112. Quite the Gully-Washer!

We had a break in the rain Monday and so we took out in the car to see what damage there might have been done on the road, but mostly to check out the waterfall about 2 miles north of us.  There were a few small slides and several trees had lost various limbs. One stump that has been just barely hanging on to the bank with lots of roots exposed finally lost it's grip and slid down the embankment.  

I love, much to Bob's chagrin, going on rock safari and boy do I have lots to choose from now!  I scratched the bumper a few months back, so he always helps me now.  He has decided it's easier to humor me than spend money on car repairs.  Bob never gets mad at me when I do something "Lucy" like.  He just gets quiet.  Most of the time he just says, "Lucy, you've got some splainin' to do."  When the kids were small he would get upset with them about something that had happened and if they said "We didn't do it, Daddy, Mommy did it."  He would calm right down and say, "O.K." and that would be the end of it.  I guess I've blinded him with love and it has served me well over nearly fifty years.  

We were given quite a show when we finally reached the falls!  It was really a gully-washer!  The creek across the road is still over it's normal bank.  At some places there was fresh debris in the lower branches of the trees.  

I made a mental note of where  the best  new  rocks were and
we headed back home.  I can always find room for a few new

rocks, after all, they are a road hazard, right?  The fact that they are free doesn't enter into it.  I'm doing our neighbors a favor and making the canyon a safer place to live.  Bob doesn't really see it that way, but he is so patient and I'm a good cook...we don't want either one of us to change.

111. A Good Spoiling

It rained buckets last night and the driveway had enough water running in it that we practically had to carry Maggie out to do her business.  She just can't seem to figure out exactly what rain is.  She tries to keep her feet out of the water and keeps shaking off the rain.  It 's a little hard to do your business while you are shaking and prancing, but finally with lots of cajoling she finally managed.  I guess I can't blame her really, but it does bring back memories of summers spent with my Great-Aunt Carolyn and Great-Uncle Reese on their farm in Iowa.

It was such a wonderful way for a child to spend a couple of weeks in the summer.  I'm sure it was an emotional expense to my parents, especially my mildly over-protective mother.  My aunt and uncle spoiled me rotten and their two sons and my other Uncle Larry were there, as well, to share in the spoiling.  The last thing my mother always said was "Now don't let her ride that horse."  Uncle Reese never lied, he just always said, "She'll be fine, Maxine.  Stop worrying."  

As soon as the dust was settled on the road and the car was out of sight, I was plopped on the back of Old Star and off I'd go.  The wonderful sense of wickedness and deep feeling of love brought on by the memory of that moment has never left me.  Old Star and I spent many hours together during those two week summer vacations.  I felt so important taking jugs of water out to the men in the fields.  Even on the rare occasion when I fell off, Old Star just stood there and waited for me to clamber back on.  Every child on earth should have such experiences.  Those days certainly made an impact on my life.

The one thing that took getting used to though was the fact that they had no indoor plumbing except for a hand pump at the kitchen sink.  Everyone used the out house during the day and each bedroom had what my Uncle Reese called a "Thunder mug" under the bed for emergency night use.  That's all well and good in the summer time, but the winters in Iowa bring lots of foul weather and I do mean foul!  Baring one's bottom with a foot or two of snow on the ground and wind blowing through the cracks   in the walls of the "facility," well, you can imagine.  So, if Maggie could talk, I would assure her that there are worse things than doing one's business in a little rain.

So even if it is raining buckets outside, we don't have to use a "Thunder mug" and fortunately we don't have to bundle up and traipse out to the "facility."  But I can tell you, you can keep your fancy spa, what I wouldn't give for one more two week summer vacation on the back of Old Star with my Great-Aunt Carolyn and Great-Uncle Reese spoiling me rotten!

110. Bugs and More Bugs-

Yesterday was another beautiful day in paradise. Bob cranked up the mower and headed for lawns in need of cutting and I decided to take advantage of the sweet breeze and fresh air by grooming Maggie.  She is always cooperative (thanks to Dr. Bach's Rescue Remedy drops) and I'm getting faster, as well.  She always seems slightly mortified by the indignity of the bath part, but it has to feel good when all is said and done.  Her white is now bright and beautiful for her next appearance with the Furry Friends on this coming Wednesday.  

We are always surprised at her lack of fleas.  When we lived near the beach, oh my, were fleas an issue then.  We almost lost our Cocker, Muffy, and actually friends of ours did in fact lose a dog to fleas.  They had sprayed the dog run and bathed and dipped their dog before they left on a two week vacation.  The neighbor boy was feeding and watering Rascal but certainly couldn't be blamed for the onslaught.  The fleas drained the poor thing of all it's blood.  When our Muffy started staggering we rushed him to the vet where she revealed hundreds of fleas with two sprays of insecticide.  We were horrified!  The next stop was to buy clippers and then shave the poor little thing.  We were just in the nick of time.  He was pitch black and we had never lived at the beach before.  Both issues almost cost Muffy his life.  

The whole grooming episode is always tiring for both of us girls and mowing, while he loves it, wears out the Mister, as well.  I guess it makes sense that since we are on the subject of bugs, we decided to rest a while and watch "Them."  Of course, now it is so corny and silly, but when I first saw it I was so scared that my mom was sorry she said I could go to the show to see such an awful movie.  

It must have been what the industry called a "contract" movie.  One that has every actor on contract with the studio in it.  Almost every single face in the entire  movie was familiar.  There were maybe 50 actors in the whole movie, which was pretty funny.  Now they are made with a cast of thousands.  Some of the more famous stars were: James Whitmore, Edmund Greene, James Arness and even Fess Parker, just before he became Davey Crockett, had a small bit part.

Even though the giant ants were under Los Angeles in the sewers. There were no crowds and only a handful of people saved the world from the infestation.  It was an hour and a half well spent.  Now we are going to rent "The Blob!"  Ah, the miracle of Netflix!

109. Which Came First?

Every now and again you just require a really good belly laugh.  It is one of life's necessities, it should be mandatory that when you meet St. Peter at the Golden Gate he must ask you, "Have you had a really good belly laugh every day?"  If the answer is no then you should have to go back and rectify the error of your ways.

Bob's cousin Sue's daughter-in-law, Jamie sent us a wonderful   email with photos of Terry Border's  wacky wire art  work.  They are all worth a laugh but many of them will fulfill your requirement of a really good belly laugh for today.  I'm so glad that I have been able to give the artist the  credit that is  due.  So many things come on the internet without a way to credit the person responsible.  Border calls his art "Bent Objects."  Believe me, I will never look at an egg or a baked chicken the same way.  I guess we know which came first now, don't we.

Do yourself a favor and go to his blog.  Check out his videos, as well.  Click on the video page and watch...I think there are three.  You will definitely fulfill your requirement for today.

Terry Border/Bent Objects

For sure, don't leave the site until you see "Marilyn," right on so many levels!  So, brush you teeth, take your multivitamin and fulfill that Belly Laugh requirement!

108. Nothin' Wrong With a Little Gaga!

We just watched an amazing interview with the one and only "Lady Gaga."  She and one of our personal favorites, Cindy Lauper, have joined together (not just recently) in a battle to prevent HIV.  You don't have to like their music or their lavish and outlandish haute-couture, but you only have to listen to them in an interview to feel their energy and sincerity.  I might add that they are both extremely bright and talented.

Lady Gaga, Cindy Lauper Lip Glam for HIV



 You can watch a little on You-tube if you are so inclined.

 
 Cindy and Gaga on GMA
-

Every single cent of the sale of  the  lipstick goes to the fight

to educate women about HIV.  So, ladies, the next time you need some lipstick or lip gloss  why not  give this tube a try?

Who cares  if  it  matches  anything, it  just might  be  your contribution that  prevents  someone from  contracting HIV!
OMG!!!

107. If You're Lucky, Time Marches On!

Occasionally when I realize that time is whizzing past me and I am being catapulted into old age, I find that a variety of things have become profoundly more important.  Things like: organizing closets and drawers, trying to plump up my sad wrinkled skin, eating right and losing the "muffin top" and other excess baggage I've carried for the last several years, but mostly it's about relationships, family and otherwise.  I've decided that when I think about how much time I may have left I suddenly feel the need to find  my day-timer and fill it up with dates with people who are important to me.

My friend Marilyn and I always talk to each other before the Oscar's and then again after the show to compare notes and talk style or the lack there of.  I called her after last year's show and said "Enough!  From now on we are going to spend the Extravaganza together."  So on Friday I boarded the Amtrak and headed to San Jose, California.

I usually drive when I go to visit, but with the cost of gas and leaving my bunk mate without a car, I decided to branch out.  It was a delightful experience.  Many of the actual train routes have been replaced by Amtrak buses though, which I suppose makes sense with the cost of everything.  I did manage to take the train both ways on the "Starlighter."  It traverses the coast  north from San Diego, Ca. to somewhere in Washington once a day and then south once a day.  You a limited on the time of day, which for Californian's who are spoiled because of our love affair with cars and the lack of public transportation can be a problem.  We, however, worked it out and with my senior discount the grand total was only $47.00 round-trip and the parking, had I needed it, was free!  It would have cost me $90.00 and rising to drive.

My age did manage to catch up with me though.  I bought a new CD player on the way to the train station because my old one finally gave up and clawed it's way to the trash can.  We stopped at the library and I picked out a book to listen to (Amy Tan's "Saving Fishes from Drowning"...don't bother) on my adventure.  I failed to bring my instructions on how to operate my new player, which leads me to the rest of my story.  Now you would think that it would be simple enough to turn such a tiny thing on, right?  Especially when you consider I have had several.  Well, after several minutes of pushing, pulling and sliding buttons, I finally succumbed to defeat and asked the college girl, merrily doing 3 electronic things at a time, in the seat beside me to "Please, show me how to turn this damned thing on!" How sad is that?!  It turned out after 2 discs that it wasn't necessary to have bothered her.  

Oscar evening Marilyn and I went to her daughter, Karen's, house where we spent the evening drinking champagne and eating hors d'oeuvres, finishing off with molten lava chocolate cake!  What a great time!  Bob called in the middle to comment on one of his all time favorites, Helen Miren.  She is lovely, even with the tattoo on her hand, a teenage transgression.  Like Winston Churchill's mother, if she had known at the time she would become famous she would have made better youthful choices.  Lady Churchill had a tattooed bracelet and anklet.  Funny, huh.  The little peanut in the top hat is
Marilyn's granddaughter, Summer.

The following morning Bob called with a weather update and it turns out we had a nice covering of pea-sized hale that hung around until the next morning.  More plants bit the dust, but I have to learn the hard way which plants freeze...we always have a freeze.  No more Mexican heather for us.

 Maggie wasn't quite sure what it was all about, but I'm sorry that I missed it.  When I arrived at the train station, I spotted Bob and Maggie walking up beside the train track.  Maggie was so interested in everything that was going on until she spied me...such whirling and twirling you've never seen.  If she could have turned inside-out, she would have.  What a wonderful welcome!  Bob's kiss was pretty good, too!  Now go find your day-timer because, if you're lucky, time marches on!