Westpointe is the area of the Glen Cove neighborhood my rental is in. Glen Cove is a neighborhood in Vallejo, California, of course. My house under renovation is also in Glen Cove.
What would I have done without Snoopy?
Dog Walks in Westpointe
All posts by jah
Disoriented Doves…Maybe
Some of you may remember from last year that a dove couple nested in the plastic wreath on my front porch and successfully raised two gorgeous chicks there until one day they were gone. That was all documented on my blog. I wonder if they’re the same dove couple that I regularly saw at the back of the house who were wandering on the little sidewalk in my backyard with the absence of dogs as it is scorched.
I wondered recently where they will nest, since the wreath burned in the fire. I wonder if they will have the wherewithal to return in the spring of 2026 if I am able to construct something similar, or will they be so disoriented from the interruption of the fire to be able to resume the one-year tradition?
More Pride in my Daughter
My daughter, Alexandra Hayden, whose pen name is Alex Wolf, was featured several years ago on Forbes’ “30 under 30” list of people to watch out for, which was wonderful as she was listed with Lin-Manuel Miranda, among others. Now, after having just become 31 last April, she made the Black Enterprise “40 under 40” list of people to watch out for!
Remember to Eat
I’ve never had a trauma like this fire before. I’ve also never been this low weight in my adulthood. It’s hard to remember to eat when I’m barely sleeping and I have so much on my mind, not to mention a lot of nightmares. It’s hard to create rituals when things are moving so fast and I have found I have so little control over my destiny, especially in this period of my life.
Smoking Ordinance Workshop
There was a short Smoking Ordinance Workshop for Retailer “education.” It was presented by City Attorney’s Office of the City of Vallejo on the forthcoming Tobacco Retail License (“TRL”).
It’s important to me to document the activism being done in fighting for tobacco control in my city. This is a video and presentation intended for tobacco retailers in Vallejo about the forthcoming TRL our coalition has been fighting for. For the record no tobacco retailers showed up (there are well over 100 in our city of 125,000. There were two callers on Zoom, but I believe they were both members of our coalition.
At the end of this presentation, you will hear me ask a question about the criminal enforcement portion of this proposed TRL. For the record, I object to the criminalization of clerks in these situations and intend to make that point to City Council when this is first read, among other things where I feel the TRL falls short. I also feel strongly that the city MUST mandate at least one yearly check for all tobacco retailers for this ordinance to have any teeth, regardless of their possibly having to get creative to hire a non-profit organization or someone to assist with it if the staffing is inadequate in certain years. Furthermore, I believe a yearly report of what was and what was not done must be presented publicly to City Council so that there is accountability regardless of where this ordinance goes.
Here is the slide deck:
Vallejo Library Art Installation
Three Rows This Weekend
Some excitement included a fellow rower dropping her phone in the water and a certified diver fellow rower jumped in to try to dig for it! The photo doesn’t capture enough, but it’s worth the memory!
We also did a towing exercise where we towed each other’s whale boats. It’s more complicated than one might think!
Downtown Vallejo Walk
Alex and Panda joined Snoopy and me through downtown Vallejo and its waterfront.
Top of the Rental Backyard
Snoopy and I ventured to vertigo.
Found Frenchie Finds Foster Family
A foster home was secured for this little lovebug brindle Frenchie with the blue-green eyes. I named her Freckles. There was no microchip (until the one put in today) nor identifying collar. The collar she had on was getting too tight anyway, as she’s still growing. I’m sure she will get great care, a consistent diet, and be highly sought after. I fear she was stolen from someone and may have been rejected for breeding due to her deformed ear, but who knows? I’m glad I got to spend a few days with her until I was able to put her cute little pudgy body into the safe arms of a staff member at HSNB. She gives great kisses and will hopefully have a very long life. I’m just glad she’s not in the street and at risk of getting harmed anymore. She’s such a tender puppy and trusts everyone. In some of these pictures, you can see her on the backyard “hillside” behind Snoopy and me.
