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.

Loss of a Pet

Here is an interesting survey from Purdue University. They are compiling infomation about how pet owners grieve after a loss. Pet Loss Survey.

We, the Jolly Family, have had three dogs, our current is darling Buddy, the wire-haired-terrorist. It is sad to lose a pet but we've always thought the pain in losing is offset by the joy of giving them a much better life.


Editor's note: The Jolly Family is a name we've called ourselves, darling husband, lil bird, and me.

It only takes one bad Geek

Back in March I had a "melt-down" in our local Best Buy. Why? Well, it might have been a combination of my neck problem, my age, and the fact that they were acting so stupid I had to get angry. The next day I went to the doctor about my neck, I can't do anything about my age and I really never wrote/called Best Buy about the idiots they have in, what they laughingly call, customer service, but I did swear off the store.

Yesterday I changed my printer cartridges and remembered seeing a recycle bin for empties; dead batteries, too, at Best Buy. Not wanting to goop up the land fill I went there and yup, they took the cartridges. Being a bit happier than I was the last time I entered their store I thought I'd check there supply of photo printer paper. To my utter amazement one staff member took me to the department and asked that staff member to help me, which he did. I mean he really helped me. He told me about the different papers and I wasn't going to buy but wanted to know if he was knowledgable, he was. Amazed I walked to another department, the same damn treatment.

What could have created this turn around I wondered? A new interest in customer service? Or maybe trying to boost their sagging image. One of their "geeks" got caught being bad and I'm sure there was a prime directive from the corp. office about being professional.

Seek help, if you need it

So sad the news from Virgina Tech but have we all known someone we thought unstable and not done anything. I feel we want to believe the best of people. I had a co-worker that nearly drove people insane with his odd behavior but, luckily, our company was proactive in diffusing the situation. What they couldn't do, other than suggest, is demand the employee seek professional help, so they eventually fired him. It saved the rest of the staff but I'm afraid we lost him and that was the sad part. A talented, troubled individual alone in the world.

T. Rex comes home to roost/roast

Seems like the long extinct T. Rex has been linked genetically to our flavorful modern chicken. Yumm, I need to fix me some dinosaur tonight!

In a league of his own

Sixty years ago today, Jackie Robinson came from the back of the bus to be on top of the world. Today the LA Dodgers and all ball parks across the country, are recognizing the anniversary of Robinson's entry into an all white baseball league. What guts it took to take those steps from the dugout to first base. It must have seemed like walking the last mile but he did it with dignity, and with the support of some of the Dodgers, he walked right into the record books with a stellar ten year career.

Caps off to you, Mr Robinson.

Don't give chocolate to dogs

I take a long time to load but am worth the wait.

Carz that Cruize

Sometimes it really hits home, the power of modern culture on our youth. This time it was positive. My dearly beloved's hobby, really his lifestyle, is automotive. He loves cars, I think always has, and spends most of his retired time fixing, waxing, or promoting the sport of Streetrodding. This is ok by me as long as I get to say, whoa ever so often. He is adept at balancing his addiction with family time.

Wednesday nights are "Cruize" nights and this means a bunch of folks get in their cars and head for one of the local food establishments with a big parking lot and have dinner, stand around looking and/or talking about their vehicles, and pretty much show off their pride and joy.

Last Wednesday while parking his car, the black '37 Chevy sedan in the photo, he was stopped by a young woman with a small child, maybe about three. "Could my daughter look at your car," she said. "She saw the movie Cars and got real excited when she saw these." What a thrill, for this little tyke, to see her movie heroes come to life.

The popularity of this movie could open up a entirely different use for these cars; celebrities. My beloved could start hitting the birthday party circuit and make a bit o' extra change with his vehicle. Yeah, that's me always thinkin'.

Editor note: This photo is from our new cell phones. Passing quality for blogging.

Buddy, on patrol

Does all this pet food poison scare worry anyone but Buddy the wire-haired-terrorists? He's very aware of what has and has not been contaminated and wants everyone to be super vigilant when it comes to a recall.

What keeps me up nights, besides the pizza, is wondering what's in the food we import? Sheesh! Who is watching this stuff. I know everything is global these days but does the Food and Drug Administration not look what is coming in to the country? A little nightmare reading from the Bioterrorism Law.

If accidentally some foreign substance can get into pet food how can we be sure anything imported is safe? It wasn't the FDA or Canada's equivalent but dead pets that alerted everyone to the problem. Buy local. Support your local Crop Share or Farmer's Market for fresh produce.

Buddy suggests to check out Snopes, his fav site for correct information. Feel safe knowing he's out there protecting the pack.

This bud's for you

An Ode to a Lemon Tree

We cut ye limbs not long ago;
your branches were a dyin'.

So desperate were we to keep our tree
it was trimmin' we were a tryin'.

Through all the winter ye struggled
to shoot out branches green.

And with the breath of first spring rain
your buds are finally seen.






Oh happy Spring!

Otter Love

This is so damn cute. You'll have to watch the entire video for the magnificient cuteness.

Before the next tear drop falls

Some might know my dearly beloved and I have a Tear Drop Trailer. I'm sure some wonder why, with all the time he spends with the cars, and safety team when do they have time but hey, let's add one more thing to our already full plate. The plate right now is dripping with gravy running off one side and mashed potatoes slipping of the other.

If I had to describe the Tear Drop it would be half the trailer with twice the fun. It is compact so packing and stocking the galley, notice I didn't call it a kitchen, is a challenge. We love challenges.

Cooking is very rustic. Two burner propane stove. For those of you never having the pleasure of cooking outside on propane it has two temperatures. Burning the hell our of anything in the pan and making that odd, poof, which means the fire's gone out and you'll need to re-light. Please turn off the gas, wait a few minutes then re-light. And speaking of fires, I set off the smoke alarm (yes, that little tiny thing has one) making toast one morning. Nice at 7:00 am to let others in the campground know I'd burnt something.

Ok, so we were off to a Tear Drop "Gathering" last weekend and we didn't have a clue what to expect. I'd seen a link to the event online and we thought we'd give it a try. Boy did we have fun. We found that Tear Drop Enthusiasts are just a nutty as Streetrodders so we fit right in. There were 120 trailers of different sizes and styles and my darling was in his height of glory talking to other people who've built theirs. We made many new friends, too. Some energetic sole has already posted photos of the event. SCCT Gathering

Because everytime I tell people we have a Tear Drop I hear this song from the late, great Freddie Fender--here are the lyrics.

Ahoy, mateys!

When I was a child in the 60s skin cancer and sunscreen just weren't on our radar like they are now. Jeez, it was the opposite. Lather up with the oiliest substance you could find, mine of choice was cocoa butter, and bake until you were tan. With me it was bake until you were burnt to a crisp, then peel, then freckle--but I tried anyway. I am now paying the price.

The dermatologist and I have become quite good friends and he seems to know my body as much as my beloved which is an icky thought because I just found out he was at UCLA the same time as our daughter and son-in-law. I know he's a doctor but come on, he's a kid to me.

So it goes, getting older, but it's what he's looking at that gives me pause; Actinic Keritosis. He finds these little dry scratchy places, usually on my face and zaps them with liquid nitrogen. I'm sure if he just put a cigarette out on that spot it would have the same results but with smoking laws what they are and all his little shot of this freezing liquid does the trick.

What really stops me in my tracks are the one he biopsies. He'd been watching something on the back of my leg above my knee. As I remember that was a favortie place for me to burn come summer time. Lots of walking in shorts. He always says, "Oh I'm sure it's ok but let's be safe" and it has been ok, so far.

Prevention would have been the best way to go but since that ship has sailed and most likely sunk, I make sure I keep the appointment with my boy-doctor. He must know something, right? He also teaches at med school so I'm sure he wasn't a "C" student. That doesn't mean I've given up, I use a sunscreen every morning.

Here's a site with some good info on skin cancer. We do live outside a lot here in Southern California and that won't change. Just change some of your habits and you won't have the need to scrape these barnacles off you old hull. Mayo Clinic Skin Cancer website.

Editor note: The biopsy report says it was benign. Let's hear an Amen from the choir.

Ode Spring

Spring has come, the grass is riz;
I wonder where the poseys is?

That, is a poem my father would say when Spring was mentioned. I giggled as a child, groaned as a teen, but miss it now he's gone. Happy Spring, D. Eugene.

Chief, you have mail

Our wired-haired terrorist Buddy is about eleven-year-old and is housebroken but when I went into my studio last week, a no-dogs-allowed area, I found someone had left me a "present" on the floor. Present in this case was a small pile of dog crap in the corner and yes, I do know the difference between a gift of some value and this. I was amazed because this isn't something this dog does. Oh there was that one time at Mary's when, much to my horror, he lifted his leg on a house plant but the two Bark Brothers were there and I think he was just marking his territory.

My beloved stepped in on Buddy's behalf because while moving cars in and out of the side yard he'd closed the doggie door and forgot it for the rest of the day. Poor Bud-man. There was no use admonishing him, it was long past, but this incident did qualify Buddy for a new Navajo name. My darling christened him, Poops-on-Floor.

Thanks, Snores-Real-Loud. I can only guess what he calls me.

Somewhere Über the Rainbow

The German word über has migrated into our American slang to mean super or the best but the word's translation means over or above. The word übermensch, which means super human or superman, might be where there super came into our definition.

Artist Tim Hawkinson's naming his musical installation at the Getty Center, Überorgan is spot on to the literal and slang definition of the word. These huge super balloons and horns float over our heads in the Museum entry hall and spurt out wonderful deep booming music. If you listen carefully you might pick up a melody. Yesterday I heard the first few bars from Tchaikovsky Swan Lake.

We are lucky not only to have the Überorgan but also four new works from the artist commissioned for the Getty. The artist uses all types of materials to create these pieces. He works with "found" objects so take a close look at Octopus--I could stare at it all day. The name of the exhibit is Zoopsia, visual hallucination of animals. That Tim Hawkinson is so clever with the language he manipulates it as much as his found objects.

With Clara making her appearance in Oudry's Painted Menagerie in May and Zoopsia and the Überorgan hanging around until September the summer will be a treat for the kids. How clever of the Getty to have this on display all summer.

The Getty Center is a great place to bring kids. Last year I noticed every Wednesday the same mother with kids would show up. She was pleased that I recognized her and told me it was cheaper to bring the kids here once a week than the zoo or even the beach. Parking at the beach has gotten pricey and with our free admission and eight buck parking she thinks it a bargain and often brings neighbor kids. She said the kids love the Family and Art Rooms and can run around in the garden and because she comes so often she can give them little bursts in the museum looking at the collections. Fun for all.

Daffodils anyone?

Yes! We have had a number of summer type days, which makes it Spring here in Southern California. See how lovingly my little frog looks at the daffodils.

Out my kitchen window you can see my dwarf navel orange tree with some oranges ready to pick. What you can't smell are the new blossoms, they smell like heaven or what heaven should should smell like. Well maybe heaven should also smell like cinnamon, too. Oh, or maybe donuts and apple pie.

What does your heaven smell like?

The Boys in Blue

There is a post on PBE about the doggies and their spa day but I had to post this additional photo of the furry little boys. Their haircuts made them a little susceptible to the cool morning so lil bird sent their new sweaters she knit for them.

Buddy has a new hair cut at as well, my beloved refers to this as his "witness protection" look.

A convienient lie

Karl Rove is on the loose, again. He's trying to shore up his buddy's rep. Trying to put a positive spin on Bush's legacy. Legacy? We are at war for the wrong reasons using up our most precious resources, our nations future generation, and let's not even talk about how much money is being wasted, poured down that rat hole.

My beloved had a good thought the other day. Remember the plaque President Harry Truman had on his desk in the oval office, The Buck Stops Here. Well, he says it should be screwed to Bush's desk.

Bush's legacy. He'll be lucky to get out without getting impeached.

Soldiers Home Now

Over heard at the park

"Did you go to the dance?" said the lady sitting behind me to her friend. I couldn't exactly see these two women but I could tell they weren't teenagers.

"Yes, I went to the dance," she said with a sigh.

"Well, tell me, did you have a good time?"

"I'll tell you. I went to the dance and I was lookin' real nice and I was really expectin' to get asked to dance but I just sat there, all alone, the whole night. Then, when it was just about over this nice lookin' man starts to come up to me. He was a real nice lookin' guy, you know, nice and he was smilin' at me just walkin' right up to me."

"So? what did you do?" asks her friend.

"I just sat there thinkin' finally someone's noticed me, so I smile. Pardon me, he says, would you mind dancing with my brother, he's a bit retarded."