the house. I was really happy to see that they all complied with my wishes. By the way, that is my neighbor's tree. I'm not stupid.

Even this huge fella came!

And they just kept coming.....

Not really sure how many were here all in total, but they played frisbee, tug of war, chased birds and squirrels, played soccer and just played all day long.

This particular sly little Sheltie brought his own beer! Don't worry, I checked it out. Bowser Beer is made from filtered water, pure malt barley (good for their coats), and infused with dog-loving beef broth – without hops or alcohol.

I even found one of them in my frig taking a nap!

And a couple of them all 'tuckered out' from hours of play.......

Now you can't tell me that dogs don't smile when they are having fun!

What a great group of dog friends my dogs have! I really liked this one, he cleaned up after all the others, when it was time to leave.

This little pup called home to let his family know he was leaving the party.

When they finally all went out to the gate to leave, there were two little dogs that were late for this impromptu dog party.

That was sad. Can not dismiss the sad look in the one pups eyes! Maybe next time. The little guy who left last was awesome, he had brought a rather big bone for my four dogs as a gift for inviting him. I'm pretty sure he will be on the top of the list when my dogs decide to do this again.

No, I’m not weird. I’m just a limited edition. What? You don't let your canine friends have parties?
Until next time...........................

Ramblings from the Forest

I’m just typing some words in a box for you to look at....just me living in the realm of thought, in my own world far away....and enjoying it. ( living vicariously through myself!) I’m actually collecting my thoughts... I’m working on eventually getting the whole set!
It's so quiet here that I can actually hear myself think. No good can come of this.
So, this morning I was out of creamer. Had to use milk. 2% milk, and I’m wondering what the other 98% is...should I be concerned? Probably shouldn’t be overly concerned right? Relax. I’ve already ruined my health by drinking to everyone else's.
This morning before getting my coffee I realized that my hamster died today. He fell asleep at the wheel. OMG...come one, seriously - I don’t have a hamster. At this point you should probably take everything I say with a grain of salt. And lime. And shot of tequila.
I should go to Hell but thankfully Satan has that restraining order and I’d like to keep it that way.
When I was young and my Dad and I would sit outside waiting to spot that alien spaceship I thought by the time I was - you know, his age at the time, that we would all have personal spaceships and android men that had no feelings or emotions. I was right about the android men, but still would rather have a personal spaceship!!! To match the pink rocket shoes I never seemed to have gotten for Christmas - all those years.
I still think that all men should come with a car fax and a UPS return label.
Speaking of age ~ Life was much simpler when Apple and Blackberry were just fruits, don’t you agree? Oh, now speaking of apples ~ with all the technology available today, you'd think they'd have found a way to grow apples without those damn little stickers. WTH?

I still miss the days of jumping on the hose at the gas station to make the bell ring. Full service was the best. My part to save the world? I like to think I’m saving the planet by tailgating my big ass Silverado behind a Prius. Tell me what you are doing to save the planet!

I have a big weekend coming up! My Star Trek club is going to dress as Klingon’s and ambush some loser Civil War re-enactors. Should be fun. Come on, one day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching. You got to have fun! In some cultures, what I do would be considered normal. Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right. After all I’m just attending life, and I have no plans afterwards. I have noticed, though, life rarely hands me anything. Am I in the wrong line? Now that I've learned to make the most of life, most of it is gone. Still ~ I like to think I am boldly going forward because I cannot find reverse......

(There's a fine line between genius and insanity. Thankfully I have erased this line)

Seriously though, I don’t think I would regret having a safety deposit box stuffed full of fake passports and a million dollars. Where would I go?
Not the Virgin Islands. Given how many times they've been screwed by hurricanes, I really think it's time to change the name of the Virgin Islands. Washington State? Sure would like to enjoy a nice Washington State vacation. The warmth, the sun, the clear blue skies, the fresh air ~ it would be a nice couple of hours.
Not the Ozarks. All the Police cases are unsolved. Everyone's DNA is the same and there are no dental records. Not Vegas. It’s simply not true what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas ~ one time my new husband followed me home. Not Asia. The Asian market sucks. Origami Bank folded, Bonsai Bank's cutting back it's branches, Kamikaze Bank nose dived, not to mention the 300 staff at Karate Bank who got chopped. Not Alaska. I finally found out what happened to the Polar Bear from LOST. It's hanging in Sarah Palin's office. Maybe Mexico? If I just fly to Arizona without ID and let them deport me to Mexico, wouldn’t it be cheaper than if I flew directly there? Not Texas. I can never remember whether or not I'm supposed to mess with Texas. Not sure I want to fly anywhere anyway. The last time I did, and the airplane began to shake, I said “Must be an earthquake.” I got some pretty funny looks. I still don’t understand that. The Flight Attendant moved me to a section she referred to as 'Blonde seating'.
Maybe Hawaii? FACT: A shark will only attack you if you're wet. I’ll just stay out of the water.
Just had a thought cross my mind. Must have been a long lonely journey. Oh damn. Lost it.

Here’s my wise thoughts for the day:

Never steal. Our government hates the competition.

The heart is in the center of our body but beats on the left. That is the reason the heart is not always right.

If there is a window of opportunity ... why the hell does it knock? Shouldn't it be a door? No wonder I miss opportunities. I answer the door, not the window.

Never shave your legs when you have goose bumps. I'm just sayin'.

I think it’s still too soon to ask Whoopi Goldberg if she's heard from Patrick Swayze yet.

I am convinced that Michael Jackson's heart did not tell the Defibrillator to just Beat It.

Reincarnation is real. Write yourself a will and leave everything to yourself.

It's a strange world of language in which skating on thin ice can actually get you into hot water. This I know from personal experience.

If you have an oven with a 'stop time' button, it's probably meant to be 'stop timer' but don't touch it, just in case.

The mighty oak was once a little nut that stood it's ground.

Ut-Oh....I think my neighbor just caught me stealing his Wi-Fi internet connec

Super Bowl

Sooo here it is ~ Super Bowl XLV ~ Steelers vs Packers (I am all for the Packers, since my Seattle Seahawks didn't pull through for me) Feb 6, 2011. I just wanna say this one thing about Super Bowl......
My idea of a Super Bowl is a toilet that cleans itself.
Obviously not the true-blue football fan huh?

Stressful times, followed by hella fun times......

The last part of December and the first part of January was pure hell on this forest woman......my 11 month old male Sheltie, Finn, went into sequential seizures, one right after another. He ended up having 13 before I could get him to an emergency vet off the mountain. Having had an epileptic dog before I knew exactly what was happening but I'd never witnessed seizures this severe. It was frightening to say the least. I thought I was going to lose him. I feared losing him. Luckily my Shingletown vet referred me to a wonderful vet who saved Finn's life. Finn was in an emergency hospital under 24 hour care for 6 days until he could come back home. We feared he may have sustained some brain damage due to the severity of the seizures, but fortunately he did not. He's back to normal now, but will be on a lifetime regiment of meds every 12 hours. I can't thank this Vet enough and I know it will be a hard long road ahead of us, for Finn and I, but we'll make it. He's for sure a 'Mama's boy' because he won't leave my side, and that's all good with me! We're buddies.

My son and family came to visit over the Martin Luther King week-end. They brought Tammi's sister Jamie with them which was great. She loves it up here and was looking forward to some snow play. Unfortunately there was no snow at my place so we took a short trip to Eskimo Hill up near Lassen Volcanic Park.

Eskimo Hill is a majestic (how else would you describe it?) snow covered hill that everyone, and I mean everyone ~ needs to experience at least once in their life.

Here's Kaihla doing all the work of hauling the sled to the hill, which she insisted on doing.....

At the bottom of the sledding hill there is a clearing that looks something like a small village. People are hunkered around deep built-in fire pits bbq’n, they even bring their own chairs, obviously prepared for a day of sledding. Adults, children, dogs, and I mean lots of them.

Here's Tammi and Shadwic ready to take their first run.....

And then Jamie and myself, with Shadwic ready to push us off.....

And then Sean and Kaihla with Shad ready to do the push off.....

And then Sean and Shadwic with Kaihla and myself ready to send them off.......
This was all in preparation of the 'big hill', because Jamie, Shadwic and Kaihla had never sledded down any hills. Once we were done with the practice hill we tackled the big hill.
Walking uphill on the left side dragging tubes, sleds, boogie boards, or whatever takes a good 10 minutes (depending on the snow depth) to get to the top of the hill. At the top, you look down on about 100 yards of beautiful, snow packed downhill sledding. Rather intimidating actually, but....... it’s unbelievably a kick in the proverbial butt. If you get tired of sledding, you can wander off and build an ice igloo. Back in 2006 when I took my friend Laura, her son Danny, and her granddaughter Elizabeth we found an ice igloo that was already made.

Or you can build a snow-man, partake in some good old fashioned snow ball fights, or just sit in the snow and be amazed at the beauty of it all. You're literally in the middle of nowhere, with tons of snow. The little ones, Shadwic and Kaihla had so much fun! The big ones, Sean, Tammi, Jamie and myself, well....what can ya say? We had hella fun!

This is Shad preparing for his first run down the 'little' hill. Not sure why Kaihla has her gloves over her eyes.

Nana and Shad taking a 'breather'.

Kaihla ~ obviously having sooooo much fun!

Kaihla's turn!

Time to go home, and of course Kaihla once again insisted on dragging the sled back to the truck...gotta just love this girl!


The following day we (of course) went on a quad ride through the forest. We found a nice little secluded spot to let Shadwic shoot his new Daisy 'Grizzly' BB rifle. We set up balloons on a fallen tree and he 'plinked' away under the guidance of his Daddy.

If you look closely at the last photo you will see the red balloon in the air after Shad had hit it!
Yay! My grandson is on his way to becoming a 'marksman'!
(My apologies for the quality of the last three photos as I had to create 'snapshots' from a video that was too long to post)