Behold the Hamling Christmas Tree! 

 It's a great day. Joe Biden has been named President Elect. I'm looking forward to a return of respect, diplomacy, dignity and unity for our country. Today is a great day!

September 24, 1977 2 PM Ascension Catholic Church. Chris and I got married. I was scared shitless that day. It had hit me the night before that marriage in the Catholic church is FOREVER. That is until one of you dies. We were 22 years old and forever seemed like a long time to me then. But it's 2020, 43 years later and we are still together. Marriage is scary and it's not easy for most of us. But here we are! And wow, has the world changed from 1977.
 

Packed up and ready to go

Monday September 7 we had a major wind storm hit about 6 PM. Our power went out about 7 PM. An hour later we decided to fire up the generator. Pretty sweet, we had refrigeration, air conditioning, running water and lights! At 10 PM we heard a huge BANG! We went outside to find a gigantic limb had blown off the Ponderosa Pine and crashed into the pump house. 

Oh well, pump house was getting old!

Next morning we try to clean up as much debris as we can. What can happen now? The storm sparked several wildfires, one in our area was the Dowty Fire, located about 5-6 miles away and the larger fire 20 miles from Estacada, Riverside Fire.

Tuesday afternoon we started to get evacuation alarms on our cell phones and land line. By the evening, we were in the "red" zone - evacuate immediately. Neighbors left, we stayed. Wednesday, it got a little scary. The fire moved to only two miles from Estacada. We packed go bags for ourselves and the cats.

Wednesday night about 10:30 we had a visit from the police. They wanted to be sure we knew we were in the evacuation zone. On Thursday we talked about leaving. Fortunately Regina's neighbor and good friend Robyn had offered to let us stay at her home.

Cats are good to go!

We stayed with Robyn until Saturday and figured the fire hadn't advanced further and the weather outlook looked promising. I learned two things: fire or storm evacuation is scary and stressful AND there's no place like home!

This is my great niece Jennifer. She has recently made a difficult but necessary decision to make a big change in her life. Love this girl to pieces! I am so impressed with her bravery and wisdom. I gave her a book by my favorite Cat Rapper, Moshow. I am wishing all the best for her and hoping she finds much happiness in life.

Happy 65th Birthday to Me!

June 1st was my birthday, a milestone for me. I feel honored to achieve 65. My sister Carla didn't get to see 65, neither did my mom or my cousin Adonica. Regina treated me, Ron and Chris to dinner at Stonecliff, my favorite restaurant! I had a great time. It was nice to get out after our two plus month of stay-at-home COVID19 lockdown. Sooooo .  . not everyone shares my sentiment with milestone birthdays! It's a little surprising but it is what it is. The important thing was that I spent my birthday with people I love.

Two Years

 Two years ago I walked out the doors on the 17th floor and never looked back. I was filled with so much anger at how I had been treated. I have gone over and over in my head how I could have better handled the situation I was in and I could have handled it better - but I'm really not sure it would have changed anything. My boss was a dick. I could have sought legal counsel but I don't know if the stress and expense would have been worth it. Maybe but I don't have time for shoulda coulda. It is what it is.

I do miss the coworkers that were my friends. I do not miss the two bitches that fabricated the bullshit that my boss chose to believe. That's another story kids!

 

So much has happened in two years. I was thinking of where the world is at now and all the things that have happened. I'm probably better off being retired than if I had followed my original plan and delayed retirement as long as I could have (maybe 70?). Today I wanted to call my sister Carla and have a nice long chat with her. How crazy life has turned out and what the fuck? But all I ended up was crying. I miss her so much. What will life be like this time next year?

Life Goes On

Amid all the current events, our two kittens continue to thrive and I'm so in love with them! Despite BillyBob's health challenges (URI and possible asthma), he seems to be doing well. Oscar? He's my little pumpkin loaf.

This photo is actually from the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic. But it is a sight that is common today with the COVID 19 pandemic. Knock on wood, we are healthy but then we are retired, so the stay-at-home edict isn't all that much different from our day to day routine.

Meanwhile . . . Regina was laid off from Precision Castparts. Maybe a good time to retire? She has the opportunity to adopt a year-old Labradoodle named Sunni. However Rhetta is less than enthused about her new little sister. Oh well, life goes on . . .

Cats Rule . . . again

We've opened our house and hearts up to two kittens! Meet Billy Bob T. and Oscar. We adopted them on Friday, March 13. In the past five days, they have managed to turn our house upside down and we have totally fallen in love with them. They are more entertaining (and fun) than watching TV. Especially since most of the news is so depressing lately with coronavirus and the economy tanking. Aw hell, everything is closed down so what else are we going to do but watch two kittens wrestling and playing with anything not nailed down in our house? And we bought a van to haul our little family around in!

Stay healthy. Life is short, find something that makes you happy, makes you laugh and someone to love. Remember, as far as the economy and the damn coronavirus, this too shall pass.

February Happy Birthdays

February was the month for celebrating birthdays. Regina and I traveled to Benicia weekend of February 14-16 to party with our brother-in-law Gene and niece, nephew and families. Gene turned 70! (top photo). Then on Monday February 17 we celebrated Jan's 69th birthday. (bottom photo). Great month to be celebrating birthdays. 💘