Go Inside

I was a substitute writing partner again today and the title was Go Inside.

The photo is of the Coastal Trail this evening ... all I can say is, it sure helped to go outside for a little while.

Mom, who has always been prone to depression, seems to be having an extra hard time lately. And her memory is off the charts. Her despair rubs off on Aggles and me.

This week Aggles sent me a book, ostensibly from Mom, called "Breath by Breath: The Liberating Practice of Insight Meditation."

On the title page is something that Aggles prompted my mom to write. It turned out like this:

"Ha Birthday, Linda! 2000
Read this Book!
And start meditating"

Mom has always been more than generous with us. Before she put the birthday card in front of Mom for her to sign, Aggles asked, "Mom, do you want to include anything else in with this card?"

Mom said, "What do you mean?"

Aggles: "A birthday check, maybe?"

Mom: "Oh. I guess so! Thank you for reminding me."

Aggles: "How much would you like to make it for?"

Mom: "... Seven dollars? Do you think that's enough?"

Aggles: "It's up to you ..."

Mom: "Well how about eight then."

Anyway, when I got the book, I opened it up. This is the page and paragraph that my eye went to:

(page 91)

"We want to look everywhere but inside ourselves for our problems. As long as we do that, we will never get to the root of them. Several years ago, my practice took a real turn when a certain conclusion became overwhelmingly clear: there is no escape from suffering. Realizing that fact gave me a whole new energy for practice, a kind I'd never had before."

Just so you know: I hate it when someone tells me to look inside myself for answers. I hate it and I hate it!

Out My Back Door

Keds: $6.99

This morning when Tom took a stack of videos back to Blockbusters, I ran upstairs to Ross. Look what I found! I wore them all over the store to make sure they were comfortable while I looked at towels and sunglasses and kitchen knives.

Then I stopped by the bathroom because we had decided we were heading straight to the Coastal Trail.

That's when I noticed I didn't have my purse. I had no idea how long I'd been without it. I saw a security guy and grabbed him; then I ran past all the cashiers, none of whom had had it turned in.

What was in it? $105.00 in cash, my phone, my camera, my keys on the martian key chain Barbara gave me 5 years ago, a $50 parking meter card with $41 left on it, a $65 Neiman Marcus gift card from an underwear gift that didn't work out (unlike the Bjorn Borg), my drivers license, my credit cards, my lucky beaded bug from Sally.

I remembered putting it down over in the shoes a while back, so I fought my way though the aisles to the little trying-on stools with the built-in mirrors. There it was, sitting in plain view on top of the stool where I had tried on my Keds. Everything was in it.

Last year I accompanied Anne to the Apple Store to stand beside her while she bought her first computer, CS software, Wacom tablet, etc. Suddenly I realized that I had put my purse down somewhere in the store while checking my e-mail–and that it may have been hours ago. (We were there all morning.) An Apple employee went back to check the stock room, and found that it had been turned in. Everything was in it that should have been.

I can no longer carry a purse; I can't stretch my luck anymore. I hate purses anyway. I need to figure out another way to carry things. Does anyone have a good solution?

Colorful Friday

If you live in the Richmond like I do–or Seacliff, Western Addition, Pacific Heights, Laurel Heights, or the Presidio–you can visit the new Academy of Science Museum today, tomorrow, and Sunday for free. (Otherwise it would be 50 bucks for two). 

The fish are magnificent! I turned off my flash and shot these through the glass.

And another colorful thing happened. A FedEx envelope arrived this afternoon. Inside was a pair of Bjorn Børg underwear. This is the best underwear in the world. When Barbara went to Holland at Christmas time, they were all the rage there and she sent me a pair. By mistake, Tom put that pair in the dryer on Blast Furnace and they turned into size extra-small. Extra-small isn't my size. So I begged Barbara for a size extra-large for my birthday, which is May 31st in case anyone is wondering.

Apparently Barbara's little sister Carla read my wish on Facebook. She sent Barbara a birthday present–Barbara's birthday is May 3rd–and included an extra pair of Bjorn Børg underwear in Barbara's birthday present for me. Do you believe this little sister Carla???

Books

Did you know you can install Kindle software free onto your iPhone? Of course the books are still $9.99 each–but if you simply must have a certain book immediately, you don't have to own a Kindle in order to download the book from Amazon.

You can carry around even more books than the girl on the left. This can come in handy if you live in an 1,100 sq. ft. home that includes 2 offices.

© Linda Davick

Power Pills

If your friend is going away for a week and is very apprehensive about it, you can set up a power-pill box for her. Label the powers for each pill on the back of the box. Your pal can take one every morning she's away, and at night she can count the pills that remain to calculate the number of days left before she gets to come back home. Jordan Almonds work well; so do Peanut m&m's. It's part abacus, part medicine.

bye, Anne!

Mom Report

Mom was named Resident of the Month for May. The Terrace asked Aggles and me to do a write-up about her to put on the bulletin board with some photos. Aggles and I were both running on empty. So Tom sat down at his computer and here's what came out:

Martha Evans is a sixteen-time Senior Olympic table tennis champion. When she was in her 70's she became a ping-pong fanatic. In her early 80's she was a Senior Olympic gold medalist in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. She has a big bag of medals hidden in her closet.

She won Chattanooga and state championships for her age group from 1980 to 2005. Traveling to state tournaments in Nashville, Memphis and Fiery Gizzard, she demolished all her opponents with a wicked forehand and a sneaky backspin. She moved to the Terrace with her table and paddle and proceeded to take on all comers including residents, staff, and visitors brave enough or foolish enough to challenge her serve.

As if table tennis were not enough, her other accomplishments include:

• 30 year membership in the Hiking Club, with expeditions led by Ken Andrews to Big Sur, The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite.....
• Adventurous trips to foreign lands including a river barge trip in France, a trip to Vienna and travels to Canada, Nova Scotia and the strange but wonderful city of San Francisco.

Growing up in Chattanooga, Martha played piano in several music groups. She fell in love with Kenneth Evans during WWII and they married when the war was over. She sang, gave piano lessons, and later taught speech therapy in Hamilton County Schools. She has two daughters, Linda and Margaret.

Some of her favorite things about the Terrace:

• The musical groups that visit
• The plays that Debbie organizes
• The blossoming cherry tree outside her window
• That dogs are allowed! (her favorite resident is Charlie)
• Dinner time

Some of her favorite things about Chattanooga:

• Riverwalk
• The Barn Nursery
• The Pumpkin Patch Playground
• The Aquarium
• The Tennessee River Gorge

Tom, Aggles and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for writing this report. We're not sure about the Fiery Gizzard part, but it sounds very dramatic.

My House

Pick a Color, Any Color

My credit card has a hernia. I didn't sign up for the spring writing class. But Jane asked me if I would substitute this week for a writer whose computer is in the shop. I was happy to; and if today's prompt (Pick a Color, Any Color) isn't absolutely on target, I don't know what is.

Color is my middle name, and here I am painting our bedroom and bathroom walls white. And the trim color? White. Super White, to be exact, from Creative Paint on Geary. Before I settled on Super White, I brought home 5 samples of different whites. You can buy little mini jars of paint samples for $3.00 apiece, and try out the white, in different light, until you get it right.

I bought Super White in eggshell finish for the walls, and in semi gloss for the trim and doors. I also bought a 3rd quart of high gloss for the bricks around our fireplace in–you guessed it–Super White.

My friend Anne did not want her business card printed on white stock. She does not like white because it shows dirt; and nothing looks worse than dingy white. But nothing looks better than clean white! I didn't say it aloud.

The first time our next door neighbor Emmy came over to visit, she looked at our white couch and demanded, Whose idea was THAT!!?? Meaning Tom must have chosen it, because a woman knows better.

We both chose it! So what if it needs a little spot cleaning at the moment. It can wait. It still looks great.

My summer-weight down jacket that I wear for walks on the beach is white. I always dread running into Anne–she and her dog often walk around the same time we do. The jacket is a Ross Dress For Less special and if I had only known what a perfect jacket it would turn out to be for $19.99, I would have bought 5 or 6. The cuffs and pockets are FILTHY!! I pick up all kinds of junk on the beach; and sometimes even jog in the jacket, and it is a white wreck. Even though I can throw it in the machine, it's still a mess. And I know Anne eyes it with disdain.

But today let's hear it for white! Diapers! Notebook paper! Converse tennis shoes! Pristine white that lives a good life.

p.s. I ran into Anne on the beach today. I was wearing my white jacket. I was humiliated; I had been collecting sand samples for Luci's son who is doing a science experiment and my white jacket had never been filthier.

p.p.s. Stray, your jar of bright yellow hair color goes in the mail tomorrow.

Come On, Guess!

I spent the weekend prepping the bedroom and bathroom for new paint, and started painting. Guess what color the walls will be? Guess what color the trim will be? If you're the first to guess correctly, you'll win a little jar of bright yellow hair color.

Don't Worry

I'm not in Mexico. Just walking home from the N-Judah yesterday!
















Note to Mary Ann: OMG, it does look like the Warhol flower watch!! Do you sell that in the gift shoppe? I must have one!

Happy Birthday, Elsa!

Elsa is Barbara's cat. Barbara's from Holland, and she insists that today is also the queen of Holland's birthday. I hope Elsa gets a special treat.

(Do you celebrate your pet's birthday?)