The violets are blooming here in Northern California, because they think spring has come early. After a little bit of wet weather, summer settled back in and its hard to believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner.
Allergies are kicking my butt today. Monday I spent a good part of the day raking leaves, some still wet from the rain we had a couple of weeks ago. Wet, moldy leaves and I didn’t have the good sense to wear a mask as I raked and then piled them by the armful into the mulch bin. So I’m staying in today, sipping a hot drink, taking antihistamines and hoping the burning in my chest will subside, because it’s the time of year when everything is happening and I don’t want to miss any of it.
Besides loving winter, there is a reason I’m so anxious for the cold weather to arrive. Spending a rainy afternoon at the torch is high on my list of things I’d rather be doing. I’ve been lampworking off and on for a number of years now and since it involves working with intense heat, summer does not provide the ideal work climate. I’m working on improving my skills in making encased floral beads. Click here for a picture of the early results. Keep in mind, these beads are about the size of a dime. Hopefully there will be plenty of flowers this winter and I’ll post more pics as my skill level improves both in lampworking and photographing glass.
Rona had a big birthday this past week. How big a birthday is not for me to say, but her husband arranged surprise party for Saturday night and indeed, it would appear that when Rona walked in the door she was surprised.
Surprise parties combine people who would not normally come together. There are the folks from work, the next door neighbors, the girlfriends and as Rona is a Brit, there is the mix of British American. A good time was had by all.
Rona’s husband can cook, as I have mentioned here before and once again he outdid himself in putting out a good spread complete with an array of appetizers, main courses and side dishes. On the counter meatballs, barbecued pork, buffalo wings were simmering in sauce in serving dishes. There were salads, including coleslaw and potato salad and of course the birthday cake for dessert, chocolate with a butter cream and raspberry filling. Who knew the black roses that decorated the cake would turn lips and tongues black?
Presents were opened – the usual gag gifts one gets when hitting a certain milestone age and some nice gifts in between.
Normally it would be the cake that stuck out in my mind the next day and it was, but not the birthday cake. It was the Sandwich Cake that Rona’s husband put together. A loaf of bread, split lengthwise and filled with every sandwich filling (except peanut butter and jelly) and frosted with sour cream and a garnish of chives. I cut myself a slice of this sandwich and marveled at the combination of tastes. One minute I was eating a tuna sandwich, then egg salad, only to have deviled ham revealed in the next bite. I had visions of this being a gastronomic disaster and a night of tossing and turning and great discomfort, but I slept soundly and awoke feeling just great.
The Sandwich Cake has ruined me for all other sandwiches. It was a fun night and Happy Birthday Rona!
Over the last two days there has been a good deal of traffic coming to 10086 Sunset in search of Jane Felix-Brown, now known as Zaina Alsabah. Seems she is making the news again and finding out that its not easy being the daughter-in-law of Osama Bin Laden. Her husband, the junior Bin Laden, requested asylum in Spain and his request has just been rejected by the Spanish government. Apparently they don’t believe that Omar’s life is in danger, as he stated, should he remain in the Middle East.
Omar Bin Laden has been banned in Britain and so the couple’s search for a place to call home continues.
They look good together, don’t they? Scary, but good. Gothic Chique. Click on the picture for a full length view and then again to magnify.
It did seem like this day would never come, didn’t it? The endless political ads, phone calls, bulk mailings. My day started with a phone call from Bill Clinton. It was good to hear his voice, even though it was recorded and talking politics. He sounded tired, or maybe he’s still bummed that he won’t be living in the White House next year. Me too Bill, me too.
I went to the polling place around 10:30 this morning. It was busy, but we’re in a rural area and so it was easy parking and no waiting. Just a constant flow of people in and out. People on foot, people in wheelchairs, but all on a mission. Bumped into a few friends there, voted, got my sticker for a free cup of coffee at Starbucks, but opted out on the caffeine and went instead for a nice swim to clear the political overload in my brain. I was the only one out there on this cool, cloudy day enjoying the warm water.
Ran some errands this afternoon, did some work, answered some emails.
Is it still Tuesday? Damn.
There’s something barbaric about hacking off the head of the sunflower of which you’ve become so fond. Not my favorite part of the process, but I now have plenty of sunflower seeds to be planted in the spring.
I was going to count the number of sunflower seeds that came from this one plant, but that’s not going to happen today. Any guesses?
If you have a moment, sit back and watchThe Sunflower Slideshow.
No blue sky in sight today and just like that everything feels completely different. It’s hard to believe tomorrow is Halloween, as the weather lulled us into feeling we were still in the lazy, hazy days of our endless summer. I wanted to make a trip to Larry’s again this October and carve a pumpkin or two, but its not going to happen this year. Perhaps a pre-Thanksgiving trip to Larry’s.
I harvested my sunflower this morning - pics to come this weekend. The Morning Glories are in full bloom this afternoon and now the rain is steady and there’s that wonderful smell of wet dust and leaves and I feel energized.
Click on the picture for a full view of the Morning Glories.
I was going to wait until I wasn’t in such a sour mood before returning to Sunset, but I have no idea how long this mood will last. I’ve been trying to shake it, but it’s not working. Maybe it won’t go away until after the elections and all the political commercials, mail and phone calls, or perhaps when we finally get some cooler weather to put an end to this seemingly endless summer. Both things should happen soon, but not soon enough.
This mood started two weeks ago when a friend called me. We hadn’t talked all summer and I was happy to hear from her at first. We’ve been friends for thirty years and in all that time, I don’t recall that we’ve ever discussed politics. She had a bee in her bonnet that day and must have guessed which way I’d be voting, because she wasted no time in putting down the Democrats. I requested we change the subject, since we were obviously in disagreement, but she was looking for a fight and she wouldn’t shut up.
I can respect people having different political views. Informed political views. I can’t respect decisions based on ignorance. In the conversation I was trying not to be part of, I learned that she thinks Obama pals around with terrorists, Sarah Palin does not hunt animals and my friend, who won’t eat any food that once had eyes, is going to vote against Proposition 2, because if it gets through, she thinks she’ll have to buy eggs that come from China.
Maybe she just isn’t thinking clearly because she is so overworked. Maybe I just don’t know her any more. She’s in the group that would face higher taxes under Obama’s tax proposal, if he is elected. I guess as long as she doesn’t have to pay higher taxes and her eggs are fresh, all is right in the world.
We’ve both changed over the years and perhaps the person I am now just doesn’t like the person she’s become. Time will tell. I feel disappointed and it pisses me off that it was politics that brought this to a head.
When I haven’t been working, I’ve been spending as much time away from the computer as possible this summer. Instead of dreading the hot months and feeling trapped indoors in the air conditioning, I chose to start swimming again and to enjoy the heat. The temps are down from the 100+ degrees we experienced in August, but we’re still in the 90’s and until it cools off, I’ll be poolside. I’ll return when the chilly weather lures me back to sit in front the nice, warm computer. See you then!
David, 47 and Kristie, 46, had a bondage fantasy and through Craig’s List they found each other and decided to turn the fantasy into reality. They chose an isolated area in Clackamas County, Oregon to get their freak on. No one had to know. But they didn’t count on a homeless woman choosing the same spot to pitch her tent for the night.
The tent dweller is a good Samaritan and sees this poor woman bound up, in the process of being violated and she promptly called the police to report a rape. When the police arrived, the couple took off on foot. Extra personnel were called out to secure the area and they stopped train traffic for good measure. Eventually the dogs were brought in and the couple was caught.
Besides the obvious humiliation factor, they fled the scene because David is a married man and he didn’t want his wife to find out. Oops. Now they are up on charges of public indecency, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass. Too bad he didn’t shell out the extra bucks to rent a nice isolated house somewhere along a rugged coastline, where the waves crash against the cliffs and no one can hear the cries of tormented pleasure. Planning is everything.
Some years back, while living in an apartment, I planted a small balcony garden. I grew herbs and a few vegetables and just for show, I grew a giant sunflower in a terracotta pot. It was awesome. Its face followed the sun all day and at night it slowly turned it’s head towards the light from the living room.
I saved some seeds from that sunflower and planted them this spring, some seven years after harvesting them, not knowing if they would sprout, after all this time. One did and stands proudly at over seven feet tall.
Sunflowers are magical and this one is extra so. My Dad was still alive back then and he stood on the balcony and admired the original plant. This Sunflower is a time capsule for me. I’m sentimental that way.
Sunflower Slideshow.
