A Skruffyless Year

I have many pictures of Skruffy that I like...just can't pick a favorite.  This picture above was taken April 2, 2012 while I was in Indiana getting a lift put on our Class A Motorhome while Marcia was recuperating from her hip surgery.  I had just finished my official work at the Library in Arkansas at the end of March, although I would get paid for unused sick and vacation time along with a few extra weeks tossed in for consultation work until my official retirement day on October 1, 2012.   Skruffy came into my life in late October 2009...went to work with me every day, even took her on a work trip to Colorado, putting her into Doggie Daycare during the day while I was in my meetings, and she was with me at night.  

Good bye my love...say hello to dad.

 

While in Alaska in 2016 she got real sick...diabetes was the major diagnosis, with many complications that went along with it.  She pulled through that, and we enjoyed 3 1/2 more years with her.  All of the sudden on December 23rd she started to act different...stopped eating (she ate two meals a day 12 hours apart along with getting her shots after her diagnosis), and by the morning of Christmas Eve I knew she needed to see a Vet, and I also knew the end was near.  In consultation with the Vet, knowing what she had gone through, and knowing that a dog with diabetes is lucky to get two more years and she had nearly twice that, the hard decision was made to let her go.  Above was her last picture...her loving eyes already lost their luster.  I held her, I talked with her, I reminisced about all our good times, and I let her know that loved her to the end and beyond.  She passed in her drug induced sleep, didn't even need the 'poison' but the Vet gave her that last shot just in case.  My heart this the floor...Between losing Dad on Thanksgiving, and Skruffy on Christmas Eve, how could it get much worse?  Well...2020 ushered in with this thing called COVID...enough said.

Indy's first day with us

The trip to Florida was so sad, and we got through winter, and made it back to California.  Then on July 4th, our new little miracle came into our life thanks to my sister Sandy...enter Independence K Burdick, or Indy for short.  ('K' is Sandy's middle name).  It took a few days for her to adjust to her new forever family...

Indy mid-July after a haircut

...but by mid-July the adjustment period was nearly over, she was truly a part of the family.

 

Then in October we lost Bubba on our way home to Florida from California via North Dakota.  He made it to Joplin Missouri...his ashes were spread at a Butterfly Park, so if you see a Butterfly, think of Bubba.

Skruffy and me in my office at the Library

We figure that Indy came into this world about the same time Skruffy left this world.  What a wonderful gift she has been for us.  My little Skruffy will ALWAYS have a part of my heart...I am just glad my heart is so big that there is still room for not only Indy, but for all my family and friends.   Merry Christmas to one and all...and hoping that 2021 will be a better year for everyone.

RIP Bubba Dog, You ARE Missed

 

Our Bubba Boy is with his sister, sitting on Dad's lap with cousin Charlie (Patti's dog).  Above is from our 2013 travels, and no...they did not have sunglasses on, and no, Bubba did not have that big white smile.  They were together so much, Bubba and Skruffy, now they are together forever.

Countless times they were staring out the motorhome door waiting for their FAVORITE time...their Arny Treat to start the day.  "IF" we let them out early, Skruffy and her big mouth would wake the entire neighborhood.  This year we let Bubba out, and Indy once we got her, and they would wander the yard and then wait for Arny.  

Then there was the time on our first visit out west in 2012.  Stopped at a rest area in the middle of the Mojave Dessert and not a blade of grass could be seen.

But Bubba ALWAYS walked to the beat of his own drum.  He was kind, gentle, quiet, always in search of a handout (treat), and loved the smells of the outside (and of food, of course).  His love of outside smells had him taking off at any opportunity he could. And those smells would over-ride his normal obedience.  You say, "Bubba NO!", he would mind...unless the call of the smell was there...then off he went.

Of course, Bubba loved to get his naps.  With our first motorhome, he got his own man cave, where the original old TV was encased and would pop up over the dashboard at the push of a button.  He loved that man cave.

But he sure loved his food...and the food of others.  This had to have been his happiest 3+ months, when we left him at Sandy and Arny's while we went back to Florida.  No Skruffy, his favorite Uncle Arny and Aunt Sandy, and he only ran away (sniffed his way down the block) two or three times!

And boy did he like a nice green lawn and a roll on his back.

No matter HOW HOT it was, Bubba would go lay on the grass in the sun.

This was him all groomed out for the initial trip out west.  From this point on, I did most of his grooming, and although he did not like it at first, he came to put up with me.

While we mourn, Bubba is rolling on his back laughing.

This morning, in the middle of the night, Bubba got up and walked over to the front door, 2 am.  I got up and let him out, he walks about 10 steps and just stares out into the night.  After 5 minutes of him staring, I ask him to come in and he turns around and comes in...but won't get in his bed.  I turn the light on and see that he peed in his bed in his sleep.  Yesterday morning after coming back in from his morning duty, he stood up in his bed and was shaking...every leg shaking, his whole body shaking...it  was if he was so weak that he could not stand but he did not want to lay down either.  Over the past week he has nearly fallen out of the motorhome 2-3 times, and needed help to get back in nearly every time he went out.  When I let him out at 2 am this morning, with it being dark and the light on, he just went down the stairs like they were nothing, and back up again.  In the sunlight it was so bright on his eyes that he could not see where he was going.  He bumped into trees, bushes, picnic benches, the motorhome...it was just heartbreaking.  On top of that his cough was getting very persistent. About all he did was eat, sleep, pee and poop.  So our decision was do we let him eventually fall out of the motorhome and get hurt (break leg or neck) and then put him down, or do it now while he was failing but before he got hurt.  Marcia could not stand to see him continue going downhill, and did not want to see him hurting (from a fall).  So now he is free from that aging body...he was a GREAT dog, and good boy, and went so peacefully to sleep.  They have a butterfly garden where they spread the ashes of the dogs and cats and other critters...so next time you see a butterfly, think of Bubba.

 

 

WOW...Nice to Get ABOVE the Smoke

 

 

We LOVE Granite Flat Campground, two miles south of Truckee along the Truckee River.  It is a mere 90 miles or so from Sandy and Arny's place, but is just below 6,000 feet in elevation, while Citrus Heights is a mere 172 feet.  It does require a climb over Donner Summit, elevation 7,050 feet, but it is all Interstate and well worth the drive.  So while Citrus Heights reached a temp of 90 degrees today, Truckee only reached 77 degrees, and it is now 73 degrees at 5 pm.  Also, at nearly 6,000 feet, the sky is blue, and the smell of the devastating fires is nil.

This is Indy's first RV trip, and she was a bit 'shook up' over it for the first 30-45 minutes.  I had to go by Sam's Club to get gas, and try to fix our tow car lights because the passenger side light just wasn't working all the time.  By the time we got up to Auburn, she settled down, and she enjoyed her first 'REST AREA' at Gold Run where I took her and Bubba for a quick potty break walk.  The picture above, taken with my cell phone, was their walk here at Granite Flat...you can just see the Truckee River in the shadows to the right above that big rock.  Their walk went real good, except I have to learn to not let them tie me up with the leash cords...I was 'fit to be tied' by the time we got back, that's for sure.

This picture shows the river which I took from a distance from where we are parked, but with our camera.  We have stayed and written about this campground many times, and I have included some nice river shots in those postings, along with other campground pictures.  Today the campground is about 10% filled, but with many reservations for this weekend.  The entire Tahoe National Forest, including Granite Flat, was shut down until this past Saturday due to fire danger.  I can see a few reservations which were for that time period up through this week...and those sites are all empty.  The National Forest website says that all camping is on a first come, first serve basis now...but the sign at the registration area says differently.  Oh, how the world has become so dis-organized these past six to eight months!

Our camping spot ($11 with the National Park Senior Pass) is close to Highway 89, but we never have minded the traffic.  At night, the traffic falls to nearly nothing...unless there is a big night club act or concert in Lake Tahoe.  Unfortunately, US 50 is shut down coming east into Lake Tahoe for a few weeks due to bridge work, so we 'might' get more traffic today than normal.

It really is nice to be back up in the mountains, that is for sure.  We also love Sandy and Arny's backyard...but with temps hitting over 100 again on Monday, we made a good time to escape.  Of course, Bubba does not think so...he thinks we should stay there ALL THE TIME!

Went into Truckee shortly after we got here and picked up a new set of tow car lights.  I had taken the old ones apart, and the bulb was still good, and I saw no sign of rust or corrosion.  Put some electrical grease on it, and before I hit I-80 leaving Sam's it stopped working again.  But by the time I got to Rockland, it started working, and kept on working all the way here.  I do not want to take a chance of getting another ticket (YES, got busted for doing a California Stop in California!), so I went to ACE Hardware in Truckee and found this pair of lights, and they work just great.  I am keeping the old ones as a backup, and perhaps at home I can figure out what is wrong with them.

Tomorrow we are not sure how far we will travel into Nevada...might only be to Winnemucca, might be all the way to Jackpot just shy of the Idaho boarder.  In Fernley there is a Blue Beacon Truck and RV Wash, and our poor baby needs it so much...even 55 mph (towing speed limit in California) could not blow off all that ash and dust from the California Fires that have been falling on it the past 4-6 weeks.  Depending on how long washing takes will probably determine how far we end up going.

Indy Groomed and Vaccinated and Happy As Could Be

WHO the HECK is THIS?  That CAN'T be our little hairy Indy, can it????  Yep, that is her, on the way home from the groomer today (Sunday).  Last Friday (a week ago Friday) I took her to the Vet.  She had her vaccination shots, de-worming (just in case), Heartworm Test and 6 month Heartworm shot (because that is important to have in Florida).  Since she seemed to be going into Heat, we decided to have her Spayed in Florida. 

The Vet said she is probably closer to 8 months old, and not 6 months like we initially thought.  She said she is a mix breed with some Terrier, some Yorkshire, and other 'stuff'.  In looking at pictures on the Internet, I think she is close to a Yorkie Maltese Terrier mix, also known as a Morkie.  However, a Morkie is typically around 7-8 pounds, and Indy is already at 10 pounds, and not an ounce of fat on her...so she might have more Terrier in her than a typical Morkie.  But in doing a google image search for a "Morkie" there are a few which look just like her.

We don't think she ever had a haircut.  Her hair is very fluffy, very fine, very soft.  It was hard to even decide to cut her, she looked so 'cute' and 'cuddly' with her long fluffy hair.

She loves to roll on her back, and she likes her belly rubbed, especially by her daddy.  She is definitely another "Daddy's Girl" dog.  😍

Look at how much hair there was as I grabbed it as close to the skin as I could get.

    

 

Now she looks so thin and tiny...more like the 10 pounds that she is.  With this hot weather, I am sure she will enjoy it.

Of course, if Uncle Arny keeps feeding her all those "Arny Treats", she will bloom way out like her daddy!  Honestly, Sandy and Arny give very little treats, but they make a big ordeal over it when they do.  Now with Bubba, that's a whole another story...but he sure isn't bursting out of his seems, that's for sure.  Speaking of Bubba, I groomed him on Friday.

It took Indy about a week to get use to getting her Arny Treat first thing every morning.  I cooked up a batch of Pork, and that did the trick...now she is on some chicken strip treat which comes out of a bag.  Here she was wondering if there might be another treat in store from the nice couple who lives next to us

It is going to be different not seeing all that hair.  Amazingly, she did not shed at all!  That is definitely going to be nice.  I also bought her a blue collar, and we will use the vest when she is playing "service dog" once we get home to Florida...it is perfect to attach the cell phone to so that if Marcia falls, Indy will be there to rescue her from the ground.

Sisters Visit, Uncle Passes Away, Indy (Doggie) Update

On Monday Mom and I drove down to Escalon (near Modesto) to visit her sister Mary, who is about 20 months older than mom.  Cousin Debby lives right next door and we saw her too.  The bad news was given to us that just that morning Uncle Jim (Mary's husband, Debby's father) was in the hospital with Covid / Pneumonia / Alzheimer's.  He has been living in a special senior living facility for Alzheimer's patients, and that is where he contracted the Covid.  Well, we found out this evening that Uncle Jim passed away.  Since he did not know anyone anymore, it truly is a blessing, but it does not mean that it is easy to take.  He was a very nice, kind man.  I enjoyed listening to mom and Mary talk about old times...brothers, sisters, family stuff.  They really enjoyed their time together.  In a few months Mary and Debbie will be moving into a house in Elk Grove next to Debbie's daughter, which will make visiting with them much easier.

Little Indy is doing just great.  It is never easy for a dog to change families, and we worried about her first night with us on July 4th with it being loud and hectic...but she handled it without any problems at all.

She enjoys sleeping on Marcia's reclining chair (in the upright position) with her doggie bed (handed down from Skruffy), especially if I am in my chair right next to it.  It took three full days before we felt comfortable letting her have the run of the backyard, but on Tuesday we took her off leash and now she has explored the entire yard, and the garage, and has been willing to come back into the motorhome with very little coaxing.  She comes to me when I whistle and call her name, and she is slowly getting used to her new name "Indy".  Her and Bubba have bonded well, as have she with Marcia and I.  She is starting to get use to Arny and Sandy and Mom too.

Last night she rolled on her back while sleeping and I rubbed her belly...that was the second night she did that. She will sleep for a little while in our bed, but eventually she jumps down and returns to the chair.  Today, when I left for a bit, Marcia was taking a nap, and she jumped up on the bed all on her own (without coaxing).  This morning when I got up at 6:20 she was in the living area, two toys sitting on the carpet that were not there earlier, and her little tail just wagged and wagged.  So the transition from one loving home to another is going very well.

Friday is Veterinary Day, and with that we will be making a followup appointment to get her fixed, and also set a day for her first grooming.  I gave her a bath today and she did not struggle with it at all, but did not like it when I cut some of her hair in her rear area on Monday, hence, a groomer instead of me at first.  Looking forward to finding out what breed they think she is, our guess is a Yorkshire mix.

Meet INDY, Independence 'K.' Burdick

Yes, we did it ... replaced Skruffy today, and we did not even try.  Arny was going to cook some ribs for 4th of July, and I stuck my head out the motorhome around 11:30 am to ask what time we needed to have our Mashed Cauliflower ready when Sandy says, "You gotta look at this."  It was a picture of a dog...this dog...being advertised on "NextDoor". (Nextdoor is a hyperlocal social networking service for neighborhoods.)  I showed Marcia, and she said, "I WANT THAT DOG!"

Within 5 minutes Sandy and I were on our way.  Because NextDoor is so local, we knew it was close...ended up less than 5 miles away.  The family had her for about 6 weeks, and she is about 5 1/2 months old.  (As far as I am concerned, she was born on December 24, 2019...the day Skruffy passed away.)  They said they are moving to a place that does not allow dogs...so they needed to find it a home.

Even before we left I suggested we call her "Indy", for Independence Day, the day we got her.  Sandy wanted her middle name to be "K.", which is her middle name.  When she was adopted her middle name was Kay, but the adoption papers said "K.", and we always teased her about her middle name being "Capital K Period".  At first it probably hurt her feelings a bit...but she came to wear the name with honor, and she deserves all the honor we boys can give her.  Hard to come live with four older boys, that is for sure.  Patti, her biological sister, joined the family as an adult, so she missed out on all that fun.

So, we are HAPPY to have a second dog in our household again.  Bubba is 17 years old this year, and his ability as a service dog for Marcia is going down hill fast.  It is his hearing and his sleeping that make it hard for him to fulfill his duties.  Afraid Marcia is going to fall one of these days back at the Condo when I am away, and Bubba will sleep right through it instead of coming over to her to help (we put a cell phone on his back so she would have access to call for help.)  We will spend as much time these next few month preparing Indy for her duties, but we might need to have both Bubba and Indy there for a few months, which I am sure the Condo Association will throw a fit about...only time will tell if that is needed.

 

Yes, some resemblances...but many differences.  It will take awhile for Indy to get used to us, and for us to get use to her, and to train her (and for her to train us).  She won't be SKRUFFY, she will be INDY, each with their own personality. 

Our 4th of July did not turn out like we thought, and for that, we are SO THANKFUL!.  So much so, I created a song by altering a Martina McBride song...

Let freedom ring, let the little doggie sing
Let the whole world know that today
Is a day of remembering.
Let Marcia be helped, the doggie lets out a yelp
Roll the door away, this doggies going to stay
It's "Independence's Day"

WELCOME to the FAMILY Independence K. Burdick, aka: INDY  We will love you, and show you so much of the USA, just as we have with Skruffy and with Bubba...perhaps a little of Canada too.

Made it to Sacramento

We had a decent nights sleep, despite having the AC on until 2 am, then having to turn it back on at 4 am because Bubba was panting.  At 4:30 Marcia woke up, I told her I reset the alarm clock on my phone to 5:30 since it was very dark still at 4:30.  Since we have traveled each and every day, I don't think the "time changes" had totally set in on our systems yet...so 4:30 is really 7:30 to our minds and bodies.  At 5:15 I see a bit of light coming through our windows, and up we were, and we pulled out of the park at 6:00 sharp.

From Bakersfield you have two choices...go up US-99, or go over to I-5 and go up...both go through Sacramento, but from where we were, I-5 was 10 miles longer.  In a car, I would have gone I-5...but in a RV pulling a car with a 55 mph speed limit in California, I decided to stay with US-99.  Sailed through Bakersfield, and cruised along towards Fresno, and I see the GPS icon which essentially says, "You have a delay ahead".  Pushing that icon and I find out it is a wreck, 7 miles ahead, and it would be a 30 minute delay....NUTS!

Sure enough, traffic was at a crawl...and then at a stop.  However, within 20 minutes it was all over.  A wreck?  Maybe...it was gone when we went by, but we did see a fire truck putting a foam along side the road, so there was something.

The rest of the trip was non-eventful, other than the stretches of construction, bumpy roads especially near Atwater, and traffic was just fine going all the way through to my sister's house.  We pulled in right at 12:35, and by 2 pm we were settled in.  Bubba was/is one happy camper!

It is ALWAYS nice to be back in our home away from home, sitting on the concrete pad in Sandy and Arny's backyard, 30 amps, water, and way to dump our tanks with the use of our Blue Boy Tote, and enjoy family.  It was so nice to see mom doing so well, and being "SAFE" in her new normal at Sandy and Arny's house.  Even Patti came by for a short visit with her little dog Parker.

It was exactly six months today that we lost little Skruffy.  Just a few months ago Patti lost one of her dogs, Charlie.  More importantly, seven months ago, on Thanksgiving, Dad passed.  For the most part the grieving is done with...the memories are fond, full of love, and miss them all so very much.

Today it was 100 in Citrus Heights, just north of Sacramento.  Despite the heat, the Sacramento Area normally gets a sea breeze every night and cools down into the 60's, and the predictions are a few hot days, cool nights, and in the 80's by Sunday...typically weather for June in Sacramento.

Meteor Crater to 'HOT' Needles to Bakersfield

Ok, I will include the pictures to Needles (yesterday) and then to Bakersfield (today's trip).  Above is a look at the San Francisco Mountains, or San Francisco Peaks (depends upon who you talk to) which sit just north of Flagstaff.  I think our highest elevation was around 7,300 feet, and on the other side of Flagstaff it drops considerably.

For some reason (talking with Marcia about who can remember what) I did not take pictures of the Williams area.  This drive along I-40 is one we have driven many times, so you could just use our search box in the far right column and search for Williams.

As we get closer to Kingman, the trees get very short, more like bushes, but there are some nice mountains to see through the drive to Kingman.  A few years ago a 'con-man' tried to tell us that we had a major oil leak under our motorhome.  (See Scam Alert, Kingman Az)  I joked with Marcia telling her I was going to pull off and try and find him and let him know our motorhome has been fine with the "leak".

One thing I did not know about Kingman is that the airport is a mini-graveyard for some older planes, especially DHL freight and Delta Airlines.  After WW2 it was one of many scrap locations for airplanes, but they all hit the scrap iron heap ages ago.

In some of the above pictures you can see how nice the roads were...unfortunately as we got closer and closer to California the roads were real bumpy bad.  Nice way to remember a state that you just drove 350 miles through.

The Colorado River, yes, the same river that runs through the Grand Canyon, is the border between Arizona and California in this area.  Here is a shot out my window, and the river is just visible above the guard rail.

Here is the bridge crossing over the river on I-40.

And we would give you a better look of the river except this bridge out Marcia's window obstructs the view...and out my window is no better.

We got through California Customs, I mean Fresh Vegetable Check Point and they allowed us to carry in our 1/3 head of lettuce and a few Cherry Tomatoes that we promised was our dinner for the night.  Here is a picture of our camp at Fender's RV Resort in Needles.

If ONLY a picture can show you how hot it was.  At this point we were the only ones in the front area...and it was about 106 degrees.  Later a 5th Wheel came to our left, it took them a good 20 minutes to pull in, 30 minutes to set up which included them turning off our 30 amp breaker because "They thought it would make their 50 amp go stronger".  I wish I could say they were new at this...but they were not.  As Marcia says, "You Can't Fix Stupid"  It hit 111 degrees right about the time they turned our breaker off.  I will stop talking about it or mom will wash my mouth out with soap when she sees me tomorrow...

Our motorhome is parked just out of the picture to the right.  Past that community building, there are some camping sites for those who are staying longer than just a night or two...they overlook the Colorado River.  Needles is only around 500 feet in elevation, a big change from the 6,000 plus just the night before.  Along with it, you get LOT MORE HEAT!

We got up at 4:30, and hit the road by 5 am.  That is NOT our norm, but HOT TIMES require abnormal behavior.  A few miles down the road, and about 1,000 feet higher, the temps are down to low 70's from the 80's we woke up to in Needles. 

I take this picture out my window of the my mirror just to show Marcia the sunrise, and ...

...she HANGS out her window, gets this picture.  Unfortunately, I hit a very large bump, and she fell out...but I just left here there along the side of the road.  WELL, she really wasn't hanging out, but she did take a good enough picture that all I had to do was rotate the image just a bit...it really turned out better than I expected.

Just like with a sunset, if you turn the opposite of where the sun is setting you sometimes get a nice picture of the last rays of sun hitting a mountain, clouds, whatever.  Here, we are headed opposite of where the sun is rising, so it is a great view which lasts for nearly 30 minutes.

To some the Mojave Desert in California is just plain ugly.  To me, it depends.  Depends upon the time of day, where you are at, and if you are in the mood to see the amazing beauty that lies right in front (or in this case, off to my left) of you.

Here is another example off to my right that Marcia took.

And sometimes it just seems to go on and on and on, seems to last for ever.

In April 2012 we stayed in this rest area, 60 miles east of Barstow, for the night. 

Got this picture of Bubba (left) and Skruffy (right) looking out at the vast wasteland, wondering if they will ever see grass again.

Today I pulled up right where we had stayed eight years ago...

Here is Skruffy just last year, looking out at the vast wasteland for her last time...

"Hey Dad," she says, "I found some GRASS!"  I am sure she has lots and lots of grass where she is now...oh, how the memories still hurt so very deep, and yet bring joy at the same time.

We got to the Orange Grove RV Park in east Bakersfiled by 11:30.  It is HOT, but only 101, although it was suppose to be 103...I never saw it make it that high.  It is 6:15 and it is still 101, but I am confident that it will start to fall real soon.  It is suppose to drop to 76 this evening, cool enough, with this low humidity, to open windows and vents and circulate outside air...but that will come when I get up in the middle of the night.  Tomorrow, we will be under that big tree in Sandy and Arny's backyard!