Here's Monday again!  Hopefully it will not be as hot today.  The weekend was not only hot but humid as well. 

Quick question---how many of you read everything you sign?  How many of you not only read everything you sign but also understand it?  Reading about the housing/mortgage credit situation that has been in the news recently, I was remembering back to the time that my husband and I signed the papers for our house and how we were told to "sign here and initial here" without given a chance to read anything.  A person would think that an important document that has so much information contained in it and can (and most likely is) so life-changing, you would be able to read it before you sign it.  So many people struggle with our language and English being a second language for so many of them, they do not have an opportunity to not only read the documents but also understand them.

When you are told to sign on the dotted line (which is really a solid line) and initial in a box or on a line, read it before you sign and/or initial it.  If the person does not allow you to read a document and/or explain any questions you may have regarding the document, do not sign it---get up and leave the place and take your business elsewhere.  The person will either do one of two things---they will either let you walk out the door or they will call you back and allow you to read the document and answer your questions regarding the document. This advice pertains to not only mortgages but car loans, insurance policies, anything that is an important document---read it first and understand it before you sign it.   Remember, you are the one who is in control of the situation because the person on the other side of the desk wants your business and your recommendation to your friends and family for future business.

Have a great week.

Saturday morning---sleeping in day (at least until 6 a.m.).  Monday through Friday, we get up at 4 a.m. so 6 a.m. is sleeping in for us.  We have had a weather change today; usually the mornings are sunny and warm, setting the stage for a hot and clear day.  Today it is overcast and misty---nice change.  The 'Guys' love it!!  Our two cats and dog think the cooler weather is just super;  they love to run through the house (the cats, that is) and chase each other.  If you get in their way, they will run into you and continue on with their chasing of each other.  Both the cats are 8 years old and have been inside cats since we brought them home at 8 weeks of age.  We were able to hold both of them at the same time in one hand, they were so small.  When they reached the age of 7 months, they both weighed in at 9 pounds, they were not going to be small cats when they reached their full growth.  One of them is a 18 pounder and his brother is a 17 pounder;  not small by any means.  However, they are not overweight because when they stand on their hind legs, they can put their front paws on the kitchen counter, which is 36 inches high!  We thought that when we adopted them from the shelter we were getting normal size cats but it seems that all the cats we adopt end up becoming large ones.  Our first cat was a 25 pounder and our second one was a 20 pounder; we did adopt a stray that weighed approximately 15 pounds but he was an older cat that the previous renters left when they moved (shame on them! they did not realize what a precious cat they left behind). 

I volunteer at the local animal shelter several times a week and the animals that are there for one reason or another are real sweet.  We have gotten our three dogs at the shelter and they have enriched our lives so much.  All three were abused, one way or another but with lots of love, patience and a good diet, they have become super companions.  First was our cocker spaniel that we enjoyed for over 11 years.  Our second was a soft-coated wheaton that suffered a stroke at the ripe old age of 16 1/2 years and we had to say good-by.  We now are the guardians of a basset and he is so different from our other two dogs.  He is a lot younger (the other two were over 4 when we adopted them), and since he is a scent hound, he is quite interesting to take on walks.  Of course, Basil does not walk, he runs!  We first had him on a collar but he slipped out of it once and so he now gets to have his harness put on before he leaves the yard.  He knows when an adventure is afoot when his harness comes out and he is always up for an adventure. 

If you are looking for a four-legged companion, check out your local animal shelter and give one (or maybe two) of these worthy animals a forever home --- they give unconditional love and all they want in return is the same. 

"The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it." Psalm 24:1 

Last Friday evening, my husband and I were on our way to dinner at one of our favorite places and while leaving the freeway, we almost had an unscheduled meeting with a motorcyclist.  The freeway exit we took has three exit lanes, one for left turns, one for right turns and the one in the middle for either left, right or going straight.  We had our turn signal on to make a right turn and the motorcyclist came up from behind us, and he made a left turn right across our path, on the passenger side of the car.  Fortunately, my husband has quick reflexes and managed to miss him but it could have been avoided if the biker had been paying attention.  On Sunday, a motorcyclist, age 47, was hit and killed by a drunk driver (age 20).  We passed the scene of the accident and knew that when we saw the forenics vehicle someone had died in the accident. 

Question:  How many of you would allow someone to handle a gun that had been drinking, on drugs or talking on their cell phone and/or texting?  Yet when we allow someone to get behind the wheel of a vehicle and do one of the above activities, we are putting them in charge of ( get ready to be yelled at)--- A DEADLY WEAPON!!!

A vehicle is a deadly weapon---you can kill someone with it .  One needs to remember this fact and each and every time you get behind the wheel of your vehicle, act responsible and be attentive, no distractions (which means not high on alcohol, drugs or talking/texting on your cell phone) and try to get where you are going without causing an accident or being involved in one.  My husband and I have been driving for over 40 years (eighty + years combined) and we have seen many accidents that could have been avoided if the people involved had been more attentive or not under the influence of something. 

May you all have an accident-free week.

"Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country." Deut. 28:3

Yesterday was a day to just get away from the everyday things.  I decided to take one of my favorite drives---I headed over the Ortega Highway to San Juan Capistrano.  Those of you who have taken this drive either hate it or love it; there does not seem to be an in-between.  I prefer to take this ride around 10 a.m. because most of the commuters are already at work and the ones on this highway are not in any big hurry to get to Capistrano usually.  Sometimes someone is in a very big hurry and just seems to want every vehicle to get out of their way so they can get where they are going.  I do use the turnouts and I did have to pull over at least three times to let faster vehicles go by and enjoyed the scenery while I waited for the cars to pass.  Since the work was done on the Ortega, it is a much safer drive but there are still some hairpin curves which if taken too fast, can be quite challenging.  One of the cars we owned over ten years ago was a Datsun 280Z, 2+2, and it was a car I really liked to drive on the Ortega.  It was low to the ground (less then 4 1/2 inches off the ground), had steel belted radials, aluminum alloy rims and was a stick. It was the type of car that was meant to be driven on roads such as the Ortega. 

When I arrived in Capistrano, I went to some of the antique stores, got something to eat than headed for home.  The weather was cooler than it had been earlier in the week so it made for a very pleasant day.

If you are in that area of Southern California, and you have not already done so, check out the Ortega Highway for a pleasant drive and a great view of Lake Elsinore but remember to use those turnouts and have a nice, safe ride.

"I will extol You, my God, O King.  And I will bless Your name forever and ever."

 Psalm 145:1

Well it is Monday and another week has begun.  My husband and I went for a long drive Saturday to the mountains (around Lake Cuyamaca to be exact).  We enjoy the area and it is one of our favorites.  The restaurant serves some good food and the ambiance is nice too.   When the weather is pleasant, the patio is a good place to sit and enjoy the food and also the activity going on in the various boats on the Lake.  The scars are still evident from the wildfires of a few years back;  the dead and blackened trees and the undergrowth that has still not grown back.  Some of the areas remind me of a surreal painting with the blackened and bare trees and nude land.  When we were on one of our drives years ago (at least 15 years ), we stopped by an area that had just burned within the past week and we got out to walk around.  The silence was so eerie--- there is nothing left to stir as the wind blows through and it is so still.  The first time you walk through a burned out area, especially a forest, you never forget the stillness, the emptiness or the smell.  It is something that stays with you and later, when you go back to the same area (may be several weeks later), you see signs of new life---flowers starting to peek through the ashes, little green leaves just starting to emerge in the bushes that's roots were not destroyed in the fire.  You may even hear birds singing and some other wild life scurring in the underbrush that has started to grow back.  God has a way of reminding us of his existance if we will take the time to look around and not be in such a hurry to get from one place to another.  One thing I have learned in my roamings is that you will get where you are going not any sooner or later than you are supposed to so sit back and enjoy the journey, life is too short not to.  Enjoy your week!

"The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples have seen His glory." Psalm 97:6