Woman in the Middle

As I have mentioned before, living here in inland So Cal, we are just as far from the world of television and movies as your average resident of, say, Iowa or Kansas. Except for very rare occasions, such as when we go to see the filming of a TV show, my family has no connection with the entertainment industry whatsoever.

So, imagine our surprise when a reality TV show contacted Hubby’s laboratory and asked if they could do some testing for an upcoming episode for a reboot of an old series. Really? (Check calendar – note it is not April Fool’s Day.) Hubby and his partner own an air testing laboratory and these folks needed some air tested. What the heck. Hubby and partner said they would do it.

The air has been tested, and tomorrow Hubby and partner go off to be filmed “delivering” the results and doing a little on-film explaining about the testing methods used. Hubby says the TV folks seem a little more interested in the partner being on TV (I think Hubby came across as more serious, but who knows)  but we are still making him get a hair cut and Eldest Daughter said she would be selecting the shirt she wants him to wear.  We look forward to the show being aired in the summer or fall.

When I get more details I will tell you all about the show and the “air” that was tested, when the show will be airing and on what channel, etc….Meanwhile, who knows, maybe this is the face of the next reality star! LOL!

At a time when we seem to be more divided than normal in this country, I have been thinking, instead, about what unites us. This Memorial Day I want to point out that what truly binds us together is those men and women who put their lives on hold, who found their lives changes forever, or who sometimes paid the ultimate sacrifice, by joining the United States military.

A photo of the Field of Honor held in a local park in my fair city a week ago.

We all know veterans. Whether our families have been in this country a few months or generations, we all know veterans.  We work beside them, we live on the same street as they do, we are even related to them.

In my own family my father and father in law were in the Navy. My uncle serviced airplanes in England in World War II. Men on my family tree served in the Civil War and I even have ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War. But I also remember the stories I heard as I was growing up about people who were neighbors and friends and what they endured. There was my dad’s mentor and boss when he went into the real estate business who had a crippled hand that made him hold a pen in a funny way. When I asked my Dad about it, I found out this man had been in Pearl Harbor on the day that will live in infamy, and his injury came from swimming through water topped with burning oil. Or there was a friend’s father, who served on bombers stationed in England in World War II. For the rest of his life he would wake up screaming from the nightmares caused by what he lived through.

So, on this Memorial Day in 2017, I urge you to consider for a moment the many veterans you know in your own life and, just for a moment, feel yourself a part of the assembly, the gathering, the group, the crowd, the company, that we all are in this country – the people who know and support the veterans and the memory of those men and woman who have gone before, who played such a big roll in bringing us to where we are today.

It might surprise any folks out there who are not familiar with So Cal that one of most significant and obvious features are not our beaches or deserts, but our mountains. We have lots of impressive mountain ranges that are lovely to look upon, both in their bare looking summer state, or covered in snow in the winter. In the winter I am happy to just look upon them from afar. After all, one of the things I love about So Cal is its snow free weather, so I feel no need to buy snow chains and go pretend I live in Minnesota, buut I don’t sky, either.

Once spring arrives, my thoughts do turn to the pleasant and short dive up into the mountains, which is just what Hubby and I decided to do a few weeks ago on our anniversary. One of the nice things about going to the mountains from our home, is that the traffic is not nearly the bear to deal with as it is going to the beach. Yes, we did hit a bit of commute traffic after we got down to the flat lands  on our way home at rush hour, but it was nothing like the truly amazing gridlock that occurs every day as people pour out of the Inland Empire to go to Los Angeles or Orange Counties, and then pour back in again starting about 2:30 or 3 pm. I try to avoid that like  the plague.

On our day out in early May we went to Lake Arrowhead. It is located just above the 5000 foot level in the San Bernardino Mountains. It is a man made lake, as are most of our lakes in So Cal. Set in among the trees and houses of the surrounding forest, it is really a pretty spot.  But, before you even get to Lake Arrowhead, there are lots of amazing views from the road to the valleys below.

We started our day at the Lake Arrowhead Village. It is a local hot spot, with places to eat and shops to explore. On the weekday we were there, it was not overly busy, but that was fine with us. We had  lunch at Woody’s Boat House Restaurant. There we shared a Reuben sandwich, which they kindly split for us. It was plenty of food for the two of us and the sandwich and fries were delicious. The restaurant had a nice atmosphere, with a nice view of the lake. I want to go back sometime and try their Sunday brunch!

After lunch, Hubby and I did a little shopping. We stopped in at Jurassic Fossils, locted on the lower level facing the lake. Oh boy, if you love rocks and fossils (and we do) this is the place to go! Since we had not purchased each other gifts for our anniversay, we spent a little money on some beautiful rocks to add to our very small collection (one tray full). While int e story, I saw this guy…

and this guy…

Both were happily sleeping in the store.

Lake Arrowhead and surrounding communities are fun places to explore. In addition to Lake Arrowhead Village, there are lots of little stores and places to eat scattered all over the area.

When I was looking for things to do in the Lake Arrowhead area, for our day out for our anniversary, I came across some information on the Heaps Peak Arboretum. I had never heard of it before, and I love going for easy walks in nature, so this looked like a good place to visit. The walk is about a mile or slightly less. The trial is dirt and has the occasional rock or root so watch your step. About half the walk is shaded, and the other half is in the sun, so plan your attire appropriately. There is a bench or two if you feel like sitting for a bit and listening to the birds.

Because it was spring, everything was in bloom, which was wonderful. In particular, the Dogwoods were in bloom, and I couldn’t take enough photos of those pretty blossoms. Here are some pictures of our walk though Heaps Peak Arboretum. The last three are the Dogwood flowers.

A new baby has entered the world. It is my Cousin Linda’s new granddaughter. Little Quinn is my first cousin twice removed, according to the internet. Whatever the case, I am glad she is here and that mother and baby are doing fine.

A doctor one of us sees on a regular basis suffered a “medical emergency” according to her office staff, and is immediately shutting down her practice. No referrals, no nothing. Sigh. We hope she is OK, but that did not make for a great beginning to the week! You would think, being in So Cal and all, that doctor issues such as these would not exist. But not so.It can be a real struggle sometimes to get specialists. They all want to live by the beach. I am sure there are all the specialists you could possibly want in Malibu.

After our winter in May weather, we immediately switched to summer weather. Spring is being a bit shy this year, unfortunately.

About a year ago a free standing automatic car wash opened near me. I decided to give my poor neglected car some love and go give it a try this passed weekend. In this world of hand held devices, constant entertainment, and instant gratification, I guess they decided we needed a little more going on in our car washes besides suds and water. I knew I was in for a different experience when the first thing that poured down on my car was lit from above with orange lights, making it look like fire was raining down. There there were the multicolored suds that were green, blue and purple. Who needs to go to Disneyland when you can just go to the car wash? Cheaper, too!  

Hope you have a great Tuesday!

I went to a cactus and succulent show last weekend. Because it was spring, many entries in the cactus category were blooming. I can never get over how beautiful cactus blossoms are. I would love to have lots of cactus, just so I could see their flowers in the spring. I couldn’t resist taking some photos and sharing them with you.

I am a politics nerd, in case you didn’t know. I majored in political science and public administration in college, and I have only missed voting once, when I was out of the country back when it was not as common to vote by mail. When I found out the California Governor would be in my fair city last Friday, I was very excited. My excitement was tempered when I found out that he would be attending an invitation only event to sign a bill. I am not the kind of person, in my old age, who wants to stand around someplace in the hopes of getting a glimpse of the Governor as he dives by.

But then the call came Thursday afternoon. As an elected member of our local parks board, I had been invited to the ceremony! I as so excited! Governor Jerry Brown is really an icon in American politics, not just California politics. He was first elected governor of California in 1974 when he was just 36 years old. He served two terms, then later ran for President, giving Bill Clinton a run for his money. He was mayor of Oakland, then state Attorney General, before being elected once again as governor. Like him or not, that is some resume.

It was exciting to be in the same room, hear the Governor speak (very off the cuff, by the way), and see him sign the bill to restore funding to my fair city, and the other three new cities  that had funding taken away almost six years ago. What a long fight that was, and we are happy that is finally over. And I am happy I got to be there.

Below is the Governor making a few remarks and signing the bill in City Hall.

I am a woman of simple tastes, and my daughters know that. So, when they proposed taking me to Ikea for Mother’s Day, I was all for it! Shopping and eating all in one spot! And I just love all those rooms Ikea decorates with everything you can buy right there. It is like a home decorating magazine come to life! There isn’t  an Ikea near our house, so it is not a place I get to very often.

After Youngest Daughter had bell choir rehersal at church, off we went. The first thing we did was get lunch in their restaurant/cafeteria. It amazes me how inexpensive their food is. The total for all four of us, which included four meals, some garlic bread, a cup of coffee with free refills and two desserts, was under $27. I would seriously eat there more often if Ikea was close by.

Then we set off to explore the display area. Included in the rooms they set up were three “apartments,” all filled with Ikea furniture and storage units. One was a little over 500 square feet, the next about 350 square feet, and the third about 270 square feet. It was amazing what they managed to cram in such small spaces. The middle one, with about 350 square feet, even had a bedroom and a second bedroom nook.   Amazing! Would I want to live like that? Probably not. But, still, I could appreciate how a space that size could be arranged to allow for decent storage and living space.

My enthusiasm began to wane a bit when, after about an hour, we were still making our way through the showroom. More like a show-warehouse of never ending ailes. Then came the sales area, which we lingered in less than might be expected, only because the showroom had eaten up most of our energy. However, in spite of being worn our, I still managed to buy a set of two magazine holders(only $4.99)  and three tealight holders (just 49 cents each! What a bargain!) Youngest bought a French coffee press (only $10) and some colorful straws.

We checked out, finally, and I got a small second wind when I spotted the packaged food area. There I bought jam and a fountain drink, as I was very thirsty by then!  We got in our car (which seemed oh so far away by that point) and made our way to the closest Starbucks, which was having the last day of half off happy hour. A round of Frappuccinos for everyone renewed our vigor enough to get home. Whew! I never new shopping in ONE STORE could be such a workout. I think they could have 5K runs in that place.

Later, we took advantage of the free meal for moms  Wienerschnitzel was offering, and had dinner there. A chili dog tastes even better when it is free!

Being a mother means taking the good with the not so good. That was brought home on my most memorable Mother’s Day.  We got together that day with our friends Bill and Sue. The guys and our combined three daughters were going to spend the afternoon playing Dungeons and Dragons while Sue and I got to go shopping. Fun! On the way home Sue and I picked up a bucket of chicken for dinner. It was, as I remember, a very nice day. The kids and the guys had a great time and Sue and I got some girl time. The moms didn’t have to cook, either!

Everything was fine until the middle of the night, when Youngest Daughter started throwing up.  Nothing brings home the reality of motherhood than a sick child. I just had to laugh, as Hubby and I dealt with the situation.  What and end to Mother’s Day!

This year Youngest made me a nice breakfast. She appears to be just fine, LOL! But, in a tradition of slightly weird Mother’s Day happenings, right after breakfast, Blackie spit out a tooth. Not unexpected at his advanced age, but not what the girls had planned for after breakfast entertainment!

And so another memorable Mother’s Day begins!

I truly believe every woman is a mother, as every woman I know nurtures others and so I wish every woman a Happy Mother’s Day. Thank you for all you do to help others, and especially the next generation, along the path of life.

Hey, Mom, do you want to see where I lost my tooth?

I thought the mockingbird situation was over, but a new couple seem to have moved in to the yard and are driving me nuts!

Mockingbirds are really amazing birds. The way they aggressively protect their nests is remarkable. To see a hawk flying into a tree to desperately get away from a little mockingbird dive bombing it from behind is a site to behold.   But, as much as a mockingbird is named for its ability to mimic other sounds, they are not the most pleasant sounding birds. Their normal call is more of a sharp rasp than a “tweet.”

Believe me, I know this because, as I type this, Nox is sitting on the window seat a few feet from me, looking out the window and the mockingbird couple who took up recent residence are not happy abut this. They are flirting and flying just feet from the window, not understanding that Nox is behind glass and not any threat to them. Nox is having a great time watching this extra special version of Kitty TV.

Later: It is now an hour later. Lumos finally discovered the great program on Kitty TV and jumped up to watch. It is cute as can be, except for the constant “rasp rasp” of the mockingbird trying to lure out the cats to be driven away.

Here they are, mesmerized by the show. One of the mockingbirds is barely visible, above Lumos, to the left of the middle window frame, standing right on top of the bush. 

I felt sorry for the birds at that point, so I closed the shutters so they can’t see the cats anymore. Lumos jumped down, having had his fill of the highly entertaining mockingbird show, but Nox was not willing to turn off the TV. He kept dating back and forth from shutter to shutter to see the show, and now has manged to pull back one shutter to see the birds again. Mean while, the “rasp rasp” continues….