Signposts

My cousin called this morning to let me know Aunt Jeanette passed away last night about 11 pm. Then Court called. Then I called Em. It's more important than this "post" makes it sound.

Then the neighborhood had a "Cowboy-&-Indian" incident. Actually, both were white guys. I may write more later if I get more info.

And, I did start to receive Social Security payments on time. Every month I have a birthday !!!

Wed, Jan 28, Day 3 of the Year of the Ox

The oxen are slow but the land is patient.

No money yet, just promises from Social Security. So far I believe the promises. Starting in February, money is to arrive every 4th Wednesday. Sure sounds good. I'm working on increasing the amount by proving I was married ten years. It is work, too... However the 12 year marriage was sometimes very difficult. I do feel I have earned whatever I get. (If anybody cares what I think!)

Solar Eclipse Tomorrow 01/26/09

Today, Sunday, Jan 25, '09, I'm just taking a break. Tomorrow begins the Year of the Ox. Maybe it has already begun if you consider time zones...

Moon Phase: New, 0% Visible, Age: 29 days 11 hours 37 minutes, Last Quarter: 18/01/2009, 02:46 GMT (cainer.com)

Jan 15, 2009

For many, it's mainly M.L. King's birthday to be celebrated Jan 19.





Bill & Sue are in town because of Cabin 5. Last night TBCOA had a qtrly mtg. I wish I felt more energetic. However, I'm muddling through.





Matt's in a foul mood. Ha. What's new? He's losing weight. At least he's got an excuse.

Retirement on a shoestring

Applied for Social Security benefits. It was supposed to take 15-30 mins if you have all your information available. I did. It took 2 hours, mainly due to dial-up slowness. I sure hope I did everything correctly. I can sure use the income.

Interesting side effect-- I had to begin going through my dusty clutter to get to old files. What do people do when they throw out all their old paperwork? Probably live in nice clean spaces.

Friday, January the "two-th", 2009

Interesting shoppers out today. Maybe they are usually at their jobs. Misty weather.

I bought 3 calendars today at Grocery Outlet for $.99 each. Chinese of course. I'm not very affluent just now. The paper is really thin, but the better calendars at Long's were $13.99 minus 25%. That's $10.50 before tax. No wonder California is having financial trouble with people like me spending less than $3 when I could spend less than $11. Sorry Arnold. That's life in the slow lane.

March 31 - April 6, 2008

3/31/08: Computer crashed again.



Paul left. Becky's hyper.



Matt began replacing the parking lot light.



4/1/08: Parking lot light project finished. Thank goodness.



4/2 Wed: Call from Bonnie (& Doug).



4/3 Thurs: Bonnie & Doug saga continues...

March 24-30, 2008

Sunday and Monday my computer was seriously ill. Time to do some back-up disks. Thanks to Compaq technology, I've been able to get it back, but is still acts a little unstable at times.



Housecleaners came on Monday, 3/24. Lupe seemed to do a better job than Elizabeth. At least they both worked 2 hrs. I think Elizabeth was drinking VSOP on the job.



Meanwhile, cats Pooka & Toby had birthdays.

March 17-23, 2008 Spring Begins

St Pat's Day on Monday.

First Day of Spring on (Maundy) Thursday.

Full Moon on Good Friday.

Easter Sunday.



Rebecca was a good reminder of what Palm Sunday-through-Easter is all about.



ATT Mike, his dark-haired son and Don S were here to talk to Matt. I showed Cabin 6 to Don.



Earlier in the week I showed 6 & 8 to Doug of M-B cleaning service.

March 10-16, 2008

Some week.

Mars is in sign of cancer 3/05 - 5/09/08 ... Fights and other territorial troubles are breaking out all over.



Cabin 6 & Karrin's family.

Becky, her cats, Gary, Paul.

Mel, Sue & Bill.

John R, John L, their cats.

Yvette

Matt & his truck.

Carol, Linda, Mark.

Bobbie & Dareld.

Association Bookkeeping.



and a lot of other things & people...



Nice to hear from Emily.

Got a new batch of phones from Best Buy. I really like them.

March 3-9, 2008

New Moon on 3/07:



Cabin Six clearance. Daybed taken 03.07.08 ... Freecycler Linda took it. Her 7-yr-old daughter is having cataract surgery on 3/21. Please say a prayer for them.



Jesse got out of jail already. Sheesh. If you're going to be a criminal, be one here. He was supposed to be in for 6 months.



Yvette said he was in for one month. I was thinking two, but she probably knows.



Money from L&PB. Not what I'd hoped for, but more than I had yesterday.



Sat, 3/08: Cabin Six ... Some bleach yesterday, more today. It seems to be helping, but more is needed. Washed some windows. Gave the Visioneer scanner to Noel. I loaned Becky the memorial CD for KB. Yvette is dogsitting "Lucy", a cute little blonde Cockapoo.

February 18 - 24, 2008

2/18: What a day! Mike of ATT tried to repair our static-filled phone. BJ & Camille were here. Matt was driving me nuts. And Fidel Castro announced his resignation.

2/19: Silva of ATT finished the phone repair.
Karleigh Ann was born. She'll spend her whole life spelling her name. Seven pounds, 10 oz. 11:29 am.

Week of Solar eclipse & new moon 2/4 - 2/10/08

Dear Dairy--oops, Dear Diary !

I'd sure like to get a DVD of the California Cows Commercials. I tried about a month ago, but it didn't work out.


I didn't write much in the way of notes on things to remember.


Michelle Obama, Barack's wife, was born Jan 17, 1964 in Chicago. I was a goofy senior in high school at the time.



Feb 6, Wednesday: Marharish Mahesh Yogi died. He was believed to be 91. Died in the Netherlands.


Reminds me of Paramahansa Yogananda who wrote "Autobiography of a Yogo". He was part of my life about 1970. Virginia Lane & some others would get together & take turns reading his book aloud. Actually, I'm not sure why we did that, but it was a very instructive and interesting book. He died in 1952.

2/7: New Moon & Solar Eclipse.

2/8: Cancelled appt w/ Dr Brennan. My foot seems to be getting better with epsom salt soaks.

2/10: Courtney called. Talked about Obama & more. She's volunteering with kids theatre.

Jan 28 - Feb 3, 2008

News from the family in Illinois... TC from Mom/Shirley.

Her brother Tom in Michigan has two sons, Matt (who has two children) and Mark (whose wife is having twins soon, making three).

Her sister Connie slipped on the ice and fell on her face. Sounds awful. Connie's grand-daughter Delaney was 4 on Jan 19.

Kami is about to have a baby "any day now".

Friday, 2/1 ... Mike back for his possessions after a 2-wk rest at the local county jail. It was a very stressful day for me, not just because of Mike, but because Matt was being crazy at the same time. The result--at least Mike's truck was finally towed out of here & taken to the mechanic's garage. And Mike's not here.

Saturday: Recuperation day.

Sunday: Tried to take it easy. Went to town for short time. Worked at Cabin 6 for an hour. Talked to Becky & Gary. Gary's sister gave him a computer, but he doesn't know how to use it yet. Paul is visiting. Guppy may be taken by John.

Jan 21-27, 2008

Full moon fun (5:35 am 1.22.08)

Big winds and off-and-on rain all week.

Mel's pine tree is suddenly huge, tall enough to fall onto her poor old house.

Sue was much worse this week because of her medication, but by Friday had decided to stop the medication.

Heard from Kelley in response to my email. New baby due 2/13.
And from Janet. Katie is in Cape Town, South Africa.

Saturday I tried to set up a trip using my United Air Lines $100 credit that expires Jan 31. Didn't work the first time. I'm going to have to call the toll-free number to get the credit.

Mercury Retro "storm" began Friday, Jan 28th. Officially begins the retrograde phase on Jan 25. Groan.
Ending date is 2/18 with the storm ending 2/26.

January 14-20, 2008

Mon: New Volvo battery (exchange).
Tried to find out if Larry is in jail. Nope. Not today at least.

Tues: Call from P&L. Bought new lock for Cabin 6 front door.

Wed: Tomorrow's the day of Mike's eviction.

Thurs: How many cops does it take to evict one drunk? One to post the notice and get him to the parking lot and three to come haul him away...
John tried to help & Mel gave the 3 cops info on where to find him (in his truck next to the sheriff's car).
I changed the lock.

Fri: Took photos & did about half of the written inventory.

Sat: Took a day off from the cabin. Went to Costco to breathe cleaner air and get some food.

Sun: Too soon to tell...

Jan 7-13, 2008

Mon: I think Sue had her doctor appt today.

Tues: New Moon.

Bobbie's lung tumors have shrunk (had a petscan). Tommie is leaving here Thursday--returning to Texas.

Wed: Now Mike's trying for KB's car.

Thurs: Received fax of Mike & KB's divorce. 04/08/1998. Filed 12/18/98.

Fri: Prepared report for the meeting Sunday.

Sat: Prepared for tomorrow's meeting.

Sun: Small meeting. No quorum. John did fill the holes in the driveway. Six of us enjoyed pizza.

A Christmas Card

The original art for this was by Elizabeth Goodrick-Dillon.

I just like it.

12/31/07 - 01/06/08

Like a cart with square wheels. Waiting for the catalog company to ship round wheels. Meanwhile, look for snow and use it like a sleigh.

Tues: I missed all of the overnight hoopla. Sleeping patterns stayed as usual. Then today--a New Year!

Wed: Returned PJs after all. I tried to like them, but they just weren't warm enough around the neck area.

Started searches for translucent roofing. Why block out all that natural light all day long? Australia is ahead of us on this.

Thurs: Couldn't find other PJs, but bought a pile of Land's End shirts. I'll keep trying.

Fri: Very Windy Day. I moved the cars up by the house in case of flooding. Movie "Tugboat Annie" was on. Very appropriate. This was also a very wet day. (Good movie too.)

Mel got bad news about Sue.

Sat: John says Mike got his eviction notice. Okay with me.

Our biggest & oldest Cypress tree started falling over today due to saturated soil & high winds. Matt's got it tied to the truck temporarily.

We are so fortunate to have our electricity on. So many people don't have any power today.

Sun: Quiet so far, but it's only 8:30 am. ...

Dec 24-30, 2007

12/24: Talked to Jim & stepmother Shirley. Cammie is having a baby in February. "Mom" got her Christmas Candy.

Called Bobbie. She's having a PET-Scan Thurs. Chemos are finished. She recommended DanActiv to help boost immune system. Yogurt section in stores.

12/25: Matt's son John turned 35 today. It sent Matt into a long "remembering" re: the Korean war & how he survived.

Call from Yvette. Maya was chased & hurt by a raccoon.

Very quiet day in the neighborhood.

12/26: Call from Courtney & Em.

12/27: "Happy New Year" in Spanish is "Prospero Ano Nuevo". It's for our neighborhood landscape maintenance man. Works 2 hrs twice a month. Speaks no English. He has a wife and 2 daughters in Mexico. Matt talks loud and gestures a lot-- and learns a word or two every now and then.

Spent time on Kathryn Cassidy's site.

"Ask, Believe, Receive" ... 04/08/07. Gordy was good at that one.

My thoughts after reading hers: "Attend to Intent" Like Focus.

A call from "Mom". She was nicer than usual today. It was Johnny's birthday. Tomorrow is Gary's. JoAnn & boys had visited. She liked the candy.

12/28-29: Packed a lot of TBCOA papers into big plastic containers. Trying to lighten the load in my poor little office.

12/29: Emailed Rita again. Got a quick reply.

Saw Yvette. Her house looked nice with the Christmas tree up & the kitchen table in place. She was very concerned about Sweetpea, John's old cat that will be 17 in March if he makes it to his birthday. Sweetpea is always hungry & is very skinny. The photo I took of Sweetpea a couple of weeks ago is at the top.

December 3-9, 2007

Dear Diary--

12/3: Call to/from LnPB. They may have to sue MS.

12/4: Call from CV. Jack V passed yesterday (in HI). He had several strokes. I liked him even when I didn't agree with what he was doing. A rainbow appeared for C when we were on the phone at 12:22 pm.

Aquarium is free to locals 12/1-12/9.

12/6: Saw Larry & Willy at MGO.

12/7: Gary's a capricorn (almost 62).

12/8: Noel & Matt worked on the woodpile.
I'm working on a warm neckscarf for my new coat. Wool/silk houndstooth.

12/9: Finished the neckscarf. New Moon tonight.

Week of Nov 26 - Dec 2

Dear Diary--





11/26: Call from Chris R. asking about Gordy.

John had a problem --tired, hungry, poor, no hot shower lately, etc.



11/27: John was okay today & did some recycling including getting the heavy engine out of the driveway area.



11/28: Regular day for the most part.



11/29: Mike went to court. Charges/punishments dropped.


I called Lucille. Car is still a problem.

11/30: Evel Knievel died. Age 69.

12/01: Maybe "abandoned car form" will work for KB's car. Jim T's suggestion.

Washed some of our very dirty windows.

12/02: Windy day. Talked to Mel. Then Mike. Mike wanted to leave (store) his truck here.

Gary stopped by about 6 to get Rico's phone # again & said he'd check on Mike.





--by Baby Artichoke

Week of Nov 19-25

Dear Diary--



11/19: Sue has no brain tumors (according to PET scan).



Bobbie says her brain scan also showed "nothing there". Her last chemo is Dec 6. Her full PET scan is early Jan.

Tommy visits Dec 1 - early Jan.



11/20: DDS appt with Zernicke. Thank goodness, it was good news, no work necessary right away. A filling replacement sometime in forseeable future.



Ordered Mel's Bose radio.

11/21: Wow--next morning delivery !



Cancelled my Blue Cross Dental insurance because no dentists in this area accept it. It's the $10/mo plan.



11/22: Happy Thanksgiving. Spiral-sliced ham for us.



Gordon D. called to talk about his mother's death. She died about 8:30 pm Oct 11.



11/23: Gordy passed about 4:30 pm. Full moon was rising at the time.



11/24: Yvette took Spanky back to the lady who placed him with Gordy.



11/25: Part 2 of Gordy's siblings stopped by. I missed Part 1 (mostly brothers). 8 siblings left. One named Gary looks like a thinner Gordy.



--by Baby Artichoke

Week of Nov 12-18

Bad week for Spanky, the chunky pug. Gordy's been in the hospital all week & Spanky doesn't know why he's gone.
Becky cleaned up Gordy's place. Apparently it really needed cleaning. She's also taking care of Spanky even though her cats don't like the idea.
Mel called Saturday evening to say Gordy's back. A Yellow Cab brought him home.

Gary let me know he has a set of keys to KB's car. But does he have money to buy the car?

Mike gave me some of K's jewelry & a coat. The coat got a bad reaction from both Matt & I, so I bought a new coat instead of keeping hers to wear.
Mike temporarily gave up on his truck. On the 29th he has a court date. On the 1st his disability payment comes in. Sometime later his back payments come in. But KB's gone and he may be sitting around in jail. Bittersweet for sure.

11/13: The post office in Marina let me close KB's mailbox service. (Her parents do not want more of her mail. It was their choice, not mine.)

My CD issuer failed me (from my perspective). Since there was no activity in the past 3 yrs, they sent my CD to unclaimed property. What a pain to have to prove it's mine in order to get it. I bought it as a part of my so-called "retirement" plan & was letting it roll over. Well, that didn't work. It ran off !

11/12: Poor CV hurt her hands while working on their big project. I'm praying for them to heal quickly.
Also praying for so many other people this year-- grief, cancer & other diseases.

11/17: Call from CV. Her hands are much better & not hurting today.
Haircut time again. I wish I knew if my hair falling out was normal or not. Probably just stress. At least it's just one strand at a time, not in handfuls. Charlene at Supercuts did a good job.

Matt planted two more $6.99 Cypress trees from Orchard Supply. They're small but healthy.
He also worked on the roof & woodstove "chimney".
Then went back to his juicer. Almost burned it out. When it started to smoke, he shut it off & let it cool down. Then cleaned it & continued: Celery, Seedless Oranges, & Gala Apples.

Til next time...

Nov 5-11, 2007

Some week. I'm still spinning from that last Mercury Retro.

Discovered what DSL is really like by going to the Marina Library. Then called the credit card company & got the $39 late (by one day) fee removed.

Called AT&T (again) to say I want DSL even though I'm out in the artichoke fields.

KB's puppy Scout apparently got adopted. I checked on her today & she was not there. Yesterday I got the feeling I should no longer be concerned about her. Now I know why.

Gary said Gordy is in the hospital. He went in last night. Heart problems complicated by poor eating & living habits.

Mike borrowed KB's car keys & hasn't returned them. I just remembered. He gave me some of Karrin's silver & turquoise jewelry and a watch.

Then Yvette called because her little bantam rooster was missing. Within an hour he was found on John's front porch.

I write all of this just to keep track of when things happen. Sometimes it comes in handy later.

Fall Back

Got up at 6 am-- no, 5 am. Clocks are an hour ahead but my computer has been on new time for a week. It's an old-fashioned Compaq computer from year 2000 ...

October 22, 2007

10.22.07 Monday
Took Lettuce Photos. Looks like harvest day will be tomorrow.

Cabin 6 Proxy arrived via email. Original on it's way.

Mike had a friend named Matthew arrive just after midnight. Seems to be helping him. At least Mike looks better.

Terrible fire in Southern California.

10.23.07 Tuesday: Lettuce harvest began today.

Found info on duplicate tax payments 2001-02 & 2002-03. Yvette is finding the checks.

Mike is working on moving. Hope it continues to progress. So far, so good.

Southern California fire is much worse. Santa Ana Winds are why it's spreading so fast.

October 15-21, 2007

Mon 10/15: Searched county records on Cabin 6.
Flowers sent to B's from neighborhood.

Mike was served his 60-day notice.

Tues 10/16: Mike returned just after midnight.

Thurs 10/18: Sent KB's mail to NJ.

Fri 10/19: Long talk with KB's parents.

Sat 10/20: Memorial in NJ 1-3 est. Talked with Mike.

Truck break-down at job site.

Sun 1/21: Assn mtg today. Just JT, YH & I. Depressing day overall.

Short talk with Mike. Suggested I send the music box to Alison. He liked that idea.

October 8-14, 2007

Monday, Oct 8:



Bobbie had chemo Oct 4.

Chuck taken off life support.



Talked to Dareld about the old Monte Road.

"Steel Bridge" was before the current 1940s Monte Rd Bridge.

Related to our easement.



PG&E pole. Dave De Mateo returned call. He doesn't think it is a problem.



Mel knew Dareld 40 yrs ago in Half Moon Bay when he was young & crazy, hitting on women.



Court: Last issue of Brainstorm. Moved on 10/3.



Portland: One hr. Salem 15 min.



Saw Bobcat about 1:30 pm.



Tues, Oct 9:



Chris R called. She had an aneurism July 1st.



Electricity off 3 hours due to truck running into power pole.



DA visited the neighborhood.



Wed, Oct 10:



Mel called about 5:35 pm. She thinks KB died. Mike is being questioned.

Chuck also died today. Age 36.



Thurs, Oct 11:



Court day for Larry Sr, Larry Jr, Jesse.



Ruling will be Nov 2, 2007.



Fri, Oct 12:



Hope for Tomorrow in Seeds of Today.



Bernhardts arrived. Very busy but productive day. They're leaving tonight.



Sat, Oct 13:



One hour in cabin 6. Found a lot of the keys.



Yvette agreed to take Scout to SPCA. Hope it went well. Sorry Gordy isn't responsible enough to have her.



Chuck's memorial. It was good.



More soon.

October 1-7, 2007

10/01/07: Responded to Subpoena. Met very pleasant Joe B. Perhaps a good salary would help me be pleasant too. The subject is last November 2nd incident with Larry Sr., Larry Jr., & Jesse attacking Gordy & the Johns.

10/02/07: Gordy is going to move into Cabin 8. Paid $500 first & last. Has $100 to live on for all of October. What's wrong with this picture?

Got a card for John. His back & surgery for it are causing him problems.

Late September--incl summary--'07

9/23: First Day of Autumn.


9/25: JT talked to Dyer re: easement.


9/26: Finally found out what sign my astrologer was born under. Sagittarius. Dec 18, 1957. Also "discovered" a new bright star...Bill Gross, age 46. His current biz is called Energy Innovations.


9/27: Backyard Bunny is back. I thought the Bobcat got all of them.


9/28: Offer of small job for Matt (from Mark).


9/29: Met Pu. Cleaned up $5 vacuum cleaner. Cut the temporary $1 carpet for bathroom.


Gossip: Gordy & Mike are friends again. Matt's against both of them now. Gordy wants to move into Cabin 8. Spanky is lonely.
Scout hasn't been seen or heard for about a week.
Gary & Becky are looking into Clinica de Saluda, hoping to get new teeth, drug-proof no doubt.
John R had a minor operation on his back & neck.
Mel signed up for Medicare supplement.
Matt's been doing demolition work in Cabin 10--Kitchen & Bath.
Yvette has been out of sight a lot, probably because of Jesse using her car.
Bobbie M has had 2 chemo treatments & has no hair. Dareld went to "the ranch". Chuck was back in the hospital last week.
And me? Doesn't seem like I'm doing much. Just keeping score.

Mid-September 2007

So much to think about. So little time.



KB got her new dog Scout about 3 wks ago. K's still battling her alcoholism, but doing better since HB got killed (by car or truck). I'm not sure what happened with the first dog-training class for Scout because K went "out of it" immediately after the supposed 9/19 session.

Then Mike got back during the day on 9/21. Had to happen. Too bad K wasn't conscious.


Gordy thinks he's going to rent & (with his son) buy Cabin 8. I don't think it will work, but if not, he'll just get himself into a new bigger problem & probably get kicked out of the neighborhood altogether.


Mel's signing up for a Medicare Supplement. It's what she needs.


CB called Saturday, the 22nd. Invitation to visit at Christmas. As it turns out, I have a $100 credit for United Air Lines & have to book by Jan 31, 2008. Maybe it'll work out.

Sept 2007 ... New Moon

9/11 ... New Moon & Solar eclipse.



9/13 ... 11 am Recycling Truck broke lines to pumphouse. PG&E repaired by 2 pm. (Ed fromHollister)



9/16 ... Heard today that Jesse totalled his truck so Yvette loaned him her car (SUV). Call from Karrin. Matt over-reacted & spent lots of time calling the jail & talking to KB. Why?-- Because I told him Mike has a "misdemeanor" instead of a "felony".

September 2007 Subjects

09/03/07: Cabin 10 Leak... reported by Becky.



09/05/07: Tyra show ... interesting child competition.

August Subjects

08/03/07 Friday: Mel's Windshield, $119.50. Chrome molding (Not used; sent back, $15. C&J, 355 E. Market, Salinas. Work done on Saturday.

08/05: Ordered Policosanol from puritansale.com ... $30.99

08/07: Money the slow way: InboxDollars

Returned to entering sweepstakes & contests. I was alone in the Caspar Cove House the last time I did this ... and no computer. About 1987.

08/10: (Friday) HoneyBear hit & killed early afternoon on Monte Road. Called no-emergency number for an officer to give KB the news.

08/11: Gary buried HoneyBear. John R & Gordy had physical fight.

08/12: Merv Griffin died. He was born in San Mateo, CA on 07/06/1925. He was 82. He had a home in Carmel Valley & other places of course.
08/15: Lima, Peru & othe locations--8.0 quake 6:40 pm.

08/16: Utah coal mine collapsed again & killed 3, injured 6.

08/17: Matt got his Driver's License renewed.

08/19: (Sunday) Saw grey kitten with yellow eyes. Sunny, Sonny, or Smokey.

08/20: Leona Helmsley died of heart failure at 87 in Greenwich, CT summer home. Donated to 911 victim families, to Katrina Hurricane victims, and to NY's Presbyterian Hospital ( & probably many others).

08/21: Puppy at Longs-Savemart area needed help. Done. Help from library matriarch's husband.

08/22: Dreams-- (1) Electrical wiring installation on large space. (2) Hippo got loose & found packages of spinach.

08/23: Gordy's electricity cut off ...

Dream: Bobbie came to see me. Sick, Upset, Fell down. Her family was soon there, rearranging the house. It used to be theirs. There were decorating very siilar to the way I had decorated it. An older man--father, uncle or grandfather--didn't speak English--but from the "old country" someplace.
Reality: Bobbie's first chemotherapy session.

08/24: Rico seems to be 1 day minus 4 hours ahead of PST.

08/25: Short talk with Yvette & cat Patrick.

08/26: Gave Gordy a copy of the exclusion saying that events arising from assault & battery are not covered by TBCOA liability insurance.


Baby Romaine is popping up in the field.

Saw photo of Karrin's new dog she's now decided to call "Scout". Scout is due to arrive tomorrow.

8/27: Matt & Jim are getting along again. Matt's working for him in the neighborhood.

August 5 ... Finally found my Blog

June & July were difficult months. Then I discovered that my blog had been taken over by Google. I normally like Google, but this time they were making no sense.

On July 28, Yvette saw the bobcat that took her pet hen last week.

The celery planted April 17 were harvested this past week ending yesterday, August 4th. It was a pretty field.

The Pests of Cabin 8

Rico & Amy.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Just making a place to comment on this week...

Later ... guess it was a dull week.

June 3 and Nearby Dates...

June 1: Costco trip. $101.



June 2: Dr. Seuss Plumbing is apparently going to update Cabin 7. Sheesh! $740 so far.

And another $54 later in the day.

June 3: Dr. Seuss Plumbing... another $28.

The experience so far: "Priceless".

Baby Carrots

Finally cooked the little carrots from Yvette. But carrots don't usually write anything in diaries or anyplace else. They're simple folk. Rabbits like them plain. Carrots do like dirt (comfort food) and salted butter. Other "dressings" are nice, but only for those who like carrots on the dinner table.

April 15-21, 2007

16th: Bunny rabbit returned to our back yard in spite of the dead grass. I was on the phone with CV at the time.

Bobbie T called to ask about the cars.

17th: New Moon. Celery planted. Looks nice again. White pigeon seen. Paul welded the gate near Cabin 11.

18th: Yvette's latest problem is the Light Brown Apple Moth from Australia. Epicenter is Manzanita Park (Town?) 9 sq mi and area between Hwy 1, Hwy 101, & Hwy 156.

Met Kit & Judy and Dog Katie. Red Ford. Taking Anthony's blue truck. Jim T in LA

19th: Another Drama. Mike taken to jail. Karrin taken to hospital. Dog home alone again. That dog has a strange life.
John R went to see Sergio. Jim T returned to area.

20th: Called Kelley. My brother Jim did get to go on his turkey hunting trip. He needed it!

21st: Found out where Karrin & Mike are.

April Fool's Day 2007--TBCOA Meeting

Annual Meeting of the neighborhood Association. Very Ho Hum.

A few things were accomplished, mainly toward getting a clear Title Ins Report. No John R & no Mel Y. Jim was able to get Mel's certified copy of JR Young's Death Certificate. I gave Yvette a photocopy of the Harris/Vanneman "Purchase Agreement". Those 2 things were probably worth having the meeting.

March 23, 2007

Equinox on 3/18.

3/23: Public Works cleared the area between Monte Rd and the RR tracks (TAMC). Wed-Thurs-Fri.

Sun Eclipse: March 19, 2007

In Bejing, China.

Alzheimers Hits 5 Million

Super Lotto Plus in California Hits 7 Million.
And Mega Millions Hits 37 Million. What's the point? I don't know.

St. Pat's Day

Ireland.
Bob Young's birthday as long as Mel is alive.
Extra cops on duty because of the drinkin' of the beer.

Moon Eclipse: March 3, 2007

March 3, dramatic moon eclipse (red). I didn't see it.

Water Leak

Old village. Old water pipes. Repairs done Saturday, Feb 24th. Hope the system can hold up until the USDA loan comes through. Cost: $150 to MCA, $195 to Mark, $40 to JT. Experience: priceless. Matt & Mel seem to be at odds. Actually, Matt is at odds with everybody.

John Steinbeck's 105th Birthday

Of course he wasn't available. However, his son looks like him.

My birthday 2/25. Yvette took me out to lunch the 24th--at the Steinbeck House [Restaurant]. The House is where Steinbeck's family lived at 231 Central Ave., Salinas, CA. Got a cute card from Janet [& Tim, & Katie].

Matt gave me 2 cards the 25th. Shirley called 2/24, then remembered that I was having a birthday 2/25. Calls from Courtney & Em. Card & gift from Mel.

I was glad Mom [Shirley] called, because I realized I am 61 & I'd been thinking I was 62! That's because I felt 61 for several months before it happened.

Drivel. Anyway, from now on it's just nice to have one more [miserable] day. Gives me time to correct a few things & clean up whatever needs to be cleaned up.

My Dad 07/13/1921 - 01/22/2007

Maybe more details later.

The visitation, the funeral, even the weather. The town, church, friends, family.

(And--glad I didn't shorten the $1 coat. It was just right with higher shoes and two weeks of below freezing weather. )

Home Again 2/08/2007

Home Again Home Again. Jiggity Jig. Jan 22-Feb 7 trip. Strange in a good way.

Back from my old hometown. On Jan 22 my dad passed away. He'd been hanging on for a long time and was just "worn out". I went back to help my stepmother & brother. Unfortunately, my stepmother is now getting dependent and sometimes has some dementia. Stress. Bad knees, but has an appt with her knee doctor, Dr Stephen Huss. She's trying & isn't a whiner. She has really taken good care of Dad. But she was much easier to get along with this trip. I've been promoted from "Keith's daughter" to "stepdaughter". Okay, not too different, but I know the difference. I'm also one of two beneficiaries even though some others in her life have done more for her. Length over strength. I'm switching over to calling her "Mom" even though I'm still very self-conscience about it. I just don't want others to take it wrong. I heard from her that she seems to want & need it. She gave me a heartfelt good-bye. I think she did appreciate my presence.

I guess I really have two "homes" now. The hometown I grew up living in and the spot I'm in now. In some ways they look a lot alike.

January 20, 2007

22.36 pound turkey. Given to us by Chris who runs the Food Bank in Castroville. It turned out just fine. Mel got some.

Shirley's Birthday.

Court Date Postponed--Cold Weather--Long Coat

Yes, the court date for Larry, Jesse, & Larry Jr has been postponed. We don't know the new date. (Later: March 26th is the next jury date.)

The weather is still too cold for this area & causing some problems.

I guess I'll shorten the nice wool coat I got for $1 at the Yellow Brick Road thrift shop. The local Dry Cleaner said it would cost $21 for them to do it. Then I'll get it cleaned.

Another "Week" Link

[1] Freezing weather compliments of Alaska. Very bad for the local farmers.

[2] Called Shirley (my stepmother). She's been doing a lot of falling since living alone... Otherwise she seemed okay. Dad had a metal plate and screws put into his hip. He is able to go to dialysis in the hospital he's in.

[3] Called Mel. Mike was yelling again all Friday night. Karrin is probably back.

[4] Called Yvette. This is her vacation week. She has been unpacking and finding what is and is not still among her things. Happily, she found her parrot's ashes (from 2 yrs ago) and told me about Lucy, another pet hen. Lucy likes Raven but not Maya.

January 11, 2007

Call last night from my stepmother. My dad broke his right hip (the 9th, I think). She sounded "out of it". Two weeks ago she seemed fine. So I called my brother in the same town. More later.

New (Prepaid) Cellphones #1 and #2

Sat. Jan. 6:
#1 Virgin Mobile phone on sale for $15 plus $20 for a prepaid card. I was with ATT until Cingular bought ATT & now requires upgrade of the phone. But at least this phone is a Very Good Buy. It does almost everything & the main downside is it needs to be charged anytime you're not using it. Nice design ... cheap ... excellent features.

Mon. Jan. 8:
Cingular buys ATT & I have to pay $70 for a new phone, earphone (new driving rules), and car charger. I'm stuck with cingular because it's the only way to (1) save over $100 worth of minutes (400 min.) and (2) it works in my home town in central Illinois. Virgin Mobile (Sprint network) does not have coverage there.

Bringing People Together

Several big snowstorms in Colorado, Kansas & other places.

James Brown's funeral.

Gerald Ford's funeral.

Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2006

Our local friend Billie May Cahoon passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, December 24, 2006. About 6:30 am, I think. Age 92. Born August 30, 1914 in Los Angeles, CA. A cheerful, good person. Outlived 3 husbands.

James Brown passed away about 1:45am on December 25, 2006 in Atlanta. Age 73. Born May 3, 1933. High energy. "I Feel Good" one of my favorites.

Ex-President Gerald Ford died 12/26/2006. Age 93. Born July 14, 1913. Totally nice guy. Decent. Good to his wife. Four kids.

Merwee Chwismas

Fwom Baby Awtichoke.

December 23, 2006

Turns out they didn't really have a real "restraining order"... (added later).

(Willy,) Larry & Larry Jr were in the neighborhood today even with a restraining order. Maybe they were even found and picked up by the sheriff's dept.

December 16, 2006

End of quite a week.

DA office investigator on Thursday (for Gordy). Friday an investigator for Jesse's attorney.

Rainy week.

Mercury Retrograde Ends at Last

Mercury Retrograde: October 28 - November 17.

This Post Covers November 13-19.

Carol passed away in Oregon on November 13.

Jim & Bobbie's Great Dane Hamlet also died.

Gary [& Rebecca?] moved into Cabin 3 on the 14th.

Nov 17 Court Date for LSsr, LSjr & JF postponed.

Then--good news. Merc Retro ends.

Nov 19: I ordered photos from Courtney's wedding.

Veteran's Day Weekend

The oldest WWI veteran in Florida is 111. "Jeb" Bush gave him a long overdue medal.

First rain in awhile. The cars always love that.

Last Wednesday, November 8, Marina brought in a lot more convenience & a gas-saver. A new Walmart.

Tomatoes on the Rampage

More food trouble.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/11/04/salmonella_linked_to_fresh_tomatoes/

and http://www.about-salmonella.com/ .

Nov 2, 2006 Trouble in Paradise

I sure thought I wrote a blog entry for this, but it's gone. Sheesh. So here's the basics.

Larry, Jesse, and Larry Jr. stormed/attacked Cabin 4, breaking windows & doors. Attempted murder [of Gordy]. Then they threatened John R & John L in Cabin 9 [across from Cabin 4].

More to come.

Weekend of Oct 28-29, 2006

Shirley called yesterday evening to say Dad's in the hospital. 10/28.

Nov 5, I talked to Kelley (sis-in-law). Got the name of the nursing home.

Nov 8--talked to Shirley. Dad is better. Still in nursing home.

Weekend of Oct 21-22, 2006

Crazy Days continue at "Bridges".

John R & John L ... Cabin 9 ...piano abandoned by JL put out on porch at 2 am, then on lawn a few hours later-- by Larry.
Jesse donned a hockey mask & with a chain saw, cut up the piano the next morning. Larry paid him $10.
Larry cleaned up the remains Saturday evening.

Larry ... Cabin 3 ... punched out Gordy. Why?
Gordy ... Cabin 4 ... because Gordy provoked Larry. Gordy was trying to get rid of Karrin by leaving her at Larry's house. She'd been with Gordy all day. I guess he was fed up with sex, booze, maybe drugs, & "Rock 'n Roll" in general. And besides, Karrin's ex-husband Mike that she lives with in Cabin 6 might wake up any time now.

Mel ... Cabin 5 ... loaded her shotgun ... too much craziness going on.

Mike ... Cabin 6 ...woke up.

Rose & Matt ... Cabin 7 ... missed most of the above. Sound asleep by 7pm most nights. Rose did see the Chainsaw Massacre of the piano by Jesse.

Meeting on Sunday 10:30 am
More Later.

Lettuce Harvest at 3 am

The Headline actually tells the story.

In the past, the work crews that were in the field waited until 6 am to turn up the LOUD Spanish Station music. I live right next to the lettuce field and appreciated that consideration.

But today, the work crew had Mexican music blasting out over the Salinas Valley and Salinas River. The main difference between "Spanish" and "Mexican" is that at 3 am you know darn well that there is NOBODY from Spain out there harvesting lettuce!

But if you know me, you might also know that I see life on many levels/planes all at the same time. So you might be able to understand that since I couldn't sleep anyway, I took a look out of the bedroom window & saw what to some people might look like aliens (from Outer Space, not Mexico) because it was somewhat foggy & there were bright spotlights and machines (where they were placing the wrapped-in the field-lettuce), and a bus towing a couple of porta-potties. I guess even "aliens" need porta-potties. Ron Howard could have been out there directing.

Carrot Juice Paralyzes Two Humans

And it was organic. Botulism raises it's ugly head.
"When in doubt, throw it out" and now there's a problem with the "new" stuff not properly handled.

Lettuce Attacks Newscasters

Man--nothing's safe anymore. Actually, lettuce has had the E-coli problem in past years.

Spinach Attacked by Newscasters

Cellphones, Gangs in Salinas, Traffic Accidents ... And now Spinach.

I'm feeling bad for Salinas Valley farmers, and at the same time, I'm not buying spinach. Maybe everything has to be cooked now, which is too bad nutritionally. What if we could run it through an ultra-violet machine or something & kill only the bad stuff?

Ya Gotta Have Heart

Artichoke Heart, that is.
With Butter, Lemon, & Garlic ...
Or in a good marinade. Yum.

Labor Day 2006

Many changes in the past year. Big changes.

Time to take a deep breath and prepare for next year.

When did September 1 get to be New Year's Day? Maybe when the Kids grew up and took over the Holidays. Even when young, the new school year felt more like a beginning than the winter break where January resides.

"Here's looking at you, Kid." --from the USA

Jody

Jody had to be euthanized Tuesday, August 8, 2006. He had Lymphosarcoma. Cancer of the lymph nodes in his throat. He couldn't breathe.

As I drove back from the veterinary hospital, a white plane circled over our home & the field where he used to run while going for a walk with Matt.

It's okay to cry.

I'll write more later.

08/25/2006: This photo was taken several years ago. He's about 14 yrs old now. I believe he was about 7 then. But he still looks a lot like this. --Jody's "Mom"

Don't worry--I'm still writing

But lately, I've marked my writing as "draft". That means it doesn't show up in the blog.

I haven't had much of anything to say to my possible readers. ... But I still care for you!

In fact, there are new seedlings in the field outside my house. Please stay tuned.

Mom's Wedding Preparations for July 22, 2006

The past several months have been a blur as I've tried to accomplish a makeover to match who I would like to be now. I've not kept up because:

I'm living in a rural setting with mud, dirt, dogs with dirty paws jump up to greet me.
I'm a little bored & a little depressed. Low physical energy. A few pounds overweight.
I've become an underachiever and am underpaid to reflect that.

Then Courtney decides to get married. Big wedding. Lots of people I don't know. A few I do know or used to know.

Got new glasses. I still like them.

[1] Bad haircut.

[2] Good haircut but she fails me when perm is needed.

[3] New hairdresser referred by a neighbor. Good perm (not great). Then bad haircut just before wedding...

Clothes I find don't fit. I don't really know what I'm looking for either. Formal things seem too formal & Casual things seem too casual. Shoes never seem comfortable with the exception of a pair of white running shoes by Danskin. And things that might fit almost always come in Black. For my daughter's wedding!

Sunday July 16, 2006

Happy Birthday, Matt. No matter what year you were born, you are in your mid-70s...

Sunday, July 9, 2006

Sunday, July 2: TBCOA meeting. Mark kept it moving. Yvette did great job as secty.

Saturday, July 8: Wore shorts (big event).
Carol called sheriff to discipline Jesse for blocking drive to east side of cabins.
The Johns have made up at least for awhile.

Sunday: Cypress Tree Search Day

Sunday, June 25

Sunday Meeting today 10 am

How Temporary the Permanent

However, with limp yet somewhat rebellious hair, maybe this perm will fix the problem for a couple of months. Now I look even more like my grandmother.

One of the good things that came out of this is meeting Donna who has been doing hair for 40 years.

That was yesterday, the last day of Winter. Today is the first day of Spring.

Father's Day: June 18th, 2006

Phone call to Dad. Some links are missing, but he knew me at least. Then I talked to Shirley.

Meet the Cat & the Chick

Meeting yesterday (TBCOA).

Then met Yvette's red chicken named Maya & Patrick, the visiting cat. They join Rocky, the parakeet.
All of Yvette's pets came to her less than healthy in mind/body/spirit. She's good at healing them.
(PS: Sometime later--maybe July--a Bantam rooster named Raven joined the Dr Doolittle Club.)

Later today, Larry stopped by for his $60 check & stayed to visit, have soup & wine. I learned a few new things about Jim, Jesse, Karrin, Mike & Larry.

Visiting Em.

Went to Chico June 2-5. Nice visit with Em. Met Mike for the first time. Gained weight on Vegan diet...

Matt & Jesse problem when I got home. So fun.

A Loan with Grant at Last !

Saturday May 27: GREAT NEWS ! We received confirmation today that we have our USDA loan of $145k and grant of $115k (as long as we continue to jump through our required hoops--conditions).

The purpose is to put in a community septic system. Didn't happen overnight...it has taken ten long years.

Memorial Day Weekend

Tomorrow begins Memorial Day Weekend. Hope it transitions into better days. It feels like that's what will happen.

On Wednesday, the 24th, Karrin was taken to the hospital after emergency crews from the fire dept attended to her. She had a brain aneurism. Then brain surgery at 9 or 10 pm. She's still in intensive care as far as I know. She must have a bunch of guardian angels!

Mike did something right by calling 911 when she needed help.

The past week was like the storm before the calm with Matt. Any health problems make life for others a big pain! He was better yesterday afternoon & went visiting in the neighborhood. He was getting to know Larry & Gordy better. Larry even had company--the ex-president of hell's angels. At 62, the ex-pres is extremely overweight, wears a robe, has a beard. I just saw him briefly yesterday as I took out my trash.

May 27: Nice sunrise, purple clouds with brilliant orange-white edges. Very windy later.

May 29: Karrin out of ICU. Took roses to her (fr Costco). Multi-colored from the Assn. It was my first trip to Salinas Memorial Hosp. Pretty nice.

May 30: Karrin came home mid-afternoon.

May 31: Sad to say, I saw very little of Mike & HoneyBear & nothing of K. Another "out-time" already? Am I the one who's hard-headed? It's sad to think of giving up all hope.

June 15: They are both out-of-it again & have been for about a week.

May 18 - 22 Interesting Five Days

Thursday May 18: My Grandmother was born 100 years ago today. Wow. That doesn't happen very often! Too bad she's no longer with us. However, I got a "wrong number" call today looking for Irene (her name).

I booked my flight for Courtney's wedding.

Fri 5/19: Distributed the Minutes.

Sat 5/20: The Landscapers arrived & worked. That threw Jesse into a juvenile mode. The way he's going, he'll never get hired here. This was also to be the weekend for he & Yvette to "celebrate" their first anniversary. I feel sorry for her. I have some pretty good theories about why she dates him, but I still feel sorry for her.

Sun 5/21: Rainy day, so I washed the dirt off the cars (mine & Mel's) while I had good water available.

Paid a bunch of bills. The Battle of the Credit Cards ... interest rates, balance transfers, etc. It would be nice to come out even within a year or less. We'll see. I now have just 3 with balances. That's terrible for some people, but real progress for me.

Mon 5/22: Tried to fax Greg at USDA. He called to say it didn't come through readable, so I emailed him. I do appreciate fax machines & computers--and phones. I learned a few things while talking to him.

Jim tried to get money out of me for paying Larry. Queen Carol told Larry the Association would pay for 4 hrs of his work.
Later, I closed the Assn. bank account at WaMu & put all money into the new biz account there.

Then errands for Mel. The big winner of the day was the Whopper Jr at Burger King for $1.

Sunday, May 14 ... Mother's Day

Hot, sunny day. Most of the neighbors were outdoors at least for a short time. Dogs too, of course.

I did some work on getting together the info to complete the Annual Report for TBCOA. Then I can do the taxes.
Tomorrow is important for sending papers and faxes for the TBCOA loan.

I still don't have reservations for Portland in late July. I keep getting interrupted. However, I'm learning more as I go on searching.

And my clothes? So far, one dress. No shoes. Underwear questionable. No coat/ wrap. Maybe I'l even whiten my teeth ... I've seen an ad for 1-hour whitening. No doubt costs a bundle. Or maybe just not a very good way to do it.

Em & Court both called, and Mother's Day cards from both of my sweet daughters.

Sunday, May 7 ... Yvette & Jesse

Meeting w/ Yvette. It sure helps to have help!

Jesse was looking happy today.

Annual Mtg ... Em turns 32 ... Broccoli Planted

April 30: Finally had our Association Annual Meeting. John R ran the meeting. John L decorating & refreshments. Carol was not there which helped overall, but sent daughter Amy & Amy's new child-husband. Jim was voted Pres. Missing Mark became VP, Yvette is Secty, I'm continuing as Treasurer.

Carol stirred up new questions/trouble ... Jim jumped in & spent a lot of time with Carol's title agent Marie Russell. Meanwhile, I found lots of info on Monterey County Recorder's page.

And on Wed May 3, I got a very positive email from Greg at USDA regarding our loan approval.

Just have to be sure Jim straightens out his own messes without fouling up the entire group.


And my first child turned 32 on Wednesday. Happy Birthday, Em !


Then, on Saturday the field was planted with broccoli.

Pinnacles Health Ctr & Spring in the Village

4/23 Sunday
It was a strange day. I went to a doctor's appointment on a Sunday of all things. It was a nice, clean, quiet, peaceful clinic. The 2 young ladies who worked there were pleasant, the doctor was really a nice person. The x-ray technician (on-call) was knowledgeable & nice to talk to. The parking lot was nearly empty, so no trouble finding a spot--but hard to decide which spot to choose (!)

Then back to the neighborhood where everything was bouncing around like crazy.

Asparagus Diary

I have new friend/neighbor. She gets free produce like artichokes, asparagus, lettuce, etc. and passes some of it on to people like us. Everyone needs a friend like this...

The Doctor's Appointment

Personally, I'd rather not make any doctors appointment.

But-- I fell on March 2 and my left rib cage is still hurting, so I called Pinnacles Health Care this afternoon.

2 Rossi Circle, Salinas, CA ... See Dr. Carter 9-5 Sunday. Sounds as good as I can expect.

If all goes well, Sears will pay for part of it. That's where I fell.

The Dogs of Twin Bridges

Carol's dogs Buddy and Stella were just moved to Oregon. Just when Buddy was old enough to be mellow. Stella was raised right and has always had good manners.

Jody (an unaltered male) was tied to a rope all day when he was a pup. He's a shepherd/malamute sort of mix. He was offered to Matt & we took him. I don't know if he should be called bilingual, since he doesn't talk much; Jody understands Spanish and English. I've learned to understand a lot of dog-speak. I can tell who he's barking at with reasonable accuracy.

Honey Bear is both a victim and care-giver. For 2-3 weeks a month she has to live with not one but two very sick people. She's undisciplined and big (lab mix) and acts more like a pony than a dog. She's also unsupervised most of the time, even when locked in the house with her people. She's also a threat--to Mel who is in danger of getting knocked down if she (Mel) tries to take a walk outdoors.

Spanky is the new pup on the block. Cute little black pug. His best friend is Honey Bear who is many times bigger than him. And at least twice he has come over to our place to spend time barking fiercely at Jody (who barks back fiercely.) Jody is also many times bigger than Spanky.

It's about time for another photo, isn't it?

04/19: I've concluded that this barking--now growling--seems to be teaching Spanky bad habits. Spanky learns things very very fast.

Carol's Easter Open House

Singles and couples filing through. Doesn't take long. Approx 425 sq. ft. Nice view of Salinas River. Periwinkle exterior with orange interior. Must like closets and hallway. And difficult neighbors.

Last night Mike & Karrin fought all night. HB (dog) barked until Matt went outside and yelled at the dog--loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear. That was 12:30 am.

4/21 Friday: For several nights, haven't heard any barking dogs in the middle of the night. Matt said he did see Karrin more than once today.

Annual Meeting

April 9: No quorum. John, Yvette, Mark all missing. We have 8 members; 5 needed for a quorum.

April 15: The Treasurer (yours truly) requests $300 from each member by May 10. Life goes on.

Rain+Rain plus Dirt equals Mud ...

We got to try out our new AAA card today.

Matt drove approximately 100 feet from where he was working to our place. It is completely unpaved--just a few woodchips under the usual parking spot, a little grass, a few weeds, bare dirt areas, & a ditch. Stella, the sweetest of the 5 dogs that live here was suddenly in the path of the truck. Matt went slightly to the right. The front frame of the truck stuck onto the top of the berm. The back left tire sunk deep into sloppy mud.

Matt tried to get it out, but finally gave up & we called AAA. A very nice young man (Mr. Ruiz) & Matt worked for about an hour before finally getting it out by pulling it backward (from a distance) with chains.

Spring Forward

04/02/2006 Busy, Busy... Changing the clocks & such.

04/03/2006 My Volvo now has the right time because I never did get around to changing it in the fall.

04/05/2006 Mel's Oldsmobile really has the wrong time. California laws changed Jan 1, '06 so that the lights have to be on at the same time that the windshield wipers are on... So I ran down her battery last month by forgetting to shut off the lights when I got home. The Oldsmobile is now in January.

04/09/2006 My occasionally-worn wristwatch is still on "old time" !

April Fool's Day 2006

Actually, it was a fairly sane day.

Matt woke up in a lousy mood, but fortunately went back to bed for a couple of hours.

I went to Moss Landing for the mail & there were a lot of salmon boats & trucks-to-pull-them. If I'd remembered what day it was, I wouldn't have gone.

Then to Marina. Ace for Mel's house numbers. Roger's for super lotto. Don't laugh--last week I won $10. Mel won $1. Too bad every week isn't like that.

Karrin & John both gave me money & are current in their payments to the Association. Something's right.

PS (Later the same day) Guess what-- I won another $10 with super lotto !

Macy's Comes Through

Found a dress to wear to Courtney's wedding. However, I still have to earn it by losing a few more pounds.

Maria and Reggio

So, "Is Reggio Emilio related to Montessori?"
Google Search shows the answer is "Yes. It's also related to Waldorf and America Maya School."
Common bond: They are all Partnership Education and have other similarities, like similar aims.
I hope to have more to say on this subject soon. Maybe a timeline & comparisons.

Creativity

I looked up "Reggio Emilio" today & finally fell into an exhausted heap. How to make teaching and art complicated. Italians!

Then I went on to where I left off in my own Art Education Studies. "Divergent & Convergent" Approach to Drawing or Thinking .... Then "Creativity". That's where I left it for tonight. Like curling up in a big comfy chair.

Turning Sixty

Actually, I began turning 60 on my 59th birthday.
I received an inner message to clear all unnecessary stockpiled materials. Now I know what I will likely never need.
However, the physical stuff is pretty much still here... Like, if it's not valuable, why bother to move it around? All the world's a stage and these things are the props.

Freecycler Warms New Neighbor

A generous freecycler in Carmel, CA gave a heater to me to give to my neighbor. A Vornado Digital Vortex Heater. Look up www.freecycle.org in your area... Whether you're clearing out your space or in need of an item, it's a good place to go.

Topaz to Amethyst

Guess I'm losing weight after all. My topaz ring got so loose, I had to stop wearing it. It was a gift from Mary Ellen, my mother-in-law at the time. She gave me a nice bloodstone ring (her birthstone) at the same time. Emily has it. Courtney says she wants the topaz.

Now I'm wearing the amethyst ring Aunt Jeanette gave me about 15 years ago. She's in a nursing home with alzheimer's now. My friend Britt gave me earrings to match & she hadn't even seen the ring. I don't know where Britt is or if she's even alive. She had a lot of problems adjusting to her husband's death (heart attack). The last time I heard from her was a card when she lived in Denver with her daughter. Then nothing. That's been about 4 - 5 years.

Aunt Jeanette, Britt, & I all have February birthdays. Harriett too, but no jewelry involved. Just friendship & correspondence.

I have another amethyst ring from Emily & Courtney's dad, but it's too fancy to wear on a daily basis. I haven't been anyplace fancy for a very long time...

PS. Two weeks later I removed the Amethyst ring. It was just a little tight some days & I didn't want it to get stuck on my hand.

"George W" Warns Los Angeles a Year Too Late

Just one of those new stories... Maybe it'll just get lost in history. L.A. has the tallest building west of the Mississippi. It--"the tower(s)" was/were targeted. What a surprise.

New Neighbor[s] & Pepper Tree

[1] I met Yvette, the new owner of Cabin 11 a few days ago--maybe Jan 28th.

Yesterday, I met her boyfriend Jesse. He's a landscaper, does recycled construction, & more. He talks as much as Matt. I don't know how Matt & Jesse ever had a 2-way conversation, but I guess they did. Matt said Jesse is 52, but I think he may be older. He says he's been recycling for 45 years. Anyway, Matt & Jesse get along fine so far.

[2] Not Related: Cabin 3 pepper tree limb cut by Matt. John did clean-up and covered "the wound".

Steps 1 & 2

New Glasses.
Good Haircut by Yong Sun at Creative Hair Design in Monterey.
Step 3 ... Stay tuned.

Sassoon Haircuts

I'm sure glad I can search for info on the computer. Many years ago I had good haircuts because of ice skater Dorothy Hamill. Hers was done by Vidal Sassoon. When I called for a referral for "Sassoon trained", it was someone in the Palo Alto, CA area. Raul looked like a truck driver, but did a great job of cutting my hair.

So this week, I looked for a great hair stylist. I found a "Sassoon trained" place in Carmel. That's my next focus: great hair. If my new glasses arrive Tuesday as scheduled, it will be that much better.

Dreams

Singing Kittens. And they were beautiful. Fluffy, about 8 weeks old. All were different colors. There were at least four.

UFO & Super-Jet Airshow. The latest in huge jets. The sound was not loud. Maybe that was part of "the Latest".

A neighbor couple were in the dream. I encouraged the writer to write about the singing kittens when we were all three discussing possible subjects. In the same scene was "pickle, nickel, tickle" as we were coming up with ideas. When I saw the headlines this morning, the new "Jefferson Nickel" is about to be shipped.

Jan 4-8, 2006

Some week.

Jan 4: Coal miners in West Virginia buried in a mine. Today it was reported that one of the 13 is alive.

The ruler of Dubai, UAE, died in Australia. Natural causes. He loved horses & horseracing.

Ariel Sharon suffered a bad stroke.

Jan 6: Lou Rawls died. 12/01/1933 or 35 to 01/06/2006.

Jan 8: TBCOA Q4 Meeting. I'm not happy about the pre-meeting, the meeting, or the post-meeting. The same thing could have occurred in a similar way & I would have been happy about it all. At least Phoebe says she's moving & has sold her place. I just don't care for her methods/tactics. I'll leave it at that for now.

Power Outage

Power outages are interesting--reminders of how to live without some of the everyday conveniences. Longer outages just teach us a little more than short ones.

Today, our electricity was off from 2-5:30 pm. It was a good time of day for it and the rain storms were not bad.
Meanwhile, our parking lot (for 11 homes) is in the process of flooding. Most of us were able to move our vehicles to higher ground. Jim was out of town & nobody, including his wife Bobbie & his friend/employee Mark, has keys to his 2 cars. I guess Jim doesn't want to have them towed. So they are at risk.

I called Fish & Game about the flooding from the River, and I called the County Sheriff non-emergency number about us parking our cars on their property west of the railroad track.

Yesterday's "Tree about to fall" hasn't yet.

Happy New Year 2006

Actually, I was awake at midnight, but was so sleepy, it was just any other midnight. I remembered that it was the new year around 5 am. Very stormy day. No flooding yet. No real threat as far as I can tell. The monitor stage at Spreckels Dam is 20' & flood stage is 23'. It's not to monitor stage yet. I don't know just when the parking lot floods, but so far it's just really windy for here. One huge Cypress tree will probably fall soon. So far, it's leaning threateningly toward Jim's two boats.

Roasted a turkey for us & Mel 9 am-2 pm. Yes, it was falling off the bone. ;-) Later, Mel called to say she'd called Bill & Sue and Sue is in the hospital with a lung problem. Sue is a high-energy "Leo" who's always giving to everyone else. Bill & Sue have always had a lot of friends & activities with friends, like parties, camping trips, etc. Now she needs their energy. I'm not sure Bill has fully appreciated the woman who loves him. Maybe this will help. Unfortunately, some lessons are just downright hard. Prayers needed.

Final Friday of 2005

Errands. Apples & Oranges. Neighbors seem a little subdued in a sad way. I sometimes think we'd all be better off someplace else. Oh well--next year will no doubt be better.

Then watched a few Gene Kelly movies. He's such an athletic dancer, it's exhausting to watch ! An American in Paris, On the Town & part of another--forgot which one. I'll edit this if I think of it.

The week ahead is supposed to be full of rain storms. I'm really glad I got flood insurance. We may actually need it--though I hope not. I've got too much stuff near the floor.

Glasses are on the Way

In spite of all difficulties, I finally found and ordered glasses today. They may not arrive for 2 weeks, but the decision has finally been made. They were found locally in Marina at an optometrist's office. They may have cost a little more, but I'm glad the "hunt" has ended.

Break in the Rain

I'll finish errands tomorrow. Today I went to Costco for videotapes, &-7up for Mel. Coca-Cola was on sale. Finally found the ground beef and never found the cheap hot dogs--so I got the expensive ones for Jody. Matt was thrilled with the Lemons. Splurged on dates at approx $3.50/lb. They are better for us than chocolate candy.

I also looked at eyeglasses for the third time--Walmart, Costco, & Sears. One pair at Walmart seemed right. It seems ridiculous to have so much trouble finding glasses.

After I got back, Mel got into the mood to look for her old glasses. She found & gave me the glasses. A little old-fashioned maybe, but her motives were right.

Hanukkah (12/26/2005)

I'm not Jewish, at least in this lifetime, but Hanukkah sounds so much better than "the day after" Christmas... And it's okay to light a candle.

I didn't go out because I had no reason & so many places were closed anyway. Bad traffic day. Etc, etc.

Matt did another Juice Extractor Event. Next time it may be almost normal. Practice makes perfect. The result still doesn't look great in the final result, but it tastes like what it is (carrots, celery, apples, oranges) and still seems to work pretty well as a laxative. ;-)

And emails from Emily's Mike and Jim's Kelley. Appreciated.

Christmas 2005

Matt & I had a low-key, good Christmas. Spiral-sliced ham, mashed potatoes, yams, green beans shared with Mel.

It did help to cook dinner on Christmas eve. Then my brother Jim called about 4pm [on the 24th].

Then calls from Emily (Christmas w/Mike) & Courtney (Chriistmas w/Ted's family) and to my parents [on the 25th].

My Avatar ... via Yahoo!

Today, I tried creating my "Avatar". I look like I'm about 25, but, why not? Ha.

Need New Glasses ?

The eye exam was easy. But choosing the eyeglasses I'll be wearing for the the next year or two was not so easy. Why? Because the glasses used as samples have clear glass. Not magnifiers. So, if a person's eyesight is no good, it is impossible to see how they look on your own face. Sheesh!

So far, I haven't chosen any glasses.

Juice Extractor Day

It started with Jack Lavelle. He was one of Matt's bosses. He and his wife Evelyn founded & operated Sacramento Ambulance Company in Sacramento, California. Jack made his own vegetable juice on a regular basis.

Then Dareld & Bobbie were given an Oster brand juicer. That was about 3 weeks ago. Dareld & Matt tried it out, left a bit of a mess for Bobbie, but enjoyed the juice.

So today we went juicer shopping. I'd been to Walmart, Target, & Mervyn's and looked around the internet. We checked Sears, Penney's, and ended up buying the Oster at Mervyn's.

Then to Albertson's in Salinas. Something to feed the new member of the family. Carrots, oranges, celery, & gala apples. We got 2 grapefruits but haven't used them yet. The juice is pretty good, but the carrots & celery still taste like carrots & celery. However, we now have a use for the rhubarb in front of our house.