Saturday, January 31, 2009

mid morning the shopping center was empty. I pciked up my purchases and left wondering what was going to happen to our community.

Tonight at the Osio movie theater, long lines of people waiting to enter, people being turned away. Everyone wants to see a good movie.

I saw the Reader, a poignant movie that moved me to tears.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Families at the beach by the pier this afternoon, splashing in the water, sun bathing, napping. Some couples nuzzling each other. Middle aged women with huge dogs that were struggling against their leashes.

Just finished a great book, OLIVE KITTERAGE by Elizabeth Strout. A series of linked short stories about growing older. I do recommend it.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

The acacia trees are beginning to bloom, bright yellow covered trees. Soon I will begin to sneeze again. Lots of plants blooming, mostly yellow, a couple of early fruit trees with pink blossoms. Spring is here after several weeks of winter.

I have begun to see Blue herons in the trees down the street.

My car is dirty and needs to be washed.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009


Knocked a bottle of hot sauce off the shelf and ti broke spilling the red sauce all over the stove. I carefully wiped it up, taking apart the burner. I couldn't put the burner back together. I left the pieces on the counter.

When I came home it was fixed. My new roommate fixed it without any prompting from me.

Yea

Tuesday, January 27, 2009


Drove to bakery this morning to buy a pot pie for dinner. Then I was going to look at some very small PC computers. A great desire had arisen in me that I need a second computer.I felt driven by this desire.

Fortunately I stopped before I got to the store and gave it deeper thought. No I don't need another computer. When desire takes hold it is hard to stop.

Maybe tomorrow I will look at these small computers. Today I am safe.

Monday, January 26, 2009

The gardening crew came this afternoon and dug huge holes in the back yard and planted the first two fruit trees, an apricot tree and four type apple tree. Yea

Sunday, January 25, 2009


It's Sunday already.

My dinning room table holds all the stuff, my staging area for coming into and out of my house. Mail, packages, library books, candy box, newspapers. Now I have a very neat roommate and I am making an effort to clear the table every day.

I am not so successful.

Friday, January 23, 2009

rainy day today. Met with my writing friend this morning. It was so hard to write well when we were happy, feeling hopeful for our country and our lives.

We write better when we are angry or upset.

Maybe by next week we will be back to our old gloomy selves and write well.

Tonight Red Pine is beginning his two day workshop.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

I am fixated still on the inauguration. My family is someplace in this crowd at the ceremony.

I watched the television special on the Sunday concert. My two grandkids watched reluctantly with me but after awhile we all started singing and dancing. Maybe tomorrow I will be able to get on with my life.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

I have been working on an essay today and am not satisfied with it. It should be better.

Then I go to Whole foods and on the way back, a rainbow in the sky wakes me up to the beauty around me. How could I stay in this narrow constricted place of dissatisfaction.

Now I am home and relooking at my essay. It is due tomorrow for the writers circle. It's easier to read then to write.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009


spent the day tethered to the TV, watching the inauguration. Yea America. It's time to grow up.
Now it is time to go back to work.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Another warm day, up to 80 degrees here in Monterey. We need rain. Went outside to water the dry garden.

Spent a lot of the day on the computer trying to create a written guideline for an up coming ceremony. This one seems to elude me.

Sunday, January 18, 2009


Driving ot Santa Cruz this afternoon I listened to the inauguration concert at the Lincoln Memorial . So moving. We are starting something new in our Country and I support it all.

Saturday, January 17, 2009


Just updated the list of books I have read. I was hesitant to add ABRAHAM LINCOLN by Carl Sanburg, because I am only at page 250 out of 850 pages.

It is a long thick book that I can only read when I am rested. So I keep stopping and reading something else before going back to what I call THE BOOK.

Two friends are also reading THE BOOK and we compare what page we are on.

Went for a morning walk, calm sea, warm day again. Two fishing boats were standing still in the outer harbor. One was surrounded by birds, flapping around, sitting in the water, landing and taking off the boat. UMMM. The birds had no interest in the second boat.

Friday, January 16, 2009

the tree is down, done in by a small man in a bucket lifted by a crane carrying a chain saw. All day I could hear the buzz of the saw and then the plop of the limbs hitting the ground. I had no idea the wood was so heavy.

When the tree was healthy the limbs floated in the air responding to each shift of the air but now there are piles of wood on the ground, heavy wood, more wood then my house. I miss the tree.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

I saw a pair of Blue herons in the rookery this morning. Maybe nest shopping? Still very warm today.

Later I saw a ladybug waking across my skylight.

Now I am busy making a stew dinner for my book friends.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

another warm day. We need more rain.

I am continuing to read the Abraham Lincoln book by Carl Sandburg. I've reached page 200 and am reading the inauguration speech.

I plan to watch Obama's inauguration on Tuesday.

Life is good.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

a warm sunny day in Paradise, once again. Full moon in the evening, doors and windows open in the day time. Why am I surprised?

Last week it was freezing and this week warm. I wonder what next week will bring.

a friend from Tassajara siad it was 84 degrees there today. Last week there was snow.

Monday, January 12, 2009

My friend the gardener met with me today to plan the fruit tree project. I want a bunch of fruit trees planted around my yard. I have been so nervous about the economic downturn that I realize I need to do something for my neighborhood. Fruit, fruit trees, some food sources for us.

She will plant the trees in the next two weeks, lemon, apricot, apples, pears and maybe a walnut tree. I am very excited about this project.

I am finally doing something to help.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Sunday morning walk. Breezy cool morning, agitated ocean, few people, piles of sea week scattered on the beach, a single man in a black wet suit is walking into the water for a morning swim.

Stopped at Red's donuts. In the quiet empty street two huge, enormously loud motorcycles sped by breaking up the morning calm.

I wanted to yell at them to stop but they were too fast for me.

Saturday, January 10, 2009


All morning as I completed one chore after another, paying bills, cleaning out closet, finding lost key, writing thank you notes, putting toys away, doing laundry I though about how I was going to reward myself with lunch at Lulu's on the wharf. I left boxes of stuff at goodwill and then drove down the wharf. Lulu's was closed for repairs.

I drove home and ate left over spagetti from last night. Sitting out side in the warm sunshine I experienced my first fly of the new year. It is warm here and now tonight there is wonderful full moon arising.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Took a late afternoon wlak by the waterfront. High school kids were exiting from school, bursting with energy, riding skateboards, yelling to each other, hogging the sidewalk.

Finally at the wharf the kids were gone. A fresh wind was blowing. Birds everyplace. Good walk.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

I started making arrangements to go to the Movies Saturday night and then I remembered I was already invited to a dinner that night. I need to take a couple of days off and yet there is so much to do.

Spent several hours with the kids after school. We were all cranky and tired. We ended up watching an hour of Sponge Bob Square pants and chilling out. The song is now permanently in my mind.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

There are six red tulips on my dinning room table given to me by a friend.

The sun is shinning but still it is cold.

Last night I went to the hospital in the middle of the night. So strange to walk down the dimly lit quiet halls looking for the right room.

I am continuing to read Carl Sandburg's biography of Abraham Lincoln. It is so long I think I will be reading it the rest of my life.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

This year I received multiple boxes of wonderful chocolate. I thought I would eat two a day for a long time.

Yesterday I couldn't stand it and ate two an hour. Maybe I was feeling let down after my family left town, maybe I was just hungry.

I definitely went to bed with a tummy ache.

Monday, January 5, 2009

This morning I was driving to Pacific Grove on highway 86. Ahead of me was a car being driven at a little below the speed limit. 28 miles per hour and then 38 miles per hour. the cars began to line up behind me as we drove over the hill.

I could not quiet my body so I could drive slowly. Why was he driving so slowly. When we came to extra lanes we all sped past him.

Slow drivers in the early morning are dangerous.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

I have finally seen enough episodes of Sponge Bob on TV. Over and over we watch the episodes, the young children never tiring of these characters.

I actually like Sponge Bob and have given up the desire to see something new. I have found the familiar comfortable.

Now I want to watch the serious news of the world. Maybe something has happened while Sponge Bob was filling my life.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

The boys and their mothers are restless as they start preparing for their trip back to the East Coast. So many things to find and pack.

So much upset, tears, jumping on beds, pushing and pulling, screaming from the deck.

The house is momentarily quiet while the family is visiting their cousins.

Friday, January 2, 2009

We took a jar of coins to the bank and put them through the sorting machines.

Got $36 and three bags of popcorn and went out to lunch at the Sandbar on the wharf.

Rain came down most of the day. The little boys are restless. I am restless. We all are restless.

Thursday, January 1, 2009


New Years day dinner with family, nine adults and 6 children. Sun was out and we sat on the front porch breathing in the warmth. Lots of talk about the economy and the new President.

The children got louder and louder until I had to yell, QUIET.

This is the not the first time this week I have yelled the magic word. Too much noise with four year old kids.

Now everyone is at the beach and I have the house to myself.