Found A Fabulous Cobbler

 Last week I found an excellent shoe repair, close to the cottage.  I could tell as soon as I walked in the door that Gary was a master.  He dyed and resoled my favorite fur lined winter boots from Alaska.  They look brand new now! 

My hiking boots needed a couple of the hooks replaced.  He sewed on leather straps that will work.  The rest of the shoe was fine.  They are Vibrams, and are very good quality.  Now they won’t feel lopsided when I lace them.

He sewed a buckle back on a pair of high quality sandals I found at  T.J. Maxx.  I had never worn them, since they needed repair.  They had one of those permanent plastic tags on them when I got home.  While cutting it off, I damaged them.

I feel like I have three brand new pair of shoes!  i even purchased some matching shoe polish for my favorite boots, so they don’t get scuffed. It’s made in Germany. 

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Met a PCT Hiker Today

 

Today while I was running Lula alongside my bicycle on the Walkydog, I ran into a smiling, radiant woman wearing a hat.  She was walking a cinnamon colored dashhound mix.  The dog had long hair, and an intelligent, expressive face.  She told me that she is sixty, and is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail!  (For those who don't know, the PCT runs all the way from Mexico to Canada.) It takes months to complete.  She is doing it solo.  

I was so impressed,  That's something that I've always imagined doing.  I told her that I'd read all the books about it, and really admired her.  I asked her if she was scared.  "No," she replied.  "I  just stay aware as I do when going to the grocery store at night."  I asked her if she had done a lot of camping, and she nodded.   

I commented that she looked very stylish for a hiker.  They are usually dusty, and lugging these huge backpacks.  She laughed and told me that the woman who owns the cabin where she is staying let her shower, do laundry, and that she also lent her some clothes.  Her eyes were flashing with joy and adventure.  I could see that she was very spiritual.

A little further down the road I ran into one of my neighbors who was out on a walk.  I asked her how she was enjoying her retirement.  She answered  that she had just returned from driving from the West coast to the East coast on her own, staying with different friends along the way.  I smiled, nodded, and told her that she looked very happy and jazzed.  I think we all love adventure.  These women both enjoy their own company.  We are all exploring new ways of traveling.

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Snow and Ice

I have been busy shoveling snow up at the cabin.  I waited to make the mountain drive for about  a week, hoping that  some of it would have melted.  It made a big difference. I wasn't sure if I would be able to pull into my driveway.  I had spoken to a woman on the phone who lives up here, and she told me that they had three feet of snow.

Fortunately, someone had plowed my parking space for me!   I was able to walk down to the door in my snow boots. Lula has been galloping and frolicking around the yard.  She gets ecstatically happy in the clean, fluffy, white snow.  It has been  relaxing to sit by the fire, knit my alpaca blanket, and read  library books.

I met a couple more of my neighbors, and we exchanged mountain lion stories.  They believe there are many of them in this area.  There are less deer, according to the hunters.  I find the whole food chain fascinating.  They had a tan cougar jump in front of them crossing the road in Big Bear, just like I did up here.  They were riding a motorcycle.  It's so exciting to live in the woods.  It also has its risks, though.  They told me about a bear that has been seen on our street.  Never a dull moment.

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Check the Weather

the weather can change very quickly in the mountains

When I took the Wrightwood hiking safety course a few months ago, the teacher recommended that we check the weather report before leaving.  This is such good advice!  I have saved myself  a few unsafe situations by looking up the  forecast online before piling everything in my car and heading up to the mountains.

We had a storm over Christmas that brought us a lot of much needed rain and snow.  Unfortunately, many people were stranded in their cars, on the side of the freeway, unprepared.  Californians aren't used to having this kind of weather on a regular basis.  We are usually spoiled with sunshine year round.

If you research and plan, you can make your trip when the roads are clear.  (at least where I live.)  It's wise to have chains, warm clothing, a flashlight, umbrella, and plenty of food and water, too.  I keep my snow boots with me, as well. 


It was a huge shock for me over Thanksgiving when I realized that the first big snow had left wet, white powder that reached all the way up to my hip bones!  It came down very quickly, overnight.  Fortunately, I had plenty of food in my stockpile, firewood, and a sturdy shovel.  I have a very long driveway, so it took several  hours to clear a path from the doorway to my car.  It was all uphill.  Now I know what to expect.

How is the weather where you are!  Do you have plenty of supplies if you get snowed in or have an emergency?

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Phone Issues

I have been devouring the book on the Pacific Crest Trail that I am reading.  It is full of personal stories.  Some of them are tragic and devastating.  It is so fascinating to read about all of the hikers who have traveled through that area.  I really resonate with them.

Today Lula and I returned, and we saw a little marker at the side of the trail.  Someone from Europe had left a couple of ceramic hiking boots with a little hand carved wooden sign.  There were three small pine cones nestled next to it.  It was a surprising find.  Generally, there is nothing out there but trees and nature-no sign of humans.  People are very conscientious about carrying out their trash.  It's such a pristine environment.  It makes me so thankful to be a California native.

Last night  I was woken up at 11:11 p.m. by a call from the power company telling me that the electricity would be cut off at the cottage again.  I am very grateful to have the cabin.  We consistently have  power, water, and gas heat.  I also have a huge stack of firewood.  My cell phone has been acting very strange.  It won't hold a charge, and even when I charge it, it drops down to 30%.  I ordered a new one, but UPS couldn't find my new address, and sent it back to Great Call.

I may just go replace it at Best Buy.  It's so important to have a phone, and I don't have a land line.  My old one is several years old, and I think it's wearing out.  I wasn't able to get a signal in Canyon Country for almost two weeks.  I think with the power outages the towers were affected.  I am careful not to drive at night, and  make sure  to choose highways that have call boxes at the side of the road.

I am glad that I still have an old fashioned address book, because if I were dependent on my phone, I would have been out of luck.  What is your phone situation?

Thank you for your comments.  They add so much talent and energy to the blog.  Please comment in English.  I'm sorry, but comments with links will not be published.  If you enjoy the posts here, please share them.  Comments may take a few days to appear; they are moderated.