Heat

It's been pretty common knowledge that it's been hot enough around here to fry eggs on the sidewalk.  They stated on the morning news today that Colorado Springs has seen 5 - 100 degree days in its recorded history... until this week.  They've had 3 100+ degree days just this week.  I don't know what's been going on.  But it's been HOT.

Then there are the fires.  Some crazy is running around setting fires.  The worst one devoured 350 homes and killed at least one person in the Springs this week.  They're not used to fires like that.  This fire came right into town.  Over 36,000 people evacuated.  What a crying shame.  The area burned was just so pretty.

But nature finds a way to heal itself.

The other day Les and I were walking up our road.  Lucy, Mindy and Brutus were doing doggy stuff about 50 yards ahead of us.  Suddenly I look up and there's a deer standing between us and the dogs.  She looked at us, she looked at the dogs, said, "Oh, crap," and scampered back down the side of the hill.  Lucy... ever the huntress... saw the deer and took off running after it.  We didn't see her for a few minutes, but then she returned quite winded.  She obviously didn't catch the deer, but she sure had fun trying.

With the heat, we decided to try shaving the girls.  Mindy is like me... the cooler the better.  Lucy doesn't seem to mind what the temperature is.  As long as she has food and someone to scratch her ears, she's content.

Mindy ready to take a bite out of an unsuspecting ear.

Mindy after her haircut.

I knew Mindy would look different because her undercoat is so light.  But take a look at the before and after pictures!  She turned white!  That whole afternoon she pouted... like she had been violated.  But I do think she's more comfortable now, though.

Tomorrow night we're hosting a "Pre-Op Shindig," for our friends.  It started out being just a couple of friends, then we just kept inviting more and more.  So it should be fun.  We have so many more good friends here than we ever did in California.  I'm not sure why that is, but I'm not complaining.  The people here are genuine.

Les's surgery is on Monday.  Please say a prayer that all will go well for him.

Tenants

Our last tenants moved out of our duplex early May.  Then we had to have it cleaned and the paint touched up.  That took about a week.  And we've been advertising it on Craigslist ever since.  We've shown it several times.  Always the same response, "Oh, it's so cute!"  Or, "It has so much character."

Finally, last Friday I got a call from a man who wanted to see it right away.  After staying on the phone with him so that I could walk him through, turn-by-turn, on how to get here, he arrived 5 minutes later.  (It's a good thing Trinidad is such a small town.)

He walked through the apartment and then asked, "OK, where do I sign?"  I explained that I would need an application first, and we worked out the security deposit and rent.

He sat at Les's desk to fill out the application since he wanted to move in that day.  When he was done, I entered his info into a landlord's website where I can pull his credit history and for $6 more, I can also pull any criminal history.

I waited and waited for the report, then discovered that they had sent an email to him for confirmation that it was OK to give me his reports.  So he gave the OK, again on Les's computer.  He gave me the deposit and the rent and I handed him the keys.  I told him that I would get the lease together shortly.  He went next door to check out his new home.

A couple of minutes later, I finally got his report.  Lots of credit.  One collection, no big deal.  But then I got to pages 3, 4 and 5... the criminal background part.  OH MY GOD!!!!

Rape, rape, failure to resister as a sex offender, more rape, rape of a child, in states all across the country.  I started shaking.

I called Les who was at the shop.  I told him that I needed him home NOW.  Do not chat with neighbors, do not stop to take the trash out... HOME NOW!!!  Then I asked Andy to come with me because I needed to address this monster in the guise of a mind-mannered man shorter than me.

I showed him the credit portion, pointed out the collection from Chase.  Then I got to page 3, 4 and 5.  I was speechless as he went back to page 1 to explain the collection from Chase!  What?????!!!!!

"At this point, I couldn't care less about that!  What about this??!!" I exclaimed.  He said, "Well, that's not me.  I've never been to Virginia.  Never been to Washington State."  

If it were me being accused of such things, you'd have to pry me off the ceiling with a shovel.  

I told him that there was no way I would rent my place to someone like that, and if it truly wasn't him, that I'd need him to march right down to the Sheriff's department and I wouldn't give him the OK until I got clearance from the Sheriff.  And, "Oh, by the way... I need my keys back."

He said fine.

He left, and I had a hunch that I'd never see him again, so I took his deposit check down to my bank to see if they could verify funds and make sure that the account wasn't closed, or stolen, or something stupid like that.  The check was good.

Then I got a call from the sheriff saying it was the wrong person and that my guy didn't have any record.  I decided to drive down to the station, though, because I wanted to see a badge and a uniform before I'd believe it.  It was true... common name.

So we now have a mild-mannered, shorter than me, man living in our duplex next door.  So far... no trouble at all.

Spinach

So I went over to Brutus's house to put him back on his chain after our walk the other day.  (Sniff.)  Ben was there in the yard and said that Brutus (Aries) waits for me by the tree where I come around for him.  He gets so excited because he loves his walks.  We take him probably 5 times per week.  He sure has fun.

Anyway, I asked Ben how his garden was doing and he said, "Oh, it's great!"  I asked him if I could see it and he showed it to me.  He said that he has tomatoes, onions, spinach, cilantro, chilies, and squash.  I looked -- I could see everything but the spinach and I could see this big patch of weeds in the middle.  I asked him where the spinach was and he pointed to the patch of weeds and said, "Right there.  Oh it's so good!"

I didn't have the heart to tell him.  And since he's obviously still standing, I guess they're not poisonous.

Oh well... what you can do?

Life has been rather stressful around here lately.  June has certainly sucked so far.  Les was out of commission for about 3 weeks after working on the road up in the canyon.  He was on his feet for 2 days straight while the grader went up and down the road, digging up rocks, then directing the gravel truck on where to dump the gravel.

He came home stiff from a motorcycle ride a week or so prior to that, then with the road work, it knocked him on his butt.  He couldn't stand, he couldn't sit, sleep, lay down -- poor guy.  He was miserable.  So we made an appointment with the spine center and went up to see them a couple of days ago.  He'll have back surgery as soon as we can get his paperwork in order.  He has recovered from this bout of sciatica, but since it comes back every 3-4 months, it's best to get it taken care of.

Then I was having problems and wound up in the ER a week ago Monday.  After a bunch of tests, I got the results and don't have cancer... huge relief.  But I will still need to have a hysterectomy.  Not sure when that will happen.  It depends on Les's back surgery.  I'm ever so slightly irritated that this couldn't have happened in my late 30's after I was done having kids, but again, what you can do?

That's a favorite saying of my friend Ruza Zivkov as she speaks to me in her thick Bosnian accent -- What you can do?