REDONDOWRITER'S SACRED ORDINARY

If I'm Not Here I'm at the Beach

On Saturday I took the Redondo Beach Historic Homes Tour one week early as I'm docenting and they had a caravan tour just for us. I had great fun and took lots and lots of photos. If you live in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, this tour on June 27 will be one you won't want to miss. I'll post a photo now and then. 

I love signs people who live at the beach put in their windows and I saw several. I'm into minimalist posting, at least today, so all I can say is this is a weekend of gratitude on so many levels. Friday was the talent show, Saturday was a fav artist's garage sale, the home tour, and I volunteered at the Malaga Cove Library in the afternoon. My son Tony and his family moved into their new house in Palos Verdes and last night I attended a party honoring a very dear and old friend's 70th birthday. And today, at the beach, the sun came out. Just living by the ocean is a gratitude within itself. 

Update on Cookie

Cookie was back on her Cushings meds at half dose for a month and last week she began to get sick again and she had been doing so well. The vet stopped the meds and now Cookie has her appetite back and isn't vomiting et al, so obviously she can't tolerate the meds.

He thinks maybe it is Addisons instead of Cushings. All I know is that today she is great again except for the creakiness of old age. What to do next? We'll see what he says, but I'm inclined to leave her off the meds for the summer entirely so we can both have decent vacations.

This is my friend Lori, a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines, who had a layover in L.A. tonight. She was my roomie for 2 1/2 years in the late 1990s, when I got Cookie as a young pup. Lori wasn't married then but she is now and has an adorable 3-year-old daughter Abby. She lives in Toledo, OH.

I picked Lori up at the airport, we had dinner and then she came to visit "Cookie Monster," her pet name for Cookie--and Cookie remembered her.

She has to be up at 4 a.m. for her morning flight so I delivered her back to her hotel.

Here is Lori with her baby Abbigail. What a great evening we had. I've always considered Lori "one of my kids."

Viking Cradle: A Grandfather's Gift

I have worked for several years with a wonderful woman named Jessie who is momentarily expecting her first baby, a girl. I have never heard of a viking cradle so when she told me her dad was making one for her baby, I was fascinated. This is what it looked like early in the crafting in her dad's workshop in Florida. 

The progress of the cradle has been fascinating to me. Jessie puts photos of it on her FaceBook page. It forced me to do a little research and I found a great link to a Baby Boat Cradle. 

I had heard of viking funerals but never viking cradles. Had you heard of them? This is the cradle this weekend. Jessie's due date is Tuesday. She said that she, Lenn and his family are finishing up painting the shields. What a family heirloom. 

Welcome to the world, little girl. 

1940 Ford Coupe Envy: Kudos to Jerry and Chuck

Shine your Chevy, detail your Deuce Coupe and hustle your hot rod over to Reno and Sparks' Hot August Nights for a celebration of America's love affair with cars and rock and roll: July 31 - August 9, 2009. That’s what my friend Jerry and his friend from childhood, Chuck, will be doing this year, as Jerry does every year.

Only this year they will be showing off “Jer’s 40,” a hot red 1940 Ford coupe that the two men have been restoring since 2002. Chuck and Jerry are in their early ‘70s now and their passion is restoring cars. Buddies since they were 13-years-old, they bought Jer’s 40 when it looked like this. Double click the photos to see them in more detail. 

This what it looks like now. 

When Dannie, Jer’s wife, and my own life-long friend, sent the photos of the restored car recently, I was totally jazzed. In Sparks, NV, where they live, Jerry has a big garage at home where he does his restorations. He even has one car he restored in honor of Dannie, but that’s a story for another time. Dannie’s e-mail describing Jer’s 40 follows:

“I'm glad you enjoyed the picture of Jerry's car.  He is so proud of it.  In January 2002, Jerry's best friend Chuck, from his teenage years was here visiting.  They are both very much into cars.  They were driving and tinkering with cars from the time they were 13 years old.  Anyway, they saw this 40 Ford advertised in the paper.  It was located in Arizona.  So they got on a plane and flew down to check it out.  Jerry bought it and they drove it home.  Took two days and was quite a trip.  It had never been refurbished, so not much of anything worked very well.  They couldn't get the key out so when they stopped for the night they had to park it right outside the motel window so they could keep an eye on it.  Probably neither one of them slept that night.  They finally made it home and they were both in seventh heaven.  They started working on it right away and Chuck wound up staying an extra month.

After Chuck left, Jerry started working on a couple of other cars that he had.  He wanted to wait till Chuck could come again to work on the 40.  So, over the years, lots of Chuck’s vacations have been spent working on the 40 with Jerry.  They tried several different engines, and finally settled on a new Flat head engine which was what the kids used to "hop up" in the old days and it goes like a ‘bat out of H---‘.  He got tuck and roll upholstery put in it and took it to the painter about a month and a half ago.  Just got it back on Saturday when I sent the picture.

Hot August Nights will be starting up here in a few months and he is really looking forward to showing the car.  Hot August nights lasts for a week, and they have about 6,000 old cars registered this year.   They have show and shines all around town, so I probably won't be seeing much of Jerry then."

Dannie's using oxygen these days and isn't able to spend the countless hours at Hot August Nights like she used to, but she says he has lots of friends in the old car clubs, so he always has someone to hang out with.

This is a photo Dannie snapped of Chuck (l) and her husband Jerry. And here's two more views of Jer's 40. 

 For the life of me I can't seem to write the code tonight to get these photos centered, but if you've just had some wonderful dreams of what it was like to ride in a car like this, let me know. 

A Look at a Local Environmental Hero Bringing Awareness on Earth Day

Award-winning naturalist Martin Byhower, who has been working tirelessly long before most of us were even aware of being environmental stewards was honored this past weekend as one of the community’s environmental heroes by Manhattan Beach, CA’s chapter of VOICE (Volunteers and Organizations Improving the Community’s Environment), during the city’s Earth Day Celebration.

Martin teaches Middle School Science at Chadwick School where I work and I’ve had the pleasure of knowing him for almost 20 years. He is a legend in the Southern California environmentalist movement and is well known as a birder in the National Audubon Society. Martin is one of the few people I know who lives his passion.  Below is a photo of him working with a student in Chadwick canyon where for more than a decade he has had the Ecology Club replacing the non-native plants with native ones. 

As part of my school’s Earth Day Celebration for 2009, Martin put the following e-mail out to the entire campus community about Earth Week which is scheduled for next week. Many individuals and the media are critical of Earth Day itself and say it has outlasted its effectiveness. If environmental awareness continues to be relevant, Martin's Earth Week plan in tandem with Earth Day itself still has the potential of making a difference. In education we are forever looking for “teachable moments."

Martin’s e-mail said: “Established April 22, 1970, Earth Day acknowledges that environmental issues have reached a "critical mass." The first Earth Day resulted in long needed legislation to conserve resources and protect human health and wildlife. Although progress was made, on this 40th Earth Day celebration, many of those same problems are still with us, in some cases exponentially greater. HOWEVER, the purpose of Earth Day is to celebrate the beauty, richness, and wonder of Spaceship Earth, and to renew our commitment to the progress that is being made protecting our finite and fragile planet.

During Chadwick Earth Week, brought to you by Chadwick Ecommunity and Chadwick Sustainability, the entire Chadwick community will engage in activities designed to demonstrate that we are well on the path towards a Sustainable, Eco-friendly lifestyle at our school. Here is how the week is planned to play out:

 Mon. April 27: TRASH FREE DAY

All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to Bring lunches in reusable, recyclable, or compostable containers.

Thanks to the kitchen staff, virtually all food plates and utensils are compostable, and kitchen trimmings will also be saved for composting by Ecommunity.

Tues. April 28: POOL TO SCHOOL DAY

Anyone riding a school bus or participating in a carpool with 3 or more students (if there is a parent driver) or 4 or more students (if there is a student driver), and students who are campus residents and who walk to classes, are eligible to win a prize, and more importantly, will demonstrate their commitment to reducing global warming and increasing American energy independence. All students who participate will be eligible to receive a ticket to win one of 13 organic T-shirts bearing freshman Lillian Babcock's original Ecommunity/ Sustainability logo (randomly drawn, but possibly one per grade level) courtesy of Ecommunity. Save your tickets!

Wed. April 29: WEAR SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING DAY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL RECYCLE FUNDRAISER KICKOFF

The Middle School will reaffirm their commitment to making the campus-wide can and bottle recycling effort successful, and in turn will be given half of the proceeds from that program to donate to the environmental causes that they have chosen to support.All students are encouraged to wear sustainably-produced clothing that day (including clothing made from organic cotton, recycled synthetic materials, previously owned clothing, etc.)

Thurs. April 30: BYOBC (BRING YOUR OWN BEVERAGE CONTAINER) DAY

All faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to bring and use their refillable water bottles or, at least, bring or purchase beverages in non-plastic containers. Plastic beverage containers of any sort will not be sold in the cafeteria this day, but plenty of water refill stations exist on campus!

Fri. May 1: MINIMIZE ELECTRICITY DAY and SUPPORT MIDDLE SCHOOL BAKE/ COOKBOOK SALE

Chadwick teachers have been asked to reduce lighting or to use only natural light (windows, skylights, etc., and if that is not possible, perhaps consider teaching class outdoors), refrain from showing videos or smartboards, maintaining classroom thermostats to cool only if the ambient temperature is above 78 degrees, and switching computers or overhead projectors off when they are not in use.

Also on this day, the MS cookbook and bake sale will raise funds to support selected environmental causes.

 

Dog Tales: A Reading Program for Kids and Dogs

If you have a child who is a beginning or shy reader, what could be more fun than cuddling up with a patient and friendly dog as a reading buddy? This particular program with the photos I took today is sponsored by the Peninsula Library District and the Peninsula Friends of the Library in Palos Verdes. 

In the first of three dates scheduled for the Library's Dog Tales program, several children gathered in the Gallery Room of the Malaga Cove Library today, April 11, to read to dogs brought by Paws 4 Healing and its Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program. These dogs are registered with the Delta Society for their outstanding temperament and ability to stay calm and obedient among strangers. Children sign up for 15-minute time slots, during which they can cuddle up with a four-legged reading buddy.

If you live in the South Bay area of Los Angeles,  there are two more dates to participate: Saturday, May 9 and Saturday, June 13, 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Malaga Cove Branch. If you don't live nearby, you might want to check with your own library to see if this program is available in your area. Click on the photos to enlarge them. 

 This is Brinkley, a Portuguese Water Dog, which is one of the breeds President and Mrs. Obama may adopt for their daughters. His owner/handler said this breed has hair vs. fur and is hypo-allergenic. His reading buddy holds up her official card saying "I Read to Brinkley." 

This Dalmatian mix dog was busy being read to and I didn’t catch his name, but I’m wondering if there are 100 more just around the corner.

 This is Riley, a Labrador Retriever/Canaan mix, who was a rescue dog in 2000. His owner/handler is Dennis Cajili and on Riley's behalf, he provides cards telling the story of his adoption and training. He has sunglasses when he reads himself. 

Space is limited for May 9 and June 13, so reservations are strongly encouraged if you are planning to participate in the Palos Verdes. To read more about Dog Tales, visit the Peninsula Library District website or call the Young Readers Desk at (310) 377-9584, x600. 

Happy Valenswine's Day a la Mark's Musings

Kay Dennison of Kay's Thinking Cap is the queen of the groaners, but thanks to Mark’s Musings: A daily joke, a daily link, a daily thought for you to think, I’m passing on a few valentine's day groaners to you. Mark’s blog is absolutely amazing!

By the way, this is one of my Red Lion amaryllis blossoms up close. They’ve been slowing growing since late November and I am considering them my valentine to myself today as well as to you.

VALENTINE GROANERS

If you give someone a really small Valentine's Day card, that's called a "Valentiny."

I told you about the painter who was in love, didn't I? He loved a girl with all his art.

So what's a good gift for the man who loves his car this time of year? A Valenshine!

Two boat oars went out on a date. They dined and wined and were very row-mantic.

I saw a pig give a box of chocolates to another pig. Apparently it was Valenswine's Day.

What did one pickle say to the other on Valentine's Day? "You mean a great dill to me."

Why do valentine's come in the shape of a heart?
Because a spleen would be pretty gross!

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Jimmy.
Jimmy who?
Jimmy a kiss?

Anyhow, happy valentine's day to you all! I'm settling in with a schmaltzy movie, my tuna casserole dinner, a bunch of old magazines to chop up for SoulCollage--and Cookie at my feet. Sounds like my kind of day! 

Seagulls Say: Live in the Moment

This morning my friends Mary Lou, Barbara and Jerry and I met at Martha's 22nd St. Cafe in Hermosa Beach for breakfast. After, we walked across the sand to water's edge and chatted. Today is an amazingly beautiful day: crisp, clear, and the snow-capped mountains are visible behind the city of Los Angeles.

I snapped this photo of seagull tracks and in case you don't read seagull, I was amazed to find they had written the words on the card I pulled this morning from my Thich Nhat Hanh "Present Moment, Wonderful Moment" inspirational card deck. 

1. Waking Up 

Waking up this morning, I smile.

Twenty-four brand new hours 

are before me.

I vow to live fully 

in each moment

and to look at all beings with

eyes of compassion. 

Today was to have been the annual holiday brunch of our 30 plus year gourmet group. Unfortunately, Larry, Mary Lou's husband, was still in the hospital so Barbara coaxed her out of the house to go to breakfast. Next month we'll reschedule the group get-together. Larry is an inspiration to us all and he will come home today. For five years he has battled liver disease and all the discomfort of several side-effects of the disease. Larry and Mary Lou have learned to live life a day at a time the hard way. All of us have been pupils and teachers of one another. 

Barbara and Mary Lou have been my really close girlfriends since around 1966 when we met at our local church. Our kids went to school together and our families were often together. When my marriage painfully fell apart in 1984, it was the two of them (and a lot of other friends), who listened to me, who supported me, who convinced me I could be happy as a single woman. Six years ago Barbara's husband, Dale, died unexpectedly after a very short illness and then it was Mary Lou's and my turn (along with a lot of other family members and friends) who helped Barbara to become comfortable in her new life. She is now married to a wonderful man named Jerry who I personally adore. Who would have thunk? 

Jerry took this photo of Mary Lou, Barbara and I at the shoreline. That's the coastline at Santa Monica you see behind us and there's a ship out there, too. Our foot steps are mingled with seagull talk. 

And this is Jerry and Barbara. We have done a whole lot of living, growing, grieving and laughing together and will continue to do so, a day at a time. 

Creative Every Day Creative Challenge for 2009

First of all, remember, everyone is an artist, even someone like me who has had to be convinced that I am. It’s that time of year when I begin to wrap up the current year and get organized for the next. One thing I want to be is more consistently creative in 2009 without making a big deal about it or spending tons of time on projects. When I read about Leah Piken Kolidis’s Every Day Challenge for 2009 on Kathryn Petro Harper’s blog A Mindful Life, I checked it out and decided to participate. Leah started this challenge (and others) in 2008. Here are the basics, but if you click on the link, she gives you lots of information about the challenge in 2008. Leah’s Creative Every Day blog has so much information and wonderful graphics. You’re going to love it.

Here are Leah's basics, but read in depth at her blog. She says:

     . I started Creative Every Day Challenge in 2008 to help infuse my life and lives of others with daily creativity.

     . Creativity is meant in the broadest sense, so it doesn't have to be something art related. Your creative acts could be in cooking, taking pictures, knitting, doodling, writing, dancing, decorating, singing, playing with your kids, brainstorming ideas, gardening, or making art in the form of collage, paint, or clay...or whatever!

     . You do not have to post every day! I know for myself that having to post every day for a year would be too much. You can post about your creativity in whatever form you like, whether that be once a day, a few times a week, once a week, or once a month. Do what works for you!

     . This is a low pressure challenge, with the idea of bringing more creativity into our lives. I will not be the creativity police. I hope that we can all find ways simple and grand to express our creative selves. Have fun with it!

     . If you'd like to join in, leave a comment on this blog post or email me (email link is in the top left sidebar) and I'll add your name to the list of participants which will reside in the sidebar of my blog.

     . If you find this challenge after the 1st of January, you can still join in!

     . There's info below on how to post the CED button to your blog.

What's new in 2009:

     . In 2009, I'm going to try out a couple new things. For one, I will be doing a monthly theme. The themes will be purely for inspirational purposes and to give some focus to anyone who needs it. You can use the monthly theme to help spur you on or ignore it. It's entirely up to you!

     . I'm also going to be posting interviews with people about their creative habits, so if you have any suggestions of people you'd like to hear from, let me know!

How to Participate:

     . There are a variety of ways to participate. These ways are here for you to enjoy, not to pressure you, so use any or all of them as you see fit. You can post on your blog about your creative activities, you can post images on flickr, you can comment on my weekly CED blog posts with what you're up to, or use the Mr. Linky widget to share a link to a specific blog post or image.

     . Participate in any way that makes sense for you. I think it's helpful to share with the community what you're up to as it can be incredibly fun and inspirational. But don't let it stress you out. Make it doable for you. 

     . There's a flickr group for this project where you can share images of your creativity (it's not required, just another way to share and see what others are doing.) You can sign up for the flickr group for free here.

     . You can post about your creativity in whatever form feels best for you. You can post about it on your blog daily, weekly, monthly or however feels best. A blog isn't even required to participate! If you don't have a blog, you can share what you're up to in the comments on my blog or on the flickr group.

I will also be posting a weekly Creative Every Day Challenge post where you can use the Mr. Linky widget to post the url of your blog posts or links to images for the week. I post this every Monday.

So, are any of you up to the challenge? Check Leah's blog and thanks, Kathryn, for the heads-up.

Thoughts While Waiting for Rain

Ever since I came down with a sinus infection almost two weeks ago, my creativity and curiosity about all things, including Internet, has tanked. I am no longer “ill” but I have a residual cough and some negative thoughts I’m trying to reverse. I’ve largely escaped into books and sleep. Knowing the economy is sliding and being in stores excessively decorated for Christmas, I’m working hard at happiness. I’m a big believer in happiness as choice, so I rarely dwell on the negative for long.

Now we are waiting for rain. This is a good thing for most of us and a scary thought for people in the recently burned areas. From my office window, I watch the clouds gathering over the L.A. basin. I’ve relocated umbrellas and put them into strategic places. Yesterday I stored all the patio furniture for the winter and I put away my summer and fall wardrobe and put my winter clothing in my bedroom closet. I’ve begun to write to my list of gratitudes I do this time of year and I’ve gone back to my Vision Board which has largely lain dormant for a month.

I reconnected with an old friend yesterday, Carol K. When both of us were newly divorced in the mid 1980s, we spent a lot of time together. She is the one who taught me how to find bargains at the thrifts and garage sales. For years she ran a clothing consignment shop and still works part-time in another. She supplements her income selling the things she buys. We both were in and out of relationships over the years and lost track of each other. A few weeks ago we serendipitiously reconnected—where? At a thrift shop! After lunch yesterday she introduced me to a new thrift in Carson called the Discount Center with 20% Monday senior discounts. I wasn’t in the market for clothing but got five articles of clothing for $10 and to my great surprise, all of them fit when I got them home. That means I have to recycle five articles of current clothing, but that will be easy.

At the request of an elderly friend who does not use the Internet, I have printed out pages of information from the local mortuaries about pricing, etc. Her husband, a long time friend, is in palliative care at a local long-term care facility and I’ve been bombarded with memories of better days. I remember my friend giving Tony a Big Wheel when he was four and now Tony is 41. Sigh!

Tonight another old friend is picking me up for a quick bite to eat and then we are going to the annual South Bay Interfaith Service. Tomorrow is my prep of the few dishes I am bringing to the family Thanksgiving at the home of my ex-husband and his wife. They say time moves more quickly as you age. Like a Japanese bullet train maybe.

Well, it hasn’t started raining yet but the wind is picking up and all the birds and bees who are usually in the trees outside my window have skeedaddled. Just some thoughts.