11/11/2024

I spent the whole day getting ready for my trip. I have to get the automatic plant waterer to work, make sure the bucket is in place to catch my mail, pick up prescriptions, all sorts of last minute things to do. 

Until tomorrow...

11/10/2024

Now that the van/camping stuff is organized and ready to go, I needed to pack my clothes, shoes, boots, food. I made both Bolognese and chili to take for the first few travel nights. I hate having to cook after driving 4.5 hours. I bring items in a plastic bag and heat them up. How do I heat them up in a van? I boil water and then put the ziplock bag in the center of the pot. The edges can't touch the sides. With the Bolognese, I cook the spaghetti and put the plastic bag in with the spaghetti. Dinner is served! 

Until tomorrow...

11/9/2024

Now it is time to prep for my final trip in 2024. I leave for Joshua Tree in a few days. I took all my equipment out and reorganized it. I have these bins that hold different things: 

* camping/RV stuff like an axe, first aid kit, folding shovel, flashlights, etc

* Kitchen stuff: measuring cups , small food processor, plastic bags, etc. 

* Pet stuff: paper for the bird cage, food, snacks, dog life vest, etc 

* Entertainment and electronics: small game, coloring books, colored pencils, ear buds, mini projector, mosquito repeller, etc. 

It's easier when I am organized. 

Until tomorrow...

11/8/24

I am spending a lot of time perfecting my fillings for the chocolates. Did I put too much orange juice? Do I need more instant coffee? Over and over again to get it just right and written down. 

Until tomorrow...

11/7/24

I went to a "Marketing your business" class and then an orientation for a program that helps small business. I'm on my way!! 

Until tomorrow...

11/16/2024

I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that's why I send and his wife took me out to dinner. They live near Palm Springs and they took me to a nice restaurant in Palm Springs for a lovely dinner. I left the dog in the van, the weather was quite chilly, and she did really great. 

This morning Miss Vivien Butterfly and I got going early to Joshua Tree National Park. Since this was day two for me, it meant hiking. The rule at National Parks is that dogs are allowed on roads, parking lots, and picnic areas. They're also allowed 100 ft from any of those places. Since Joshua Tree has most of its sites within 100 ft of the parking lot, is Vivien was able to see some things.

I did a little bit of hiking. I can leave the dog and the bird for about an hour hour and a half without any problems. 

Joshua Tree National Park you're very unique landscape. It's very rocky with super large rocks. Since this is not my first time here, I think I've had enough of Joshua Tree for quite some time. 

Until tomorrow...

11/15/2024

Crystal day at Joshua Tree National park. But first I dropped the dog off at a doggy daycare to spend part of the day while I drove around the park. The boarding facility was 5 minutes from the entrance to the park. My first went to the visitors center to get my passport stamp, t-shirt and map. 

I decided to do the 26 mile Loop while the dog was in the boarding facility. That way I could drive the whole thing and map out what I wanted to do in the next day. I only had until 1:00 because I had to take a zoom call and National Parks do not have any Wi-Fi. 

The park was great it was a very relaxing drive around since it's off season. It was not very crowded and I made a plan for the next day. 

I use the doggie boarding parking lot to make my zoom call and when I was done I picked up the dog and we went back to the campsite. 

When you walked all around the campground after dinner and then bought some TV. 

Until tomorrow...

11/14/2024

Got up early and got going. We had a long day of driving ahead of us to get to Joshua Tree National Park. We were staying in Desert Hot Springs at a very nice Campground. 

Once again I had to get up early to give the dog the medicine so that she would not be stressed out in the car. We got to the campsite late afternoon and set up camp. 

This campsite has a lot of amenities and I chose it so that we'd have things to do at the campground since it was a desert. Campground has mineral spring type hot tub, heated pool, unheated pool, bocce ball, kids playground, dog park and more. I'm looking forward to them mineral bath. 

Until tomorrow...

11/13/2024

Got up early to give the dog her new motion sickness medicine. She has to get it 3 hours before we leave. So I started packing the van. 

Once I could put the dog in the van, we took off. The three of us going down to Joshua Tree. Our first stop was Solvang. Unfortunately, since we stopped to buy a water hose, the one provided for me was bad, we ended up getting to Solvang at 4:45pm. The town literally shuts down at 5 pm. We walked around a bit and went back to the campground to heat up chili. 

Until tomorrow...

11/12/2024

Got up early to get a taxi to a train and then hike for half an hour to go get the van. Once again the van pick up was less than perfect. It was still water in the gray tank which is dishwater and shower water. There was also a lack of water hose. I decided instead of arguing with them I just go by my own water hose. 

But I finally got it and got home, put all the dishes in the dishwasher, wash the whole van down. You may ask why when supposedly they clean it. I don't trust that they actually clean it. 

Then I started loading things in. I loaded up all the things except valuables. So clothes, food, dishes, etc. that takes me a couple of hours of walking back and forth to the van. Luckily my neighbor allows me to park the van in his driveway and I give him free candy and pastries. 

All of the rest of the stuff and the pets in the van tomorrow morning. 

Until tomorrow...

11/6/2024

After having groceries delivered, I began making chocolates. This time I made more coffee and a batch of peanut butter. They look great. 

Later in the evening I decided to decorate them. 

I am not sure which of the dark chocolate stars I like best. The roses are decorated with some edible glitter. Just having fun. 

Until tomorrow...

11/5/2024

I had no client work to do today. I was supposed to have a meeting but it was cancelled 15 minutes into the meeting time. 

I have a love/hate relationship when clients cancel meetings at the last minute. On one hand I have more time to do other things. But on the other hand, I most likely didn't schedule something that I needed to do because I had a meeting scheduled. I may have rushed to get to my office for that scheduled meeting. I also think it is rude to schedule an hour of my time and just not show up and send a text saying the meeting is cancelled and not because of some emergency. Maybe it is just me.

After walking the dog, I started to make chocolates. I tried a new version of the coffee chocolates and they are great. I may not sleep tonight but that may also be because it is election night. Ugh. 

Until tomorrow...

11/4/2024

I didn't have much work to do today, so I decided to experiment with some chocolate. I made a vegan ganache that I hope had staying power. I also made some dark chocolate chili with Pepito's. Delicious. 

I had the gardener here to finally put in my front garden. It is a small space but it needed something. He put in 6 succulents with purplish rocks around them. It looks just as I pictured. Partially because I copied it from a house in my neighborhood. They say copying is the greatest form of flattery or something. 

I spoke to a friend and her son has a tortoise. I always wanted a tortoise (and a panda but only one is attainable) but couldn't figure out how the logistics. She says her son feels the tortoise should be rehomed. I am all in. That would make a bird, dog and tortoise. 

Until tomorrow...

11/1/2024

I had to go to the dentist to get a tooth checked. I was worried that the feeling was falling out. But it turns out the tooth is fine. The dentist just had to file down a little bit to make it flatter. 

Other than that my day was pretty chill. I walked the dog a couple times I met with a friend to continue working on her website and told her my finished vision board. 

Until tomorrow...

11/3/24

Today the clocks were turned back an hour so I slept in. After taking a bath, I walked the dog. Then I did laundry and most dreaded task: invoicing clients. I was proud that I finished invoicing by dinner. In-between invoices, I roasted brussel sprouts and baked some tofu for dinner. 

It was a super nice day and I wanted to go hiking but life got in the way. 

Until tomorrow...

11/2/2024

We got up early and went on a hike. It was an hour away and had elevation and switchbacks. Just what the doctor ordered for Vivien. She did okay with all the movement. I'm going to go again next week to see how she does.  I don't want to drug her to get in the van but I will if I have to. It's just a little relaxing pill.

The hike had great views and a .7 mile loop that we did twice to get our steps in. 

Until tomorrow...

10/24/2024

I decided that the dog needed to be washed today. She took a dip in the water in Olympic National Park and hasn't smelled great since. So today was the day she got dunked in the water and washed. She smells so good now and seems happy. 

Later in the afternoon I started to not feel well. I don't think it's from washing the dog, I think it's from from not feeling well. And yes I tested for covid but no it's not covid. I just laid down on the couch and took a nap until it was time to get up dog. 

Until tomorrow...

10/31/2024

It's Halloween. I dressed up as a doctor/surgeon. Miss Vivien Butterfly dressed up as a bumblebee. 

 

Adorable, right!?!

We had about 10 kids come by. 

Until tomorrow...

10/30/2024

Not much going on except I was in a foster care meeting with my ex-foster son. He has not been speaking to me since I told him a) I had no Internet while on my last trip and b) he needed to do his homework himself. He did not like either of those answers. He did not speak to me in the meeting either. The holidays are approaching so I'm sure I will get a phone call. 

Until tomorrow...

10/29/2024

Today was fix the house day. First I had the pest guy come by. I have had rat traps in the garage for about a year. This week I caught a rat in the garage. You might be asking why all the rats? They are digging up water pipes in the roads all around me to replace the pipes. The rodents are being displaced and moving into everyone's yard. One go into my garage. I also found a dead little baby rat on the ground. It was so sad. 

I also found a hole where I think they are getting into the garage. The pest guy filled the whole with cement, took away Mr. Dead Rat and set traps in the garage to see if there are more. 

Let's recap: my home has been attacked by raccoons, termites, yellow jackets, and rats. I'm afraid to ask if there are anymore wildlife left. 

Then my handyman came by and fixed a couple of things, including my shower. Years ago I had a plumber fix something in my shower. I guess I never really tried to get cold water in the shower before but I tried this past summer when it was in the 90's. The shower only had hot/luke warm water but no cold. The handyman fixed the shower and some other things. 

My friend gave me a TV so I had my handyman move the old TV so I could set it up. It has something wrong so I have to contact the company. 

Until tomorrow...

10/28/2024

Once again I did not feel very good today. Luckily I only had one meeting scheduled. After the meeting I walked to the dog on a short walk and then laid down on the couch. When I feel like this, I have this nagging feeling that I need to get up and do things. I have learned over the years to ignore that voice if I'm feeling this bad. It's more important that I rest then to push myself and feel worse the next day. 

Until tomorrow...

10/27/2024

When Miss Vivien Butterfly got altitude and car sick, the veterinarian I told you I needed to push her in the car, driver around and take her to the places she enjoyed. So today I drove the Long Way to the park. She enjoyed running around with the other dogs. There was one puppy who wanted to play with her. The puppy would run up barking at her, she would bark and charge back at him and he would continue coming back for more. The owner told her dog to stop but I said it was good for Miss Vivien to get this kind of exercise. It was super funny to watch them. Miss Vivien did great in the car.

Until tomorrow...

10/26/2024

Besides cleaning the house, making chocolates, walking the dog, and doing laundry, I also met with my friend about the vision boards. We decided to do that vision boards on canva, a program. It's very interesting to do a vision board on a computer as opposed to doing it on poster board with photos and words that you cut out from magazines. I did a vision board during the first year of covid and I still haven't hanging up where I can see it everyday. I have completed almost everything on my vision board. I guess it's time to create a new vision board. 

Until tomorrow...

10/25/2024

It was a busy day. I got up early and took my new paperwork down to City Hall. I'm not sure if I've talked about why I had to do new paperwork but it's because to get the kind of permit I need I have to take the word vegan out of the company name. So I went down to file more paperwork to have this accomplished.

And then that was a friend to talk about our vision boards. We both decided to make vision boards for the next year. I think I have a clear idea of what I want to happen in the next year so it wasn't that difficult for me. 

I needed to go give blood and I was feeling pretty good today so I went down and did my blood test. I've already heard the results and they look good. 

And I met with the person that I met at vegfest. She's super nice and watch me through a bunch of permitting process, home inspection, and pitfalls in the process. I took lots of notes. 

Until tomorrow...

10/23/2024

This morning started with a webinar on an accounting program. I wanted to learn more about it. I need an accounting program for my chocolate business if it ever gets off the ground. 

Then I went over to see my dermatologist to see if she can cut something out. I know that sounds dramatic but I have had for a number of years he bump along my scalp and it itches constantly. I wanted to see if she could cut it out so this itching stops. She made an attempt but decided that it is a nerve ball and it's dangerous to cut something like that out. So instead she gave me a shot of something that's supposed to stop me from itching. Right now my scalp is a little numb. 

Until tomorrow...

10/22/2024

Good morning started with my nutritionist appointment. I meet with my nutritionist quarterly to discuss any medical issues that may interfere or conflict with my diet. This time he was very happy to hear that my weight was down about five pounds and I seem to be eating well, especially during my van trip. 

In the evening I had a phone call with a friend of a friend who used to own a chocolate business. He had his chocolate business for one year before he closed it down. As he admitted, they tried to start big and it became too much for them considering they had full-time jobs. He gave me some very interesting information that I can use. Such as trying to figure out how many chocolates you can make so you can figure out how many orders you can take. Very helpful. 

Until tomorrow...

10/21/2024

I am not sure if I mentioned this before, but one of my clients has decided to go with another consultant who happens to be the owners good friend. So I'm only working with them for a few more weeks to transition to the new consultant. I had my first meeting today and the new consultant was very nice. Then at the end of our meeting the new consultant told me he was very impressed with my integrity of passing on all the information I was. I just assumed that was being a professional. 

This evening was the arthritis facilitator monthly meeting. For some reason they were using a free zoom account and the meeting had to end part way through. I was walking Miss Vivien so I was unable to get back into the meeting after it ended prematurely. 

Until tomorrow...

10/20/2024

They was Vegfest day. I got up and went over to the festival see if I could talk to some of the vendors. I ended up not getting any food because I couldn't find anything that I liked enough to buy. I did try one vendors cardamom chai and that was really good I also tried another vendor's lemonade. That was so so. I think I make better lemonade. 

I did get to speak to three or four vendors to ask them their experience going through the permitting process. One of the vendors agreed to speak to me later in the week. Another vendor told me that they had commercial kitchen space. It was a good day gathering intel. 

Until tomorrow...

10/19/2024

This will be short. After a taking a bath and taking the dog to the park, I laid on the couch. I'm still feeling under the weather. 

Until tomorrow...

10/18/2024

Well, I think I am a bit sick. Imagine, this is the first time I have been sick since pre-Covid. Washing hands and wearing a mask was great for me because I didn't get sick for over 4 years. Now that I am wearing a mask less often, I guess it is my time. 

The doctor gave me the new triple test (RSV, flu and covid) and it was all negative. It is just a cold making me miserable. 

Until tomorrow...

10/17/2024

I trained my replacement at  a clients company today. Yes, it sucks but as he pointed out, I could have said that I wouldn't train him. I'm a professional. I may not have liked it but of course I'm going to do it. Turns out the new guy is super nice. 

I'm not feeling very good (not covid) so I am going to bed. 

Until tomorrow...

10/16/2024

Early this morning I took Miss Vivien to the vets office to be checked out. He thinks there's nothing wrong with the dog other than the fact that she probably had altitude sickness and car sickness as I suspected. He did give me some medication to try to see if this does anything for her. He agrees that I need to figure this out before the next trip. 

Until tomorrow...

10/15/2024

Before I left on my trip I organized some deliveries when I got back. Today I had fruits and veggies show up as well as more drinking water. It's helpful that now you can have these things organized while you're away to show up when you get back. 

Until tomorrow...

10/14/2024

Happy Indigenous People's Day. I drove to a store to buy two plastic containers in order to organize all my RV stuff. There is a lot of stuff. 

Until tomorrow...

10/13/2024 Van Trip 2

I was up before 7:00 cleaning the van from top to bottom inside. Because this was such a rainy and muddy trip, it took me forever to get all the dirt out of the van. 

Once I got it cleaned and took a shower I then proceeded to take the van back to the rental place. This time I decided to walk the 30 minute walk to the train station instead of taking a bus or a cab. It was actually a very pleasant walk after being in a van for so many hours. Then I cut the train and a cab and finally was back home. Exhausted. 

Another amazing trip and it's only 30 days until I take trip number three. 

Until tomorrow...

10/12/2024 Van Trip 2

It is the final day of the trip. We left Mount Shasta and drove for four or five hours to get to home. 

Once home I had to unpack the animals and unpack everything from the van. By the time that came around I was so exhausted I could not clean the van. I want to wake up early tomorrow and clean the van before I drop it off. 

Until tomorrow...

10/11/2024 Van Trip 2

Once again woke up super early so we could get on the road to get to our campsite near Mount Shasta. On our way out of the Willimette Valley Campground I saw a young buck and the most beautiful tree. 

A view of Mount Shasta on our way into town. 

Until tomorrow...