A Glimpse Into My World
A blog of commentary, stories and events

In all my years living here, one of my favorite parts of the local weekly paper is the police report.

This week (besides the usual driving without a license, speeding, no insurance and minor drug possession) we had the following incidents of note:

June 12 - Suspicious Conditions. Motorist reports seven-year-old child walking west on Highway 42 with a green jeep following him. The occupants advised [the police officer] that he was just mad and wouldn’t get back in the car.

I remember when I was about 7 getting that mad , storming off and walking home (about 4 miles). To add insult to injury, my parents offered my some carrots as they drove by on the way home. It wasn’t until years later that I found out they were watching me the whole time!

June 13 - Report of loud music at residence on Roseburg Road. Dog at that location has been loose and is attempting to bite people. Music turned down; dog inside residence.

Wednesday night partying. Better get that dog to bed!

June 13 - Report of a woman who is threatening another woman with a baseball bat. Situation resolved; not as reported.

Good thing it wasn’t as reported. Maybe they were playing softball?

June 15 - Two girls are riding skateboards down Spruce Street on their backs shortly after 7 pm. Handled by police.

On their backs!? I only wish there had been a picture of that one.

I do so love reading the local Police Report. It makes me feel considerably more safe when these are the issues the police need to address.

We just got a new puppy! I’d been talking about getting a little dog as a friend for Max, but never got around to actually looking for one. Yesterday a cute little girl puppy fell into our laps and is now a member of the family.

As you can see from the picture, she’s pretty little. (That’s Jere’s size 11 shoe beside her.) I’m told her daddy was a purebread doxie and her mama was a mix of chihuahua, pomeranian and terrier. I suspect mama was at least half terrier, based on the way the likes to be in and under things (like in a den).

So far everything is going well. She’s eating, trying to get outside to do her business, although when she wakes up from a nap sometimes it’s too far to the door so we have had a couple of piddle puddles. Slept by herself last night without too much whining (she did wake me up to go outside though, so that’s a good sign).

Max isn’t quite sure what to think of her yet. Truth be told, I think he’s a little bit scared of her!

Yesterday was the day for cutting soap. I made 8 batches several days ago and they’ve been wrapped in their blankets, patiently waiting to be cut. Now in the drying rack (see picture) I have pumpkin spice, peach, swirled unscented, lovespell, sandalwood & amber and kumquat. Sort of an eclectic mix!

I do so like having soaps in the drying rack!

Learn more about the soap making process.

We went riding yesterday, the second time this week. Good for the horses and good for us. We ride bareback, both for riding practice and because it’s really good exercise. Jere rides Heavy, our Belgian-mix mare, which is sort of like riding a sofa. I ride Mellow, our thouroughbred, which is more like riding a jack-in-the-box (he’s just a tad skittish at times).

Yesterday was one of those skittish times. At the entrance of what we call Charlie Rock Road (that’s another story), there was a dead animal, probably a raccoon. It looked like a cougar’s recent breakfast or dinner. Horses don’t like cats (big cats, anyway) - and that’s what brought on Mellow’s skittish demeanor. He really, really didn’t like the smell of that cat, but we rode anyway. The whole time I felt watched, and Mellow was on edge … I wished I’d brought my gun with me. And that brings me to the 2nd Amendment.

Out here, firearms are pretty much a way of life. We have several of different kinds of guns and feel strongly about our right to have them. Actually, around here it can sometimes be a necessity. With cougar and bear living in the woods we nearly always have a gun nearby when going very far from the house. And recently, with budget cuts in our county, the Sherrif’s office has said they are reducing the calls they make to only the most severe. Of course, in our case, it takes at least 30 mintues for a sherrif to come … so we’re pretty much on our own.

I did a lot of soul searching before I got my first gun. I had to come to terms with myself on when I might use it and then I had to make sure that I was able to handle it well. I did many hours of gun training and now occasionally do target practice. We don’t hunt for sport or food, so our guns are primarily for protection - from predators of all kinds (four-legged and two-legged). Thank my lucky stars, only once have I had a gun in hand when greeting someone who drove up (at 11:00 pm and I knew there were some major parties down the road). But I’ve never been faced with the necessity to actually use a gun for protection, and I hope I’ll never have to. But if I ever DO have to, I want to know I am able.

Jere and I are going to do some intensive firearms training at Front Site sometime this year. I’m really jazzed about it. (See some info about FrontSite here.)

To quote L. Ron Hubbard (from a policy letter of 30 January 1983 entitled “Your Post and Life”):

If one knows the tech of how to do something and can do it, and uses it, he cannot be the adverse effect of it.

Along with the right to bear arms, comes the responsibility to know how to use them safely. I intend to be fully versed in the tech of handguns and other firearms so I will never be the adverse effect of them.

The farrier came this morning to take care of our horses. Heavy (Heavenly Tears) and Mellow both got shoes to help protect their feet as we ride them over the rock roads this summer. Stormy got her feet trimmed. I love it when Frank comes to do the horses - he always dispenses words of cowboy wisdom and is a pleasure to do business with.

This time we got to talking about tea. Jere and I are pretty much off coffee lately, so tea is the order of the day around here and today it was Rooibos tea. Frank said it tasted like “mountain tea” that grows wild around here. Next thing we’re traipsing through the yard looking for it. No luck.

So Frank left and as he was driving out the driveway I saw his truck stopped and the next thing he’s pulling up a plant from the bank and walking back to the house. Mountain Tea!

I looked it up on-line but couldn’t find a picture that helps me identify it. It has a strong, slightly pungent, minty scent. I think it’s related to the mint or melissa.

Today I went to town and picked up the first official printing of my book, Soap and Cosmetic Labeling; How to Follow the Rules and Regs in Plain English. Funny, even though I wrote every word and line and have been over the text a gazillion times, it still seems strange to see it as an actual book — just like the ones I buy from Amazon!

I already have an ad paid for and submitted to the Saponifier online magazine. More marketing is planned, too.