Typical Week, It’s OFFICIAL, and Oh, That Hurt

                                                                 

Resting and recuperating, Doctor says I can’t work for a week.  Lucky to be alive.

This past week was fairly typical for this early in the season, almost empty during the week, and busy on the weekends.  While visiting with some teenagers, we checked out the bugs, beetles and the little inchworm that he thought was interesting.  Huumm, I wonder if he might end up an entomologist?

                                

I did a bit of rearranging the deck and put the tables on the ground off but next to the deck.  It sure did give a lot more room.                

                                

The wildlife is still out and about.  The boar was all by himself right on the road. Sorry the picture isn’t very clear, as he was very close and I wasn’t about to get out of the cart to get a better one.  they can be dangerous.

                                  

Angel is an OFFICIAL VOLUNTEER.  One of the rangers gave me a patch and I figured out a way that she can wear it without having to have it on only on shirt and she can also wear it in the summer with out a shirt.   Here she is posing to show it off.

 

Now the reason for Angel being on doctor’s orders.  We were sitting on the deck and I was taking some pictures with my I Phone.  She was checking out what I thought was a lizard that lives under the deck.  Only it wasn’t a lizard.  It was a rattlesnake.  It was to the left of her next to the stair when bit her.  It was Sunday afternoon and everyone on staff were gone, so I called a ranger on the radio.  He did some calling and found an emergency animal clinic that had some anti-venom and I was on my way. I got her there as soon as I could and the doctor was waiting for me.

 

As it turned out, I couldn’t afford the anti-venom at nearly $1,000.00 a vial.  The cost was quoted at over $2,200. there was no way that I could have paid that much.  When I talked to the doctor, she said that it was fortunate that she was bit with only one fang and that it was just under her eye (the right one) and that her muzzle was long.  What she did was to inject saline solution under her skin.  I think that was to dilute the venom and then take the solution out.  They sent her home with antibiotics and pain medication with instructions to apply warm compresses throughout the day.  I will bring her back for a checkup tomorrow.  So far she seems to be doing alright.  She is a bit lethargic, because of the medication, but still wants to work and talk to the dogs while she sits on a chair next to me on the deck.  I took her with me yesterday while I helped clean and decorate the Ranch House, getting it ready for Easter Festivities.  She sat on one of the couches and watched me work.  She is such a trooper.

I hope that you all have an uneventful week unless the events are good ones.  Take care of all your fur-babies.

Thanks for visiting

Everyone likes that I’m OFFICIAL.

Susan and Angel

Back Into The Routine, And A Bit Out Of The Routine

                                  

I’m getting back to doing all the routine things that it takes to conquer my “domain”.  The Campground has been full most weekends. During the week there is the usual compliment of homeless and workers that are on temporary jobs along with the few that like the peace and quiet without the crowds.

Some days when I have all the work done, in order to get enough hours, I’ll pick up trash around the lakes and the highway, even the day use and parking lots that maintenance usually do, just to help them out while they are learning all the ins and outs of the park.  They are also trying to get projects done before we get really busy.

  

Below are some pictures of the wildlife near “My Spot II”. You can click on the picture to enlarge it.

  Turkeys in the campsite driveway.

A family of deer in my side yard. Male turkeys strutting their stuff in the other side yard.   

  Angel let me know that this kitty (bobcat) was on the next campsite.  It was just sitting on the curb cleaning his face. just like any regular housecat.  (It was at least 3 times as big as Angel.)

There was a bit of maintenance to be done.  I had to replace the connection to the ice maker.  Jessie, one of the new maintenance guys helped.  Thank you Jessie!

 

The wild flowers are starting to bloom.  Below is an area by the entrance where those white areas are Douglas Meadow Foam.  It really does look like foam.

 

Sometimes I think that Angel thinks she is a cat,  She decided that she could get more sun if she laid on the deck railing.  Yes, when she moved the wrong way, she fell off.  No, she didn’t land lie a cat, but wasn’t hurt  and she hasn’t tried to lay up there again.

This deer was right outside my bedroom window this afternoon.

That’s all the routine stuff going on.  Now for the not so routine.

Last night, just as I was going to bed, one of the campers let me know that the fellow that he was camping with was missing.  He had been driving around the park, in the dark calling him for a couple of hours.   He was worried, especially since his friend was on medication.  So I called for a Ranger on the radio.  Within a half an hour 3 Rangers, 3 Sherriff units and a helicopter responded with 2 more Rangers on the way.  I checked with the other campers to see if anyone had seen him.  One said that he saw him wandering by the Equestrian Campsites around 7:00.  By the time I got  back to tell the Rangers, they had found him.   They really don’t mess around when there is an emergency.  I’m glad that it was a good outcome.  It can get quite chilly overnight here in the mountains. 

I hope that this finds you all safe and warm.  I know that I’m glad that I can feel safe where I am, even though sometimes I’m the only one here.

Thanks for visiting

I think that I’ll stay on the chair.

Susan and Angel

Back At Grant

                              

Let me preface this by saying I have been here since late Monday and today is Friday.  I don’t have internet yet, nor cell phone service.  It is scheduled to be installed on Monday, the 9th.

What should have been about a two hour move turned out to be nearly a two day move.  Ted and his girlfriend, Leslie came down Saturday night.  I met them for dinner to celebrate Ted’s birthday.  They came back to the MH and we all went to bed.  I had to be out of the park by 11:00 am.  I had already had Amerigas remove the propane tank on Friday, so I didn’t have to worry about that.  I had already done most of the preperation for moving, so it was only all the last minute stuff to do.  We were on the road by 10:30.  We only needed to stop and top off my propane tank and get gas in San Jose, before heading up to the park.  But , oh no, that didn’t happen.  Ted was experiencing a problem with the brakes and the ABS light came on along with both the brake and emergency brake lights.  None were engaged.  Since it was Sunday, we weren’t able to get any help and since he could still drive, we headed down to San Martin to the Camping World and spent the night.  So early Monday morning we had them look at it and was told that we would have to go somewhere else.  To make a long story short and a few stops later we ended up back in San Jose near where we started at Leales’s RV Repair.  It ended up that there was a recall for that issue and all four calipers had to be redone, however, anything else that was affected was considered maintenance and I had to pay for.  Thankfully, Ted came to my rescue once again, until I get my next check.  Thank You Ted. 

Tuesday was spent getting my site all set up. I put out the rugs and chairs and all the stuff that makes it look like home.  This time I decided to put my canopy up in front of the MH.  That’s where I park the cart that I’ll use.  I actually started work on Wednesday, cleaning the restrooms.  After all the paperwork was done, Ranger Theresa brought me the cart.  Now I can do all my work. 

                             

There has been a change in staff since I was here last summer.  Angel is still in the office and we have a new Senior Ranger, Brian.  In Maintenance, Bruce is still Senior, Jeremy and Ruben have moved to different parks and we now have Peter and Jesse.  Ranger Lisa is still here and so far the only new Ranger that I haven’t met is Ryan.  Looks like it will be a great team again.  Even my Angel is excited to go back to work.

There haven’t been too many campers yet, just a few.  There will be more this weekend, but there are many sites available. 

It is really green here, a big difference from the brown that it becomes in the summer.  I’ve already seen the pigs and all the damage they caused in the campgrounds,  The ground is all torn up from their rooting.  There’s the turkeys and geese and deer. At night I can hear the coyotes and owls.

 

There was even a very talkative Magpie and the ever present squirrels.

 

It is good to be back to work.  Maybe I will be able to get pictures of the wild flowers.  They were mostly gone by the time I got here last year.

Thanks for visiting 

Time for bed.

Susan and Angel

finally posted Monday 3-9-2015