The Clampett's are on the move, again

The time if finally here, I've been waiting for months. What with the truck's transmission falling apart and the big car show, it was iffy whether we'd get to go. But here we are taking the 5th wheel, with doggy, and heading out to meet my seester and husband in Pomona. They've been traveling with friends from Canada so I'm double excited to finely meeting Mr. and Mrs. Nutz. Do check out her Flickr. She has some wonderful pix of the Las Vegas area.

We have plans to see the Drags and do some other things I hope--like a bit of horse racing--but I'm afraid the Oak Tree Meet ends on Sunday the 4th. We need a "day stretcher" to fit in all the things we'd like to do.

After we leave Pomona we'll head to the desert and stay for another few days near Rancho Mirage. Mary is expecting us and we are planning an early Thanksgiving only without Big and Lil Bird. They are winging their way to London for a round of business. Maybe they'll have a pint of Guinness for us all. We'll miss them but I'd go if I had the chance.

The party's over

Los Doyers didn't make it to the playoff this year and that saddened me. The Red Sox swept the series to win the title; a little disappointed. Like I said before, I watched hoping a National League team would win. If the truth be told, the real reason I watched was those games would be the last baseball until Spring. "O, wind, if Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?"

Please don't think I'm in a down mood this morning because the other big event, our car club, the Roam'n Relics charity car show, was held in Moorpark, CA on Sunday and was a big success. They usually are. After twenty-eight years we know how to put on a big event. How big? Over 450 cars, too many spectators to count, and lots of money raised for our charities.

We won't count how many pairs of tired feet, weary backs, or draggin' asses we had; all the club members will be fine in a day or two. We never measure success by those things, we measure it by the faces of the kids and families we help all year 'round.

To all those street rods that packed High Street in Moorpark yesterday, we can't thank you enough.

I've become the Art Nazi

My first art sale was last Friday and Saturday and though I had fun and learned a lot, it suffered from a lack of too many of customers. Ya know, you have to say that part about I learned a lot. It's like when you're trying to get a date for a friend and you say, "She's real smart and a good listener, too." That being said, I actually did learn something, bottom line, they didn't like my prints enough to buy them. OK, so I'm disappointed but undaunted in my quest to sell something.

What I did find were some pretty nice people, they bought my handmade cards, and some pretty odd ones, as well. For those of you that don't personally know me I've always worked at some job or another that required quite a bit of customer service. Basically I can be pretty polite, when I want to, and when you're trying to sell something that's what you have to be. I do have grooves from biting my tongue but they are starting to heal.

An older citizen came up to my table and without any prompting shared with me why she couldn't buy any of my prints. I nodded and hoped she'd move one, no such luck. Then she went into some long winded story about how her husband can't lift his arms above his head to hang any of the art they already have and she showed me by lifting her arms way over her head. I knew this to be true because if he could lift his arms he'd have strangled her long ago. Then she proceeded to tell me what a creep her cousins boy was because he's been promising to come and hang the art. Still nodding, still hoping she'll leave since I had a small table and her wide ass was taking up space for real customers, and still biting my tongue. Ah, finally she moves on, relief.

Or so I thought. The next day she walks up and starts the whole conversation, again. When she gets to the arm lifting I stop her and say, "Since this is the same story you told me yesterday I assume everything is still the same." Yup she said and was off. I usually would have listened to her whole rambling and not said anything but, hey, it's MY business and if I want to be rude to people I can. If people can be selective about what they are buying I can be selective about who I sell to. No Art for you!

Breast Cancer awareness month

Most jokes about gender generalizations leave me cold but this one hits the nail on the head. Oh, I can't believe I used that lazy, hackneyed platitude but it was such an easy joke. That's what perpetuates gender stereotypes; jokes. So let's laugh a bit more at our selves.

The battle between the sexes--you know, like the war in Iraq--will never be won but we are so oddly drawn to humor we joke about anything. For me, I like the fact that I'm so different from my spouse. I don't understand all he does but after 37 years I've realized I don't need to. He'd echo the same if asked.

We are different. We are hardwired to handle problems and enjoyment differently which gives both sexes twice the ability to solve problems. As long as we listen to each other we'll survive.

And while I'm on the topic of listening, girls, listen to me for a moment, if you're over forty, make that appointment for your yearly mammogram. Most insurance companies pay 100% of the cost. Sure it's uncomfortable for a few moments but the pain outweighs the benefit. Just do it, then go buy yourself a new hammer, err, shoes.

To balance the stereotypes. "If men ruled the world"

• Birth control would come in ale or lager
• Garbage would take its self out
• Tanks would be easy to rent

… and so on, you know the drill.

That's not wind it's a collective sigh of relief

The winds have died down a bit here and though you can't see Simi Valley, we are under the blanket of smoke, we are now out of danger. The fire took the same path it did in '03 but stopped near Fillmore.

Our garage, car, and just about every closet you open smells like we've been smoking meat. After the horror story reports from San Diego, we'll take some smoke.

Nose full o'smoke

It is the season here is Southern California, the burning season. The winds are the major culprits but having homes built in canyons, albeit a beautiful areas, make protecting from the firestorms damn near impossible. The firefighters go way above their job title this time of year.

We just happen to live south west of the Canyon Country fire and although we do not live in a hilly area they are all around us. What we suffer from is the smoke. They winds drag the smoke, and sometime embers, across the canyons and into Simi. A few years back we had quite the scare as it burned a number of different areas here. It even shut down our annual charity car show it burned so close. With this year's show being held next Sunday we are all holding our collective breath.

Time to take a shower

This morning, about an hour before dawn, and the next few mornings is the time to see the Orionid meteor shower. They will be coming out the constellation Orion, one of the easier to recognize, and we saw quite a few this morning. Our morning sky cooperated with a clear view and the moon had already set so we enjoyed quite a treat.

As a bonus, Venus is still the morning star and it is spectacular in the predawn sky. Almost unnerving it's so large. Are those Venusians looking back at us?

When will it be over?

The baseball playoffs are only mildly holding my attention. I can't figure what team I like. The Rockies and D-backs had the unmitigated gall to beat out the Dodgers. Well, that's the way I like to think it happened.

None of the teams are concerned with my allegiance enough to say, send me a nice card inviting me to watch their games and root for them. You know, like those cards the magazine companies send you for years after you no longer subscribe. That would be a nice gesture. No, they are just assuming us fans of the game will care one way or another who wins. Which might be true. I guess I'd be rooting for a National League win and Arizona seems to have spunkier players though Colorado's team is hairier.

This does present a problem but with my sister and company back in Arizona for the second time this year and and it's looking like they may, at least for the winter, stay put for a while I could be leaning towards the Diamond Backs to take the Pennant this year. Who knows, I might be visiting Arizona and want to take in a baseball game and I'd be quite ashamed to say I didn't root them on in their hour of need. Such a conundrum.

I'm addicted to peace and quiet

Out of town for me can be as local as 25 miles at my daughter's or Palm Desert which is more than 150 miles down the road. It was the latter this week and a well deserved rest. I've been working hard getting items ready for the October Arts and Craft Sale and since my beloved was in Sacramento attending a car show I hustled my bustle down to visit Mary, my step-mother.

I had a bonus, her sister, Pat--always good for a laugh or three-- was also visiting and as an extra, extra, their brother-in-law dropped by one evening and stayed for dinner. B-I-L lives in Alaska but has a place just a few golf courses away. He'd brought his builder down to get ideas for remodeling his condo the two of them showed up with a bottle of wine and stayed for an impromptu dinner.

B-I-L is a former Governor of Alaska and is quite the story teller. It was an enjoyable evening and I slept until almost eight the next morning. Blame it on the wine. I passed for 8:30am coffee with the two Alaskans and walked the dog instead. Both of us were happy.

It was so quiet there, no traffic, no barking neighbors--no stress weekend. Now, back to work.

At the same location for two years

Two years? I've been ranting and rambling for two years? Looking back over the last two years it seems I've become less political in the posts. Crap, that worries me. Maybe I've just given up until we get the current administration out of office in November. Let's think about how we vote this year, folks. Can we stand anymore of this?

This is great, I don't have to remember what was going on in my life last October, I can just link back to the previous posts. Jeeze, a lot of stuff has happened. Anyone who says retirement is boring doesn't know the same people I do.

What was going on October 5, 2006 and October 5, 2005.

I'm smarter than my pants

It's not that I subscribe, one-hundred-percent, to the notice it's wrong to wear white after Labor Day it's just that I was raised by a mother who put clothes aways for the winter. I admit I always thought it not all that fashionable, as well. Stating this causes a conundrum of conscience for me.

All summer long I've searched for a pair of white slacks that I really enjoy wearing. Nice, expensive slacks and they were no where to be found--until this morning, while cleaning out a closet for the truck that comes to the neighborhood ever so often. There they were, just mocking, me hanging in the back of a closet, knowing full well it is September 24.

What's a girl to do?

Well, yesterday the temperature broke 90 with warm the rest of week so, Sherman, set the way back machine for August and hand me those pants.

October calendar

Not meant to scare, this pumpkin started out a friendly guy but somehow turned a little ominous.

Do you enjoy these calendars? I know a few people download it for their desktop. Let me know if you could use a different size.

• Click on appropriate link. large calendar, 1680 x 1050 or small calendar, 800 x 500
• PC users-right click or Mac users Control click, the image and select "Set as Desktop Background"

The calendar is now your background and all your files or shortcuts will be floating on top. You can rearrange them but not the background calendar.

Don't want it once you've selected it?
PC users:

• Select Start, Control Panel, Appearance & Themes, Change desktop background.
• If the image is distorted, select "center" under Position.
• To remove, select none and apply.

MAC users:

• Select System Preferences
• Desktop & Screen Saver
• Select a new image
• If the image is distorted, select "center" from the pull-down

Bring the champagne

No, we didn't sell the Tear Drop but we did find the need for something with facilities. There are places at the beach that require you to be self-contained and in the Tear Drop that means a zip-lock baggy. No.

We will be camping in November with sister Doodles and Company so we needed a shake down cruise. Thursday was the maiden voyage of (to be named) trailer and I hope to have pix from the beautiful blue Pacific later. It was a wonderful few days and no dead whales wash up on the beach.

Please sir, buy my painting

Ok, I'm taking the plunge. I'm going to put my work out there and see if someone wants to spend money for it. The local senior center is having an Art/Craft show next month and I've reserved a table. Right now I'm getting together what I think my sell, I'll know of the 19th and 20th of October. Will I be surprised? I hope in a good way.

Editor note: I'm also tinkering with the idea of using PayPal to sell prints online, we'll see.

Random thoughts

Can't say why but I woke up thinking of my grandfather this morning. He was my father's dad and died some time in the '80s. Not that I went to the funeral, I did not care for this man. Was scared of him as a child and couldn't be bothered as an adult. My grandmother I loved.

Howard Bryant was born in 1896 into the second family of his father's. That meant he had brothers old enough to be his father and uncles his own age. Odd family. The first time I read the definition for "gruff" I was sure that word was coined for him. He never once showed any affection for us grand kids, we were only noise makers in his opinion. I'm sure we were but we were kids.

When I was fifteen or so my mom and dad, living in Southern California, got a divorce. When my mom sent Christmas cards to our grandparents in Indiana, Howard sent them back. He'd disowned us. Imagine that, so you can see there was no love loss from me. So why would I even think of him now?

The only logical reason would be he could fix anything and was quite inventive, not unlike my dearly beloved husband. While the other grand kids got kicked out of Grandpa's basement workshop for asking too many questions, I just sat quietly on a stool and watched him. He always had pocket knife that he used for everything whether to whittle off the edge of a kite bow to make it fit or turn a screw.

He made beautiful kites. Oh, not for us to fly, we weren't worthy. He would show us how to fly them then take them back to his basement. He made one that had a semi-enclosed lit candle and it rose straight up until the candle blew out, then stayed hovering on the upper currents of air. No running required to get it aloft.

Don't you wonder what makes some people so mean? He didn't have a bad life, though died of cancer in his 80s. He saw all his five children grow to adults, have families of their own and acquire some amount of success. His wife was a lovely woman who never made a fuss about anything. He wasn't rich but had enough to retire on which gave him more time to smoke and work in his basement. I guess there doesn't have to be reasons for everything but trying to find them wakes you up at five a.m.

More rain?

The rain went from a gentle shower to a downright washout in less than twenty-four hours. Last night we had a thunder and lightening storm. That might be normal for some parts of California, but not here. More than once last night the entire bedroom lit up, I sat straight up in bed then heard the thunder. I thought someone had turned on the lights.

Today, while out shopping and in a large building, I heard the rain beating on the roof. More than a few shoppers made it to the window to see the sky open up and pour out rain. It flooded the parking lot in seconds. Now, the beautiful blue sky is dotted with puffy white clouds and weather report calls for something close to 80 tomorrow. I love Southern California!

The child has come

It is raining. That should be the whole post, there isn't much to say about rain except it is desperately needed here in Southern California. Fire season you see and we've not had any since March and we are 12 inches below what we need. March? Are we to thank El Niño? Will the baby stay for a while or toddle off without much more than a shower?

My office window is open and it's a gentle rain right now, so pleasing to my dry ears. Though it's cooler it's by no means cold so the sounds, and smells are wonderful. I do so enjoy the rain that's been absent for so long, I could listen to it for hours. Maybe I will.

Just be careful out there, the streets are wicked slippery from the accumulation of oil, now mixed with water. Do savor this wonderful rain as it will only be here for a day, then gone for who knows how long.

Camping in the wild

We usually don't need too many amenities when camping with the teardrop but a shower would have been nice on this last camp out.

We stayed at Montaña de Oro, a CA state campground just south of Morro Bay. The weather was gorgeous and the wildlife, so friendly. Well, maybe a touch too friendly. The camp is just about over run with raccoons and they have no fear of humans or dogs so they do exactly what they want after sun down. This little guy my beloved picked up at the local museum store. He was the best behaved of the lot.

We camped with about 35 other teardrops and had a great time learning new ways to cook. Quite a few do some cast iron cooking in Dutch Ovens and even gave a demo on Saturday morning. Looks fun and if I try it out I'll post on PBE.

When you camp and you are the only teardrop in the place you stand out, way out, and really draw a crowd. We all had to laugh because the first question people ask is, "Do you really sleep in that?" I'm thinking of having shirts made with the answer. Camping all together gives you a chance to look at some different ways people have put these little trailers together.

We met some new friends and saw some people we'd camped with last March in Lake Perris and everyone was hoping to make this a yearly camp out. I'd say yes to that. The one great thing about teardrops is they are all different; some odder than others, sorta like the people who own them.

To our darling kids!

What did he just say?

My tracking app for this blog shows what people Google to get to this site and there has been a number typing in "french benefits" so I thought I'd see what some of the other sites came up in Google.

One is called Eggcorn , a database of malaprops. A malapropism is the incorrect use of a word by substituting a similar-sounding word with different meaning, usually with comic effect. Egg Corn being one for Acorn. The site is very geeky in a linguistic sort of way and that appeals to me. I mean, I did read "Eats, shoots, & leaves."

Once, listening to NPR I heard the reporter utter this sentence.

"He left the court room followed by a phallics of photographers. Hmmm. Do you think he meant phalanx? What I'd like to believe is he just thought, "Look at all those "dick-heads chasing him." and somehow it stuck in his brain.

So back to this blogs name, French Benefits. I got the name from the following TV commercial that was drilled into our brains a few years ago.

Satirized in a an ad campaign for FedEx Ground:

In “Wrong,” a guy is chastised by his co-workers for being a source of misinformation. “Steely Dan is not one person,” berates one guy. “We get fringe benefits, not French benefits, it’s not the Leaning Tower of Pizza, and James Dean was an actor—Jimmy Dean makes sausages.” The guy is then told that he’s wrong by thinking that FedEx ground is too expensive. “So we don’t get French benefits?” he replies.

We do love her so

My sister and I have a darling aunt that is over eighty. I won't say exactly, she's a bit vain about her age, but be sure, she has hit the eighty mark. I call her every Saturday morning, it's a ritual. She's my mother's baby sister and since Mom's been gone I call her. I'm not sure she's a surrogate mom but I do enjoy talking with her. Very few, other than my sister, knew my mom as well as she did.

Auntie went to TJ Maxx the other day to look for bargains and in the lingerie section noticed they had a bra in her size. She's a tiny little woman and I guess it's a plus to find one her size on sale. She never tried it on and took it straight to the register where, while waiting in line, noticed the straps were studded with rhinestones. Wha?

When I asked her if she put it back she said, "Heavens no. You just don't find many $5.99 bras in my size. I took it home and took off the rhinestones."

Can you imagine what the the clerk thought about this old dolly buying a sparkly bra.

"Fair"ly sure this isn't healthy

This should be on our food blog but I'd be embarrassed to post it. We do lean toward the healthy side over at Peanut Butter Etouffee.

It seems the state fair circuit has gotten out of hand with fried foods. Here were the contenders for the Texas State Fair contest on Labor Day. I'm almost disappointed, our Ventura County Fair only had the usual stuff on a stick and deep fried. My late-friend Crystal, who performed at the county fair each year, always said, "If you deep fry it and put it on a stick someone will buy it." I'm sure she'd chuckling at this.

Deep Fried Latte
Fried pastry topped with cappuccino ice cream, caramel sauce, whipped cream and instant coffee powder.

Fried Cookie Dough
Cookie dough with chocolate chips, pecans and coconut, dipped in batter and fried. Other cookie flavors may be offered.

Zesty Fried Guacamole Bites
Small scoops of guacamole breaded and fried. Served with salsa or ranch or spicy ranch dressings.

Country Pride Peach Cobbler on a Stick
Peach cobbler with dumplings rolled in pastry dough and fried. Covered with brown sugar and cinnamon and put on a stick.

Fernie's Fried Chili Frito Burrito Chili and chili-cheese-flavored Fritos wrapped in an uncooked flour tortilla and fried. Toppings include cheese sauce, shredded cheddar, jalapeños, sour cream, hot sauce and onions.

B.W.'s Original Fried Banana Pudding
Banana pudding wrapped in a flour tortilla, fried and topped with whipped cream and powdered sugar or cinnamon.

Mama's Fried Sweet Potato Pie
Pie filling wrapped in flour tortilla, fried and topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Viva Los Doyers

Tommy Lasorda, former manager of the LA Dodgers, turned 80 the other day and he's still on the team's staff. To honor him September 14 will be Lasorda Bobble-head Doll Night.

Not that I don't want to give Lasorda his due but don't tell me this doll is him; this is really a Bill Clinton doll they dressed in a Dodger uniform.

The our LA team is only three games behind Arizona and San Diego in both the Wild Card and the National League West. Yikes! They actually have been playing a bit better. At least Penny didn't self-destruct after the first bad inning last night.

Go Dodgers

Labor Day

Today we celebrate the social and economic achievements of the American worker. Salute to Trade Unions everywhere without them we'd still have child labor, unsafe work conditions and no eight-hour day. They have trained skilled workers in their trades and fought for increased wages and a better standard of living.

Of course we never would have had Jimmy Hoffa. But let's be thankful for something today; if you know a union-man or woman, they getting fewer and fewer these days, give them a pat of the back for a job well done.

September's Desktop Calendar

September is creeping up on us like a cheap pair of panties so before it overtakes us, here's this month's calendar.

• Click on appropriate link. large calendar, 1680 x 1050 or small calendar, 800 x 500, this opens just the calendar in another window.
  
• PC users-right click or Mac users Control click, the image and select "Set as Desktop Background"

The calendar is now your background and all your files or shortcuts will be floating on top. You can rearrange them but not the background calendar.

Don't want it once you've selected it?
PC users:

• Select Start, Control Panel, Appearance & Themes, Change desktop background.
• If the image is distorted, select "center" under Position.
• To remove, select none and apply.

MAC users:

• Select System Preferences
• Desktop & Screen Saver
• Select a new image
• If the image is distorted, select "center" from the pull-down

I like to use the smaller size that keeps a boarder around the calendar. I hope you enjoy this little feature and let me know if you use it.

Camping; a side trip to the brewery

Since we camped a few days before our club members joined us in Solvang we took advantage of some of the other local spots, one being the Firestone Brewery. After breakfast and a shopping trip into town that included a stop for a yummy danish, we headed back to the campground. It was close to lunch and we'd walked off that danish, well, maybe, so I suggested stopping by the brewery for a tour, if they had one, or at least a taste of their beer.

We were disappointed somewhat, the only tours were in their Paso Robles facility but they did have a bar and you could get a tasting of four four ounce beers for six bucks and it included a souvenir glass. We ordered the tasting for two and a plate of sliced meats, cheese and bread for us to share.

The first glass was their Honey Blond Ale which would be good for a new-to-beer taster. It is very smooth and didn't have the "hoppy" taste of most brews. It did have a honey flavor. Nice and light.

Next was their Pale Ale. Ok, tasted like just regular beer, might have been a bit too hoppy for me.

My favorite was next, Double Barrel Ale. Quite smooth but hearty. We even bought a six-pack for the rest of our camping trip.

Last was a heavier dark beer. I did like this as well but not as much as the Double Barrel Ale. Funny because I always prefer a darker beer. I can't remember the name but it was between a stout and a porter. Nothing can beat MacTarnahan's Black Watch Creme Porter. We found that gem on a vacation to the Oregon Coast a few years back. Trader Joe's did carry it for a while but I guess we were the only customer and they stopped stocking it.

Full to the brim we found our way back to the campground for a nap. We had to rest up for the BBQ that evening.

Butter and sugar

It's odd when retirees say they are on vacation but we took a few days away in Solvang, a semi-local touristy type town with a Danish theme. As a matter of fact, Solvang is Danish for butter and sugar. Yikes I don't know what they had more of, bakeries or wine tasting bars. The area got way into wine tasting after the popularity of the movie, Sideways, which was located/filmed in the Santa Inez Valley.

The area is quite beautiful and my beloved and I have been going there since before we were married and make it back there often if nothing else but to eat breakfast at Ellen's. This little restaurant, only a dozen or so tables, was the first place we'd ever eaten in Solvang and in the 80s they moved from the town up the road to Buellton, home of Pea Soup Andersons, another famous eatery. Ellen's has wonderful Danish pancakes with a mild veal sausage with a name I can't pronounce. If you say Danish sausage they know what your are talking about.

There are a number of bakeries in town and they are all good. My favorite is Mortensens. You can't imagine how fresh these pastries are. If you are there and on a diet, this would be a good time to go off.

Our real reason for the trip was to camp a bit and go to the Saturday Car Show in town. They closed off the streets to park nearly 300 cars of all varieties. We took our 51 Chevy pick-up. Nothing special, just a driver but it always gets a comment or two. A number of other car club members met us there and we had a great time, eating, (again) shopping and enjoying the lovely day.

We were only gone a few days but it was nice to get away from the routine. We hope to do more camping in the upcoming months when the kids are back in school and us seniors can have the sites all to ourselves. Next teardrop trip is in September, can't wait.

Hold on, the next ten years will be a bumpy ride

Since my sister and her husband left Florida I don't follow hurricanes anymore. That would be hurricanes with a small "h" not the NHL team. Not that I don't care about hurricanes, I do. I feel sorry for anyone to go through the anguish of losing everything so quickly and was reminded of our natural disaster risks here in California just a few weeks ago; earthquakes. It was only a 4.6 and for those outside of the state, that's just a wake up call. The 3.5 a week later was so minor if you weren't standing still you missed it.

I don't get excited until they are up in the "fives" range but that isn't to say it didn't wake me up. My adrenalin was pumping pretty good. After any perceivable quake I check the USGS site. Handy because it's automatic and they can pinpoint it quite quickly as to location and get pretty close to the magnitude. When you have a resource like that it gives the illusion of some sort of control.

Quake 101: Sharp jolts mean it was pretty close. Those slow rolling coaster of a ride quakes are usually farther a way. I don't think the jolt travels but the roll seems to go on for a long distance.

No one wants to relive the horror of a Katrina sized storm again but with global-whatever it seems our weather is in flux. Who do you believe? NOAA say there could be above normal number of storms this season. That would be the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration not the ship builder. In the West we are in a drought but Texas and the entire middle of the country might need an ark. I'd have both NOAAs on speed dial if I lived in Texas this year.

I'm sure the scientists are scratching their collective heads over what actually is going to happen, I feel it has already started. Nothing gloom and doom, just a reality. We've punched our atmosphere around so much, what can we expect.

At least we haven't caused Earthquakes--wait, maybe that's a reaction, as well.

New lawn

Here is my beloved with a borrowed Troybuilt fixin' up our yard for our new sod. He was considerate and didn't fire it up until after 8:00am. Well it was a Saturday morning but he wanted to get some work done before it hit 90. August is here with a vengeance.

Notice Buddy is off to the side supervising the whole project. He got bored after a few minutes and went inside for a nap. So like many other supervisors I've known.

This morning I helped rake the weedy material out of the dirt. After about an hour and a half we'd filled one huge trash can and cleaned up. There is nothing as satisfying as a job well done. Unless it's breakfast at Jerry's which is what this hired hand got. Now he's a good boss!

The ship is sinking; the rat leaving

Be still my heart; Karl Rove is moving on.

Bayer gave me a headache

Usually I show our dog's smiling face but this is a shot of a huge open sore caused by Bayer's K9 Advantix. This happened last week after I applied the dose as directed. It's not the first time I've used this or products like it. I switched from Frontline because the Advantix is more diligent on Ticks and we've been camping more lately.

I called Bayer, the maker, because I saw nothing about this in the safety pamphlet. They seemed very worried because they've never heard of this happening. And, please send us all bills from the Vet. This really scared me and I made an appointment for that same day.

My Vet said, yes, this happens but not that often and he says Bayer knows about this. He wasn't going to charge me because their Bayer rep. would pick up the bill. Maybe the person I talked to was new. I think the person I talked to just didn't want to admit they have this problem.

Do be careful with your doggies and watch carefully after applying. The Vet said I could switch back to Frontline but I'm not so sure now.

And now, a little word from our sponsors.

Marketing my art has always been difficult for me. When I was a kid you never boasted about what you could do and that's followed me to adulthood. I do feel I have some talent but never tried to sell anything.

Now I've found a wonderful website that let's more people view my work and this will give me an idea if it will sell. It's called VC Artfarm. If you're interested please take a look. If you are an artist, this is a site that is free of charge to post your work.

The site is provided by a group called Museum Quality. They are in Camarillo, California and do remarkable scans and Giclee reproductions. I'm planning to sell the Giclee prints.

Wat elze?!

This is from a crazy site called I can has cheezburger? Where do people come up with this stuff? It is for the enjoyment of the masses.

I know, I'm being quite lazy just posting these links but it is a busy time for this woman. I can has many funny post, soon.

Can't get to you now, relaxin'

And now, a little Yiddish

Dolores and I carpool to the Getty on Wednesdays. I think I enjoy that as much as the Getty its self. We do laugh a lot and I learn a bit of Yiddish at no extra cost.

Here is one of her definitions.

A schlemeil is someone who drops something on the floor.

A schlimazel steps in it.

A little green update

My daughter is getting into the swing of solar cooking. First she cooked a pot of rice, this time she's done a near-complete dinner. I could not be prouder.

Me? I'm still try to cut down on oil consumption by taking some public trans and walking to the market when I've forgotten one or two items. Now that the summer has turned up the heat that's not as easy, so I keep my errands to the early morning. Lucky, most of our stores open early here.

Speaking of shopping at the market. Do you hate those plastic bags as much as I do? Most markets these days sell the reusable shopping bags. Trader Joe's has the coolest. I keep an assortment in my trunk to accommodate any size purchase.

Last week I did get a chance to try the Metro Train into LA. I'm always looking for the perfect balance to get me to the Getty Center. I carpool most weeks and when I don't try an alternative. The train to Van Nuys stops just about ten minutes from my house and after a 30 minute ride I pick up one bus that goes directly to the Getty. This save me a bit of time because I don't have to transfer; no waiting for that additional bus.

Is this cheaper for me or save me time? Nope. I do it because I have to prove to myself it can be done. We should all find a way to conserve, all of us.

Bring a book

Traveling by bus I have found some interesting people. Take the last trip. I'm sitting on the bench, minding my own business, reading my book. When you travel this way it's always good to have something to do while you wait. A nicely dressed, somewhere near 40 year-old, walks up and sits beside me and proceeds to tell me her life story. Do I have one of those sympathetic faces?

Her story was too long for this post but the synopsis was she didn't get the job she applied for because they don't hire felons. This got my attention; I closed my book. She went into some long involved situation where she hooked up with a "weirdo", her words, and offered, with the help of a friend, to move is stuff into a storage unit. Flash forward to a storage yard where the moving friend gets drunk, she gets irritated and slams the car into reverse to race out of there, not seeing her helping friend who's bent down behind the car. Yep, backed over her and killed her instantly, she said.

Me: Killing someone with a car isn't felony manslaughter, is it?
Her: It is if you leave the scene of the accident.

She said she didn't drive away but ran down the street to a hospital to get help. So they have a trial and "... now I can't get a stinkin' job!"

Sad situation, yes, but never in this conversation did she mention the friend she'd killed, never. My god, no remorse at all? Nope, just poor me, now my life is ruined. Oh look, here's the bus.

August Desktop Calendar

Here is the desktop background picture to be used as a calendar for August. It's easy but you need to know how to change your background on your computer. Here are some quick steps:

• Click on appropriate link.
  large calendar, 1680 x 1050
  medium calendar, 1024 x 640
  small calendar, 800 x 500
  

• PC users-right click or Mac users Control click, the image and select "Set as Desktop Background"

The calendar is now your background and all your files or shortcuts will be floating on top. You can rearrange them but not the background calendar.

Don't want it once you've selected it?
PC users:

• Select Start, Control Panel, Appearance & Themes, Change desktop background.
• If the image is distorted, select "center" under Position.
• To remove, select none and apply.

MAC users:

• Select System Preferences
• Desktop & Screen Saver
• Select a new image
• If the image is distorted, select "center" from the pull-down

I like to use the smaller size that keeps a boarder around the calendar. I hope you enjoy this little feature and let me know if you use it.

We need less priests and more Uncle Daves

I'll confess; I've never been a great Catholic. My family ranges from people like me to one who should have been a priest. My uncle goes to Mass every day of his life and has for as long as I can remember. I, on the other hand, can't remember the last Mass I attended other than a funeral.

What has me confused is why so many abuse victims? Are there that many ratty-assed priests? Mahonney said he was truly sorry. Yeah, sorry he had to pay out all that money. Tell me what they are doing to keep this from happening again, then I'll be happy. LA Catholic Church apologies.

Now the Pope says "Other Christians are not true Christians." Huh? Another uncle, recently departed, was a Lutheran, through and through. Never missed church and was the most genuinely honest and moral person I've ever known. So when he died you think St Pete says, oops, all that good living, sorry, we've about 100 pedophile priests ahead of you, you know, Catholicism is the only true religion.

Does this sound like another religion? If you don't believe in my way of thinking … fill in the blanks. I'm not saying Pope Benny and the Jets suggests strapping on vests and heading down to the local Protestant Church but come on, where did this come from? There is a reason pontificate, to express one's opinion in a way considered annoying, came from that section of Rome.

It's all in how you look at it

My darling friend Dolores was at the dentist this week and when asked by the staff if she was "attached" she said no. They have a man she should meet, he drives at night and has his own teeth and is only 94 year-old. She thinks she might pass on that introduction.

Different things are important at different times.

When you're 15,
"He can drive his mother's car."

When you're 25,
"He has his own car and can buy alcohol."

When you're 35,
"He has a job and never been married."

When you're 65,
"He has a pension and health insurance."

When you're 95,
"He can still drive."

Tuscan wall

This is from Ilva's photos. I hope she still doesn't mind if I paint them. For some reason I've started working smaller rather than larger. Larger is what I want but each time I choose something it becomes about 8 x 10 inches. I must get out of this rut. In my defense, this size is easier to transport back and forth to class.

Disclaimer: I'm just snapping a pix from my dinky camera for these posts.

Diamonds are what this girl wants

Baseball has always been one of the few sports I will attend in person. When my dearly beloved and suffered through my unfortunate incarceration in Bakersfield we became fond of the local Minor League team, the Blaze. The behind-home-plate tickets went for about five bucks and two dollar beers. What's not to love? You could even pick up tickets from local merchants. These got you into the cheap seats for a buck or two. You could go for a few innings and leave when the other team scored double digits. It was like being in the movie Bull Durham, without Tim Robbins or Kevin Costner, of course.

Now the LA Dodgers' tickets are a bit pricier. You could spend a grand for two similar tickets so I am content to watch them on TV, the seats are more comfortable. A trip to the ball field is what a desire so I hope to talk the old boy into at least one outing before the end of the season.

You might have noticed on the right-hand side the blog I've posted some "News" about the Dodgers. They are doing great right now, first place in the West so here's hoping we have something to cheer about in October.

So many sights; so little paper

Back from a week at the beach. This is the dry hills around Santa Ynez. The sky was a beautiful blue, no fog. More on the trip but I needed to get this out of my head and on paper.

Dolphins off the beach in Ventura. They came about an hour before sunset. I missed the shot of two of them surfing in a wave, you'll have to take my word.



Our camp in Pismo. Wow, what a nice place. Pismo Coast Village RV Resort.


Creek between us and the town of Pismo. Simply wonderful. Only draw back: there is a six month wait for reservations. We were lucky because we only wanted two days and we were willing to move for the second day.

Slight remodel

We are off to the beach for some camping this week. It won't be as hot as last week but still it's good to get away. While I'm gone I've left a few new things to ponder so ponder at will.

Blogger has added a few new features to the side of their blogs. I'm trying the Poll with a question about visiting this blog. Not that I care that much but what I am doing is testing its functionality before I put it on our food blog, PBE.

The other is "A bit of News" also located on the right-hand side; scroll down. I've added stories about things that interest me, Apple, the LA Dodgers, and Simi Valley, California. These topics could change. I do need to find a way to filter these topics. Apple is coming up with stories about "apple pie".

Ever have one of those days when nothing goes right?

This would be the theme of my Saturday.

• Blogger is wonky
• I get out my sewing machine, which was just repaired, and the case was put on wrong so I can't plug it in.
• My printer is acting foolish
• I went out to do some shopping and when I returned the sprinklers had been running for two hours.
• My husband is away and not answering his cell phone.
• When I tried to access my voice-mail it says it's been disabled and to call. They aren't there on the weekend.
• Trying to talk with my sister, she's on the road traveling, the phone is wonky.
  
• I can't find my recipe for my shortbread cookies.

I'm going back to bed, see ya on Monday

Poppy

This is from a photo Doodles took at the Getty Center while they were visiting last month. Oh, has it been that long they've been gone? Where does the time go?

She and Mr Doodles are busy taking more photos so I can continue to paint. Damn nice of them, don't you think?

All aboooaaaarrd!

With July comes triple digits here in Southern California. Since our mornings are still cool enough to walk I've challenged myself to be up and out before 7:00 am. This isn't too difficult because I've always been a "morning person."

One of my routes takes me across a railroad crossing and usually the train is the Metrolink, a commuter train heading for Los Angeles. This morning a fast moving freight made me stop. With the sun behind the train I turned and watched the hypnotic flash of the cars going by. The space between each car was a framed picture and it reminded me of a Zoetrope, the precursor to moving pictures.

On the opposite side of the train a man walking his dog was frozen into separate frames. I was mesmerized. Sequenced frames viewed together would make one fluid motion; a moving picture. The the train passed returning everything to normal. I had to wonder if that's how movies were invented.

Poultry from the Getty

These are really called Echeveria but I've always know them as Hens and Chickens, they are a succulent similar to an aloe but they have these wonderful pinky orange flowers. This painting is from another photo taken by my sister, doodles, at the Getty Center last month. I love how the leathery leaves absorb the pink from the flowers.

Parrot owners, are you deaf?

In our neighborhood, we have a family that moved in just four houses away. They must be deaf because they manage, and I say that instead of own, a parrot. I've never seen this bird but he must be fourteen feet tall by the sound of him. When I walk, I've noticed he's parked out in their screened-in porch. How do I know he's there? He screeches at about 90 decibels, somewhere between the roar of a jet engine and and Al Qaeda business meeting.

Ever so often, it happened this morning, he screams like someone is trying to force him into a small paper bag. That or the Golden Retriever that lives outside has finally had enough. I'm voting for dog.

My birthday is a movable feast

For those friends who don't know this, my birthday is really in December but I celebrate it in June. You see, having a birthday close to Christmas is a pain. My mom was always good enough to try and make it fun but the weekend before Christmas, who has time? As an adult, it was even worse I was busy and my Mom, mother-in-law, and grandmother all had to be born during that season. So I had an idea.

When I was about to turn thirty, six months prior, I told my family, I'll age myself six months if I can celebrate in June. Everyone was quite agreeable with this, even my father. The only holdout was his mother who insisted in sending a card in December.

When I retired from my last job I told everyone this story, they were amazed. I never thought it was a big deal. My only problem is I never thought about what else was going on, Father's Day. Sometimes it even fell on the same day, sheesh. Well, don't want to change it again, but I do enjoy having more time to enjoy my special day.

Our darling friends gave me a great party with food and family and friends. A strong emphasis on food. Abodanza! Appetizers, salad, soup, main course and to top it off, cupcakes.

Thanks to all who came and made it so special.

Editor's note: Recipe for the stuffed mushrooms are on Peanut Butter Étouffee.

Testing, can you see me now?

When I'm at the computer I never seem to have a calendar when I want it so I've created a desktop background picture to be used as a calendar. It's easy but you need to know how to change your background on your computer. Here are some quick steps:

• Click on appropriate link.
  large calendar, 1680 x 1050
  medium calendar, 1024 x 640
  small calendar, 800 x 500
  

• PC users-right click or Mac users Control click, the image and select "Set as Desktop Background"

The calendar is now your background and all your files or shortcuts will be floating on top. You can rearrange them but not the background calendar.

Don't want it once you've selected it?
PC users:

• Select Start, Control Panel, Appearance & Themes, Change desktop background.
• If the image is distorted, select "center" under Position.
• To remove, select none and apply.

MAC users:

• Select System Preferences
• Desktop & Screen Saver
• Select a new image
• If the image is distorted, select "center" from the pull-down

What I'm looking for is feedback from anyone who uses this.
Does it work for your machine?
Is it too big/too small?
Wouldn't want this on your desktop?


a href="http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/2/28/833461/800_500july.jpg

Onion and tomatoes

At the farmer's market I found this great red onion. My fasination was with it's furry roots. The tomatoes were from a different FM. I seem to get most of my inspiration from veggies on display.

Mac person living on a PC Web

With family visiting I didn't have much desire to paint but now that I'm alone I find myself in the studio again. I'm trying to decide how to market my work. It's not easy but with the encouragement of my sister I think I can give it a try.

Here is a small piece I've just finished. I apologize for the color. I work on a Mac and to me the color looks garish but if I adjust the color for my platform it will look horribly washed out on a PC. When I was gainfully employed and did this for a living, I had two computers side-by-side, it was much easier. Why didn't I just design on the PC? Like I said, I'm a Mac-person; end of discussion.

The inspiration is a photo from a food blogger, Lucullian Delights. Ilva is a brilliant photographer and I've always wanted to try my hand at one of her images. I've already tried her recipes; no one person could be so talented, she must have a twin. Thanks, Ilva for giving me permission to use your photo, I hope I did it justice.

If you'd like to see more of my work, just click on "Pastel" at the bottom of this post under Labels. As always, I'd be pleased with comments, good or bad.

The Gypsy Caravan is on it's way; again

Cat, Sister and Brother-in-law took off down the road for their next adventure. Always sad at their parting but I know, when they settle, it will be closer than Florida. We are all happy about that.

Their next stop is heading north to Sequoia and beyond so they needed an early morning departure. I envy them their adventure for I think I've a bit of gypsy in my bones, too.

No, we didn't swap trucks, this is darling husband being funny with his truck when we camped together at the beach. While parked under their fifth-wheel it did get some odd looks.

The beach camping trip, albeit short, was great fun. Buddy dog enjoyed watching the abundance of squirrels and rabbits in our area. Amazed at how many there were but I never noticed any natural predators and they were very good at stealing Buddy's dog food so they adapted to us humans.

Explain, please

I have no idea what this game show is about but it's pretty funny?

Summer blooms at the Getty Center

The Central Garden at the Getty Center is in full summer bloom. I can't believe how lucky I am to be a docent on the top of the hill and with the summer comes many new visitors to see this beautiful outdoor work of art. I've finally finished working on my tour and actually gave it once to about twelve visitors. It was a weak start but I finished strong, now I need to perfect my delivery and everyone will be happy. It is very satisfying when you know the visitor is experiencing something new.

The architecture tour is still part of my assignment as well as the Family Room and new Sketching Gallery so I can't ever be bored on my shift. So come visit this summer if not for the Art, for the blooms.

Together, again

The Gypsy Caravan arrived on Sunday and as you can see, all three of us fit into my kitchen; the sister, me and daughter. We are busy already but plan to do some real cooking soon, this was just lunch. Most of my posting will be on PBE so forgive me for not keeping this blog up to date I'm sure I'll get back to my normal ranting, soon.

You thought LA's traffic is hazardous

Rush hour in New Delhi is more dangerous these days with an old elephant holding up traffic if he suspects food in any of the cars. He forces the drivers to stop by standing in front of the car and then stays there until the driver gets out and he can extract his toll.

What's next? Raising the bus fare?

Get out of Purgitory free card

You'd think being retired I'd have this spic and span clean house. How wrong you'd be. My house cleaning consists of tidying up the kitchen and baths, making sure my dearly beloved has clean britches and dusting, if we have company. Of course when we have overnight guests I feel compelled to clean a bit more and since my family will be converging here in June I've been in Über clean mode.

Because I've gotten lazy I only do one or two chores a day then either walk, write for this and the PBE blogs or paint. I do spoil myself. Today's chores consisted in cleaning ceiling fans and the aluminium blinds in both front rooms. Yikes, what a boring job and if I were still associated with the Catholic Church I'm sure I would have offered up this time as penance for the poor souls in Purgatory. A product of some Catholic schooling, every boring job drags my mind back to Nuns making you feel no time is wasted when there are souls to push onto their final reward.

This sort of stuff all ways got me into trouble in school like the time I, quite seriously, asked the Nun if I could sort of "bank" some prayers for a few of my friends I know will need them once they die because they should be going straight to hell. Detention, Miss.

Something in the back of my mind say some recent Pope eliminated Purgatory a few years ago but I'm not sure. If this was changed I am sure everyone got the express into heaven just like when, during the the 60s, they eliminated the Friday penance of no meat. Says so somewhere in Canon Law, which, I might add, reads like some Californian ballot propositions. The church never does seem to get it's story right, Inquisitions, Indulgences, and Insolent Priests.

Under the Tuscan sun

When our dear friends visited Tuscany they brought back a lovely plate for our kitchen. It has all the wonderful colors of the kitchen and that is where it will hang but I couldn't resist a small, quick still life before it goes on the wall.

They also brought back some lovely photos so, even though I didn't travel to Italy, I can paint like I did. Only you and I will know this secret, shhhhhh.

Hate the war; not the Warriors

Something stabbed me in the heart on Friday while waiting for our movie to start. No, not a heart attack though with all that butter-flavored-oil on the popcorn these days I'm surprised. It wasn't a tussle with another movie goer for a seat but a commercial. God how I hate paying so much to view a movie and seeing commercials but this one gave me a jolt. It was for the National Guard and although I know about the Guard this commercial put this Memorial Day in perspective for me.

When these Americans signed up for the Guard they signed to serve America, Federal or State. They are the ones who show up during floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes with the knowledge that in times of war, they will serve there as well. They signed up to protect us with the understanding we'd protect and take care of them.

It is unfortunate they are in a place, I feel, is not serving democracy like the current administration tells us but serving some other interest we'll find out at a later time. I don't hold all of us responsible for letting this happen, for not voting to change the administration when we had a chance just like I don't hold the soldier responsible for being in Iraq.

We can really thank them for their service by bringing them home.

A Million Thanks

First in a kitchen flavor

Doing a kitchen theme is something I've always wanted to try. I've always been drawn, pardon the unplanned pun, to Cook's magazine, I've even framed two of their covers but wanted more of my kitchen palette. So here is a start. I hope the color looks better on a PC than it does on my Mac.

Comments or criticism always welcomed.

Why the good mood?

Walking has become quite a joyful event for me these days. I try to attach my walks to saving gas by making one stop and lots of walking in between businesses but on occasion I just walk.

This morning's walk was quite relaxing and before I knew it I'd walked much farther than I usually do. I try to take my mind of how far and just enjoy the time. That seemed to be successful this morning because I noticed so many different nice things. No one tried to run me down in the crosswalk, two people smiled and answered my bright and cheery hello, and I watched a squirrel scamper across the park and up into a tree carrying what I assumed was a nut.

There is no other word for the way they move except scamper. They seem to bounce in between each step as if their front feet are tied together, as well as their hind feet, like some escaped mental patient gloriously ignoring the fact their feet don't move independently when they run. Walking is a different matter. They can scoot up the tree moving all four appendages.

Enough of small furry animals, I have to say I'm most likely in a good mood because today was our daughter's birthday and we'll just say, she's an adult and leave the age alone. We took her to lunch; she picked a nice restaurant across from her office. It's always a treat to see her in the middle of the week. So Happy Birthday, lil Bird and thanks for being such an important part of our lives.

It's all about the Dinero

There is an e-mail being circulated now that shows the American flag upside down under a flag from Mexico. Snopes , my go to for anything controversial these days, had this to say about the incident that happened last year, by the way. High school students from neighboring high schools, angry with Montebello students for not joining in the walkout, took over the campus and re-hung the flags.

Was it wrong, yes. Does it mean this is the sentiment in the Hispanic community, no. The students guilty of the acts were punished and Montebello students now live with the accusations of their patriotism.

Immigration is a touchy subject right now, with no simple answer. We've looked the other way for years when it comes to hiring people for low-income jobs and now we want an quick fix. As long as people can get to this country and make a living they can't in their country, they will come, legal or not. And because everything is about the money, I'm sure what ever they come up with some fat-cat will make some more.

How to get noticed in California

My birthday is coming up and I know what I want, an air-horn. I've been doing a lot of walking. Trying to get healthy and keeping green, I walk about six miles a week. I'm hoping to increase it to ten but not unless I get an air-horn.

Why would I need one? To honk at all you bastards trying to run me over in the crosswalk. In California the crosswalk is sacred, a safety zone for the foot traveler. That is the intent but there seems to be a lack of communication to drivers, especially phone-to-ear drivers. For the love of god, I'm a fat lady in the crosswalk, you couldn't see me? I've taken to wearing brightly colored clothes but I refuse to carry a flag, what I need is something to blast them back to reality. The reality being, "You're driving a f#$%ing car, get off the phone!

The Gypsy Caravan is on it's way

WooHoo! My sister and her beloved and the Big Ass Truck are finally on the road and leaving Florida heading west. Their second night is in Pensacola but they will be in Ole Miss tomorrow. At least they are one time zone closer.

Please stand behind the yellow line

Here I go, being Green, again. I'd like to challenge all my friends to one day a week to leave your damn foreign oil sucking machine in the garage/carport/impound lot so that we can really send a message to the damn sucking oil companies. This is getting more ridiculous.

Someone was excited about not buying gas on Thursday. That'll show 'em. Yeah, right if, you buy 10 gallons a week and don't buy it on one certain how is that showing them? Well we could buy from the independents. Just where do you think THEY get the gas. Just because his name is Akmid doesn't mean he has a direct line to the Saudi well. Brains people, we all have them we could exercise them and our own bodies by cutting down on the consumption.

I'm not asking anything drastic, just start small. Meeting friends? Car pool. Two or more errands, park and walk. What will it cost you? Time? Jeese, you've got a dozen modern time saving appliances, time shouldn't be an issue.

I've been investigating riding public transportation to the Getty Center, I'm volunteering twice this week so that means two trips to LA on the bus. I will be posting my results. Plus, I might get a funny story out of the whole adventure.

Never give up

This just proves if you are persistant you will prevail.

Where is she?

I've been oh so terrible about posting here lately. I'm working furiously on my Getty Tour for the Central Garden and have been drawn into the WW Web. How easy to do. No Spiderman here but held against my will.

One more, then I'll get back to work

This is a work in progress. Pastel is just too much fun for me now but I do have other things I've got to do, like clean the bathrooms and dust. Way too much dust in this part of the country, we oh, so need some rain. Since sister and her pit crew will be here in a few weeks I should get busy. Oh, maybe I'll do that after I work a bit more on this.

Are they here yet?

My sister and brother-out-law have been residents of the Blue Tarp State, Florida to those of you with short memories, and for the last year have been trying to escape and come West. Their success is eminent. They've sold the house, bought and taken possession of the Big Ass Truck and were supposed to have the fifth wheel on Friday. A glitch has them still waiting but this should be rectified this afternoon, then a few days to get it loaded and they'll become Road Gypsies.

It should take them about a month to get to our place, but only because they have plans to stop along the way. Seems like they will be traveling in style with the Big Ass Truck pulling a fine RV with comforts of home. I'm a bit envious of all the wonderful sites yet to be discovered but will be thrilled to see photos.

Her blog should be filled with interesting places they find themselves and will be fun for me to track their path. I can't wait to see the Gypsy Caravan pull up out front so until that time, are they here yet?

Having a pastel moment

Because watercolor is literally a pain in my neck I've changed to pastel. Here's my first two.

Walkin' the Green Talk

This was my first UCLA Festival of Books and it was quite the adventure. I knew it would be crowded and the parking (8 bucks) a nightmare so my only alternative was to take public transportation. Hey, I talk about being "green" so let's try it.

Because I live about 35 miles from UCLA I decided to cut down my bus ridin' time a little and drive 15 miles to a central bus hub. The Metro website has this great trip planner and even better directions. A $3 all-day pass and two buses and I was there.

Arriving about 10:00 a.m. I thought this was too easy, then about noon the crowds came. Thank god I got lunch early because after twelve the lines were unbelievable. Lunch was two soft tacos and I found a shaded grassy area next to Janns Steps.

There were vendors booths all over the campus from big book sellers to little self-published authors. A man stopped me and read a bit of a poem from his book. We all need more poetry in our lives and I was glad to hear his on a warm sunny day in Los Angeles, with 100,000 of our closest friends.

If you had kids this would be the place to come. There was an entire area set aside for kids books with a stage where different celebs read aloud.

I'd did make it over to the Cooking Stage to see Food Network's Chef Dave Leiberman give a demo. He wasn't as smooth as his TV show but very friendly with the crowd answering all types of questions. It was a bit breezy and toppled his sign.

Ok, so what did I save by going "green?" At 52 cents a mile from the hub, $ 12.21, oh, and 8 bucks for parking less the 3 dollar day pass that saved me $17.21 for the day. For my 15 mile trip I cut out about 14 lbs of carbon. Doesn't sound like much but this is just one trip in a Hybrid Honda so if you had some huge SUV suckin' the life out of California it would help to travel, if only for a bit of your trip, by public transportation.

Will I do this again? Yes, I'm at the Getty Center, same bus line, once a week so when we have big traffic days, I'm gonna bus-it. Benefit? Saved money, got to read my book--both coming and going--got to see some poor soul that tucks his shirt into his underpants--and doesn't care. But that's for another post.

The Secret of the Getty

I've heard of people "playing" the travertine but here it is.

I remember 1950s

Editor's note: There is absolutely nothing important in this post; just me musing.

For some reason, my parents didn't own a washing machine so that meant weekly trips to the Laundromat. If we were living in an apartment, which we did when we first came to Southern California from Indiana, and my mom was working, it was easier for her to haul everything to the local wash-a-teria and do it all at one time. This was agonizing because I got hauled along with the sheets.

In Culver City I remember a store next door to the Laundromat, it was a convenience store called "Pronto Market." Never did understand why they called them "convenience" stores when I was a kid but as an adult, on the way to a party, yes oh so convenient.

Bribing me with a buck allowed me to peruse the magazines and candy selections but because I was an odd kid I'd check out everything else. Who knows, maybe I was thinking of a party for some of my other ten-year-old friends and as I remember, it was a liquor store with a cold case of milk and soda and some odd snack/party items. Yup, they have those packages of little drink umbrellas, must remember those for my next soiree.

The store changed names, I can't be sure of the year, maybe in the 60s and it was an odd name, Trader Joe's. They added a few different items but still had that party theme. Buy a keg, bags of chips, case of beer, ice; that sort of fare. I'd forgotten about them until sometime in the 70s when we moved to Simi and seems like TJ's moved to the valley. Still a place to stock up with drinks for a party; nothing special.

Fast forward to the 90s--the 80s were a blur to me--working in Westlake I stopped in the store quite by accident. Someone raved about their wine selection and hey, they had a bigger store that carried quite a lot of wine and some other interesting items; fresh cheese for one. Cheese the regular markets didn't carry. I was hooked.

Now I carry my own shopping bags and in a Trader Joe's at least twice a week. I love all their dairy products including the cheese selection. Why are they cheaper than the big markets? The staff is always accommodating and they seem happy to be there, like it's a big party everyday. I look forward to April for the buck daffodils. The wine brought me in but the cheese made me a customer for life.Well, that and the fact they still carry those little paper drink umbrellas.