I had a massage with a new person today and now I both feel better and am sore. It takes awhile for my body to adjust to messages.

Windy day, lots of sunshine. I am going to bed early tonight.

Fields of cultivated wild flowers cover the fort ord campus of CSUMB. Beautiful poppies dominate the other plants. Went for my last class of the writers circle. I passed the final exam, although there really is no final exam, just an opportunity to review one's work and ask questions.

the class will begin again in September. Yea.

It's early afternoon and I feel drowsy but I don't have time for a real nap even though I think I deserve one. Am going to wash my face with cold water and then get into my car to go pick up those two children at school.

It's my day to drive. Tomorrow I will take my nap.

Spent time this morning at Copy King in Monterey to get fliers and the May calendar ready for mailing.

An older man my age came in and said Oh hello Kathy, do you still have your VW van. He explained to one of the employees that he had been the mechanic for my car 40 years ago.

I guess that proves that we are old.

I told him I had a Honda Element now, Did he want to fix it?
No, he is out of the car business.

Just finished a great story by Joshua Ferris called The Unnamed. I don't know what made it so interesting but I read it quickly avoiding some work I should have done and then felt lonesome when it was over.

So I guess I will look for some of his other novels.

The front wood planter has finally collapsed. So I have hired a friend to rebuild it. It has to be a planter not a fence because of building codes.

So all the beautiful flowers are gone. In a couple of weeks I will be able to plant more.

In the parking lot area I saw a car coming the wrong way on a one way road. I waved and blinked my head lights. He stopped and we both lowered our windows. I said you are going the wrong way.

He thanked me and continued driving the wrong way swerving around cars coming at him. And then he left the parking lot.

A friend and I were eating and talking at Turtle Bay at lunch time. Maybe more talking then eating. The waitress kept coming and asking if we need something, more drinks, the mostly eaten plates removed. No, no, we said we are just going slowly, don't do anything. they were determined to be helpful.

Finally we put two knives on the table crossing the tips. We saidd when we are ready for anything we will uncross the tips.

We were left alone for another 45 minutes.. It all worked out so well.

Heard a report about homeless in Monterey County. The numbers keep increasing and the money is drying up. Maybe we need to raise taxes and start taking care of our communities.

Roxane and I are searching for good plein air sites for the Fall classes. Today we went to Pino's at the conference center mall. Because of the rain we sat inside. The staff were great about us sitting there for two hours and writing and talking. We created the impression that they were busy.

During a sunny break we walked in the scented garden and the adobe gardens and through the hotel lobby. Lots of good wrting sites.

Went ot the local locksmith this morning to have keys made for our zen community. I asked for ten sets of three keys each marked with a different letter. Slowing the guy copied the keys and we set up the key rings. The bill was close to $100. I think the price haqs gone us.

The message on my answering machine sad:
Hello Is this Kathy Whilden? Please call me, susan and repeated the phone number twice.

So I returned the call saying I was Kathy Whilden and the woman asked why I was calling her.
I said I was returning her phone call.
She asked what she was calling me about.
I said I didn't know.
Could it be about the Zen Center.
Oh yes she said, I want to do a week course studying zen. Oh I said , You want Tassajara.

OK she said.

Walking along 4th ave in Carmel this morning I saw several wood peckers chasing a squirrel down the trunk of a tree, shouting loudly. I wonder if there is a nest there.

Later I noticed one house in the block of well maintained yards had a yard full of old furniture, rusted tools, lawn movers, stuff. The messy yard was more interesting then the neat houses.

Saw the first episode of the new HBO series Treme last night. Created by the same folks who did the wire. I like it. It has great New Orleans music. I am not sure what the plot is going to be.

The fishing boats were out on the bay last night. Globes of shinning light in the bay. Time to catch squid again. I haven't seen them for a couple of years. Something magical about these lights in the bay in the dark.

I hope we don't run out of fish.

mid afternoon, the sun is out. The street is silent, the young school boys are at the park.

The crows are walking up and down the street checking out the puddles from last night's rain.

The neighbor's porta potty is gone but still the high school boys arrive to snatch a quick cigarette and a few loud jokes.

I watch through my front window. Do I want to go outside and notice them. they leave before I decide.

There is always tomorrow.

Spent most of the day under a blanket on the couch reading an Elizabeth George mystery book. I have grown to love them and today I just didn't want to do anything so I did very little.

Tomorrow I will resume being productive, maybe.

Hey I am retired, I should be able to take a day off sometime.

I pulled out the basket of papers from 2009 to sort and read in preparation for completing my tax forms. I was dismayed to see so many bank statements unopened, just tossed into the basket.

Why do I trust banks so much?

I through away the papers that were useless and saved the rest. Now my taxes are done for another year.

Am I paying my fair share? What is my fair share?

Even with threatening clouds and gusting winds Highway 1 to big sur was filled with cars all heading in the same direction.

I of course had a legitimate reason but the others, what were they doing on the road when a storm was coming?

I parked on the highway outside the Henry Miller Library and braved the speeding cars to enter the protected lawn.

It was time to honor a friend who had died.

took a walk along the Pacific Grove recreation trail this morning. Just a short walk before meeting a friend to write.

Huge waves were crashing on the shore. Lots of spray in the air. There must have been a storm someplace else.

New born harbor seals on the beach.

Sunny, wam day.

Early this morning a long line of cement trucks were going up Carmel Hill. twenty miles and hour with thier cement barrels rolling away.

Traffic was backed up for miles but who is going to confront a cement truck, they will always win.

We all slowed down and practiced patience or swearing depending on one's preference.

I sat out on my front patio late in the afternoon. I moved my chair to get the sun. Looking up on the roof I saw rotten piece of wood falling off the base of the chimney.

Oh no my house is falling apart. I haven't looked at the roof at this angle before. I am so discouraged.

Spent the morning at Earthbound Farms stand in Carmel Valley trying out the place for plein air writing. We drank coffee, talked awhile and then wrote. Yes it will do. The morning slowly warmed up. The birds were everyplace.

There are many crows in my neighborhood. They tend to ignore me when I sit outside as they go about their business. Flying, perching, cawing, walking, splashing. Mostly I don't see them unless I slow down and am quiet.

Drove back from Mountain View in the rain after Easter lunch with my cousins. Coming into Monterey we saw a long line of cars trying to leave town on the two lane road. The cars were backed up for miles.

Good news for Monterey. The tourists are back.

Just finished reading WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT by Danzy Senna. A memoir of a girl born into a mixed race family. Its a painful memoir as the author attempts to track down her African American
Southern ancestors. It;s a reminder of how difficult it is to create a family and the devastation of alcoholism. I do recommend the book.

I ordered a bagful of colored shoe laces from Amazon. The eight year old girl and I replaced all the laces of our shoes.

We braided these old laces together to make jumping rope.

A very successful rainy afternoon.

Went to see Ghost Writer this afternoon before it moves out of the theater. Strong smooth movie but no humor at all.

Also a strong cynical anti American message. I don't think Leon Panetta would like this depiction of the CIA. But maybe it is true.