Green and Blue

Today Larry called about something. When I asked what Barbara was doing, he said she was getting a hairdo. I said, "That's weird! I'm getting a hairdo tonight!" I asked him to ask Barbara to send me a photo of her new hair. She sent me the one on the right. She had blue hair!

So I decided I should have green hair. When I got home I took this photo in the kitchen with my new camera.*

*a little blurry, but still, so much nicer than having to use a flash

Monday Evening

Anne Lamott at the JCC


Work in progress

Both pictures were taken this evening in very low light situations without a flash. My new point n' shoot has an f/2.0 lens which apparently means something good.

Sad Glad

Wearing my new bracelets on Thanksgiving made me so happy that today I went out in the rain and bought more. Lots more. My thinking was that if I had enough of them I might never be sad again. It didn't exactly work, but...

Do you want to see if it might work for you? If so, you can buy them here for 95¢ apiece. I found out today that they're not really made from recycled Ocean Beach flip flops–they're made by a women's co-operative in South Africa.

Happy Birthday, Emmy!

A little about Emmy: When I tell her about losing my purse (again), she gently removes it from the back of my chair and wraps the strap of my purse around her own purse. Then she deposits both on a shelf behind her. When it's time to go, she unwraps my purse and hands it to me along with my scarf and my camera. She teaches kindergarten so looking out after me comes naturally to her.

p.s. Emmy, do you happen to know anything about the mysterious chocolate turkey found on our front porch yesterday?

Giving Thanks For:

• Nice people (like our waiter Ian, who found my lost purse)
• Movies (we watched Please Give)
• Fine jewelry (I'm wearing my new recycled-flip-flop bracelets)
• Gloria Ferrer sparkling wine (in my glass)
• Books (I'm reading This Is Where I Leave You)
• My digital camera
• My electric space heater
• Ocean Beach (walking there while recovering)
• Shooting stars (I saw one tonight)
• Alka-Seltzer

My Smart Sister

Here she is, showing me where to place my handful of leaves.


Me: Look what Tom found yesterday in the basement! (Large photo). He was going through boxes that we hadn't opened since we moved 11 years ago.

Aggles: Oh I love that picture! Is Tom opening boxes w/ the intent to throw away or is he just bored?

Me: The basement is one of the top things–actually the top thing–that bothers me right now. (Of course there are wars and world hunger, etc). But it's like, as Jung says–well, he says something to this effect: having your basement in a state of chaos = your subconscious in a state of chaos. I mean, our basement is unbelieveable. It makes the house Mom lived in seem like the most orderly place in the universe.

Aggles: Bachelard (Poetics of Space) says that your basement is your subconscious. It is just good mental hygiene to keep your basement and closets clean and tidy. Oh! And never use that space under your bed as storage! "Take care of the hidden and the seen will take care of itself!"

Me: I agree with Bachelard on that. I don't have anything under the bed except the scale. Do you? That is such a good quote, too.

Aggles:  Oh thanks! I made up that quote. Barchelard is too old 'n French to say anything like that.

Here I am, racing out the door to Fed Ex to ship this to Aggles for Christmas.

Grouchy

the perfect card for me, published by Chronicle Books and illustrated by Peagreen


Is there a particular time of day when you are grouchy? Of course not. I can't imagine that you would ever be grouchy.

But for me that time is right now. Seven o'clock, and especially if we've been out for a jog/walk in the cold and wind. I get home and I have a little temper problem. I'm starving.

I'll run in the door, throw my shoes down, empty my pockets of camera, phone, keys, and anything collected on the beach. Race to the bathroom. Wash my face and maybe change my shirt. Then head for the fridge.

Tom will be near. He'll say, "Take it easy. We'll be eating dinner soon," like I'm a 5-year-old. He's the one who prepares meals and I'm the clean-up crew.

I'll lose all patience. I can't take it easy. I'll find the bar-b-qued potato chips (baked, not fried), have a few, then get out the maple sugar-covered almonds. Almonds are very healthy. I'll have a handful. I'll pour a glass of wine. But cheese is what I need. I'll get out the jalapeno jack and four whole wheat crackers (the low sodium kind). I'll break them in half and make 8 little open face cheese sandwiches. I see a jar of peanut butter on door as I'm putting the cheese back. I get a knife and dip into the jar for a healthy scoop. In case you're planning to come over to my house for a peanut butter sandwich, don't worry. I don't double dip. I'll get a new knife in order to dip again. And then a third knife and a fourth.

Monday Sky

"Dog" by Emily Dickinson

Because Tom could not walk with me,
This guy kindly did;
The whole beach held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

He trotted fast, he would not slow,
I had to put away
Desire to look for beach glass,
Desire to look for stone.

We passed the pier where children flew
Their kites against the clouds;
We passed the dunes of handsome grass,
We passed the setting sun.

Or rather, he passed us;
The wind grew blustery and chill,
For only poly fleece my coat,
My ear muffs only buds.

We paused before a wave that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The sky was scarcely visible,
We heard a crashing sound.

Since then 'tis hours, and yet still
I can't forget the place
I first surmised the eyes of god
Were in this pooch's face.

The Wind Was Blowing

I always love it when we manage to sneak a walk in between storms. About ten minutes before we got home it started pouring down rain.

It was so dark at 4:30 that I had to turn on all the lights in order to photograph the treasures I had found. Then there was so much thunder and lightning that I had to turn off my computer. Tom made Dinner in a Bucket and we read books at the table. I'm reading Beth Lisick; he's reading the latest Elmore Leonard.

Who Needs Donuts?

Is it immoral to buy a present for a baby and then decide you'd like to keep the present for yourself?

Another baby came into the world! Her name is Adelle. I guess I'll go ahead and mail these donuts (they're actually rattles) to her.

I saw them at the de Young Museum. No, they're not part of the Post-Impressionist show. I found them in the gift shop. You know, the one where Mary Ann works. They're made by Yellow Label Kids. (Pizza and cupcakes are also available on the site.)

Happy Birthday, Anne

Lots of talking and lots of wine. Bread and butter! Cheeses and chard ravioli and sorbets. I've given up trying to take photos at night, so I'll use a detail of your painting to illustrate our meeting place. You looked beautiful. Thank you for dinner and for the armloads of flowers. I felt like it was my birthday on your birthday.

My First Mosaic

Do you want to try it? Find some tiny things. I tried beads and beach glass and stones. Glue them to something. I glued them to a rock. Don't ask me why I chose a rock. Wait for the glue to dry. It will take forever.





Go down in the basement and find an old bag of grout. Dip a clean salsa container in the bag and bring the container back up to the kitchen. Run some water into the container. Stir. Glob the grout on top of the pieces and mush it down.



In 30 minutes, wipe the grout off the tops of the tiny things. Then, another waiting game. You have to wait all night long–maybe longer–for the grout to really dry. But once it dries, voilá! An objet d'art that you can sell for lots of money. So far, no one has offered to buy my objet d'art.

Invasion of the Jellyfish

In my excitement about discovering a place where you can sit at a table and be served a sumptuous lunch without even having to comb your hair or wash your face, I forgot all about our beach walk. Marilyn happened to see something about this on Twitter and just emailed me a WTH?!?

It's true that you never know what's going to wash up on the beach from one day to the next.

Rich People

Today was one of the best days of my life. Low tide was around 11:30, so we had decided at breakfast to walk then.

Around 9:30 I said, "Are we really going to walk this morning? Because if we are, I'm not going to take a shower yet."

I know, too much information. But Tom said, "Yes, we're going to walk," so I didn't.

We walked down as far as Pacheo. Tom said he was going to make a detour to the restroom by the N-Judah on the way back.

So when he cut over and across the dunes, I kept walking. A little later my phone rang. It was Tom. He had walked across to Java Beach to get an iced tea and wondered if I should walk over and meet him for lunch. I said, "YES!" He said, "Should I go ahead and order for you?" I said, "YES!" He said, "Should I order something like a Caesar salad with chicken?" I said, "YES! And a draft beer."

I picked up the pace and actually had to backtrack a block or two once I crossed the dunes. The place was packed inside and out, as always. I saw Tom at a little table inside. I saw my draft beer on the table. I smiled. I said I'd be right back, and headed for the rest room. The women's was occupied with a line; the men's was empty. I hit the men's. I took off my hat and looked in the mirror. Oh boy. I didn't have a comb. And I had not washed my face even!

I washed my hands and sat back down at our little table. I took off my jacket and emptied my pockets. Camera, cell phone, heart-shaped rock and another rock I had walked past and then turned around and gone back to pick up.

The beer was fantastic–Sierra Pale Ale on tap–and when the salads came my heart skipped a beat. A huge glutinous roll was on the side of each bowl. With BUTTER! I had to eat Tom's since he is allergic to gluten. The garlic croutons were out of this world. The salad was fresh, marvelous.

The other customers were right off the beach, or working on computers, or grading papers. When we left, I said, "That was so weird. I mean, the food was so great–and I hadn't even washed my face." Tom said, "And you fit right in!"

When Tom called me in to dinner this evening this is was on the table (photo). To me that was a signal of happiness. He had been cleaning out some stuff in the basement and had found the lights in a box. So I said, "Tom? Do you think anyone has a better life than we do?"

Immediately he said, "Yes. Rich people."

Mademoiselle Chambon. Why?

We've hiked and jogged and slogged 10 out of the past 12 days–and I got my sketches turned in today. So instead of putting on our hiking shoes this evening, we decided to go to a movie.

Sometimes I think it would be better to be married to someone who didn't like the same movies I like. Because then after seeing a movie like Mademoiselle Chambon he could explain to me why the little man in the Chronicle is standing up in his chair clapping.

The first foreign movie I ever saw was by Truffaut and as a result I thought I would love all French movies from then on. Totally devoid of humor, this was no Truffaut at all. (Silly, I know. Why should it be?)

I thought it was going to be about a woman who fell in love with a married man. I'm sure none of you have ever fallen in love with a married man, right?

If you happen to see it and understand why it was made, and why the little man in the Chronicle is standing up in his chair and clapping, please report back to me immediately.

p.s. The popcorn at Opera Plaza gets an A+.

p.p.s. We saw the Woody Allen movie You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger  a couple of weeks ago. It was delightful. And meaningful, too. When I left the theater I felt like I had seen a movie.

Beach Glass Count on Katy's Birthday: 3

A comment:
well linda, 3 is a prime number, my birthday number is a prime, therefore, without reason, it is of prime importance that you send me a photo of those 3 pieces of glass---or have they been tossed into your bg collection and are they now drifting with the others, unidentifiable. ...katy



Here's your photo, Katy!
Actually I found two pieces of glass and one piece of pottery.

Bye-Bye Daylight

It's only 5:22.

Island Hopping

What Women Want (con't)

When I was in TN a few weeks ago Katy took me to her favorite Mexican place. After dinner we stopped by her mom's house to see Faith. Faith's an antique dealer. She was using the kitchen table to prepare for the Jonesborough flea market which was being held the next day. She had scooped up 15 or 20 old miniature perfume bottles (sealed, with the perfume still inside) at a yard sale and was contemplating how to price them. The sight of the tiny glass bottles in all different shapes stopped me in my tracks. Katy and I both gasped. The photo doesn't do justice to the collection because my camera is horrible at night when it needs the flash.

But what I was getting around to saying is that there were some other little objects nearby that Faith had gathered to price. One was an old cub scout ring.

When I saw the cub scout ring, it was all over for the perfume. I asked if I could try it on and it fit my ring finger perfectly. Faith begged us each to choose a little bottle of perfume, but I wasn't interested in the perfume anymore. A few days later the ring arrived in the mail!

It's a coincidence because one of my favorite characters lately (Bertie, from the 44 Scotland series) is dying to join the cub scouts but his mom won't let him. His friend Tofu has hatched a plan, though. When Tofu goes over to Bertie's tomorrow for a play date, he's going to tell Bertie's mom that the club they're joining is called the Young Liberal Democrats Club.

It's true that women love soap, candles and perfume–but some women love cub scout rings more.

What Women Want

Me: I know what I'll get Katy for her birthday!


Tom: What?

Me: Some of that soap I love from the office supply store by the post office. You know, that French pamplemousse soap.


Tom: And some candles?

Me: Candles?!


Tom: Don't all women love soap and candles?

Happy Birthday, Cuz

It was so beautiful. I looked up and everyone was photographing your birthday at once!

I hope you had a big chocolate cake and ate it too.

November 2

We Won the World Series

Here we are on the Coastal Trail at 6:00. Everyone we run into has a radio. The score is 0-0.


Here we are on the Coastal Trail a little later. The score is 3-1.