Guest Dogs May
Dogs and Us May
Long Beard
I know a lot of guys have been growing their beards and hair out longer during Covid because of the lack of access to haircuts and all, but I have really been enjoying the process of combing out my extra long goatee and the reactions I’ve gotten from people who saw my new look. Even when I was job interviewing lately I decided that this was really me and I was not going to dye it or comb it down or minimize it. I interviewed as I look and that’s how I got hired, which is exciting.
I also took some pictures to show the accomplishment of finally getting the hot tub set up! We missed not have one for eight months!
Tucker Tribute
I know I’ve blogged about how special my little buddy was, but I wanted to share the way I’ve memorialized him for now in our home. Someone wisely suggested I put his ashes on the mantle, but I wanted some kind of three-dimensional representation of him. I was able to find this likeness of him which I really cherish. I see his memorial every day and it reminds me of the friend I had flanking me every day for years.
A while back, though, I had ordered this dachshund planter. I’ve always tried to keep at least something growing in it, and it did always remind me mostly of Tucker. I even thought for a while that I would put his ashes in this and keep something alive in it, but then I decided against that. Recently I noticed a ladybug climbing on the planter, which I was thought was kind of touching, so I took some videos and pictures and I think they make for another good memory of the joy he brought me.
Still Fighting Big Tobacco
Yes, smoking in California is down to 9% of the overall population. With Covid, more people saw how important respiratory issues, including second-hand smoke, were all exacerbated by coronaviruses which can kill people in days.
While attending Solano Pride meetings I heard about LGBTQ Minus Tobacco, which is fighting for smoke-free areas and enforcement of tobacco licenses being taken away from retailers who sell to minors. We also know that Big Tobacco is trying to suggest that vaping is safe, even though they are specifically targeting a new generation of nicotine addicts by flavoring the nicotine. It is far from safe to become nicotine addicts at this time.
One of the opportunities I had to stand up for the rights of those who are a victim of passive smoke was to speak at the recent special session of Vallejo’s City Council where the City Council set an agenda of priorities. I spoke during the public comment section as a resident of Vallejo that multi-unit housing should have an ordinance that they become smoke-free, lest minors and others in adjoining units suffer from the smoke of their neighbors with whom they share walls and who are downstream from patios and such. Many cities in the Bay Area already have such ordinances.
It appears that Mayor O’Donnell seemed to take this seriously and we hope that this is adopted, as it is to protect people, especially those who are more likely to live in poverty with less medical coverage and less opportunity to get out of these multi unit dwellings where they might be exposed. I’m very proud to be able to contribute in ways like this.
Yard Progress
Hot tub finally hooked up! Most of these are of the side yard, but we also are showing the front porch and the back yard in some of these.
Community Association
As first-time homeowners, Shando and I are very invested in our community. Having moved during the Covid era and during fire season, we have spent a great deal of time on home improvement, but we have not been able to meet and socialize all that much with our immediate neighbors. Now that many are vaccinated, I’m hoping that will change.
Toward that end, I came across the newsletter of the Glen Cove Community Association, which had some very interesting content. I emailed them about my interest in the organization and they asked me to consider being on the board after I attended a few meetings. I did so and was very pleased with what they are doing to improve the quality of life. There are 3,000 homes in the various developments of this relatively new area of Vallejo, so that constitutes a lot of people with a lot in common.
Little did I know at the time I started attending the meetings, the that previous owner of this same house we bought had been on the same board, so it’s a wonderful tribute that I am resuming her duties. I’m literally filling her seat as one of two representatives of this development.
I’m very happy to start getting involved and the people I have met on the board (as well the neighbors we’ve all met in general) have been so wonderful. The Nextdoor.com website was very helpful in getting to know a bunch of people in advance, especially since we were on lockdown, but many have been very kind to stop by and introduce themselves.
Side Yard Improvements
We got the hot tub early!
April General Pictures of Us
Bocce ball event with Vallejo Gay Network, a Facebook group we found that was most welcoming to us as new gays in the neighborhood! Our friend Erick Flick started having a series of bocce ball events in the evenings when the days of long light were upon us, which was a great way to have casual competition, get out in the fresh air with the dogs and meet people just as we were all starting to get vaccinated.
First attempt at passport photo:
Dressed up for Zia Carla’s funeral:
Relaxing at home:
April Garden Updates
