Went to see TREE OF LIFE this afternoon and hated it. Pompous, dull, incomprehensible. I do not recommend it.

I think I am off movies for awhile. Yuck,

One couple got up and left after ten minutes. I WISH I HAD.

I feel lazy today and yet I actually did a lot.

met friends for coffee at Paris Bakery

40 minute workout at sports center

stuffing 140 envelops and took them to post office for mailing

consulted with computer expert about MBZC website

To the bank for cash and popcorn

Watched Treme with a friend.

All morning I had been thinking I need to water the garden and now this evening the rain has started, the unexpected unusual summer rain.

Our writing group met at the Custom House Plaza downtown Monterey. We wrote and read to each other and then didn't want to leave. We had so much to say.

We meet once a month.

Driving to Santa Cruz this morning I saw lots of trucks stacked with cardboard boxes of strawberries on the road. Busy harvest time.

On the news tonight there was a piece about Kadafi being really angry at the west because they had blown up his Winnebago. they showed a picture of a blown apart vehicle and a screaming Kadafi.

If I had a Winnebago I wouldn't want the NATO forces to blow it up. The whole world is strange.

I like to read the New York Times every day but some days I just don't get to it and the paper just sits at the table waiting.

Today I was busy until mid afternoon and then I just lay down for a nap. Went to dinner at friends house and now it is time to read the paper but if I wait for tomorrow, I will have a new paper to read.

Sometimes it is just too much paper.

Sitting on the porch at Joe Rombi's waiting for my take out pizza I see a family riding bikes down the street, two adults and three kids and one kid on the back of the mom's bike. Yea, I think people are reclaiming the streets for their bikes.

Earlier in the day I saw three youngsters riding their bikes downtown Pacific Grove.

It is all very encouraging.

It was my turn to give the ten minute talk today at the noon time sitting. I was nervous of course but I did it. Just opened my mouth and told a few stories and then it was over. I guess it went well. You never know. Everyone is so polite. I am off the hook for awhile.

I went to an afternoon movie, MR POPPER'S PENGUIN with a 9 year old and an 11 year old. I laughed and laughed but they did not so much.

I think Jim Carry may have been a little too sophisticated for them. He was perfect for me.

the 11 year old boy had recently showed me how he could play Beethoven's 9th symphony , 4th movement, on his recorder by blowing it through his nose. I think he is going to be embarrassed about this feat in a couple of years.

First I have to confess that I am shopping impaired. I bring home packages and they stay unopened for awhile, sometimes for a long time.

My daughter called and asked if I had received my birthday present and I said no. All I had on my desk were unopened packages that I had ordered.

She called back and said that the shipping company had said it was delivered on Friday.

No I said. You can see where this is going, I am saying they are cheating and then when I look closely at my packages I see the gift and have to apologize profusely and then thank my daughter for the great socks.

I wonder if I will ever learn.

I was sitting on the back porch of the Cherry Center this evening. Down the street was a woman trying to cover her fancy car with a car cloth cover, running from side to side to get it adjusted, trying to keep her car clean but what about the cover? Is the cover harder to wash then the car?.

The reality is that nothing stops the dust and bird poop. It will land somewhere.

I don't worry about my car getting dirty.

Wonderful sunny day. Watered the yard, went to lunch with friends. During these warm days my bedroom becomes intolerably hot so I spend a lot of time taking naps on the couch in the living room.

Began replacing the keys that were stolen from my car last week. A tedious process.

Sometimes life just doesn't go the way you think it should go. You can push and moan but still the day moves on to the next moment.

In spite of the sunshine and warmth I can't quite figure out why I am feeling a bit sad and lost.

I am taking a five day course of antibiotics starting today. The instructions say stay out of the sun. No problem I think, what sun.

But within the hour the fog cleared and the sun came out.

So I am hiding out in my house from the sun. I hope it comes back in five days when I will be ready for it.

Even more oak moths are fluttering around the trees. foggy, lots of wind, kind of cold. I sat outside pretending that it was warm but I was wrong and now I am in my room protected from the breeze.

I saw MIDNIGHT IN PARIS and while it was a good movie it wasn't a great movie. I liked THE BRIDESMAIDS better.

I took the kids for diving practice at Carmel High pool late this afternoon. It was cold, foggy and windy. the divers would get up on the board and practice their dive and then climb out of the pool and into a tub of hot water to wait for their turn.

I could see how much they enjoyed their time in the warming tub. They are going to be good customers for hot tubs if they are lucky enough to have jobs when they finish school.

My good friend has a new dog, really she says he is a puppy. But he is big and rambunctious and scary. He barks and jumps. She now has a broken collar bone (not from the dog) so when I came to her house to bring her some baked goods I was glad to see the dog was out on the deck behind closed door. But she was too lonely for him and let him in and he jumped all over me and barked.

I wish I wasn't so afraid of dogs.

A younf blue jay has been hanging out on my deck. Fluffy white feathers gives him away. He is learning to be mean but it doesn't come easy.

We ate our first apricots form the new tree. Surprisingly good.

My vegetable looks meesy and unkempt. I am going to work on that now that the sun has returned.

I didn't even know what had happened Saturday night until a neighbor came by and asked if our car had been broken into. I check my car and sure enough I lost a pair of sunglasses and some sets or unlabeled keys. They also took the booklet that helped me know how my car runs.

I had left my car unlocked Saturday night. I don't usually do that but I was lazy. Graduation weekend for the local high school. I suspect the kids. They didn't take my radio or my binoculars, or the visible tub of change I use for meters and tips.

The police woman said a whole bunch of neighbors got hit. Didn't hear a sound even though my bedroom is on the street side.

My car is now locked.

Thought all morning about taking a walk at the Asilomar grounds. When I finally got there I found a parking place right in front. But the walk itself was not so interesting. It was cold and foggy and noisy with people.

Plus I was ruminating over an uncomfortable conversation I had with a friend, I couldn't enjoy the beauty while my mind was so agitated.

I get so excited when I find a new writer that I really enjoy. this one is Abigail Thomas. She writes the way I wish I could write. Her latest book is A THREE DOG LIFE.

I first heard her name on a coments section of a book list on NPR on Facebook. Thank you facebook.

Went to see BRIDESMAID with a friend this evening. It was as funny as the critics said. I laughed a lot and I am sort of embarrassed about laughing so much.

We then went to Victorian Corner for soup and garlic bread.

I cooked a batch of chocolate chip cookies for tomorrows half day sitting.

Now I am going to bed early.

Even though it was cold and foggy the oak moths were out in force hovering around the trees. Next comes the drippy worms. The summer cycle is starting.

The baby blue herons are quite large and should be leaving their nests down the street soon.

Last night the high school had their annual graduation. Streets were crowded with parked cars and families walking to the school.

Nothing much new is happening for me today.

Went to see the 4:30 movie EVERYThING MUST GO at the Osio. I asked the young man who was selling tickets if there were others in the theater or was I going to alone. He said there were six other quiet people like you.

Like me, how did he know I was quiet. I can make noise. Maybe because I look like an old woman. Little did he know that in my heart I am a loud Italian lady.

I didn't like the movie either.

My fingers just won't stop tapping on the computer. They are in the mood to buy stuff from Amazon. I just bought a book I had heard about "How not to be old." sounds good to me. click and it will be in my mailbox by the end of the week.

Earlier today I bought other books. I need to turn off my computer and go out into the sun.

I parked in the handicapped parking at the sports center this morning. I went through my usual torture of bicycling, treadmill and bosu work.

When I came out I saw I had forgotten to put the handicap placard on the mirror as directed. I was very lucky to not get an expensive parking ticket. This is the first time I forgot in the 9 months I have using the placard.

I wonder what I can do to remember.

It was a long meeting. I sat there listening and occasionally saying something. Nothing was agreed upon. We talked about the same issues we have been talking about for many years. I can't quite put my finger on what is wrong with this picture. I am not sure how to make it better. I wonder if it is useful for me to continue to attend.

I put my dirty cloths through the washing machine only to find out that my inexpensive watch was still in my jeans pocket. I put the dead watch on my bed in the sun to dry out. the glass steamed up. Later in the day I noticed that the second hand was moving. It is still alive. this is my favorite watch.

Went to the drug store at the Crossroads in Carmel to pick up some cleaning supplies. The roses along the buildings and street were in full bloom. I could hardly believe how beautiful they are. Must be perfect weather for roses. It is not perfect for us.

My favorite TV series show is Treme on HBO. Lots of music from New Orleans and interesting stories. Scott and I watch it on Wednesday evenings through on demand. It has become the high light of the day.

We had sun and rain today. The weather is very changeable.