tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33441758828325979092024-03-13T14:06:43.147-07:00JanBlogA Whatever of Thoughts and ThingsJanicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.comBlogger305125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-87239552620084303012022-01-03T16:31:00.002-08:002022-01-03T16:43:17.825-08:00Nightmare<span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkLek6Y5gVaOgkGxjTwY-zh6PGqF7P16bMapbCdmDkdrWMl6lioC58kBHlcGcIJxc5okKC-bTvKfSER90awJR4sktDA49ASBPGgQD6oPm17iy_PeKO5479LUQNr3x2D-IWLjWZCskWSY4T2E94dLYjDpm9U66azQy8t4PgX3FYavx43a3PRipqfz6FEA=s288" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="288" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkLek6Y5gVaOgkGxjTwY-zh6PGqF7P16bMapbCdmDkdrWMl6lioC58kBHlcGcIJxc5okKC-bTvKfSER90awJR4sktDA49ASBPGgQD6oPm17iy_PeKO5479LUQNr3x2D-IWLjWZCskWSY4T2E94dLYjDpm9U66azQy8t4PgX3FYavx43a3PRipqfz6FEA" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">R.I.P. sweet Cleo</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I last posted in 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic. Little did I ever guess that, two years later, we would be still battling this virus. The virus is only part of the mess: climate change, voters' rights at risk in the US, an attempted coup orchestrated by the previous crooked president, and democracy being threatened are all part of the mix these days. It is hard to believe what is happening, and I am not particularly hopeful for the future. I'm glad I'm old and was around for the good years. What a mess!</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">And my dog died...</span></div>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-25858131363761842812020-06-27T21:09:00.001-07:002022-01-03T16:33:19.222-08:00Not So Much<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My high hopes for 2020 have pretty much hit the skids since the virus appeared on the scene in March. Actually it was here long before, but we were unaware. Once the country did finally wake up, it was too late and opportunites to defeat it were lost. Now, months later, we are still at war with it. Who knows how this will end? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My calendar is blank, and I spend much of my time alone due to public health guidelines. However, there is still some joy. I found myself going to grandson John's graduation via a uTube live stream. I always assumed I'd be there in person, but that was not to be. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another source of happiness was the long awaited opening of the community garden in late May. We all scrambled around to get the grounds back in order, ridding the garden of waist high weeds that were so plentiful the paths between garden plots had disappeared. Within a week, all was back in order and our wonderful weed-eating sheep arrived to finish the job. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And now fire season approaches while the daily virus numbers go up. I had high hopes for 2020. Not so much anymore. However, half the year is still left. I remain hopeful... and thankful that it hasn't been worse. It has been a devastating time for so many.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On we go...</span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-32112578605194921002020-01-08T15:55:00.000-08:002020-06-25T21:04:18.142-07:00Let It Be Sweet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Twenty Twenty! A new year begins. Here's the sweetness, personal and global, that I'd like to see this year...</span><br />
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<li style="text-align: left;">The Defeat of Donald Trump</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Healthy Personal Profile</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Planet Well-Being*</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Good Fortune for Friends & Family</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">More Kindness & Tolerance in General in the World</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Rise of the Middle Class</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Continuing Loving Relationships (and maybe beginning some new ones)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">*if it's not too late</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Amen</span></div>
<br />Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-35185641598922398892019-08-30T06:58:00.002-07:002019-08-30T07:00:22.960-07:00My Greenish Thumb<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is how it all began way back in April when I began my first garden attempt in many, many years. A weed patch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> With lots of hard work and help from my grandsons, it morphed into this much improved version of a spring garden. Tomatoes, radishes, chives, cucumbers, and zinnias began to fill my small area. However, that cucumber trellis looks ridiculously empty, the tomatoes don't look much better, and slugs are after my zinnias.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On it goes...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">until it magically transforms into...THIS!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And THIS!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Started from specially ordered seeds, this Queen Anne's Lace is my garden favorite. I know it is a weed that grows wild and free along country roadsides, but I have always loved the bloom on this fabulous plant, so lovely in bouquets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now it's August, almost September, and the cucumbers have overgrown their trellis, the tomatoes are spilling over the top of the wire guard, and my once tidy garden is beginning to look a bit like a green tangled jungle, though still producing marvelous treats for the dinner table. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What a fun adventure it has been, worth all the hard work.</span></div>
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<br />Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-3123538286277858462018-09-18T20:44:00.000-07:002018-09-18T20:57:31.426-07:00Good Move<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And so...another chapter begins.</span></div>
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Adios 1400. I loved you.<br />
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Hello, 153! I have high hopes.<br />
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-57681354289195284042018-05-21T22:19:00.000-07:002018-05-21T22:19:25.621-07:00Bucket List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">NOLA...I finally made it. I have wanted to go for years, and I was not disappointed. As if that weren't enough, we did Memphis and Nashville, too... getting a sampling of great music as we went from place to place. However, there's still no place like home.</span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-25295745846530535502018-01-04T20:53:00.002-08:002018-01-04T20:54:43.045-08:00Undecking the Halls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's time. The holiday decorations must come down for another year. Why is it that it is so much fun to put them up and such a bore to take them down? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was a good holiday, spending time with both branches of the family. It gets harder and harder to get together with everyone as the family gets more spread out. Who knows what it will be like next year, with part of the family now in Bend, OR and Santa Rosa homes being put on the market, mine included. So, it's important to enjoy the good holiday that was.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Good memories. And, now, I am going to force myself to undeck these halls!</span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-76266932379705570772017-10-26T20:14:00.000-07:002017-10-26T21:48:52.473-07:00Wine Country Fire<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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Judging by the newspaper photos, my beautiful city of Santa Rosa looks like a war zone in some places. It is very hard for me to see.<br />
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I have not seen much of the damage in person...only that little bit as I went to Kaiser Hospital, evacuated during the fire, for my flu shot.<br />
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It will be a while before I am able take in the full extent of the fire's vicious path, if I ever do. I'm not sure I want to see.</div>
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I grieve for the devastating losses that so many people have suffered. And I grieve for the trauma and deaths of wildlife and pets. Yet, I am lucky. The fire came very close to my home, but it survived. And I survived. However, that 2 a.m. robo call telling me to GET OUT will be forever embedded in my brain. </div>
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I am not the same.</div>
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Will Santa Rosa ever be the same?</div>
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I expect so, but it is going to take some time.</div>
Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-39545265711827707462017-08-23T10:22:00.001-07:002017-08-23T10:23:26.844-07:00Over the Moon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This photograph, courtesy of NASA, is my favorite of this week's solar eclipse. I was hopeful that I would be able to view it first hand here in CA, but clouds prevailed and the sun did not show its face the entire day. So, like many people too lazy to get in the car and travel, I turned on the TV. Well, it was awesome!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I particularly loved watching the crowds of people across the nation, everyone as awestruck as I was. I thought to myself...how wonderful it is that we can share an experience that allows us to forget all about Charlottesville and the negativity that is going on in our county and enjoy the wonder of our world, reminded that we are but a small piece of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A beautiful moment...</span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-31929899384929425202017-06-24T16:31:00.000-07:002017-07-09T11:04:42.180-07:00Good Day Sunshine!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Perfect weather! So, off we went adventuring to Spring Lake Lagoon, where the water park was in full swing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jane and Alex donned the required life jackets and had a grand time merrily playing on the equipment in the park, while John and I lounged in the beach area, enjoying the sun and taking photos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And there was time for some inside fun too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yes, a good day of family fun.</span><br />
<br />Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-64412675083047422432017-05-14T14:23:00.001-07:002017-05-14T14:23:18.971-07:00AS I SEE IT: Pet Peeve #2<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 24px; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>"Activist" Obama Tells Americans "You Get The Politicians You Deserve”</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Right! And I am pissed. I do understand that it is hard for some people to get to the polls. I wish we had a holiday or weekend voting, so that it was easier to cast a vote. These are not the people I am thinking about as I write these words. I am referring to the people who just could not be bothered to go to the polls; they didn’t think it would matter. “There’s no difference between Trump and Clinton,” they said. People wrote in Mickey Mouse for President. I have one friend who actually wrote in her own name because she could not make up her mind between Clinton and Trump. Now these people are complaining, upset, and distraught. Boo fucking hoo! They are getting what they deserve. Unfortunately I am stuck in this mess with these losers. Yes. I am pissed! What did they think was going to happen? Or did they just not think?</b></span><br />
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<attachment aria-label="Voting.docx" class="Apple-web-attachment" id="<F82DC85F-5F55-4896-825B-11B54BE5281A>" role="button" style="font-family: Papyrus; font-size: 18px;" title="Voting.docx" type="application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document"></attachment>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-42305292767486889362017-05-13T16:54:00.000-07:002017-05-13T18:51:55.788-07:00So Fine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Legion of Honor is a part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and some friends and I made a day of it to check out the Monet exhibit. We lucked out and found a parking place very close by, so the showers that Mother Nature chose to provide did not dampen our spirits. The first order of business, however, was lunch in the convenient on site cafeteria. The quiche was as good as it looked!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our tickets were for noon, so we finished our lunch and headed for the exhibit, which was very crowded but nicely organized so that we were able to get a good view of every painting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Many of the pieces were unfamiliar to me, as this collection was comprised of his earlier work. No lilies!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Luckily, we had a little time left before we needed to leave, so we headed upstairs to see what was there. Apart from Monet's art, this piece was my favorite of the day. Amazing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We battled the commute traffic going home, but it was all worth it. Every time I travel to San Francisco, I think to myself that I should make the effort more often. A fun day! </span></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-76034839115311203962017-05-11T08:36:00.000-07:002017-05-12T20:42:05.514-07:00AS I SEE IT: Pet Peeve #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The phrase "with all due respect", usually said in a syrupy & condescending tone of voice, has been bothering me for a LONG time. Most often used by politicians, it provides a sugar-coating for a snarky remark. I think it is wishy-washy and phony. Just say what you've got to say! Period.</span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-2578319336105032032017-03-21T14:10:00.000-07:002017-03-21T14:10:39.861-07:00But Not This Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My favorite time of year is again upon us. </div>
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Spring-</div>
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A time of renewal and new beginnings,</div>
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But not this year. </div>
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All is different</div>
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Because hope is now riding in the back seat.</div>
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The new driver is Fear</div>
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Assisted by Lies, Corruption, and Arrogance.</div>
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It is dark, indeed, even as the dawn comes.</div>
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The once bright world has taken on a different hue</div>
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Since Evil and his cronies</div>
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Started lurking the West Wing of the White House, saying "You're fired!" </div>
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To Truth and Compassion.</div>
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Will Spring return in all its glory</div>
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Once this growing black cloud, filled with Hate and Greed,</div>
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Is conquered by Truth, Liberty, and Justice?</div>
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A crisis, terrifying to watch, is approaching.</div>
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I can feel it, and it frightens me...</div>
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So, this different, unfamiliar spring, the likes of which I have never known,</div>
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Is making its move into reality.</div>
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A time of renewal and new beginnings,</div>
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But not this year.</div>
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<br />Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-19590859292729834502017-01-30T21:40:00.001-08:002017-01-30T21:40:50.107-08:00We Shall Overcome!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here we are in downtown Santa Rosa, all 5000 of us!</div>
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Rain decided to come to the party, but our spirits could not be dampened.</div>
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What a great day. I'll never forget it!</div>
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We shall overcome.</div>
<br />Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-39249916483925867652017-01-30T21:07:00.002-08:002017-01-30T21:07:35.603-08:00Brunch at Tiffany's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Elegant! It's a birthday brunch for Bev, and Tiffany might as well have catered this affair. </div>
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Even the birthday cake screamed Tiffany.</div>
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So, of course, we all got into the act.</div>
Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-5173001429590119382016-10-13T09:37:00.001-07:002016-10-13T09:40:23.957-07:00Good Vibrations: Visiting Esalen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What a fabulous place! No wonder it has been on my bucket list for all these years. We arrived on Friday and were totally captivated by the view from our deck. Perfect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> And the view from the dining deck was pretty spectacular, too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The garden-to-table food did not disappoint. Shown below is the delicious pasta with marinara sauce that was dinner, and there were gluten free lemon bars for dessert. I had three! By far my favorite food item appeared at the first dinner there: celery root, battered and fried to a crisp, golden brown. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I took a mindfulness meditation workshop, lazed in the hot springs, and enjoyed coffee surrounded by the beauty of Big Sur. Amazing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was relaxing and enriching. I didn't come away with any new knowledge, but it was a powerful refresher course in what life is all about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">OMMM...</span></div>
<br />Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-40434068645058213952016-08-25T09:42:00.000-07:002016-08-25T09:46:26.415-07:00The Last Hurrah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Before the school bells start to beckon students to class, we managed to squeeze a little fun into the dog days of summer. Lake Ralphine at Howarth Park was our first stop, and we took advantage of the canoes and paddleboats.</span><br />
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A visit to the lovely Sonoma Coast was also on our agenda, and Salmon Creek became our destination for a end-of-summer picnic. </div>
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Perfect weather. Perfect day.</div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-87444534205025342702016-07-26T13:44:00.000-07:002016-07-26T13:53:49.530-07:00Feeling Seventeen Again<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yes, another high school reunion. For some reason, these folks like to meet every year these days, not exactly my "cup of tea." This was only the fifth time I have attended, not a very good record considering I was secretary of my class.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">However, the setting was wonderful and the weather perfect for dining al fresco. But -alas- the Mean Girl was there. Again. I wonder if she attends EVERY reunion? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cocktails commenced. Right off the bat, she managed to get in a dig, her specialty, by commenting to a large group that one of our mutual friends was "three sheets to the wind" at a previous reunion. Later, at dinner, she reminded everyone at our table that she and I had both been up for the same part in a school drama production...and that SHE won the role. The Mean Girl's worst remark, of the ones that I witnessed, was to inform a classmate that she was her prom date's fourth choice. Yes! After receiving three refusals from other girls, he finally invited her. She heard this for the first time at the reunion. Really.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I guess some people don't change: and, though I hate to admit it, she is still capable of "pushing my buttons", just as she did when we were teenagers. So much for growth and maturity. Ha.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But I had a nice time at the reunion, in spite of the Mean Girl.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-34488312149130484372016-06-29T10:05:00.000-07:002016-06-29T10:05:32.142-07:00Tapas, Anyone?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Preparing for my tapas party, I consulted a tapas cookbook and discovered that tapas can really be just about anything! How nice to discover there was so much variety. I decided on a first course of spicy gazpacho, and it turned out to be pleasing to the eye as well as the palate. Way too much chopping, however.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Deviled eggs...yes...they're tapas. Who knew! The green olive gives these a bit of an edge, I think.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Grilled shrimp with a spicy tomato sauce. Divine!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This dish was the hit of the party. It has a fancy Spanish name but is basically a potato omelet. Gone in a flash, and I had been hoping for left-overs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The table looked lovely, if I do say so myself. I love, love, love these plates from Il Fornaio. I know...Italian, not Spanish, but the look worked for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A good time...with good friends to make it even better.</span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-20844090986745958232016-01-01T20:11:00.000-08:002016-01-01T20:11:03.856-08:00Hello, 2016!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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How did I get to be so old while still feeling so young?</div>
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Why do the years fly by so quickly now?</div>
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That's the way it is, I guess</div>
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When you reach that 70ish place in your life.</div>
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I'm glad to be here, enjoying the moments (or sometimes not),</div>
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Seeing the sights,</div>
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And being.</div>
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Just being. </div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-23846909683303607942015-07-04T06:44:00.001-07:002015-07-04T16:27:16.408-07:00Seeking a More Perfect Union<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today is a good day to reflect on how far we've come as a country. Weirdly enough, the founders of our nation would most likely be considered sexist, racist, and homophobic by today's standards*. Yet these men deserve credit for inventing a country constructed to allow us to continually seek "a more perfect union", a job that will never end since perfection has no finish line.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With the Supreme Court's recent decision to give same-sex couples the right to marry, we've heard the predictable howls of outrage from the gatekeepers of yesterday. We've heard the refusal of some Southern states to accept the court's ruling, just as they did during the civil rights years. As our nation moves forward seeking the dream of "justice for all", this is to be expected. This is the way change works.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, this 4th of July 2015 is a bright day, a day to look back and see how far we have come. Yes, we have! The work continues as we strive for that perfection that will continue to elude us. But isn't it grand that we keep trying? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">See, Mom...I <u>was</u> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">listening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">*Thank you to Leonard Pitts of the Miami Herald for this startling thought.</span></i></span></div>
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Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-5230757520254078042015-06-19T22:42:00.000-07:002015-07-03T21:53:27.466-07:00Lighten Up!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> I am sending a mental memo to myself: keep looking for the proverbial silver lining when a rough patch comes around. I believe it is always there, somewhere...and will eventually appear. I want to see the glass half full. Not half empty.</span></div>
Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-5705361129687780312015-06-13T15:24:00.000-07:002015-06-13T15:25:18.208-07:00No Biz Like It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am so lucky that professional theater is right in my backyard. I love all types of theater: semi professional, community, high school, and even the occasional grammar school production; but there is no business like show business done by a professional cast. Period.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Take Book of Mormon...raucous, X-rated fun. The audience was in hysterics. I could not believe the cleverness of this show, which is a bit of a new-comer to the theatrical scene. I am sure that I will attend local performances of BOM in the future, but nothing (except a trip to Broadway) will top this San Francisco production in my Memory Book. Yes, it takes a pro.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And now take A Little Night Music, the opposite side of the musical coin... formal, PG rated fun. Sondheim takes his audience on a melodic journey that is not to be easily forgotten. Since the show originated in the 70s, I have been able to see local productions of this show, and - while I enjoyed these smaller presentations - there is no comparison to what the pros are able to accomplish with the same material.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No Biz like Pro Biz. I guess that's why they get the bucks.</span>Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3344175882832597909.post-47799720939489646502015-05-23T20:32:00.000-07:002015-05-23T20:32:24.709-07:00Sausalito<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After years of visiting Sausalito to peruse the tempting shops and dine in the wonderful restaurants, I finally selected a different path and took a houseboat tour, just to see what that water world is all about. It was more fabulous than I had ever imagined. Of course, the boats on the tour were fit for a magazine cover, magnificently decorated and a treat for my landlubber's eyes.<br />
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The houses are connected by well-maintained wooden "sidewalks" lined on both sides by colorful pots filled with blooming shrubs, succulents, and decorative grasses, making for a very pretty neighborhood.<br />
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As much as I enjoyed the tour, the best part of the day was lunch at the Spinnaker, a restaurant I have always wanted to go to; and it did not disappoint.</div>
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I splurged and had a crab Louis, a favorite of mine. It was one of the best I have ever had because the crab was piled atop an avocado half. Divine.</div>
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A great day...<br />
<br />Janicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882248671520480556noreply@blogger.com1