POKING AROUND SOULSBYVILLE

I’ve never stopped in the little gold-rush town of Soulsbyville until my treatments at SpineForce brought me here. My friend Jan and I decided to kind of meander and poke around town.

An old sawdust burner caught my eye. They are huge and hard to miss, of course. I didn’t know there were any left. They’ve all been removed or just fallen down. This one is being cared for and preserved. Bully for Soulsbyville.

Soulsbyville is located above Sonora, CA. on highway 108. And while it was a rip-roaring gold town at one time when the gold petered out, it became a lumbering town. Thus the sawdust burner.

And here, you can just pull over and enjoy a feast of blackberries along the road. Of course, Jan and I ate the big fat black ones before I remembered to get out my camera.

Back on 108 headed down hill, I stopped to take a picture of this funky mailbox. A nearby company manufactures that pipe this fellow is made from. Jan wondered why I took a picture of this mailbox.

This question from a woman who builds pyramids in her yard. Huh?  I like pictures of funky mailboxes. And, in fact, I’m in the process of designing one of my own since my mail box post is rotting and needs replacement.

I was telling Jan how I missed the old Byrd House since they widened the highway and voila! There it was, not gone after all. I was truly surprised and even though it is crowded by a power pole and practically touching the electric wires, I had to record this strange building. It was once Byrd Realty Office, many years ago. I’m glad it has been preserved. I guess I like Eclectic things.

We eventually got to the gold-rush town of Columbia. I told her I knew where there was a dragon but it is in someone’s yard and I’ve never gotten a good picture of it. Well…

Jan pointed out that his snout was blackened and he must snort flames.

Isn’t he handsome?  We found the pipe and propane tank hiding near his tail. And, no one came out and took a shot at us. People are pretty laid back here.

As we were leaving the “dragon” road, we spotted this old miner’s cabin. The Motherlode used to be full of little miners cabins. They, too, are falling apart, being removed and are just supposedly useless relics from the past. This miner knew to build on top of a rock to prevent his foundation from rotting away.

I’m glad this old cabin is still around to remind us of the rudimentary places the miners called home. This one is quite big compared to others I’ve seen, and must have housed a wife and children, too. The brow over the window, or former window, is still holding on.

From the front, you can see a modern address and electric meter. It is very possible someone still lives here.
Jan wanted to visit Spineforce and if she hadn’t been with me I’d have probably just headed for home instead of seeing things from a tourists eyes. It was fun.

NIX CELL PHONE CONTRACTS.

It really bugs me that a friend of mine who lost her job and has fallen on hard times,  decided to give up her cell phone that was required of her by her employer. But, she couldn't get off the hook. She couldn't  even use it where she lives, because the cell towers don't reach the spot in the canyon where she lives. Is that unfair?  The major companies will deal with you, but small companies stick it to you. Hers is Golden State Cellular. Diss them.

So, from Sage Harmon comes this good advice:

Have you ever been surprised by what you find on your phone bill?  Charges you're not aware of showing up on your monthly statement - text message limits, data fees, miscellaneous charges - who knows? That's why I prefer a no-contract service plan.  No-contract plans will not tie you down with long-term commitments. You pay for your monthly service fee and that’s it - no other obligation. If you are not satisfied with the service, you can cancel it and switch to another provider.   With no-contract plans, be it phone or broadband, you have the peace of mind that you pay according to your usage. If you are on  a budget, you can opt to pay the same amount every month. Check out this website.

http://www.no-contract-plans.com/

They provide specs on various popular no-contract plans, reviews, pros and cons. Some plans are devoted to seniors. You can compare plans and learn which ones cover your local area.

Sage Harmon.

 As for me, it helps to give the big guys some competition and save you  money at the same time.   I'm on my son's family plan with AT&T which is great for me because I don't get reliable service where I live either.  But when I want to upgrade my phone, they won't let me pay for the upgrade, they want to give it to me at a highly reduced cost, then my son's family has to approve another two-year contract.

And, the family plan idea is very little used. They don't advertise it. Their service covers more people than they have in their family, so I get included in their plan. Without them, I would probably not own a cell phone.

More and more I see advertisements from smaller companies providing services. In fact, my friend Ginnie Palumbo, from New Jersey, makes money from home selling cell service from a start-up company and get's a commission on every one she sells plus a free phone and service. Neat deal. I hope people who have tried a small company let me know how good or bad their experience has been.

Thanks for bringing cell phone contracts to my attention, Sage.

NEW CHIROPRACTIC-HANDS OFF.

Dear Friends, my normal activities have been drastically hampered by my inability to climb stairs, walk any distance without pain, and carry any weight, etc.  My first visit to a chiropractor was while I was on the road in Ashland, Kentucky. I’ve had steady treatments since returning to Murphys. For those familiar with chiropractic treatments, it is muscular, hands on  manipulation of the skeletal structure.

Meet Dr. John Souza of Soulsbyville, CA. who is a hands-off practitioner of chiropractic and a trainer using a SpineForce 3-D Rehabilitation machine developed through the Space Program.  But, first, the hands-off. He uses a Mach Gun to shoot my spine and loosen  any mis-alignments.

Then he seats me next to a machine called a Pro-Adjuster. The prongs vibrate 12-15 times per second and record each vertebrae in graph form.

It shows my spine is out of alignment in in the left window. Each bone is registered. (click to enlarge pictures if you like.)

After applying the adjuster to each out-of-line vertebrate, it was visible on the screen. Now the look more like a string of pearls. The Red T1 shows a vertebrae that would not move.

Dr. Souza uses a different tip of the prong for my neck and base of the skull. The device did not take away the pain from my neck. He realized it was coming from my jaw and he tested my jaw and applied pressure to it. I’ll have another treatment on Friday.

Then he worked on both hips.  Not only is the adjuster more affective, but it is faster as well.

Then he introduced me to the SpineForce 3D training machine. It was very hard for me. He explained that there is a learning curve.

You have to co-ordinate pulling with one hand, pushing with the other in a balanced way with feedback from the machine recording your efforts. The brain has to be engaged. I had to bend my knees slightly but he kept the platform still for this first experience.

It is kind of like patting your tummy and rubbing your head in a circular motion like we did when we were kids.  The red lights show uneven results. The right hand push gave me lights in the target, but no bulls-eye.

Here the lights show even strength but nowhere near the bulls-eye goal.

And here, for one brief second, I got the green lights in the bulls-eye and equal strength all around. My neighbor, Jan Stewart accompanied me and took the pictures. I don’t know how she managed to get the one photo of that brief second, but she did. The SpineForce 3D three dimensionally targets the 180 deep spinal muscles and is designed to train you to use them in a coordinated way. Work on the trainer strengthens and restores core strength, rehabs back and shoulder injuries and neuromuscular balance disorders such as in MS. The device basically treats 180 muscles at the same time and improves the function of  stabilizing back muscles. Along with spinal adjustments, the trainer can alleviate pain and serve as an anti-aging device. Sounds good to me.
There is a video demonstrating the device on-line if you are interested. You can buy the 2008 model on Ebay for $16,000.00. I think I’ll pass.

YARD APPLES, PLUMS AND CHIROPRACTORS.

In self-defense, I got outside just as the sun was peeping over the hill. It was a cool sixty and my yard apples and plums are in rough shape. The trees need pruning and the fruit needs thinning.

Where the branches are low, I can thin the apples even though they are way past due. The yard worker I used to depend on who knew how to take care of apples moved to South Carolina.

I have five apple trees in the yard. Those that are high in the tree can only be reached by ladder and I’m not ready to get back on a ladder since I can’t climb  steps without pain. This tree and one other have a trumpet vine decorating it.

Several years ago, I dug up the trumpet vine because I didn’t want it in my trees and it wouldn’t stay on the fence. Now, I’m grateful it didn’t die.

The apple crop is going to be plentiful, and the gala and fuji are already near ripe.

The green gage plum isn’t ripe. The fruit is over-sized and heavy. The deer have eaten the leaves on the straggly branches touching the ground. It hasn’t been pruned in two years and desperately needs it. One branch is growing over the top of my green house and needs a big saw to get the branch down. But, it is fairly easy to thin with a stick.  My intent is to get the job done in increments a bit each early morning before the thermometer hits 90 degrees. It makes me feel good to get out and work in the yard.
I had a chiropractic treatment today, and start with a second office tomorrow that claims to have one of the ten best medical devices for treating skeletal injuries. It was featured on CBS Doctors program. I didn’t see the program but I’ll let you know how it works out.

THE BEST TASTING PET FOOD.

I’m a bit behind in the pet food arena since I haven’t owned a cat or dog in about ten years.  My upstairs neighbor was sick and she was out of cat food and asked me to pick her up a box of Indoor Cat Food. Indoor Cat Food?  I’d never heard of Indoor Cat Food. “My cat doesn’t like any of those stinky, fishy, beef, or strong chicken cat foods,” she explained.
Huh? I always thought meat and fish were what all pets liked the most. All of this explanation comes as I’m remembering an article I read some years ago by Robert Wieder, who decided to taste all the popular cat and dog foods to see what tasted the best. His point, at the time, was that seniors and some families were subsisting on Dog Food.
Hmm!  I’ve never been brave enough to try it but I had a friend who was mad enough at her husband for coming home drunk she fed him a can of dog food and told him it was hash. He ate it without complaint.
And, while I know people who feed their pets human food, scraps, and treats under the table along with their kibble, I probably know an equal number who don’t feed their pets human food.
But if you read the labels, its all human food. We’ve been sharing the same food for a long time, corn, wheat, fish, poultry and meat of one sort or another.
So, if dog food stocks went up during the latest depression, as Weider says, you might as well know which is best according to Weider,  a pet food gourmand:

ALPO- …taste is something on the order of coyote a__holes. The farts can clear four rows in a stadium.
Milk-Bone-Tasty nuggets just like doggie Beer Nuts. Magnificent snack with a couple tequilla sunrises.
Gaines Burgers-We would rate this somewhere between wood shavings and peat moss. Dog shit is more like it.
Chuck Wagon-Their commercials are nauseating but you get more nutrition than a Big Mac. Splendid with chopped onions.
Ken-L Ration. They ate better at Buchenwald. We wouldn’t feed this to a dung beetle.
Little Friskies- Unpresumptiuous, a favorite with teens and tykes. But it sets your sphincter free.
Dr. Ross- Checkers ate this crap. It showed.
Recipe- A celebrity item with Lassie on the label. Judging by the texture maybe inside as well. The raw egg makes it a passable but high priced breakfast item.
Purina Dog Meal- Four stars, especially the High Protein variety. You’d be hard pressed to eat this well at twice the price. We recommend eating with beef bouillion or cream of mushroom soup, bleu cheese salad dressing. If you are eating hamburger instead of this, your dog should be doing the shopping.
Friskies Sauce Cubes- Not bad if you serve in tacos, on pizzas or hidden in a casserole. Kind of harsh and pukey by itself.
Gaines Biscuits- Zesty, tasty, nourishing, but certain enzynes create a problem in the human biocheistry that, uh, well…listen, how do you look in a flea collar?
Purina Dog Chow- Not like mother used to make but one of our staffers is a big booster despite a recurrent compulsion to mount a Doberman once a month and some other petty side effects.

Well, you are now in the know about pet foods and know what to pick in a pinch. I think I’d go for the Friskies Cubes and maybe I’m gonna try the Indoor Cat Food with a touch of greens.
Thank you Mr. Weider.

BUSY DAYS AHEAD.

Yesterday, my grandson Stewart and son Doug went to help a neighbor get rid of carpenter ants that were voraciously eating inside her walls under a window. Then, all of us  went to the CCTV Studio where they are landscaping after installing sprinklers. I went along  to choose plants at a nearby nursery. I chose the type of plants and where they go but decided against putting them in the ground until the weather cools. Of course I forgot my camera.
I decided to post more pictures from the reunion like this cute one of Abby with her funky sunglasses on.

Tyler with his funky glasses.

Austin with his guitar glasses and some funky hair.

Whatta bunch of hams!!!

I guess that is what family reunions are about, is taking pictures with those you see once or twice a year.

I see Terri fairly regularly, but Kristanne, from far away Vegas, maybe once a year.

We had three dogs this year, where usually we have a pack. This is Wendy and Paul’s, Cherish. Kristanne fosters dogs for a rescue group and currently has four. She boarded them for the party.

Also fun is watching how much the kids grow taller from year to year. This is Sutter. His brother Jacob was once just a little guy, but stands 6 foot 2, now.  Why this always amazes us is silly, I suppose.

Cathy did pretty well competing with the kids, but eventually she caved.

Laurie, (we had two Lauries and two Abbies) and McKensie really dug into the snacks after the flume ride.

Richard tried to catch a snooze, but we wouldn’t let him.

Owen liked that tree. He spent most of his flume time jumping into the water rather than tubing.

Our little Abbie was outgunned in the squirt gun wars, but totally hung in there.  I couldn’t get her to smile for pictures.

Clint took aim at his two sisters, McKensie and Cami on the trampoline.

No one seemed to care. They were probably hoping for some cooling spray.

At the flume, Ken wouldn’t  jeopardize that beer.
I am now hooked up with SpineForce 3D Rehab Trainer, Dr. Souza, an hour’s drive from where I live. He uses a medical device touted by CBS Doctors as one of the top ten medical devices for skeletal injuries, especially the spine. So, maybe that can change my life. I’m making slow, but incremental progress with my Chiropractor. But doing both may shorten the process so I can get back on the road and get my life back. I’ll keep you informed.

FLUMING AND FEASTING.

When you ask the kids, and some of the adults, too, what their favorite part of the party is, the answer is always “the flume”.  Once everyone is trucked up to the flume and settled on the bank, those who ride the tubes have to walk the mile, or half mile, or whatever distance they choose to ride down.

Some like an individual tube, others like to share. Looks like Susie and Rob haven’t quite decided. It’s Rob’s first trip. (If he passes the flume test, we’ll let him marry her.)

Then, they all return to the start and head up for another ride, or relax on the bank.

Eunice doesn’t flume, but she has that relax part down.

Ted guiding son Tyler with his feet.

Cathy and Abby double-decker.

Virginia with Maci. Some areas are so shallow you might want to get out and walk it.

Got beer!

Daniel and Theo hooked together.

There’s usually time for everyone to have two or three trips down the flume.  Cathy and Austin.

Where’s the beer?

Owen likes to climb a tree and jump into the water at a deep spot.

Laurie, Jacob and Mason. What you take with you has to be brought out. So, the beer bottles never get in the flume.

It’s time to pack it all up and head for home.

Doug leaves the flume early so he can get the chicken and tri-tip cooked. Clark gets the pits heated up in advance. One is charcoal, the other two propane. Doug is the master of the party. He does the prep, the shopping, the planning the cooking. Without him, it wouldn’t come together.

Theresa waits for the signal that it’s time to get the cold dishes out and call everyone in to eat. Is it done yet?Cedric is assisting Doug,  a far more laid back personality. Whenever Doug needs something, Cedric is the man.

People spread out everywhere to eat, but Doug stays close to the pits for some shish-ke- bobs and sausage that cook last.

I didn’t get the camera back out until it was desert time. Wendy made a blueberry,strawberry, banana, coconut tart to resemble a flag in keeping with the 4th of July.  Doug made gobs of low-fat, low-sugar cookies. But most people like it outside.

Bix and Coco stayed under the tables hoping for a morsel to drop on the ground.

Aaron, boyfriend of Susie’s daughter Katrina, serenaded everyone after dinner. He and Katrina, sister Meghan and her boyfriend, Joe, had car problems and arrived late. Unfortunately I didn’t get pictures of everyone this year.  Aaron is very professional and serenaded us all out by the fire pit during the s’mores and late into the night with the stars peeking through the trees. It was lovely end to the day before they crawled into their tents.