One more day

Anyone know who this artist's name?

2007 is closing out.  The newspapers and TV are picking the ten best or worst or whatever.  It is hardly worth buying the Sunday papers.  

Yesterday I saw a movie that I think I will buy when it comes out on DVD.  I have only purchased three DVDs.  JUNO is the movie and the philosophy that comes out in the teen language brought me to laughter and tears.  Familiar faces playing new characters and doing an excellent job.

New Year's resolutions anyone????

Today I put up shelves in my storage area.  It looks very tidy now.  It will be even better when I sort out the last two boxes of stuff.

Dec. 25, 26, 27

Christmas Day:  Here's how it went.  My friend Jeannette came from Davis and we walked to Subway for lunch.  And for exercise.  Then we went to see Atonement.  Intense movie.  

Wednesday, I drove to Davis and Jeannette and I had soup at her house and then walked downtown to see Margo at the Wedding.  I'm still trying to figure that one out.  Oh, on the 24th, while most of Sacramento was shopping, I saw National Treasure: Book of Secrets.  I do like Nicolas Cage.

Today, Paulette and I went to the Folsom Premium Outlets and shopped for four or five hours.  We didn't get to see everything but saw enough and bought enough. 

I must enjoy the weekend and New Year's Eve because I am on call for Jury Duty.  I have to call in on Dec. 31.  Guess I won't be going out of town for a while.

Holidays

Solstice Sunrise service.  Saturday morning 7:00am, 31 degrees.

Thirty people gathered at the edge of the river to welcome the return of the light.  We shared coffee from Peets in cardboard to-go boxes.  As the coffee cooled we shared warm hugs.  Mist rose off the river as we created a sharing circle.  Our song "Morning Has Broken" hailed the sunrise.  A silent fly-by of geese completed the scene.   We filled a small cafe almost to capacity for breakfast.

9:15am

As I left the cafe I called Paulette.  Where are you she asked.  I'm on my way to your house. I said.   She said: I was on my way to your house after a stop at the bank, I'll see you at my house. I stopped at Starbucks for a Grande cup of tea and we arrived at her house within minutes of each other.  Paulette's stuff transfered to my car because I have chains and her spider spikes haven't been installed.  There is a 10% chance of snow over the mountain pass to Reno.  

The Johnston home in Reno is active to chaotic.  The Grinch is on TV.  Sterling, doesn't feel well and sleeps in my arms while the dancer, Shae, gets her makeup applied by Robin.  Parents shower, Skyler gets dressed as his pants come from the dryer.  Paulette sneaks her gifts under their tree.  My heart is as full as the new Grinch heart as I observe all of this.

By 3:30pm we arrive at the Del Monte High school parking lot and wait for Robin's parents to join us.  We find our seats.   The recital begins.  The line of twenty to twenty five reindeer skips onto the stage.  In a whisper, Skyler asks where's my sister?  He sees her.  Each reindeer does the step she knows best and some of the others.  They all skip off the stage.  All siblings, parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles are proud.

We drive, in three separate vehicles to the Nuggett Casino and find Rosie's cafe for dinner.  It is about 7:00pm when we return to The Johnston's house.  Shae is excited about her two roses.   She and Skyler are told to get into pajamas.  This accomplished Paulette and I say goodbye and good night.  

We drive home through the magical mountain landscape.  There is enough snow on the mountain to reflect the light of the almost full moon.  Traffic is light and we have an uneventful trip home.   We are at Paulette's house just before eleven.  I am home and getting into bed at 11:30.

Wishing you all the best Holidays of the season.

School's out

Happy Holidays to everyone from Sterling and me.

My last post was rather dreary so here's something different.  Thanks LaDawn for the invitation to visit.  I checked airfare and it would use up too much of my Alaska money for next summer.  I baked some cookies for a group meeting, they didn't eat all of them.  I gave some away and am wearing the last dozen on my hips.  

I'm traveling to Volcano, Ca for a weekend at a gold rush era hotel the end of January.

I mailed gift cards to Denise and her family in Florida.  Since Denise let me know how much her sons look forward to taking their cards to the mall and shopping together I have a different outlook.  

We had some rain and some cold (to us) weather so it seems like winter.  There have been thousands of geese and one foggy morning a cloud of smaller migrating birds. flying over my car in the morning.

I'm no longer cranky.  There is a sunrise solstice service tomorrow and a Christmas Eve service on Monday.  And I'm looking forward to the New Year's Eve Dance.

I mailed a short story to a contest.

per LaDawn's request.

Attention to my blog.

I did answer the list of questions.   Whose psychology/sociology paper am I now a part of?

The first of December I thought I might write a poem a day during December for this blog.  I'm already seven days behind. 

For my friend Joan:  Today is your birthday.  Your are my role model.  You are amazing.  Fifteen years my senior, when you started sprinting to the finish in the Davis Turkey Trot, I could not catch you.  Keep pulling me along.  You do set the bar high.   Your parties are the best and I wish you many, many more birthdays.

 

 I am spending a lot of time practicing for the Winter Showcase at the dance studio.  I am part of The Girlfriends.  We are dancing a cha cha show piece.

Although I'm about 1500 miles away from Omaha, the shooting has made me sad.  I'm grateful that none of my family was shopping that day.  I have been wondering if they knew any of the victims.  

Why is this country fighting terrorists in foreign lands when we continue to have plenty of home-grown ones?   

The HOLIDAY season makes me cranky and I don't even shop or bake or travel.

1. Were you named after anyone?  I don't know.  Maybe Myrna Loy because people of a certain age ask if I was.

2. When was the last time you cried? This morning watching the photos of the Omaha victims.  I also cry when I'm proud of someone, sad, happy or touching TV commercials.

3. Do you like your handwriting? Sometimes.

4. What is your favorite lunch meat? Real turkey

5. Do you have kids?  1 son 2 daughters

6. If you were another person would you be friends with you? Maybe.

7. Do you use sarcasm a lot?  I'm trying to quit.

8. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes.

9. Would you bungee jump? No.

10. What is your favorite cereal? Oatmeal with walnuts and raisins and Honey Nut Cheerios

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?  Yes, How else can you get them off?

12. Do you think you're strong? Yes.

13 What is your favorite ice cream?  Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia

14. What is the first thing you notice about people? Eyes.

15. Red or pink?  Pink.

16. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? My weight, but only the part that won't go away.

17. Who do you miss the most? I really can't say.

18. What color pants and shoes are you wearing?  Black.

19. What was the last thing you ate? A phony Oreo.

20. What are you listening to right now?  The hum of my external hard drive.

21. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Magenta

22. Favorite smells? Mountains, oceans and newborn babies.

23. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?  Denise.

24. Do you like the person who sent this to you?  I think so.

25. Favorite sports to watch?  WNBA Basketball.

26. Hair color? Brown with gray.

27. Eye color? Hazel

28. Do you wear contacts? Yes.

29. Favorite food? A real hamburger.

30. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings

31. Last movie you watched? Lover Come Back, Doris Day and Rock Hudson.

32. What color shirt are you wearing? Black

33. Summer or winter?  Winter

34. Hugs or Kisses? Hugs

35. Favorite dessert? Blueberry pie al a mode.

36. What book are you reading now?  The Four Gated City by Doris Lessing.

37. What is on your mouse pad?  Puffins photographed by Tom Mangelsen.

38. What did you watch on TV late last night? Nothing.

39. Favorite sound?  The migrating geese that just flew by.

40. Rolling Stones or Beatles?  Beatles

41. What is the farthest you have been from home? Barcelona Spain

42. Do you have a special talent? I don't really know.

43. Where were you born?  Oakland, NE

 (Some answers subject to change without notice)

Thanksgiving tradition

I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving.  

If you want to join us next Thanksgiving, meet at Paulette's house at 8:00am Thanksgiving day.

8:30am  Here we are waiting for the 9:00am start. many people have their cameras out and are taking pictures.  Paulette took some with her phone and I had my camera strapped to my side this time. 

This was the 14th annual Run to Feed the Hungry, we have only missed one of them.  The first one had about 800 runners, yesterday there were more than 22,000.  All of the money goes to the Sacramento food bank so at $30 per person it is a substantial amount.  As we waited I asked Paulette how much money did she think had been spent for all of the running shoes.  Even more substantial number since there were some serious runners who probably paid $200+ for their shoes.  Well you have to do something while you wait for the start of the race.

The people behind me.                The people in front of me.  

 I passed a lot of them before the end.                                              

 It took me 50 minutes to walk the 5K.