As a board member of the local humane society I encourage everyone to ADOPT, not SHOP for pets. Every rescued pet is another one that breeders and puppy mills will not profit from. Mixed breeds are inherently healthier and make wonderful family members. Although HSNB is a no-kill shelter, many animals are still neglected and face euthanasia due to the lack of forever homes.
We all understand the laws of supply and demand. Let’s save as many animal lives as possible because these pets cannot speak for themselves. This is why I have been volunteering in this field for years. I typically foster and facilitate the adoption of designer dogs that come my way, allowing me to adopt senior and special needs dogs permanently. These decisions have brought me family members and love that fulfill my life.
I still view the place my insurance company is renting as a temporary staging ground before returning home. Toward that end, Shea and I really liked a store in the Castro featuring many Turkish lamps. I do have a small one already, which replaced one lost in the fire, to pair with my Tiffany-style lamps. However, this more elaborate one was on my wishlist for a while, so I saw it was on sale and made the purchase. I love how ornate it is.
Here’s a revised version:
Meanwhile, I’m making small changes to the backyard to prepare the plants and furniture for when I move back to Wellfleet with him. I’m also meeting with the contractors to choose materials like floors and countertops, which is exciting and a good sign that we’re getting closer to the end of this exile. I’m glad Shea is involved in the decision-making process, especially for the appliances, since he’s much more inclined to cook than I am.
Today marks four years since I bought my house and moved to Vallejo during COVID, before the vaccine, and during the fires that made the skies bleak and orange, as you can see in this picture taken at the time!
So much has happened since then, but I have no regrets about moving to this city and community that has been so kind to me. I still love the house I chose, even though it’s in pieces and has months left to be rebuilt since the January fire. I’m looking forward to finally having the housewarming I never got to have, hopefully sometime in 2025.
Shortly after closing on the house in September 2020.
This afternoon I attended the memorial for my friend Michael Stanley. I didn’t know him for that many years and we weren’t super close, but I am so glad to have met him numerous times and having him as a dog-loving neighbor. He was a chaplain in the Coast Guard and I saw that he was in the Coast Guard (so dapper in his uniform pictures!) for years in common with my dad, who was also stationed here in the Bay Area, so their paths very likely crossed.
I know Molly and Coco, whom I’ve had the pleasure of dogsitting several times, are missing Michael. I’m sure Miguel is giving them extra hugs.
Oh and FUCK CANCER!
Incredibly, Shea’s aunt had a memorial service the same day, so by the time Shea was arriving from that memorial, Michael’s was ending.
One of the few items that survived my fire in January was my dad’s Coast Guard tie clip so I was very glad to be able to find that and wear it in this veteran’s honor. Is that even legal? I know my dad was a stickler about such things. He wouldn’t even allow us to write with the pens he “accidentally” brought home that said “Property of U.S. Government.” I later realized that’s because he was hypersensitive after he found out that his Navy SEAL brother had been known for stealing military equipment and selling it after he did two tours in Vietnam.
I think at the Humane Society of the North Bay‘s Pawtoberfest I shocked Shea when during the live auction I bid (and won) a good deal on a one-week stay on the Big Island! I can’t wait to aloha! I’ve been meaning to get back to Hawaii and this way I know it’s helping the homeless dogs and cats in our area.
HSNB’s biggest gala of the year aligned with Oktoberfest.
Please visit and donate at Humane Society of the North Bay’s website. The Pawtoberfest Gala which was held in Benicia’s gorgeous Clocktower building. We had German caterers and Austro-Bavarian dancers, as you’ll see. We love being able to support our area’s homeless cats and dogs who cannot speak for themselves.
We came to the venue early to help set up while wearing our HSNB volunteer t-shirts, but then we had time to go home and doll ourselves up in time for the event. Some of these external pictures are with us after we got cleaned up.
There were some cool drones and kites (visible above our heads in some of these pictures) and we took a nice walk along the Napa River with the darks. We loved some of the food options and both appreciated the “Ube Area” booth.
