There were two distinguished older men taking orders at McDonalds yesterday. They were competent and friendly. How did they end up with these low paying job. Times must be hard. I think of these jobs for teenagers. Everything is slowly changing. Any job at some time, is valuable.

It stayed foggy all day in spite of all our hopeful looks to the sky.

Had lunch at McDonalds in Monterey. the food isn't so good but I like looking at the people. Outside in the partially glassed in patio I could observe various homeless people eating their lunches in the fog. Part of the research for our homeless women documentary project.

My new bed comes on Friday. I am so impatient waiting. I toss and turn at night, unable to find a comfortable position, should have done this years ago. I hope I am not disappointed.

Sat outside with my friend Roxane at East Village in Monterey. A young woman borrowed her pen and began to write on her had while talking on the phone. She disappeared behind some bushes. I told Roxane that her pen was gone. she shrugged her shoulders.

Later the girl brought back her pen and said thank you.

A humming bird flew into the living room yesterday. Flew around for awhile but did not fly into the front windows. the windows were too dirty. He made his way out again. Need to wash the windows, they are too dirty.

Sent in my first press release for an event in two weeks, a workshop called Science of Meditation on September 8. It took me hours to get the wording right and to fill in the mandated forms on the websites. I have to be careful about getting too good at this and then having to do it for all my friends. I wonder who still reads the newspapers.

I finally did it, I went out and bought a new bed for myself at Monterey Mattress. It will be delivered on Friday so now I have to get sheets for this bed. I am so excited. I think I will sleep much better.

Went to see the Bourne Legacy late in the afternoon. the theater was mostly empty which surprised me.

Some how after seeing all those chase scenes and those intense scenes where the good guys are escaping I feel cleansed and lighter.

I am not sure how this works but I left the theater with a little song in my heart.

Had to call AAA road service tonight to start my car. I went to pick up the kids at the marital arts studio and as usual I was early so I sat there for a while forgetting that I had my lights on. Duh. Couldn't start the car. Luckily the truck came within twenty minutes and jump started my car. Saved again.

Usually in the morning around 9am the big table in the back of the Paris Bakery is occupied by a loud talkative group of older Italian American men. This is their table although there is no reserved sign on the table.

This morning a family of five came in and sat at the table with their coffees and croissants. They didn't speak English. they were tourists. No one had the heart to tell them they couldn't sit there. So as the Old men came in they crowded together at a small table waiting for their table became available.

A cheer went up when the family finished and left.

Went to the Sports Center and did my twenty minutes on the bike while listening to Leonard Cohen on the iphone. It was almost pleasurable, not quite.

The man next to me was power riding and the floor around his bike was covered with drops of sweat. I kept fearing that he would spatter on me.

Are their germs in other people's sweat?

Should I be worried?

I don't know why I was surprised at the heavy traffic in Big Sur today. After all it is August, summer, tourists abound. Roxane and I were planning a November plein air class in Big Sur so my mind was in November not August.

Beautiful sunny weather at the River inn. They were happy to have our class come to their deck in November.

Went to Phoebe Cafe at Asilomar conference center to meet my friend to write. Perfect except they use Peet's coffee which is way too bitter for me. I will have to switch to tea or hot chocolate when I go back next week. This may be our new weekly meeting place for writing.

Sat outside in the late afternoon and early evening in my friend's yard, balmy evening, talking, eating, laughing. Then I drove home to Monterey, cold, foggy, dark. Only 16 miles makes such a difference.

There are parts of my front yard that are uncut grasses that are turning brown. I see now that the neighborhood cats have been sleeping and playing there in the little bit of wildness left in the neighborhood. I know that some people think these are weeds but in fact these grasses have been quite beautiful this Spring and Summer.

spent most of the quietly, reading, writing, napping and then this evening watching the news and the KGED show SPARK. I love SPARK. It high lights three artists in the bay area and show and interviews the artists. I am always inspired by the work presented. Tonight was no different.

This is fancy car weekend in Monterey. Already the traffic is intense and jams are happening. I just don't get the appeal of fancy cars. It must be a guy thing. Now if it was a book fair I would love it, but cars, I don't know.

I watched the squirrels eat the apples from the apple tree and now the blue jays are eating the plums from the plum tree. Nobody eats the quince. these fruits just hang on the tree and rot.

delivered diner to the parents of the new twins last night. Picked up food from Chopstix, the Vietnamese restaurant in Monterey. while waiting I got to watch the crowded dinning room filled with a diverse groups of people. Had a long conversation with a 4 year old girl about whales and butterflies and imagination.

I like a little piece of chocolate before I go to bed. Maybe a couple of pieces. I took a long nap this afternoon so I may stay up a bit later. Watched two episodes of Doc Martin with a netflix disk. I do like that show.

Saw a flock of turkeys in Carmel Valley foraging along the side of the road. later I saw quail along the side of the road. It warms my heart to see turkeys and quail. I never see them in Monterey only in Carmel Valley.

I was lying on the couch in my living room with my eyes closed beginning to doze off. the front door was open. I was startled awake by two huge brown dogs who were staring at me wagging their tails. I yelled at them to leave but they ust kept wagging their tails. I got up and yelled some more until they slowly walked outside. I closed the door. these were not the usual neighborhood dogs. I don't know where they came from.

went to two emotionally charged difficult meetings today and survived. We are moving forward with the homeless women's project. Now we have our work cut out for ourselves.

Another day of sun, yep there we were on the deck of the Asilomar Lodge basking in the sun, writing, the Plen air writing monthly group playing in the sun. the presence of the sun was such a treat, most of us couldn't believe it. Where did this warmth come from. Maybe it was December, certainly not August. Even now in the early evening the sun is till out. Yea.

I am really enjoying watching THE NEWSROOM on HBO. Some of my friends don't like it but I am frequently moved by how the news is reported. I am probably a dying breed. I read the New York times. I wish I knew as much about local politics as I know about New York.

Ran over something in the road coming back from Carmel Valley. A dead skunk, I could tell by the pungent off putting smell that septed into my car. I hardly even saw it. Later I saw a red talied squirrel climb up my little apple tree and pull off one of the not guite ripe apples. I guess I should think of it as an animal feeder rather then a fruit tree. The apples are all disappearing.

Spent a long afternoon at home, watering the garden, reading, napping thinking that when the sun comes out I would take a walk. The sun never came out so I stayed at home. Actually a good day afterall.

foggy day. I am reading the book THE GOOD GERMAN by Joseph Kanon. All about Berlin in 1945. It is so interesting. I like this author and have read several of his books.

Last evening, the two middle school kids were showing me what they learned in Jujitsu camp this week. All the self defense moves you can make including scratching the eyes out and hitting across the noses. I asked them if they had ever been attacked and they said no but they were ready particularly if someone has a gun. They know just the right moves and they love it.