Monsters

"It was written... I should always be loyal

 to the nightmare of my choice."

~Joseph Conrad

Heart Of Darkness 

 

We are living in strange days. A presidential election in America had become something that I had never seen in my lifetime. A deeply divisive, dark Shakespearean play of dirty tricks and lies which led to Donald Trump's celebrated but unlikely win, and in less than a week, he will take the oath of office and become the next president. Since the election, two months ago, things have gone from depressing, to downright scary. In November, when the unlikely happened, I began to grieve. Hillary had lost to a man who promised everything to his supporters, with no details how it would be accomplished. Hillary had not promised everything, but did give a lot of details about what she knew she could change for the better. It all should have been a no-brainer for American voters. Experience. Concrete plans. Wisdom. Instead America had decided to go with Donald Trump, all because he promised to "shake things up" in Washington D.C. and beyond, and had brought the right tone of hatred to feed his supporters the red meat they craved so much.

But make no mistake... Donald Trump's win came by way of the Electoral Collage. He didn't win the popular vote by 2.9 million votes, but we have to stand by the voting system in place, so while most American's, who bothered to vote wanted Clinton, what we are apparently stuck with is Trump. Or are we? Things surrounding Trump has taken a strange turn. So strange that life right now feels like all of us are minor characters in a spy novel. We have an actual MI6 spy, Christopher Steele. We have a covert dossier on Trump, complete with salacious details, can you say... "golden showers?" We have international intrigue. And finally we have a bigger than life villain, bigger than Trump himself, Vladimir Putin. 

Trump will take the oath of office on January 20th. It's my fear that we are living in the last week of any kind of normal for quite a while, if ever again. It's my fear that when Trump takes the oath, our country will become something completely different than the free land I grew up in. Something spooky. Something less free. Something strange and lost. I feel this way because of the revelations that have come out this past week, contained in the information discovered by Christopher Steele while he was performing opposition research for one of the candidates running against Trump in the republican primaries.

There is something much worse than "golden showers" in that dossier. Something dark and unnatural. Something that apparently spooked the former spy to the point that he decided that it needed to be seen by the FBI. That implies a crime... a serious one. We all know right now that American's can no longer trust the FBI, at least the FBI under the leadership of James Comey. That fact was made perfectly clear Friday evening by democrats, upon leaving a closed door meeting with Comey on Capitol Hill. 

As Americans we all should have the right to know what shook everyone up so much. But you can't unlearn a fact, once it's in the open. When Trump's Access Hollywood tape came out, and I listened to his stupid voice bragging to Billy Bush about grabbing women's genitals, I actually tensed up so much I hurt my back and neck. It was like no other pain I have every experienced in my life. And to this day, it hurts every single time I think about what Trump said on that tape. Once it was played, once I heard it, there was no going back. Life changed.

Life is about to change again when Trump takes office. And it will change yet again when the investigation into the Russian influence on our democracy is all said and done. We won't be able to un-ring that bell. It will be horrific. It will be devastating. And it will change America forever. It will always be a part of our history, and it will probably change our path forward. And we won't be able to not know it. The America I find myself in now, is not the America I grew up in. On it's own that is normal. It's expected. But when I was a child, someone as unprepared as Donald Trump is on the surface, would never have gotten this far, but then when I was a child there was no such thing as "fake news." Or "reality TV." And Donald Trump wasn't even on the map. One thing that hasn't changed since I was a child. Monsters. And the evil deeds they do.

Will America recover, when all is said and done? 

Shrug.

I wish I knew.

Rachel Maddow said last night on her show that

 "knowing is better than not knowing."

 I hope she's right. 

 Mood: Quiet

~Me

 

 

A Splash Of Color

December 15th, 2014

Cull Canyon Park 

It rains.

And rains.

And rains.

But there is a sky above the rain

Nothing can rot the sky.

Earth has turned to mud.

What of it?

The heart of the planet is made of fire, of ardent sun.

~Visar Zhiti

The Condemned Apple; Selected Poetry

It was a rainy day. Cold. It was December, so of course it was cold, but I had the best time taking this photo! Everything looked black and white that day, except for that beautiful robin, sitting in the tree. I love days like this. What might be otherwise sad or lonely suddenly a splash of color, or maybe a laugh happens, and the whole day becomes something completely different.

You know. Life. 

And now for a new photo...

 January 2nd, 2017

San Ramon, California

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Snow In The Abstract

 June 2nd, 2015

"It was a curious day, slashed with fleeting,

 familiar impressions."

~F. Scott Fitzgerald 

One day, during the summer of 2015, I was getting my car washed and the soap was flowing down the window in such a way that it reminded me of an abstract scene of Aspen trees covered in ice and snow. I had seen some trees, covered in snow, years ago, in the Sierra, and one particularly cold January day in the Berkeley hills and again in 2014 on Mount Hamilton road. Aspen trees are so beautiful in autumn, their leaves look like tiny lemon drops, and even in winter, when they are completely bare, there is something beautiful about the way ice and snow hug the branches. 

The day I took that photo it was 103 outside. Dry as dust, and I was about as far from winter as I was going to get! I suppose I was feeling lonely for a truly cold day. It was June 2nd, 2015, which is granted, still spring, but summer heat sometimes imposes itself with no attention paid to whether I was ready for it or not. Seasons do that. How about you? Do you see abstracts in silly patterns like soap, or maybe clouds? Everyone sees shapes in clouds. My friend Steven once told me he saw bunnies in clouds no matter what kind of clouds would be floating above him. I guess on that day I saw trees, with a few leaves covered in snow.

 Sierra Nevada, November 2016

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

It's January, But May Is On My Mind

"Lots of people go mad in January. 

Not as many as in May, of course, nor June. 

But January is your third most common month for madness."

~Karen Joy Fowler

Sarah Canary

It has been raining, for what feels like forever, but is more closely 7 out of the last 10 days. Different amounts on different days. But the rain has been serious... it's not messing around! And where it hasn't been raining, it's been snowing! Yosemite should be absolutely gorgeous with snow, and since this coming weekend is promising to be full of bright sunshine, I know the roads will finally be open.

I can't wait! I am aiming for Sunday, as that will be the middle of the three day weekend. My files of winter photos are seriously lacking, so hopefully it will be a successful photo jaunt. All I need is Alan, my camera, some snow, and a little bit of wanderlust. Well, actually, it would help if my Fibromyalgia isn't raging, so I will have to cross my fingers about that.

But honestly, even if I am in pain from head to foot, I need to get out and just do my photos. It's important to clear the winter blues by smelling the cold, fresh air, and distancing myself from the things I have no control over. Life has a mind of it's own. 

Like the day I took the photo above. It was literally my last day in our cottage in Berkeley. I was dead on my feet, just exhausted from packing and moving, but I needed to get out of the cottage for a bit. The landlord was coming by for a walk through, and Alan knew I was hurt and upset, so rather than see me lose my composure, he held it all for me, and I took my camera and went to a nearby park.

These gorgeous flowers were in full, beautiful glory! I spent about an hour or so just taking in the lovlieness of the park. I sat under one of my favorite trees, and said my goodbyes. That was one of the most hurtful aspects of leaving the East Bay, saying goodbye to that park, which was a second home to me. I still visit the park when I need to go to the Bay Area, and it is just amazingly pretty no matter what season we happen to be in. And even though I am a million miles away, it still feels like home whenever I visit, or when I go hopping around my archives, and I see these white flowers.

Flowers: Paeonia lacitfloria "Krinkled White" Peony

Mood: Quiet

~Me

 

Beware The Man You Think You Know

Quincy School House

Quincy, California

October 15th, 2016

  

Songs Of Sapphique

"Walls have ears. Doors have eyes.

Trees have voices. Beasts tell lies.

Beware the rain. Beware the snow.

Beware the man you think you know."

~Catherine Fisher

Incarceron 

As we inch closer and closer to Donald Trump taking office, I am finding myself thinking about different years of my life. I sometimes think about the first I heard about him. I think about how disgustingly seedy his life seemed, when the details of his first divorce came out. I remember thinking that it was a shame that affairs happen in marriages, but I remember thinking Ivana Trump was probably better off without him. 

I remember looking at pictures of the "other woman" and thinking despite the fact that she had slept with a married man, there was something gentle and likeable about her. I remember when Marla and Donald got married. She looked so pretty, and so glamorous. She looked happy, he looked like every other picture I had ever seen of him. He almost had this implication of "next" written on his appearance. And as it turns out... I was right. Marla would be thrown aside about 10 years or so down the road. Just as predicted by some of Trump's lawyers and friends.

And now the seedy, unfaithful husband will be president in 10 days and the joke is on his supporters because Donald Trump doesn't care about anyone but himself. He surrounds himself with YES people, and resists any kind of critique with not just dismissal, but aggressive dismissal. He thrashes and destroys anyone who dares question him. Whether they have his best interest at heart or not. If it's one thing we don't need in a president, it's a childish, aggressive narcissist who refuses to listen to anything that doesn't suit his predetermined ambition or inner dialog. 

We, America, are about to enter into the most dangerous time of my life, and that includes the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of JFK and the attempted assassination of Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. All things that seemed to bring us together as a nation. But things are different now, and Trump doesn't want us to come together. So, I don't know what things will be like a year from now, assuming a year from now exists. Trump seems to get a great deal of joy out of seeing American's turn on each other over him. His decisions are dangerous and at least some of his early supporters seem to be waking up to that fact, but it's pretty late in the game to have an epiphany. I don't want to see another president impeached, but Trump seems like he is barreling toward that end with his alliance with Putin, and his MANY conflicts of interest. And there is nothing anyone can do but hold on, and hope that Trump can be stopped before real damage is done to the United States. 

Rainy days make me think about what's about to happen. I can't get out and do any photography, and my body tends to be in more pain on days like this one. This week is full of rain, and jammed packed with senate confirmation hearings of some people who have NO business anywhere near holding a government office! Also later today, is President Obama's farewell speech to America. I don't know if I can watch any of it. I have mixed feelings about him as a leader, but I never went to bed frightened for my life or with a sense of foreboding like I feel with Trump. 

I have appreciated many things President Obama did in office, and other actions by him perplexed me and exasperated me to NO END. There is ten days left, and then the world will literally change forever! As I sit here right now... I don't see anything good coming from Trump taking office. Even when George W. Bush was in office, I had to reluctantly admit he loved his country, it's a lot clearer now that he still loves his country, and I can see where I was wrong about him to a degree. It was a complicated time, much too complicated for one post on this blog. 

If Trump manages to stay in the White House four years I will be 59 years old, should I survive. The thought of him in office eight years is almost more than I can take. The GOP is poised to do away with the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and they want to privatized Medicare. Trump's followers either weren't paying attention, or just plain didn't care because now it seems like they are caught off guard by the predicted cuts to most social programs. I feel sorry for them. I feel sorry that they got so caught up in the gitchy, never boring, "reality" of Trump's candidacy that they voted against their own interests! We on the left tried to tell them. We tried. God HELP US WE TRIED! It's no solace that the people who will probably be hurt the most by Trump, will be his own supporters!

But in that we are all on a collision course with fate daily, there is nothing that can be done. So I am just listening to the rain, trying to hold on and photograph the rain for what it is, a cold distraction from how cold and dark life is sometimes. It's strange how beautiful and scary a rainy day can be depending on what window you are looking out of.

"I went to bed and woke in the middle of the night thinking I heard someone cry, thinking I myself was weeping, and I felt my face and it was dry."Then I looked at the window and thought: Why yes, it's just the rain, the rain, always the rain, and I turned over, sadder still, and I fumbled about for my dripping sleep and tried to slip it back on."

~Ray Bradbury

Green Shadows, White Whale: A Novel of Ray Bradbury's Adventures Making Moby Dick With John Huston In Ireland

Mood: Quiet

~Me

 

Art About Town... Carson City, Nevada "Kit Carson" By Buckeye Blake

"The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see."

~Winston Churchill

Back in October, in my search for as much autumn as I could document, I did a lot of photography around northern Nevada. Carson City is absolutely stunning in autumn, where there is every possible shade of autumn, everywhere you look, but no place is as impressive as the grounds around the State Legislature building, and the capitol. The government buildings take up about 3 blocks or so, and in-between is a gorgeous park with several statues dedicated to police, firefighters, and, of course, Kit Carson!

The statue is impressively tall, and fascinating in it's detail.

  And the plaque beneath reads...

"It was in the winter of 1843 - 1844 when Kit Carson, along with the John C. Fremont expedition worked his way south from Pyramid Lake looking for an easy route across the Sierra Nevada. Carson, depicted here, tracking his way through the mountains east of this location, was considered one of the best mountain men of the day. His name is still synonymous with the wide open spaces and lore of the American west, an image we still cherish as part of our freedom and heritage. It is the spirit and love of the West that we honor with this statue."

Carson City takes it name from the Carson River,

 that John C. Fremont named to honor Kit Carson.

If you find yourself in Carson City, Nevada, especially in autumn, be sure to stop by and see the statues on the grounds of the capitol. You'll never forget the beauty of the trees or the fascinating bits of history of the statues! It's a really nice way to spend an afternoon in autumn!

Mood: Quiet

~Me

Only Two Months Ago

Yosemite Valley

November 11th, 2016

"Beautiful winter means beautiful spring!

 When you look at a great winter scenery, see the flowers, see the bees, see the butterflies, they are all there."

~Mehmet Murat ildan

Last autumn was a challenge. I knew it would be. I had gotten really rusty with my picture taking, as my world shifted off it's axis over the great move of 2015. You would think after we moved into the house, I would have picked up the camera, if for no other reason then to climb out of my own thoughts and stress, but instead when I wasn't working on unpacking the house, I was withdrawing from as much life as I could. I was tired. I was stressed. I thought on some level that a deep withdraw was the way to go, instead it was the worst thing I could have done. Hiding doesn't work. Shrug. I didn't know that, but when last October came around, and our vacation began, I took some baby steps, and I felt more and more energized with each new photo, and by the middle of our vacation, in late October, I was back to my old self. Mostly.

Snow came earlier than usual. In fact the first snowfall happened the day after Halloween! That's rare in California, and while I knew it was going to shorten my time with the autumn leaves, it also makes me really hopeful for next autumn color to be as colorful or even more so than autumn 2016 had been! I am hoping so, because next autumn I want to spend more time in Plumas, the western Sierra and definitely Yosemite! I fell in love with Yosemite Valley, but I was only there for one day, a little past the mid-point of autumn, and while I got some good photos, and I was happy overall with the results, I realized I should have been there weeks earlier. Another thing working against me the day I went, was the fact that we got there so late in the day, and because of the angles and sides of the valley, I think early morning photos, when the sun casts a softer glow, would have been amazing!

I need to do some photos during the winter snowfall, and again when things begin to thaw in the spring. The research begins now. I struggled after the early snowfall. The leaves in the Sierra fell early, and the bright white of the hills in the background of some of my photos just appears bright and washed out. So, it's my goal for this year, to practice with that kind of lighting. If I was in the Bay Area, I would probably be working on sunset photos, but I think I have done enough with that, so a new challenge will be welcome. I can't spend all my time stressing over things I have NO control over. It's a waste of time. So, this goal fits nicely, and it's a much more realistic way of spending my time. LOL. Good for me! Right? Gosh, looking at these photos, it's hard to believe it was only a couple months ago!

 Cisco Grove Park, California

November 1st, 2016

"Perhaps when we find ourselves wanting everything, it is because we are dangerously close to wanting nothing."

~Sylvia Plath

And now another new winter leaf...

Winter Leaf

January 2nd 2017

San Ramon, California

Mood: Encouraged

~Me

 

Cough Drop Affirmations

"Life likes to be taken by the lapels and told,

 'I'm with you kid, let's go!' "

~Maya Angelou

What you see above is a picture of a cough drop... with an affirmation on the outside of the wrapper. It's a Hall's strawberry cough drop to be exact! I hadn't had cough drops for a while, even while being sick because all brands of cough drops contain sucrose. Because of my Fibromyalgia, I can't have anything containing sucrose. It gives Fibro sufferers, such as myself, unworldly gas! I don't like experiencing unworldly gas, so I usually just cough until the coughing runs it's course.

But with this current cold, the coughing was really persistent and it was making my back and sides hurt to try to soldier through, so I broke down and used the cough drops. They were tastier than I remembered, and while they did indeed give me gas, it wasn't as uncomfortable as the constant coughing. And wonderful hubby that I have didn't even complain about my air concerts, he just wanted to help me feel better! Gosh I love that man! 

And look at that, an affirmation for when I am better!

"March Forward."

That's always good advice, 

marching backwards just makes you look stupid! 

Mood: Tired

~Me

No Riding Lawnmovers For Me!

"If the problem can be solved why worry?

 If the problem cannot be solved worrying will do you no good."

~Santideva 

Worry is a strange word. I have heard the word my whole life. My mother was a big worrier, and passed the activity on to me. I think it was literally a part of her DNA. I definitely have it in my blood, but I have a strange relationship with it. Sometimes I tend to worry most about things I have the most control of, while successfully ignoring things things I should pay more attention to. I back burner my health sometimes, as one such example. We are in our first house, the first house that belongs to us and the bank, after a lifetime of renting. Buying one's first home, is NOT for the faint of heart, and it is definitely a game for much younger people than Alan and I. And so, I worry daily.

Ideally we would have saved prior to our marriage, when we were 28 years old, and would have done the research and found what we could afford. If it wasn't on the immediate horizon, committing some money each month to a goal account, that would never be touched, would have been a good idea. We decided early that we probably wouldn't have children, so it should have made things easier. We didn't do that. We instead reconciled ourselves to be renters, and the trade off would be a car for each of us, and the ability to live in the Bay Area, close to all the things, and people we loved. We were fine.

And we were, then one day, while we were in the 14th year of living in a tiny cottege house, our 3rd home since 1990, we recieved a notice that the owner was taking the property back, and we needed to move. And I have mentioned before what came next. It was a HELL all it's own and has nothing to do, or at least very little, to do with where we are. We ended up in a modest, 3 bedroom house, with a pool, and some small challenges. Little things that need updating. But who, or what, born in 1962 doesn't need updating. That's the nice thing about being the same age as your house, you understand each other's creaky noises and sagging. 

After a year here, it is time to refinance and put some of our debt back into our home through the equity we have earned this year. We sat down with the loan officier in December, and he loved the looks of our credit rating and all seems good, but the process is moving really slowly and there have been a few PUNKS along the way, like a premature letter denying the refinancing because of an awkward key stroke. But it's now moving along nicely... accept now the documents that the loan officer recently sent, are nowhere to be found on my computer. I am hoping it is another awkward key stroke. Sigh. I don't know. 2016 was a shitty year, so maybe there is an evil elf with one last fuck you for us. Maybe there is nothing at all to worry about! People refinance all the time, espcially to pull equity to pay off bills. So, I am probably worrying for nothing.

Right?

What does all this have to do with my set of I Love Lucy dolls? Simple. I like to fall asleep to episodes of I Love Lucy, on the Hallmark channel. The show had been off the channel since the day before Halloween, for Hallmark to do their annual Christmas Non-Stop-A-Polooza. All Christmas movies, 24/7 since before Halloween, and after the last New Year's hangover aspirin has been taken. And I am so ready to have her back! You can't have nightmares, when you have Lucy and Ethel to escort you off to sleep. And you can't worry if you concentrate during your waking hours on how Lucy would manage to get herself in such ridiculous jams, and find her way back out, without giving a moment to the mind and body murderer... worry.

Yes, I Love Lucy is indeed just a show. A set of circumstances resolved in 23 minutes or so, but she packed a lot of unique circumstances into those 23 moments. Will I ever find myself in a spacewoman costume climbing along the edge of the Empire State Building? No. Will I ever have to be lowered down onto the deck of a luxury ocean-liner because I missed the ship? No. Will I ever get stuck on an out of control lawnmower on the Boston Post road? No! Because of Lucy, and that cautionary tale, I will never own one of those God forsaken riding mowers! See, I am smarter already! So, as I get through the next few weeks, until they put the check in our hands, and I pay off those strangling bills, I just need to stop worrying, and concentrate on Lucy, and what she would do! Would Lucy worry? Nah... she would go an buy a hat! Maybe I just need a hat!

"The best way to relieve stress is to trust yourself."

~Debasish Mridha

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

Colors Of What Is To Come...

"Orange is one of God's favorite colors... he stuck it right there between red and yellow as the second color in the rainbow. He decorates entire forests with shades of orange every autumn. It shows up in sunrises at the start of the day, sunsets at the end of the day, and in the glow of the moon at the right time night."

~Reggie Joiner

The Think Orange: 

Imagine The Impact When Church And Family Collide

I have been sick since December 23rd. I am better... much better... but I haven't had a chance to do any real photography since the clock struck midnight on January 1st. With the weather as cold as it is, it's snowing in the foothills and you can feel it here in Stockton, and getting back on the mend, means that I will be doing my photography in the house or at least nearby. I did get to San Ramon yesterday, and managed to photograph the last of a really lovely Dogwood tree I came across, but I only got a few photos done before the rain started, and I didn't want to risk making my departing cold change it's mind. 

Still, it made me happy to get out, and to move with the camera a bit. Next weekend I plan to go and do some photography, no matter what the weather brings, even if it is just around Stockton! Hey, you never know what you will see even in your own neighborhood! And besides, it's good to clear the mind of all the mess and noise. 

You know what mess! And you know what noise! Do I say his name? Do I call him president? Right now I can't bring myself to give him that distinction. I know he is the worst thing that has happened to America in my lifetime. And I know that its going to be a rough road ahead. 

I have Alan. I have the fur babies. I have my friends. My democratic friends anyway, I may lose more than on republican friend before this nightmare is over. SO. BE. IT. I also have my creativity. My camera. My heart. So perhaps I can expand on my creativity a bit this year. Visit new places. And maybe go back to some type of therapy, not just to fight this damn depression but to save my own life, and take some pressure off Alan. He holds me together very well, but it's not his responsibility... is it? It's up to me to get myself together, and do what I have had to do in the past. Work through it, and get to a place of health and healing. I don't know what road I will go down. Avoidance? Maybe.

So... off I go. More to come. But for now...

Winter Leaf

January 2nd, 2017

Mood: Quiet

~Me

 

Is It Gone? Yep... HAPPY 2017!

Last photo of 2016

December 31st 2016 

"Hope smiles from the threshold of the new year to come whispering... 'it will be happier'..."

~Alfred Tenneyson 

If you have been reading along, you already know I haven't posted in over a week! You see, Alan and I have been sick with one of the worst colds either one of us has had in a long time. We both had colds last Christmas as well, but nothing compared to this year's fresh hell, but then FRESH HELL is pretty much how their entirety of 2016 could be summed up!

 I am not going to dwell, it's gone, and 2017 has just begun, so I am going to give it a fair chance. It has no fault in the shitshow that was 2016. It's not responsible for all the deaths and destruction. It's just a new year, and while I see a lot of room for catastrophe, lets hold onto the one bit of hope that continues to see me through the pain of 2016...

Donald Trump lost the popular vote by 2.9 million votes.

That means there are still more people

 who think straight than don't.

There is a great deal of hope in that. 

WELCOME 2017!

Don't Let Me Down!

Mood: Encouraged

~Me :)

Merry Christmas And Happy Hanukkah

"Today, may you be filled with an immense sense

 of inner peace, unity, joy and happiness."

~Eleesha

The Soulful Pathway To Christmas:

Soulfully Inspiring You In The Days Leading Up To

 Christmas And Beyond!

From Our House To Yours...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

And

Mood: HAPPY/GRATEFUL

~Me :)

 

Meowy Christmas And Happy Pawnakkah

"December is full of the light and love
 that you can bring into your life. 
You can chose to be stressed or you can choose to let the small stuff go and be peaceful this holiday season.
 It really is a choice you make."

~Eileen Anglin

It's Christmas Eve, which traditionally is a bigger deal in our house than Christmas Day is! We have our traditions on snack foods, and board games. We watch our favorite holiday movies, and rag on politicians. This year there is a little bit more to complain about than most years, but also this year we are celebrating the season a bit different than we usually do. You see, as of the time of this post, Alan is in bed with a fever of 102.3 from a head cold, passed along by an inconsiderate coworker! I can feel it, it's coming in my near future, I should be in a feverish haze within 24 hours! Weeeeeee!

Alan and I were both sick with colds last year too! It's our second Christmas in our new house, and it's the second year in a row that we will both be suffering from head colds. LOL. I guess that is just our new tradition! If so, so be it! We have always had weird traditions, so we are just going with it! Christmas might be delayed but it's not like that stopped the boys from making holiday videos for your festive viewing pleasure!

So now, without any further delay, we present...

MEOWY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY PAWNAKKAH

Starring... 
The Brothers Gordon 





I love my boys!

It doesn't really matter how you say it,
 the most important thing is to mean it!

Peace On Earth 

Mood: Happy/Grateful

~Me :)

 

 

It's Festivus For The Rest Of Us!

"It's not about presents, but it is about your presence. 

Therin lies the spirit of the holiday season."

~Julieanne O'Connor 

It's the day, before the day, before the day. You know the day... Christmas Day. And this year, Hanukkah falls on December 25th as well! It is truly a fun holiday season, but before we even reach those two very important observances, we reach today, which just happens to be Festivus. You know... "for the rest of us!"

Grab Your Pole 

And

Let The Airing Of The Grievances Begin!

Okay, so those weren't my grievances, but trust me, I have a GIANT one and it's name is...

DONALD JOHN TRUMP

I don't have a Festivus pole, but believe me, I will have one by next Festivus, should humanity live that long, and I will have about 365 different grievances to air on this blog. Maybe in a video.

 So be sure to comeback next year, on December 23rd, again should humanity survive Donald Trump's presidency,

 and we will get it all out together! 

If you have any grievances to share under the holiday wreath,

 feel free to leave them in the comment thread!

 Be respectful!

Mood: Silly/Happy

~Me :)

 

Art About Town: Sacramento... Untitled Fountain, By David von Schlegell

"Untitled" Fountain By David von Schlegell

300 Capitol Mall

Sacramento, California

"In the Haunted House of life, 

art is the only stair that doesn't creak."

~Tom Robbins

Sacramento has a ton of public art! Now that I live so much closer than I used to, I plan to spend a lot of time photographing all the amazing art around the city, and getting to know Sacramento the way we got to know San Francisco! It was through all the trips around San Francisco, looking for different pieces of public art, that I grew to appreciate the city for all the unique neighborhoods, and districts. Each one is truly a feast for the eyes, and has provided me many days of happiness, getting to know how fun and interesting a place it can be! I am hoping for the same experience with Sacramento!

I first noticed this sculpture the day before Thanksgiving, when Alan and I drove to Old Sacramento to see the lighting of the Christmas Tree. It was dark outside, and I did the night photo you see below, while on the run for the freeway. It was a rushed photo, but I liked the way the colors and lights danced around the photo, so I decided to keep it, and post it along with the better lit daytime photo! When it is operating, the sculpture is actually a beautiful fountain, and the plaque reads...

"Remember that the meaning of life is to build

 a life as if it were a work of art. 

Start working on this great work of art called your own existence. 

Remember the importance of self discipline, study the great sources of wisdom

 and remember that life is a celebration."

Dedicated to the children of Sacramento

Capitol Mall Venture

August 8th, 1985

~Abraham Joshua Heschel

To read a little more about this beautiful fountain, click here.

 Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Goodnight Autumn, Good Morning Winter

"Accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields. And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief."

~Kahlil Gibran

The Prophet

Autumn whispers a loving goodnight, at 2:33 AM, PST,

 and the Winter Solstice says good morning with a cold soft kiss. 

"To make a perfect season,

 love everyone without reason."

 ~ Debasish Mridha

 

"I think that to one in sympathy with nature,

 each season, in turn, seems the loveliest."

~Mark Twain

"Wilted or in bloom, taking or lending daylight,

 the world transitions."

~Richelle E. Goodrich

Making Wishes: Quotes, Thoughts, 

And A Little Poetry For Every Day

 And now...

 The Last Leaf Of The Day

For 2016

Leaf Of The Day

December 21st, 2016

Mood: Quiet

~Me :) 

Holiday Gifts You Don't Have To Dust

"Everyone wants a Christmas tree. If you had a Christmas tree, Santa would bring you stuff! Like hair curlers and slut shoes."

~Janet Evanovich

Visions Of Sugar Plums

It's the last full day of autumn, and I bet you thought I would be dwelling on it, right? Nah. Donald Trump received his Electoral College win yesterday, so there are bigger things to grieve than the passing of autumn 2016. Needless to say, I am, and probably will be, grieving a lot of things in the coming months, which is why I am just going to let the bitterness of winter absorb the painful feelings, and the sleepless nights. By spring I will be all brand new again, and ready to deal with a steady heart and mind... at least that is the plan.

 I guess we will see.

 But for now, today, we are just five days away from Christmas, and I am enjoying that! The tree is decorated with pretty decorations, every day Mr. UPS brings a gift to wrap, and I have started baking for the holidays! Apple Cinnamon cookies, Chocolate Chip cookies, and Mincemeat Pies! I am probably going to fix a bread pudding or two before the new year as well! Baking cookies for Alan is one of my favorite things to do. He is an amazing husband who loves me... I will never understand exactly why... because he could have done a lot better! Anyway, he does, and for that I am thankful to God and Santa, hell  I am even thankful to the Easter Bunny, just in case he deserved some credit, every single day! 

I was thinking about how happy my husband makes me, when we were at the Tilden Park Carousel about a week ago. The place is all decked out for the holiday, and all the ornaments on the trees reminded me of a Christmas past with my love! I had a great time doing photos, and enjoying the ride back to my lovely Berkeley. It is so gorgeous there, and it was a very clear night so I had a wonderful view of the bay and the city! San Francisco at Christmas time is a treat for the eyes and the soul! Some of the ornaments on the trees at the carousel, reminded me of times he and I have spent in San Francisco during the holidays, so I snapped a few pictures to share...

It's a beautiful holiday season. Our celebrations are small and intimate, but we are thankful for who we are, and our little furry babies! We love each other, and we try treat others the way we want to be treated. More than once this year I have found myself becoming someone I don't care much for, so to a certain degree I will be spending a good part of 2017 learning my way through this new world we are entering. There is no map. There are no classes, so I may not do well, but I will try to do the best I can.

Fair Enough?

If I could ask Santa Claus for one thing this year, it would be for him to help me understand how Donald Trump could possibly be our president? But that's not a simple question is it? Maybe there are some things neither Santa, nor God can bring you. Finding your own piece of mind on our own. I suppose. So, I guess that means I don't really want or need anything for Christmas, but if I do find clarity in a pretty box with a shiny bow, at least it's a gift I won't have to dust!

 Leaf Of The Day

December 20th, 2016

Don't Forget To Come Back Tomorrow 

To See My Last Autumn Photo Of 2016!

Mood: Grateful

~Me :)