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November 26 A thought for this day HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Ran across the clip below in my mail. The author is listed as "Devilstower" and the whole article deals with the job summit and where our monies should go. I especially liked this idea (what do YOU think?):
My Secret Plan to Put America Back on Top
Beauty. Whether you believe in God, "providence," or simple good fortune, there is no doubt that America is blessed with some of the most spectacular places to be found on Earth. We don't just have the Grand Canyon and the astounding landscapes of Yellowstone, we have the literally matchless diversity of the forests along the Appalachian Mountains. We have the tropics of the Everglades and the glacial valleys of Alaska. Deserts? We got deserts. And lakes, and rivers, and seas. All of them, all of them , would benefit from (here's that word again) infrastructure that doesn't turn them into blurs along the roadway, but delivers us to them (and them to us) in a way that helps us appreciate every inch of what we have. If there must be a bridge across a river, let it be a glorious bridge. Where there's a road, let it be one that complements the landscape, sets it off, like a ring to a jewel. Don't replace miles of ugly blacktop with uglier blacktop, replace it with something achingly excellent. Hire people to be artists and architects. Train them for it. Harness America's two greatest resources -- creativity and diversity. While you're at it, don't stop with restoring the beauty of the natural landscape. Let's preserve some perfect small towns, and some city blocks that have a beauty as dignified as mountains. You know that one neighborhood near you that used to be run down, but which came back to life when artists moved in and turned shabby to chic? Let's call that neighborhood America. Nature. Hard work. Small business. Art and beauty. That ought to do it. If you want to hire some folks to cook a few hot dogs and serve up apple pie, that would be a nice bonus. Oh, and I'm serious -- no more roads. Unless, of course, they're lovely. November 25 Premier performance Sunday afternoon, Max has his premier performance with Youth Symphony here in our CA county. It was the first time he's played bass in public and had to dress up too! He was so excited---dressed ready to go 2 hours before we left. (Unfortunately, the only pics that I took that came out were AFTER the performance back at home, so sorry, no pics of his upright bass...) The concert was mostly for the Lake County Symphony (adults). This 40+ group played pieces by Brahms, Saint-Saens, Dvorak and Beethoven (they did the 5th!). There were 5 upright bass players, so Max was in bass heaven! The Youth group (all 13 of them) played one number just after intermisson. Since he was the only bass, he stood proudly with his redish bass and played well! He was so excited by the favorable comments from the adult bassists and people he didn't know from the audience. What a great experience for him---much better than he expected.
I tried to record the performance with my little Flip camera, but the glare from the overhead lights bleached out all the players. The sound came through OK, so at least there's that.
Their next performance is only about a month away---again with the adult symphony just before Christmas. He also is playing at concerts with his 8th grade band (of which he is SO proud) and the High School Concert (with the Jazz Band, doing the Charlie Brown Christmas music). He may be appearing with the 7th grade band as a bass player as well at the Middle School concert.
He has come so far with his bass and is still excited about it. Even though there is no homework during this week, he still "wears" his bass (electric) around his neck as he walks about the house, doodling constantly. Music has become really important in his life---what more could we ask?!!!!
Have a great week and keep humming...  November 21 When I am an Old Cat WHEN I AM AN OLD CAT
 When I am an Old Cat I shall wear
a diamond collar and leave my footprints
on white couches; I shall drink my cream with
a touch of brandy and spit out my vitamins;
I shall sit on the laps of dog people
just to irritate them; I shall nap on top of the
neighbor's petunias and perch on top of
birdbaths and frow charmingly chubby.
But for now I must tolerate the dog
and use my litter box and not sharpen
my claws on the sofa, so no one can doubt
the truth that cats are superior to dogs.
But every once in a while I wonder
if I should be naughty now and then
and nip a few toes, so my humans
won't be too shocked when suddenly
I become an old cat and
start to wear a diamond collar.
I don't know who wrote this, but I love this poem and had to share it with you. I found it on a bookmark and was instantly touched by it. I also got a bookmark that reads: "Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should get used to the idea." Robert A. Heinlein.
November 20 Napa happenings My trip down the Napa Valley went well yesterday. Leaves are really dropping fast from the vineyards and the smell is more musky than ever. I'm including a few pics for your amusement.    When we first landed here, I rubbernecked all up and down the valley, recognizing many of the bigger wineries: Mondavi,
 Christian Bros., Sutter Home, Mumm, too many others to name. But it's the smaller ones that are so charming that most people never heard of---like the one I visited yesterday to tune: Del Dotto. Even though they are small, they are still very classy: marble halls with inlaid tiles and classic art, staircases running up and down to other levels, a grand piano in the corner (badly in need of tuning, which I fixed!), long racks of vines and glasses, opera on the speakers. It's always fun to go into these places, but not so fun to have to tune over their other music---they refuse to cut it all the way off! But I made it through in good fashion. As you can see, nothing but miles and miles of grapes. Sorry the shot seems so dull---it was quite hazy (fog) and clouds were building up for the storm we had yesterday. I tried to get on higher ground, but didn't have the time to find a good high spot this time. It all looks like a patchwork quilt from on high. All the different kinds of grapes are different colors as fall deepens, making the distinctions more acute to the eye. In the spring everything is a wonderful green, often with yellow mustard coming up between the rows. Well, our rain and wind storm is upon us and I must prepare to go out into it to tune later this morning! Have a good day.
November 19 Catching up. Hard to believe it is Thursday once again! Where has this week gone??? I seem to have just plain MISSED most of it. Oh, I'm not complaining about all the work and stuff, just that it all seems to slide by, nearly unnoticed. Monday was my brother, Jon's, 61st birthday. I did remember to send him a card, and he should have gotten it on time. I had wanted to call him too, but STUFF was happening and its slipped my mind until too late.
Wednesday was the 50th anniversary of the premier of Charlton Heston's movie, BEN HUR. Our Yahoo Group, In the Arena, all expressed a desire to view this movie on that day in memory of it. I, of course, forgot it until last night, just before I went to sleep. Missed that one too. But I'll view it at least some time this next year. It is one of his best and the only one he received an Oscar for as Best Actor. The movie also received more Oscars than any movie until TITANIC!
Also, yesterday was our monthly writers' group meeting. I managed to read a chapter from my newest manuscript, which is entitled, "TAKEN" at this point. It is a sequel to THE RAT and I'm only up to about Chapter 11. The group was good as usual and they loved my "cliffhanger" chapter---groaning appropriately at the last sentence (which, of course MAKES you turn the page for the next chapter!).
I did manage to take some pics of the colors in the Napa Valley on Tuesday, but was not impressed by them when I got them home. It had begun to cloud up and most of the leaves had fallen or looked ratty on the plants---just too late to get good pics. But I will post a few tomorrow, time permitting (I still haven't transferred them to this computer!).
So, it's off to Napa again today and more work tomorrow, when our rain storm comes in. Then, the weekend should be a reprieve. WHEW! November 17 Success! Just a quick note: I finally passed the Math test! Yes, I was in K-Ville playing tennis in the (brrr) cold when my cell phone rang (which it almost NEVER does). The District School office called to tell me I really didn't NEED to take the Math test again for the Library position OR the general Part-time Clerk position. They had decided it was only necessary if I wanted a full-time Secretary position. However, I wasn't about to let that test slide. I was all geared up to take it that morning later and so I asked if it was OK if I took it anyway. Well, I took it and felt way better about it when I was done. Later in the afternoon, they called me to tell me I passed it and my name would be on the list of substitute clerical (which is what I was after if the Librarian position was not possible). They thought they would end up filling the Librarian job In-House, but if they couldn't, my name would go into the "pot" as a possible.
So, I finally did it!
Today, I'm off to Napa to tune and grab a few pictures on the way down as well! It's supposed to rain later, so I'll have to do my photography this morning yet. Otherwise, nothing much new here. Max got his first quarter grades and made the Honor Roll with a respectable 3.14. That means he gets a certificate and a chance to go bowling on the Thursday before Christmas Break with the other Honor Roll kids. How nice they do the "honor roll" field trips each quarter as an incentive!!
Have a great day and enjoy the autumn colors. November 15 Brrr! Sure glad we brought the little lemon tree inside last night---it read 32 outside this morning. It won't survive in freezing temps! Bright and sunny today, but COLD this morning.  Yesterday was the last soccer game and, unfortunately, we lost 4-0. But the good news was that our team tied with the team we lost to for first place this season.  (Max had just kicked the ball here! How awkward he looks!) The players were all down about being shut out and couldn't be convinced that they'd played that well. We only had a few practices this week, and without our regular coach (she was sick). She didn't say a thing during the whole game yesterday, but one of the dads coached from the parents' sideline anyway. My hat is still off to our team for their great performance this season!!!  (Max had the best kicks and could boot it almost half the field!) After the game, we headed down the Napa Valley for a tuning I had in the city of Napa (which is at the south end of the valley. This valley is bright with yellows, oranges, reds and greens and totally breathtaking at this time of year.  The two times Hubby and I traveled down there this past week, we could SMELL the "crush" (which is when they harvest the grapes) even with the windows rolled up tight! I thought one could possibly get drunk just traveling through the valley! I'm taking my camera again this week when I journey there, as the leaves are still turning. I tried to imagine how it must have looked 100 years ago as we went along, and decided it probably hadn't changed that much over the years. Yes, the buildings are newer, but a lot of the original stone wineries are still standing and being used to this day. This is the BEST time, in my opinion, to visit this valley as the traffic is less than during the summer and the whole vista is most spectacular. What do you think???  Have any of you visited here before?November 13 Happy Friday the 13th! Yup, it's Friday, the 13th today! Ha! It's the third one this year---the most you can get during any calendar year. Just our luck, huh? Did you know:
The phobia around the 13th is a cousin to triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number 13. Even today, the Otis Elevator Company knows better than to include a button with a 13 on it in elevators all over the world, said spokesman Dilip Rangnekar. The supposedly unlucky number, triskaidekaphobes say, is the reason behind the explosion of Apollo 13, which took off at exactly 1:13 p.m. (1313 military time) on 4/11/70 (digits that add up to 13, naturally). The origins of all this fear of the number 13 and Friday the 13th are open for debate. Some say it has to do with a particular Friday the 13th in the 1300s, when some particularly unlucky knights were burned at the stake. Fernsler suspects it may have something to do with Jesus Christ, who was crucified on a Friday after a Last Supper attended by 13 people, one of whom was Judas Iscariot. In Norse mythology Loki — referred to in the Encyclopaedia Britannica as a "cunning trickster" — crashed a party of 12 gods at Valhalla. It's also the number that prompted FDR to alter his own travel plans on any day of the week that landed on the 13th. "FDR would not depart on a (train) trip on the 13th," said Thomas Fernsler, a University of Delaware mathematician who has studied the number enough to earn the moniker "Dr. 13." He recounted a story that originated with FDR's personal secretary, Grace Tully, who said the former president would order the train to leave the station before midnight on the 12th or after midnight on the morning of the 14th. In a final act, FDR died in 1945 on April 12. Thursday, April 12. "He avoided traveling to the beyond on the 13th," joked Bob Clark, head archivist at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. (by Don Babwin from the Associated Press) So, do YOU avoid doing things on Friday, the 13th? I would have let it pass, if it hadn't been for Max reminding me last night that today was going to be the 13th. I remember being worried about it when I was in school too. But now, it seems like just another day. What do you think? November 11 There's still a chance... HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY!!!!!
Finally got the results back from that horrendous test I took. I passed the English part and all the others
 ---except the MATH ! I needed 70% to pass and got 66% out of 50 story problems. Bummer! However, all is not lost: I have a chance to retake the math test probably next week (which will give me a week to brush up on some of the stuff)! Thanks goodness for the internet and all the math sites they have. I need the most help with probabilities and a brush-up on equations (especially needed for areas of geometry that I know I missed! Gosh, there were questions about quartiles and medians which I don't think I ever learned. Oh, well, I'll take another shot at it---after all, what else do I have to do on this holiday???? My boy in the Pacific just sent a pic of him taken during General quarters which I thought I'd share with you:
 Scary, huh?! But I know he's as safe as he can be. Sure miss him, though... Have a good day, in spite of all that rain, you in the East will be expecting from that hurricane. We, here in CA are expecting some later in the day. Overcast now...
November 10 The test! Took that test for the clerical job yesterday at 9:00 a.m. and finished at 11:00!!! It was a lot more involved than I thought it would be. The pages of filing exercises and spelling were a piece of cake, and the English one was long but I'm sure I did OK on it. However, I was appalled at the Math test. I thought it would contain mostly everyday stuff. Boy, was I wrong. There was a lot of fraction conversion and probability and equations and all of it was in the form of story problems (which I hate with a vengence!). Why would a simple clerk need to know how to find the area of a circle or rectangle? And percentages and fraction conversions and things like that? Gosh, I felt like I was taking the SATs again. If I didn't pass it, I can retake the part I didn't get.
Don't know if I passed the whole thing or not yet. I passed the typing test on the first try (they give you 3 chances to get at least 60 words per minute. It doesn't look like I'll be in line for the Library job, as they explained that they try to stay "in house" on those jobs. Since they've laid off several teachers and such, those people get first dibs on jobs like that. If they don't get any takers, then it goes out to folks like me. I asked about the part-time clerk list that they draw from to fill in for sickness leave and the gal in the office told me it was a short list because most people can't pass the tests for it. Well, duh!!!!
So, I don't know what's going to happen with all of that. At any rate, it was hopeful that I got through the tests and had only trouble with some of the math. I answered everything but had to use educated guess for some of it. It's been over 40 years since I've taken that math in school!!!! And most of it, I don't use anyway. Well, I'm not going to agonize over it anyway. Thanks for all the good wishes and still keep your fingers crossed for me! It ain't over yet! November 08 Nice laid-back weekend! Thought I'd "thrill" you with a pic someone took at our recent Pumpkin Carving Party of me on the archery range. Should make you smile, at least! It's a clear, chilling morning with temps in the 30's when I got up. Brrr. Looks like another stunning fall day, though. Max had his soccer game yesterday and beat the other team they have been neck-and-neck with all season: 4-2! What is really exciting is that the other team's coach yells at the kids on the field and berates them in this booming, obnoxious voice. I know this coach and his family well and normally he's not like that (from what I can tell), but on the field, he's very loud. He sure knows soccer. Now, our team is in direct contrast to that: our coach never tells the kids anything---she just substitutes kids in and out. That's it. She knows very little about soccer and is quiet. Our kids do all their own strategy and talk to each other on the field themselves. And they WIN. I am so very proud of them all! It is amazing to see these kids play so well together and help keep each other's spirits up. You couldn't ask for a better bunch!
 Watched the cute movie, "Despareaux" last night about a mouse that is brave and unusual. Great tale and some great voices in it too---Dustin Hoffman, Emily Watson (Hermoine in Harry Potter), etc. If you'd got kids or grandkids, make sure they watch this one. It'll help them understand the words "I'm Sorry."
Today is Max's tennis lesson and Orchestra Practice. He came home the other day after school and announced he wanted to concentrate his bass playing on Jazz instead of Rock. No surprise, really. His teacher (whom he really adores) is really a great lover of jazz and he makes it exciting for the kids. How great is that??!!!
Tomorrow I go in for my testing for the library/clerical position. Wish me luck! November 06 ARGH! The ants are back! Yes, the little darlings have invaded my kitchen again! Only this time, there was no banana bread or anything else to call them? Where DO they come in???? It's SO frustrating! My stomach is better today, but not quite right, so I'll probably just laze around today and work on my writing and such. Saw a funny/cute movie on TV yesterday afternoon call "K-911" which was with James Belushi and a police dog named Jerry Lee. I loved the original "K-9" movie and this one was great fun too. So good to see nice, clean humor and really laugh at a movie. Hate slob humor or gross humor.
Watch Survivor last night and was glad that Shambo wasn't voted out. Russell is as nasty as ever, but at least he is staying out of the in-fighting and name-calling. You have to admit, he's pretty crafty, even though you love to hate him!
Nothing exciting to report here. Still sorry the Phillies lost to the Yankees, but next year, watch out for my Tigers!!! November 05 Figured it out The mystery of my weird feeling is finally solved. I spent three nights with this dull ache in my stomach, where no matter what position I slept in, I couldn't get comfortable. I seemed overly tired all the time too. Then it hit me yesterday morning as I stumbled out of bed---bladder infection. I just knew that's what it was. I haven't had one in ages (at least 2 years) and that dull ache was explained. So I left tennis early yesterday (I was so exhausted!) and postponed a tuning to call the doctor. It turns out I do NOT have a bladder infection after all. He said it was a flair up of my diverticulitus. So, I'm on antibiotics. Problem solved. I haven't had a problem with this in a long time. My doctor was surprised too as he said it sounded like a bladder infection as well (especially with the back pain).
I should be back to normal in a day or so, therefore I'll sleep a lot and just relax. No other work scheduled this week until Saturday anyway. Hubby was a great help making dinner and doing the dishes (well MOST of them...) last night. Now, if I can just teach him to put stuff away after he uses it!!!
I know, I shouldn't rant about him, but when I'm not feeling right, I get cranky and short tempered. Supposed to be cloudy, cooler and rainy today and tomorrow, so it is a good time to read and catch up on some writing. Soccer on Saturday, late in the morning, then only one more game and the season will be over.
Hope you are all enjoying these beautiful colorful leaves and cooler temps. Our moon was fantastic the other night, coming up from behind a hill---all orange and full! Wow, just like what you'd see in the movies!
Have a great day! November 03 Chilly morning It seems really cold outside this morning---39 degrees here. I don't think I slept more than a couple of hours last night. Just restless and either too hot or too cold. Weird dreams. I don't know if it's the time change or the weather or what, but all day yesterday, I had a feeling of doom and "wrongness." I couldn't put my finger on it. I played tennis, even though I really didn't even want to be there. I went to Curves, but couldn't get into the workout. I just have that horrible feeling things are not right. Does anyone else have this or is it just me?
Today is a big work day as I have two tunings and an action to put back into a piano, along with all the work after it's back in. The work is good and pays, but my heart just ain't in it. Hubby is going along as my "apprentice" and going to help with the work as well so we can get it done faster.
Normally the time changes don't have much affect on me one way or the other. But this time---well, I can't explain it. But I've got to put on a happy smile and meet people today, so somehow, I'll get through it all. Nothing out of the ordinary is happening really or has happened to put me in this state. Now, look, I'm rambling---something I just don't do.
Better stop before I turn off all you blogging buddies... November 01 The pumpkin from hell Believe it or not, I actually was still carving The Pumpkin from Hell late yesterday afternoon! Yes, I had saved a nicely shaped one and decided to go ahead and carve it at the last minute. WELL, I couldn't even get a carving saw INTO the thing! I poked at it and swore at it and still the saw blade would not penetrate the shell. So, I got a knife. Even then, I had to practically stand on the pumpkin and use all my weight to get the knife into the shell. And when I DID get it in, I couldn't move it either way. After much wiggling and sweat dripping from my face, I managed to move the knife back and forth and extract it. After inserting the saw, I worked away at it for almost 10 minutes straight and got about 2 inches along.
At that point, I went to get Max. "Am I losing it or is this an especially hard pumpkin?" I asked, handing it to him, the saw sticking out. He worked at it for about a minute and handed it back to me. "This is impossible, Mom," was his reply as he disappeared from the scene. About that time, Hubby volunteered to get his jigsaw and drill. "No," I insisted, "I can do this!"
Well, I got the top off (after almost 25 minutes of sawing) only to find this:
 The shell was so thick, I could barely get my small hand inside, let alone grab enough pumpkin guts and be able to pull it out again. I got one of those plastic scrapper things to clean it out and had to force it through the hole in the top. To make a long story short, I finally did take the help from Hubby and he attacked it with his drill and jig saw, cutting out the mouth and nose ( I did the eyes myself!). I managed to clean it up with the little saws and it actually turned out to be pretty good---don't you think?
  WHEW! I never saw such a thick pumpkin in my life!!!  October 31 Hocus Pocus - I Put A Spell On You
This is my all-time favorite movie at Halloween time: Quote
October 30 Halloween Eve day Can't believe it's Friday, the day before Halloween already! Max is thinking he won't go as a chick magnet after all this year. He may not go at all---he's really not into it much this year. I think my baby is growing up!!! Boo hooooo! Bet he'd go if some girls asked him to... Didn't get as much done yesterday as I had hoped. I was so tired that I crawled into bed after lunch and slept for almost 4 hours. Then I went to bed early (just after Survivor) and slept hard all night. I had a low-grade fever yesterday and chills. Feel pretty good today---so far. But then, I'm a morning person. We'll see if things look this good by afternoon. Max gets out early today from school, so I'll be staying in K-ville after tennis to take him home.
Hey, I heard from the librarian, at the Middle School, that she is retiring in January! So, I got over to the District Office and put in an application. We'll see. I have a feeling that this winter is going to be a wet one, so with our financial situation still in limbo, I figured if I could get a part-time or even full time job for lthe rest of the school year, it would be fun. I can work my piano jobs around it OK, if Hubby takes up the slack at home. I've had some experience working in a library when I was back in college (before computers!) and have lots of secretarial experience working in law offices over the years. It would be a kick to get this job as it is not just for the Middle School Library, but also I'd have to watch over the High School and two or three elementary school libraries as well. So, it would be anything but boring! I'll accept any prayers or good wishes on getting this job that you can spare!
Have a happy and fun Halloween and don't get too scared by all those trick-or-treaters out there. Oh, and if you have a black cat, keep her inside tomorrow night! Some kids can be cruel... October 29 Nothing special Nothing special happening today. The work I had set up is postponed until next week, so that means today will be more of a get-things-in-order day. My computer place is piled high with boxes and stuff that needs attention. I'll have to make a library run and turn in these overdue books, check on a sick piano, make a W**Mart run, and other mundane things like balance the checkbook and try to pay more bills than we have money for. It seems these "nothing to do" days always turn into a hectic, whirlwind time. I've been holding my breath for the last two mornings---and to my delight, no ANTS in the kitchen! The other morning I came out to a trail all along my countertop leading to the banana bread that was wrapped in plastic on the other side. They actually got INSIDE somehow. Before I cleaned it up, I searched and searched for the place they were coming from and could NOT find it. It was like they just appeared out of nowhere! I use a non-toxic ,cinnamon oil ant spray that kills them and dissuades them from using the same trail, so I sprayed like a madman!
The weather here can only be described as NIPPY in the mornings. Otherwise, the sun is out and it LOOKS warm the rest of the day. Great weather, in my opinion. Everyone here is glued to the news about the Bay Bridge, hoping that this time, they actually do FIX it. Haven't been across that one in ages---we generally go across the Golden Gate or the San Mateo bridge. Scary business for sure!
Have great day! October 27 Annual Pumpkin party Our Annual Pumpkin Carving Party was a great success. With quite a variety of friends this year, and yummy food   and superb weather, people seemed happy and busy all day! Most of the folks who came were from our Judo Club  along with a few of Max's friends   and some neighbors as well. All in all, it was a calm, laid-back affair that I'm sure you would have loved to gone to (if you'd lived closer). Even Hubby loved the hamburgers (well he cooked them too!)  The pumpkins were unusual    and everyone won in at least one category!  A great time had by all!  October 25 Pumpkin Carving Day Today is our Pumpkin Carving Party! I'll have plenty of pics tomorrow of the events, so I'll leave you with a few interesting ones from years past:
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HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN! |
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