Saturday, October 2, 2010

It's her world. We're just trying to live in it.

There are many strays in Southern California but none as beautiful as this. Leila (Lay-la) approached a friend of mine in her front yard two months ago. The next couple weeks were filled with printed signs on trees and telephone poles, door to door lobbying and questions.
During my internship at Redlands Community Hospital I ran into Amber, who was housing the puppy at the time. She was overwhelmed so I offered to take it for a day. Within a week she was kenneled at the Lyon's home with more play toys and sticks than she could handle.That wasn't before a trip to the animal shelter for one last ditch, half hearted, effort to find the worried owner. The vet scanned her head and neck for a micro chip which the computer read "no owner/match found." I was actually happy. The vet said in broken English with a mix of excitement and sarcasm, "No one. She's yours. Your a daddy." Ok, let's go a head and get the shots.What is she already, you say?! Mostly doberman, some german shepard. I say she's mainly genius considering those are two of the smartest breeds in the world. Also two of the most fierce as I will not worry about Katie home alone anymore. Doby's get a bad wrap. Originally bred for protection for German tax collectors they were view as teeth, muscle and aggression. I've done lots of research and those that own dobermans have nothing but good things to say about them. I've heard all dogs are shaped on how their owners treat them or...how the owners let the dogs treat them is probably a better way to say it.In our home, Kate and I are the Alphas. Leila is learning her role and quite well I might add. At six weeks she knew how to sit and lay. Week seven she notified us for the first time it was outside potty time. She is half way to "fetch." (she gets the stick but leaves it). She dares not beg while we eat but knows it's "on your bed" time. At night "in your house" means a long nights rest with no 3 am potty breaks. In she goes. We are still working on the jumping, over excited bladder issues with guests (I guess it's kind of a compliment when someone is so excited to see you they pee their pants.) and the problem every puppy owner faces...play biting.

Leila on Ambers couch. Not good...she has learned she has the ability to jump up on our couch. We don't let her and must untrain her.

Leila with a buddy, Floyd, a giant basset hound.


Can we afford a dog? Could we handle a dog? Do we want a dog? Who will watch it? What damage will it do? (none by the way!) Who will watch it when we are gone? So many questions. The thought of her wondering down the freeway with no food and dehydrated didn't sit well with us. No takers on such a beautiful dog. She is fearless and protective but wanting to be pet by everyone possible.

Ladies and Gentleman... Leila.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Scott's brain thinks like this...

Hi family. Hi friends. If I don't know you and you read this, I don't understand you. You probably need to spend less time on the computer. I'm not trying to get a million followers or become famous from blogging. In fact, if I ever did become famous from blogging (which won't happen) I wouldn't quit blogging, I would just make it a private blog. Which I would like to do but blogger makes it extremely inconvenient for friends and family to view their loved ones private blog.

Right now my chest is quivering. I just went to the Drayson Center and lifted a lot of weight (not all at the same time cause i'm wimpy) in a short time. You see, I don't do this as much as I used to. My wife, choosing her words ever so carefully, mentioned to me my "wimpyness." That's a shot to the balls. So of course the first thing I do is go straight to the gym; wimpy arms and all.

The thing is, I don't care for the Drayson Center. It's boring to me. It doesn't make me want to exercise. In fact, I want to quit exercising when I get there and go home and watch football and eat ice cream. What I really want is someone to throw the frisbee with or golf, run, or bike with. Let's go to the ocean and take on a wave or two. That will make you sore!

If you want to find some bright people go to any ICU. That's where the smart people are. I've yet to work with someone stupid in the ICU. I kinda question where I rank on the smart scale there, you know, being a student and all.

The other day a nurse asked me to reposition a patient that was completely comatose. Well, they just hadn't waken up yet from a heart attack or stroke or something. While we were rolling them to one side she noticed they had poopooed all over the bed. She changed them and cleaned them up. Then when all was said and done I farted. She looked at me and whispered..."I think he went the bathroom again." I looked back, hesitated a bit and said..."I think you're right."

I found twenty dollars on the ground today. I saw a bill and though... Be a big bill! I looked around and pocketed it. Seriously though, if someone comes by and says, "oh that's mine." what do you do? "Well sir, could you describe what it looks like?" If you find cash you find cash. Hopefully it wasn't a family member of someone in the ICU.

At the autistic center last Thursday I was working with a boy who doesn't speak. He will never speak. He isn't autistic but something else that will take me too long to explain in typing. But he won't ever talk. Well, guess what room I was put in that week? Speech. Yep me and him in the speech room. We played games. At one point he was sitting and I stood in front of him. I looked away and he poked me right in the penis. It was horrible timing (as if there is ever a good time to get poked in the penis.) cause I blurted out "What the hell, ouch?!" His mom was standing behind me. It was Spanish night so instead of talking to me she just gave me the "He poked you in the penis look didn't he?" look. Oh yeah, that's the funny thing. Even if he could have the ability to speak he doesn't speak English. That's our government for you. Government run program- white Anglo-Saxon European decent male paired in speech education room with non English speaking disabled Hispanic boy. Hey California- you're setting this kid up for failure. I'll try my hardest though. But only if I don't collect my self respect and quit first.

Fact: In the past 3 months i've gotten hit on or my butt slapped more by 80 year old women than my own wife. It's not that Kate doesn't do those things it's just that's how much it happens. I guess I am in a healing profession and older women find that kinda sexy.

I would love for my friends to visit. Right now I am thinking Jeremy and Jason. Nothing against everyone else. They just mentioned they are considering it and this is to get them to commit. I could use some brotherhood. Loma Linda and I did not succeed in the brotherhood area. Good classmates and study partners but no brothers. It's awfully disappointing.

I want to move. I am becoming bitter and angry. It's everything I don't like about this place. Not everyone, but many people don't smile or are rude on a regular basis. Sometime, if you want to be mean to someone, smile at them. That will make them mad cause they will realize what a jerk they are. Then they will call you a jerk for making them feel like a jerk. Then you think they are a jerk and don't smile at anyone anymore. The day my dog takes it's first potty on Washington soil will be a good day.

Kate's at Bible Study. I love that women. I've grown so close to her in the last three years since we've been down here. She cusses more though using words like, "freakin', stupid, and crap." She used to never say stuff like that. I'm worried about her.

The other night, when Kate was in Washington and I was home alone my neighbor came over around 11pm. She is in her 60's and she was completely drunk. She though her grandson ran away but in fact I was just talking to him in our backyards. She was complaining about CPS taking him away if he gets in trouble. I think she should be taken away from him!

More thoughts to come I guess but there are other things occupying my mind at the moment.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Baby Shower

No, we are not having a baby boy... but our friend Jody is! Her second :) So Raelene and I (Katie)... put together a small baby shower for Jody and a few friends. Raelene is the artist in this duo and the brilliant brains behind this operation. I supplied support, food, staying up late to try and save the cupcake pops, and a few rustic items from home to complete the ambiance we were trying to create (cast iron skillet, mason jars, outdoor lanterns, twine, etc...)


The shower started off with brunch: caprese salad, fritatta, potatoes, fruit and yummy bread with homemade jams...

Later after we showered Jody (and Luke) with gifts, we enjoyed virgin sangria and a few sweet treats while we each got a 30 minute massage. oh, and just for fun, we designed our own new-born onesies for baby Logan.

EAT SLEEP BIKE.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Self Sufficiency at it's Finest...

It's always a surprise as the seasons change what we encounter in our backyard. Our most recent...fresh figs. Before this week the closest i've ever been to a fig was a Fig Newton. It was a challenge to know when to pick them and what to do with them. After I fought off the stupid birds that don't sing and just eat and crap all over them I managed to pick a couple pounds; and more on the way!
I'm sure before all is said and done we will have candied figs, frozen figs, baked figs, fig sauce, fig jelly, fig fights and of course our own homemade version of the Newtons themselves. I mean, we gotta try right?!First we dried them. I got a laugh out of this "love note" Kate left me one afternoon when I got home. She asked me to turn on the food dehydrator. She used one of my scratch pieces of paper from the hospital I am currently doing a rotation at. I had written "Enima" on the side of it. Haha. How many of you guys have gotten a love note from your wife/girlfriend that said that on it?!
While scrub shopping I managed to find this table for 5 bucks. Kate threw a coat of paint on it and I sanded it down a bit to give it that old look. Now I need to just build drawers for it. That's for another year.Today Katie "Pickled" cucumbers.
Kate's pickle jars.
The pickles won't be ready for about a day and should get better over time I guess as they soak up the dill and other flavors.
Next week Katie goes to Spokane and I will be left here in the 100+ temperatures. I'll update soon about my hospital rotation and i'm sure Kate will fill you in about her trip.

Monday, August 9, 2010

North on Route 1 to Big Sur...

We have been married over four years, traveled many miles together, gone on a dozen or so camping trips with friends but have never gone just the two of us. We decided it was time. We headed out Friday morning to Big Sur. It's just south of Pebble Beach but not quite to San Fransisco.
Kate needed a snack. Great place to stop looking over the ocean.Redwoods on the way to our campsite.


We stopped at Big Sur Bakery for a small treat and a possible dinner reservation for Saturday night.

We ate at Redwood Grille. It's supposed to be good but it wasn't all that impressive.
A hike short enough for Katie to carry her coffee.

We took this two mile road down to the beach from camp.




This is the creek that ran right behind our campsite. Katie found this awesome site and it was perfect cause it kept out all the sound of the other campsites. The screaming psycho child across the road was the only one that kept us up on Friday night.

Breakfast Saturday morning: Eggs, turkey bacon, and cooked vegetables over the fire in Kate's cast iron skillet.



Take the picture already i'm starving!!!

Our hike up to Pheiffer Falls.
Pheiffer Falls.


The fog was thick until late morning. Visibility was poor but it was hard to be frustrated cause it was still beautiful.
A view from the Valley View hike.
These squirrels knew it was lunch time and were scouting out their next meal. They were not shy and quite pushy. Matter of fact, I was awakened by Katie's scream as she rolled over during our afternoon nap to find a squirrel in our tent sipping on a Hansen's soda next to her head. We left a 6 inch gap in the door and Mr. Squirrel thought he was invited. Kate's scream was enough to scare him off.
Kate's chocolate chip cookies some fresh peaches, tomato and avocado were part of lunch.

Me navigating a map before our Buzzards Run hike. It was straight up hill and the smile didn't last long. The top brought views of the ocean and the Lucian Mountain Range to the east.
Lucian Mountains.
Almost back to camp.
My favorite yoga pose. I call it the "Minx".
Dinner Saturday at the Big Sur Lodge. Kate holding the door for me.

I grabbed some hot chocolate and Kate, a coffee, and we played cards until dinner at 7pm. All local organic ingredients: I had Fish 'n Chips and Katie had a mixed greens salad with beets, avocado, and pickled cucumbers.
We packed up and left camp early before most. After a quick stop back to Big Sur Bakery we headed south with a couple stops planned.
Mailboxes on the side of the road.
View heading South back toward L.A. That is fog not smog.
15 miles or so our first stop was McWay Falls. When the tide is up this falls drops right into the ocean. We caught it at low tide.





We stopped about 50 miles north of San Luis Obispo and spotted (with all of Europe) these large elephant seals. The sound they made was indescribable!