And what a busy time of year it is!
I have finished my custom Christmas card for 2014 – and created a page here showing all of my cards for the six years now that I’ve been doing this.
See Greeting Cards
And just for fun, here’s a slideshow:
Merry Christmas!
This is good!
RAIN, rain and more rain. This has been an incredible storm; apparently the worst we’ve had in a number of years. Powerful winds, major flooding, trees down, power outages and general mayhem.
It started raining just shortly after I got home from San Rafael yesterday and I was very glad it waited until then! I’ve been looking at pictures all over the web and picked up quite a few depicting places all over the Bay Area. Healdsburg and surrounding areas were hit very hard, as was Pacifica.
Luckily I’ve been home safe and sound – and dry – all day. But when is this storm going to end???
Here’s all the storm news:
And it looks like we may not see the end of the rainy weather until Saturday. We’ve all been saying (for about the last year) how much we need rain – well now we’ve got it!
On December 9th, I started reading Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel. My sister loved this book, so I am anticipating enjoying it too. It received a number of awards and looks like a winner!
So far, I am finding it a pleasure to read, although it does take some effort to keep track of all the characters and everything. It may be one of those books that takes a bit longer to read. But I’m sure it will be worthwhile!
12/31/14 – Finished! This was a fabulously good book – not an “easy reader” by any means, but worth the time and effort. I am looking forward to reading the sequel, “Bring Up the Bones” – next on my list. (Happy New Year!)
I started reading these books on November 12. And I finished the last one yesterday.
Robin Hobb’s Rain Wilds Chronicles
I was sad to finish them; they were so good! I’ve read all of Hobb’s books that are connected to this series:
I also have read the Soldier Son Trilogy, which is unrelated to the others, but also very good.
Needless to say, Robin Hobb is one of my most favorite authors. She creates such wonderful, magical worlds within which to lose oneself. I will be anxiously awaiting her completion of the newest books in her magical “rain wilds” world: the Fitz and the Fool Trilogy – I hope she finishes these books soon!
Ever since I woke up this morning, I’ve had a song running through my head (earworm) that I have not heard or even thought about for years and years. But I love the song, always have, and I can hear it in my head just like I was playing it. Weird.
Genesis – Home by the Sea
Possibly, the reason this got stuck in my head was that this weekend, I decided to open my boxes of record albums, that have been boxed and stored for years and years, just to see what I have. As I went through the albums, songs played in my head as I remembered them. And I do own this album, so apparently my brain simply registered it as I wrote it down.
So I now have cataloged my record albums. For what purpose, I don’t really know. I seem to be missing some that I remember having, and I ended up somehow with duplicates of some. Probably I got some of them mixed up when I left my husband years ago. But I’m glad that they seem to be in decent shape (all except for the covers, which my cats ruined years ago by sharpening their claws on the spines; and some of them apparently got wet at some point), but at least the albums themselves survived. Here is my list – for what it’s worth. Some of these I have no idea why I have, others I remember fondly:
It’s my birthday and I ‘ll cry if I want to…
Except I have no desire to cry. I am grateful for every single one of my 54 years and I am HAPPY.
Who else has a birthday on this day? Let’s see…
And here is my Birthday Horoscope – it’s amazing how true this all seems to be!
Birthday Persona Profile
People born specifically on the 5th of December are believed to be warm and friendly with a great sense of humor and the typified Sagittarian sagacious approach to life. The ruling astrological planet for this particular day is Mercury making you incredibly inquisitive, innovative, progressive and enterprising. If you have this birthday your highly adventurous and intuitive temperament has a touch of rebelliousness and seems to like anything new or unusual. Both a dreamer and a doer you are inclined to possess a strong streak of creativity and heaps of optimism along with a wonderful imagination full of words and ideas. Your generous, loyal and affectionate nature has an avid dislike of any kind of deception and can be blunt and superficial at times. Individuals with a December the fifth birthday will ordinarily be expressively intellectual and assertive with a decisive quick mind that usually enjoys mental challenges. Although forward thinking you can sometimes be a tad unrealistic or overly cautious too.Work and Finances
The excellent verbal skills granted to a person born on the fifth of December usually prove extremely useful in any occupation choice. Your creative abilities and keen enjoyment of a challenge can also frequently lead to preferred job choice. Your passion for innovation means marketing your own product or unique concept or other forms of self employment are additional popular options for a suitable and enjoyable profession. When it comes to finances your even mix of generosity and cautiousness normally helps you keep your budget well balanced. Your desire to save for the future may not kick in fully until you are living happily as part of a couple.Personal Relationships
Continue reading
December, from the Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry
December gets its name from the Latin word decem (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in the Roman calendar.
December, of course, always means Christmas is on the way – it seems to arrive quicker every year. It also means another year has come to a close.
December is also my birth-month. And at this point in my life, my birthday also always comes too soon!
This month I surprised myself by actually having my “31-point-plan” already finished by the beginning of the month! And here it is:
Happy December!
Good friends and family, lots of good food – and lots to be thankful for!
And now I’ve decided to start on the Rain Wild Chronicles, by Robin Hobb, with Vol. 1: Dragon Keeper. I have loved all of her books and have been looking forward to reading these for a long time!
… what to read? So many books, so little time – and sometimes it’s hard to find something just right to fit my mood.
Problem solved – my sister handed me Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, by Robin Sloan. And it is just the perfect thing to read right now. I am loving it!
And I am glad that I’ve been recording in a journal the books I read and my notes about those books. I frequently find odd synchronicities and here is one I just became aware of: In Penumbra, on page 136 the book talks about a “codex vitae,” which means “book of life.” And one of the books I just recently read was all about that very thing and, in fact, Book of Life is its title! I love that kind of thing, how everything can sometimes seem related. And that is one of the many reasons why I love books.
UPDATE 11/10/14 – I finished this book – and what a fun read! I loved this book!
On October 28, I finally started reading My Salinger Year, by Joanna Rakoff, who I saw in person at Copperfield’s in August.
This was a wonderful book and I enjoyed it in many ways. One thing in particular I got from reading it was the desire to re-read Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. I believe I read it many, many years ago but had no real recollection of it. So when I finished My Salinger Year on the 30th, I immediately picked up a copy of Catcher to read.
My first perception of the book while reading it was how very sad and depressing it is: a broken kid, a broken world; but despite how sad the whole thing is, I found myself really caring about Holden and I can certainly understand why so many teens over the years have identified with this character. J. D. Salinger was certainly a masterful writer, and he will not be easily forgotten, by me or by anyone who has ever read his work.
And I thank Joanna Rakoff for bringing this incredible author to my attention. My Salinger Year was an absolute delight to read.
I finished Catcher on November 3rd – and then found myself at a loss for what next to read. . .
November, from the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry
November was actually named for the ninth month of the year, as that is what it was in the ancient Roman calendar.
For most of us in the Northern Hemisphere, November mainly signifies Autumn, when the days get shorter, darker and – even here in sunny California – decidedly cooler. And, while many of our trees never do lose all their leaves, there are some that are becoming noticeably naked.
Many other parts of the country now have gorgeous, colorful fall trees. But I don’t mind too much that our trees are mostly just green. Green is my favorite color, after all.
So, November means FALL, but what else does it mean? Well, in America, of course, we think of Thanksgiving. But there are actually a number of other countries who celebrate similar Thanksgiving Day holidays at this time of year, which is also the time of year when many people have historically celebrated the Harvest.
For writers (which I like to consider myself as being), November is National Novel Writing Month. And maybe there will be some November, someday when I will actually participate in this venture. I would love to – but my life so far just does not allow me the luxury of time to do that much writing.
November 4th this year is Voting Day. I am happy to report I voted by mail and sent my ballot in last week.
And finally, later this month (Nov. 22) kicks off my astrological birth-sign, so I suppose this should be a good time of the year for me. And I guess I can’t complain so far.
Happy Harvest!
And here’s my 31-point-plan (certainly not one of my best – but I just didn’t have it in me this month).
There are many different theories to explain Halloween‘s beginnings. The most commonly-held belief is that it began as the ancient pagan festival, Samhain. And I believe there is probably some truth to that.
Many Catholics claim the holiday evolved from the Christian observances of All Saints and All Souls. And I believe there is truth to that, as well. In a podcast by a Catholic priest entitled “Halloween: The Real Story,” Father Augustine Thompson presents an interesting historical perspective from a Catholic point of view, and emphasizes that Halloween has nothing to do with devil worship – which opinion I emphatically share, particularly since Christians were the ones who invented the very concept of ‘the devil‘ in the first place. Pagans had no such beliefs. They celebrated nature and the change of seasons – not devil worship or anything that could be considered evil. As far as I’m concerned, it was Christians who invented the concept of evil altogether.
For another interesting historical look at the origins of Halloween, History.com’s “History of Halloween” is very informational, as is LiveScience’s version.
What it comes down to is that, like many of the holidays we celebrate today, the exact roots of Halloween are many and varied and steeped in the depths of our varied history.
I also found a very interesting look at Halloween by NPR in “Halloween for Adults: A Scary History.” This article describes a more recent history of Halloween happenings in America, revealing how Halloween has become an opportunity for adults to party and go a little crazy.
Halloween, though, will always be primarily for the kids – and who doesn’t love to see the little “monsters” going house to house on Halloween night. I often find myself missing the days when my son was little and lov
ed to go trick-or-treating. In many ways I’m glad I don’t have to do that anymore, but in other ways I’m sad those days are over – it was just so cute.
So have a Happy Halloween! And remember: Keep those kids SAFE! And for you adults: please use good judgment – here are some safety tips for you: (Expect the Unexpected.) And please:
After finishing The Ocean at the end of the Lane, I decided to read Three by Dillard, which contains three of her best books, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, An American Childhood, and The Writing Life.
I must say that Annie Dillard is an exceptional writer. Her words, while simple, evoke such a clear picture of what she is writing about. She has a way of making you look differently at commonplace things and feel the wonder all over again. I think my favorite was actually An American Childhood.” It was full of insights that I think many of us could relate to and it left me with a sense of the connectedness that we all share. I finished the three in this set on September 26 and had a hard time then deciding what next to read.
Concurrent with reading Dillard, there are a couple nonfiction books that I read pieces of. First, because I am always looking for resources to assist me in my homeschooling 
project, I found Homeschooling: The Teen Years, by Cafi Cohen. One thing that really caught my notice is where the author writes about decompression. It is said that when you take a kid out of the school system, they need decompression time, sometimes as much as two years, or as some say, one month for every year they were in the school system. It apparently takes a fair amount of time without any kind of school or academic pressure for these kids to decompress and be ready to start with homeschooling. I found this immensely comforting and guilt-alleviating because of the length of time my son has taken to be ready to do this. I have not understood it, but now I do. It is primarily difficult due to the felt criticism coming from family members.
So this has helped me to relax and feel confident that despite how things have gone so far, my son will, in time, be ready to make a go of this. I am ready, and so soon will he be. Enough said.
The second nonfiction book I started reading is also loosely connected to the homeschooling topic. Continue reading
Complaints about Comcast are all over the Web. I’m not happy about how much they charge, of course, and wish it was regulated like other utilities. And I’ve had a few complaints from time to time, but luckily have not had to deal with them all that much.
My son has complained endlessly about what crappy Internet speed we have. And he’s talked a lot about various “conspiracy theories” out there related to Comcast and why they are intentionally limiting our Internet speed in order to earn more money.
Most of us probably recall Comcast announcing some changes earlier this year. And not all the news is good:
[Feb. 16] How Comcast-TWC Will End Your All-You-Can Internet Buffet
[May 15] Comcast plans to reimpose monthly data caps on all customers within 5 years
[June 11] 4 Concerns About Comcast’s Xfinity Wi-Fi Hotspot Rollout
[July 25] Xfinity Wi-fi Hotspots Are a Hot Mess
Faster Internet? That sounds good. On August 7, we received a telephone call in the morning from Comcast to tell us they were ready to roll out our higher speeds and that we must reboot our equipment in order to get the faster service.
Alas, we experienced nothing but problems, with Internet speeds so slow we were rendered unable to even use the Internet at all. This was unacceptable. Luckily, my office desk is located just across the room from the router, so my computer was the only one usable at all. I logged on to the Comcast tech support website to see what I could do. Little did I know this was going to take me virtually all day; I was on a “chat from hell” and it was all I could do not to run screaming from the room! Continue reading
I recently learned that the people who lived across the street from the house where I used to live (where my brother-in-law is now living) packed up and moved away a couple of weeks ago. And there was a question about whether they had left their cats behind. My brother-in-law commented that he kept seeing cats – who previously had been seen going in and out the open windows – sitting on the windowsills outside the house looking like they had been left outside, now that the windows were closed.
These former neighbors always had a number of cats, some of which I personally felt like I knew very well, and I was very distressed at the idea that they had been abandoned.
When my sister was over at the house this past weekend, she noticed one cat in particular that looked like it was near starving and so she got some food and put it out for the cat. And this cat was obviously just craving attention terribly. My brother-in-law has continued to put food and water out for her every day. I did not recognize the cat but thought it might be the little female that lived inside the neighbor’s house and used to have kittens all the time. I asked my son if he recognized her and he thought he did. So I got angry that this poor cat was abandoned.
Then the other day, my sister sent me a picture of another cat that looked very much like one that I knew and recognized particularly well as it was over at my house all the time when our sons used to play together. I decided that someone (me?) MUST rescue those cats! (What can I say, I adore cats…)
So. I went over to the animal shelter and asked for a couple of cardboard carry boxes. However, it wasn’t that simple. I was directed to an officer to whom I explained the situation. He was not convinced that I really knew what I was talking about – who was I, after all? I did not even live in the neighborhood any more; in fact I don’t even live in the city limits at present! I was given a report, which I was told to fill out and return, after which they would investigate the situation.
But all I could think about was senseless bureaucracy, red tape and needless delay – and meanwhile cats were abandoned and starving! I felt compelled to take matters into my own hands. So I did.
I went to the pet supply store and bought two cardboard cat carriers (which were way overpriced, by the way). I then took my son and drove over to the old neighborhood – I was bound and determined to rescue those poor cats!
Well… the black cat that I thought I knew so well was a totally different cat, and one that was obviously feral; it would not let me get near it at all – but I did see it closely enough to realize it was not the one I thought it was from the photo. I didn’t actually see any cats that I recognized. I knocked on another neighbor’s door and asked her if she knew what had happened to these people’s cats. She told me she was quite sure they had taken at least two of them.
Well, this little female was obviously abandoned and in definite need. I could and would rescue her. So I scooped her up and with my son’s help we took her over to the shelter.
They were not happy to see me.
An animal control officer was once again called – the same one I had spoken to earlier – and he was very large. He loomed over me and made me feel like he thought I was totally insane. I told you not to get the cat; you can’t just go around collecting cats! There is a protocol to follow. How do I know this is an abandoned cat, how do I know who you really are? [etc., etc.] …and if someone is feeding the cat, what is the problem? Who knows, we may even end up taking the cat back! [and on and on]. I was completely nonplussed.
And my whole case was completely blown, making me feel totally foolish, once my son told me that he really couldn’t say for sure if the cat we rescued was really the neighbor’s cat. I told the man that there were a lot of stray cats running around there but I really didn’t know for sure if they were my former neighbors’, but that this particular cat definitely needed rescuing, in any event. I told him I wasn’t interested in getting anyone in trouble, I just wanted to save the cat and that I couldn’t take it because I already have two big cats. The man was clearly exasperated at me, and while he did tell me I did a good thing, he also was full of criticism and barely restrained annoyance. I felt like a child being lectured – and in front of my son, no less! And he begged me to not bring in any more cats – as if I had any intention of going around scooping up cats!
As it turns out, the cat has a chip so hopefully they will be able to locate whoever the real owner is. And if that fails, hopefully the cat will be adopted, or at least well cared for. As we got back in the car to go home, my son said that he felt like we had done something wrong. And yes, that is kind of how I felt too and it was unsettling. But I told him that we do know that the cat we brought in did need rescuing and that is not a bad thing. And the neighbors won’t get in trouble unless it’s somehow proven that the cat is theirs – which it probably isn’t. But I do feel bad for jumping to conclusions. Sorry. No damage done though. I know that animal shelter officer just thinks I am a nutcase. Oh well.
Later in the evening, when my brother-in-law came home and found the cat that he’d been feeding gone, he told my sister that he sort of missed the little thing. I told her to tell him he could probably go to the shelter and adopt it!
Yes, he said, he could go and tell them that this crazy red-headed cat woman came and stole his cat!
Sheesh, you try to do a good deed… 😕
These last couple of months I have been so ridiculously busy that I have barely had time to keep this up! This post may be dated the first of October, but I am actually doing it on the 11th. Oh well, at least it’s done!
October, from the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry
October was originally the eighth month of the Roman calendar and thus it’s name literally means “Eight.”
October Facts
When most of us think of October, we tend to think of Halloween. It seems to me that this holiday gets more popular every year. Some people start putting up their spooky decorations at the beginning of the month! And of course the stores have had Halloween merchandise on display for even longer than that. At least in the US, Halloween has become a very big deal. But that’s ok with me – I like it too!
And in that spirit, here is my 31-point-plan for October:
(Happy Haunting…)
I have probably mentioned the fact that once a week I go and work at a client location for a few hours. It is just across the county line and a drive of only about 20 miles. When the traffic is reasonably light, it takes about 30 minutes to get there.
However, the traffic seems to get worse and worse every week. Especially in the afternoons – it can take about an hour and a half to drive those 20 miles. And sitting on the freeway in the hot sun, barely moving, just sitting on the hot pavement, car engines stinking up the air for more than an hour is absolutely exhausting and disgusting and quite intolerable. The fact that many people do this every single day just blows my mind.
So this afternoon I decided to try going the “back way.” Now this is not exactly a “direct” route, and it is more than 26 miles going this way (see Google Map of this route). But I’m thinking it has to be better than taking the freeway.
So what do you think – DOES THIS…
LOOK LIKE A NICER DRIVE THAN THIS?
I would say so! Who cares if it takes about 40 minutes or so – at least there is no traffic! And what a lovely drive! It isn’t all in the redwoods the whole way, but a lot of it is, and it is all in the beautiful countryside – no stinking pavement or carbon monoxide fumes! No sitting parked in the middle of miles of hot, crowded freeway! I got home without being stressed out and exhausted for once!
Sanity restored…
September, from the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry
September, for me, has always meant SCHOOL (although, these days, school seems to start earlier and earlier every year.) And here in Northern California, our hottest weather often occurs in September and I always feel sorry for the school kids – especially since much of the summer is cool and foggy – and now that it finally feels like summer—SCHOOL STARTS!
But this year, I am embarking on the challenge of teaching my son myself. So we are able to start school whenever we desire, and I think September 2nd, the day after Labor Day, seems the appropriate time.
However, it’s been a bit difficult to adjust after our vacation, so we didn’t actually start until yesterday, and it’s been slow going so far trying to get my son in the “groove.” I still have some things to organize and figure out as well until we’re really on a roll. But I am hopeful that it will be a good school year all in all.
So, for my “theme” this month, I have drawn lots and lots of school books!
Happy studying!
Tuesday morning, August 26th – we are now in Santa Cruz, where we will remain until Thursday, August 28th. We are staying at the same place we stayed last year, which is only two blocks up from the Boardwalk entrance.
We spent our three days here on the Boardwalk, playing Mini-Golf, Bowling, and of course, eating. We also spent some time on the beach, and in the motel pool.
On Wednesday evening, we decided to check out the Santa Cruz Wharf.
Dalton located a really great place for us to eat dinner: Gilda’s Restaurant. We had a delicious meal and the views were fantastic.
I even took a picture of my plate; it not only looked gorgeous, it tasted heavenly!
Then finally, on Thursday morning, after we checked out of the motel, we decided to drive over to see “The Mystery Spot.” Continue reading
Summer Road Trip, continued…
8/25/14 – Monterey, California – what a wonderful place to be.
And it’s always a nice feeling to wake up in a hotel, knowing the day is yours to do with as you like. We took our time getting up and about, but needed to be checked out of the Otter Inn by Noon. Fortunately, the hotel management allowed us to keep our parking space until late afternoon so that we could visit the Aquarium without trying to find another parking space.
The first thing we did is to walk down to Cannery Row and do the “tourist thing.” We walked around and checked out the shops, where we bought some souvenirs and gifts to take home.
There was one store that stands out in my mind as being really cool: Fine Art Turkish Grand Bazaar. They had some incredibly beautiful (and very expensive) things. 
I took photos of these lamps to show my sister.
We bought some t-shirts and a 
store called “After the Quake,” which I assume refers to the Loma Prieta quake of 1989.
We also visited the Spirit of Monterey Wax Museum. It was interesting, but Dalton got a little bored – listening to the history of Monterey felt too much like school I think! So I told him that if he paid attention, I’d give him some history credit.
Following lunch at Johnny Rockets, where we enjoyed a very pleasant meal, we did some more sightseeing.
One particularly memorable thing was the Native American musicians who performed- seemingly all day long – there in the plaza. The music was lovely and we bought one of their music CDs. They were really good.
Then it was time to go to the Aquarium!
On Sunday morning, August 24th, my son and I embarked on our very first Road Trip. Because of the fact that our trip to see my father in LA will be delayed (due to their moving once again), I decided that for our summer vacation we would take a drive down the coast. My goal was to avoid freeways at all cost and to enjoy our beautiful California coastline.
So our route began as follows: Continue reading
After my last post on this subject, I did finish “Pebble,” followed by “Forward the Foundation.” And I also finished reading the autobiography that I’d been reading for so long. But instead of that being the end of my “Asimov Summer,” I also read “The Martian Way and Other Stories,” after reading in the autobiography how he wrote “Martian Way” 
as a response to the McCarthyism that was the current situation at the time. As it turns out, I already owned an old copy of this book and didn’t realize it. I enjoyed this story, as well as the other stories in the book, but apparently do not have enough knowledge about McCarthyism to see any symbolism of it in the book.
And finally, because it has been called his best science fiction story ever, I had to read “Nightfall,” which is contained in the book of short stories that I possess. I loved this story and would have enjoyed if it had gone on longer, but am not sure I want to read the book adaptation that he wrote with Robert Silverberg (although I have also enjoyed that author). The short story is so good though that I’d be afraid I’d be disappointed with the book; but I don’t know, perhaps I’ll read it at some point. A wonderful story and premise – it’s something that I think will stay with me.
And I enjoyed the first autobiography (1920-1954) so much that when I saw the second one (1954-1978) available used, I had to get that one too. But I think I will save it for later – I think I’ve finally had enough Asimov for now.
So – time to move on.
And this is what I chose to read now:
The Ocean at the End of the Lane, I have read several of Mr. Gaiman’s books and loved every one of them. Looking forward to this one!
UPDATE: I finished reading this book on 9/5/14. It was a wonderful, wonderful book. (Here is a really good review by Benjamin Percy of the New York Times: “It All Floods Back.”) One thing I particularly noted in reading this book was on page 53 where he talks about myths. He says, “They weren’t adult stories and they weren’t children’s stories. They were better than that. They just were.” I like that. A highly recommended read in my opinion, without question.
Back in April, I had an issue with Comcast which resulted in three months of HBO for free. I was then able to watch the Game of Thrones series, based on the George R.R. Martin books that I so loved; and I got caught up on the whole series and finished out the season, after which I cancelled HBO and never got charged.
Then recently, my sister learned that another series was being made based on some favorite books: the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Well, we HAD to watch it so I called Comcast to order Starz. But then I learned that pay channels are not available on these old converter boxes and to pay for Starz AND get a new converter box was just not an option. I got a little upset about the unfairness of it all and complained. I was therefore given three months of Starz for free – along with HBO and Showtime! Apparently problems can sometimes bring benefits!
So my sister and I happily have been able to watch the new Outlander series and while it seems to be moving awfully slow, we are enjoying it. Will the season be finished before our free three months are up? I don’t know, but it is highly possible. And if we have to pay for a month or two, we have certainly gotten our money’s worth!
