February 2024

Well, February is my birthday month, and it sure was an amazing one.

As you may have heard from my January Blog entry, there was a dog that did not make it on a transport to Canada, because he kept getting out of his Kennel. Well, that dogs name was Terrence and I first met Terrence last month, when the call went out that Terrence's days were numbered at the shelter. Ally and I took Terrence out for a few minutes just to spend some time with him. But, never being one to miss an opportunity to help a dog find a home, I took some footage and put together a video for Terrence. it wasn't a full-fledged video as I have one in the past, but I figured anything could help. Well, it turned out that Terrence had a guy in Canada that was interested in adopting Terrence. But, since Terrence couldn't make the trip, his future was once again bleak. Any dog that I meet and work with, immediately captures my heart. I am for the most part able to put a protective wall around these sorts of situations, but it is still hard. I did some quick calculations when Ally told me that Terrence needed someone to step up to do a solo transport to Canada, and I figured if everything went just right, I could make a speed trip to Canada over the course of 3 days. So, on Friday, the 2nd of February, I picked up Terrence and headed to Canada. We ran into a hickup with the paperwork in Canada, but after about an hour and a half, we had that worked out and I was able to hook up with Terrence's adopters. Terrence did absolutely wonderfully in the car on the almost 20 hour ride with me and he now lives in Alberta Canada. This months VLOG is extra long because it explores the trip to Canada behind the scenes, so there is also a abbreviated version of the story in a separate video as well.

I pretty much love all seasons, except for maybe Fire season, but I truly love winter. and spring. Those two seasons bring lots of great clouds and opportunities for amazing sunsets and sunrises. Lake Minden is pretty much our home base RV park and one of the reasons I enjoy it so much is sunsets and sunrises that we have there this time of year. And because winters can be so rain filled and dreary sometimes... I love when we get a pleasant clear day where the sky is clear and blue.

Though some could accuse me of having a mid-life crisis when I got my new job at CDT and I bought the Jeep Wrangler 4XE, I certainly didn't see it that way. I really wanted to get another electric vehicle. But I also felt that if I bought one, I needed to be able to pay it off around the time I retired. I didn't want to work 2 extra years just because I had bought a car. With the timing I used to buy the 4XE, it will only extend my working for another 3 months past my 65th birthday. That leads to a gift that I bought myself for my 62nd birthday. I finally bought myself a true smart watch. I've had a few that were less than $100, but they have all been just "Ok". So, this year, I bought myself a Samsung smart watch through my Verizon dealer and I am absolutely in love with it and the fact that I can customize the screen.

On the 13thd of February, I got to see Woody, a dog that formerly belonged to Karen and Mike as he made his way down to a Rescue in the bay area. I was so thankful for Michelle, a volunteer at Rescue Ranch for allowing me to hook up with Woody for a few minutes to tell him I loved him. Later this month, Woody was actually adopted into a forever home which gave me much relief.

On the 16th of February, Remi and I loaded up into the Jeep to make what may be our last trip to Phoenix Oregon to help Karen and Mike pack the Pod, with stuff that they are taking with them to New London Connecticut. I truly love Karen and Mike as well as my whole extended family. Though the Christmas and new years holiday was hard for me in knowing that I couldn't get Woody rehomed the way I would have liked, I truly enjoyed being able to go up and help Karen, Mike, Chuck, Tery, Steve and Elena get Karen and Mike packed for the move. This was a very somber trip, because I'm afraid it may be the last time the "Brothers Wraight" ever get together again as a foursome... but I'm so glad we did. We actually went out to dinner twice for my Birthday. I am so glad we got to spend some quality time together. I will miss coming to visit Karen and Mike at 202 South Rose street. But, Chuck and Teri still live up here, and I hope to visit them sometime soon, and it will be my turn to take them out to Omars for dinner this next time.

On my way home from Oregon, I hooked up with my friends Amy and Kary at the monthly Masons breakfast. This time, the proceeds go towards Rescue Ranch. Amy and Kary both are such dear friends to me. I am truly lucky to have so many wonderful people who I have met through Rescue Ranch and other rescue organizations up here such as those at Siskiyou Humane Society.

This winter started out pretty dry, but this month of February has been a pretty decent one from a moisture perspective. On my way home, I am finding myself a little stressed still about Karen and Mike moving to Connecticut. I felt like I needed some snow therapy to go play in the snow with the Jeep. Shortly after I bought it in 2022, I took the Jeep to go play in the snow, and it did great, so I thought I would do it again. As we made our way south, I first pulled off the side of the road to take a picture of the Jeep with Mt. Shasta in the background. I love the Jeep and Mt. Shasta so much I enjoy mixing them together when I can. As we continued to head south towards the town of Mt. Shasta, I recalled that there was a forest service road no too far off of the I-5 where I had taken the jeep in the past. Well, I found the forest service road and plunged the Jeep into the snow... Ya, there is only one problem, though the tires look wide and good, they are not really snow rated tires. And, they have 35,000 more miles on them than the first time I tried this. So, Remi and I got stuck. I called my friend Austin Browder and asked him if he could pull me out and he said though he was on a hike, he was on his way, but it would be a while before he got there. So, I told him I would keep working to get the Jeep out while he made his way to me. So, I dug, and dug, and dug the snow out from around the tires, but I just didn't make much progress. Fortunately, a guy saw me stuck and backed up with his big 4X4 truck and using my recovery rope, pulled me free.

In addition to the moisture bringing us lots of snow, the extra moisture can also bring us Rainbows, which I will admit... seeing them, never gets old.