Crack o' Dawn Post

Really hate it when I can't fall asleep. Especially if I can't figure out why. Started out going to bed just after midnight. There I was, waiting for sleep to come over me. But...nothing. The hours passed. I tried my breathing technique where I focus solely on my breathing which blocks out all the thoughts still racing through my brain, but to no avail.

My feet felt like they were in blocks of ice, yet when I felt them, they were the same temperature as the rest of me. My silk quilt was put to cozy use and held in the body heat beautifully but my feet refused to recognize this. This led to nasty cramping in the tootsies and ankles. I actually got up and took a muscle relaxer to quell them. Fat chance.

This kept up for about four hours till I finally gave up. Thus the crack o' dawn post just to whine about it. What can I say? I get grumpy when I'm tired especially for no reason, don't you?

Listened to five or six podcasts of a Prairie Home Companion (free at iTunes). Garrison Keillor's soothing voice usually has me in a nice place where I start yawning and can easily sleep. Nothing. Read through a bunch of blogs which will usually lull me when it's this late. Again, nothing.

Feeling totally frustrated, I decided to write and so we have this post.

Oh wait, being able to complain about it has really helped, I'm starting to nod off...finally...I hope. Will continue later or tomorrow. Sweet dreams!

Another Grocery Tale Post

While out picking up a few things to eat, I happened to walk down the soup aisle. I glanced at Campbell's condensed soups and just about fell over. Are you ready? The price posted below each row of cans read $2.19. I probably should have told you to sit down. Sorry.

Can you believe this? Seriously? They must be nuts! For canned condensed soups that are made with chemicals? Really? How do they rationalize this?

Normally I don't eat canned soups, preferring to make them from scratch. It's just that for the last months, I've sort of relied on them in the malaise that seems to be in my life at the moment. Well, those and pre-made salads.

This would have really given me fits, if it weren't for the fact that at this time of year you can score some pretty great sales on these things. Recently I picked up an assortment of Progresso soups for $0.99 per can, a substantial price reduction. Right now the number of stores having sales and coupons for Campbell's soups is abundant. Sometimes restricted to one or two types, I did find one event that had all varieties for $0.59 each. It's the rest of the year that worries me.

Obviously I'm going to have to stock up a bit while the sales are on since I'm not going to pay $2.19, ever!

I won't go into how much ground beef / hamburger has gone up to. Well, maybe just a little...a year ago I thought $2.99 for 80% ground beef was a lot, but you could still find it on sale for $1.79 and $1.99. It's currently priced at $4.99. I will say Yikes to that!

Bliss to Beef and Back Post

As you know if you've been here now and again, I am totally out of the knitting mode. Though I'm still trying to get myself interested in another pair of fingerless gloves I'm not having a lot of success. I am, however, tempted by crochet of late. Seems to go in streaks like this.

While surfing I've run across a few blogs that are tempting me. One in particular, Attic 24 is calling me, or maybe it's the author's picture of a bag full of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino yarn in a rainbow of colors...drool...love that yarn!

*Source: Attic 24

Lucy, the author, is a woman after my own heart. She seems to love color! Her photos of the last dahlias of the year made me just melt. The colors were so vivid, so intense. There's a review of the book "Cute and Easy Crochet" which has a number of tempting projects in it.

Problem I'm having lately is that I can't bring myself to spend money on anything. It's a result I'm sure of having come so close to living in my car at the beginning of the summer. I can't justify spending any money on anything. Even food.

Costco is the only place to get steaks in So Cal that don't taste like cardboard. I used to buy a pack of four fillet mignons, freeze them and enjoy one a month. In the last year or two my beef consumption as a whole has shrunken to almost zero. It's just so expensive...even the "cheap" cuts. I mean, chuck roast at $3.99 a pound on sale? Even my purchases of fish have shrunk due to increased prices. Salmon, $9.99 a pound? About all I can justify is chicken which is often pretty cheap at Stater Brothers.

Last Friday, Von's had beef short ribs on special for $5.49...yikes! They're half bone for heaven's sake! I've never made them, but have collected some mighty tasty sounding recipes for them. Even beef shanks, that horizontal cut of leg meat with the marrow bone in the middle, costs $3.99. Used to find them at a small family owned chain grocery nearby for $1.79 on sale, but that closed when the company consolidated.

All these cuts of meat used to be the cheap ones. I don't even look at steak. The segue this post has taken is all due to the arrival in the mail of the Tuesday grocery circulars. Once again, nothing really on sale.

*Source:  Attic 24

Okay, enough about the cost of everything. Back to happier things like rainbow colors and flowers. As I was saying before the day's mail so rudely interrupted me, Attic 24 is really a nice blog. Lucy has a wonderful explanation for how to do a ripple aphgan, accompanied by excellent photos.

May just have to look through my stash and see what I can come up with that would require very little in the way of purchases to make the ripple. On the other hand, my brain and level of concentration don't have a lot of staying power as of late. So maybe I'll think about it for a few days before diving in.

*Note:  normally I get an author's permission before using any photos, but after searching Lucy's blog I can't find an email, so hopefully she won't wig-out that I used a photo or two, the post was after all, about her blog and wonderful eye for color. You should stop and visit her in her 100 year old house in the UK!

Pin a Note on Me Post

The post below was written on 9/19/11 but I decided to wait and think about it since I try not to be negative or speak of religion and politics on this blog. But, re-reading it two weeks later, I still feel the same, so please accept my apologies in advance for my rant. The rest of today's post, continues below.

9/19/11 While recovering from my assorted injuries, I wrote a number of entries but had not posted them because I wanted to accompany them with pictures. This however, supersedes all of them. Today I received a jury summons. I hate jury summons to begin with so it's bad enough, however, it's not local, it's downtown in the middle of LA.


That means a hideous commute of at least an hour there (for less than a 20 minute drive) and another hour or more back at peak traffic times. Parking is a block away, so it means a walk to the courthouse. This will be a challenge, especially leaving and getting back to the car after all day on my knee which is "good" for only about 3 hours at a time (if I'm lucky) before it swells to the size of a bowling ball. I see a rheumatologist on Oct. 1. I can't wait!


Since I never leave Blue alone in the house for more than 4 hours, it creates another problem. I figure I'll have to kennel him at $30 per day for at least a week. Just swell.


On top of all that, it means I'll have to see lawyers, the absolute scum of the earth. I literally hate them. They are the lowest form of life on this planet, lower than the dirt on my shoes. They have no morals whatsoever. It's no wonder this country is so screwed up...it's governed by lawyers.


After five years of dealing with the scummy slime bags and the "set up" known as the legal system during my divorce I have come to totally question their ethics and morals as well as that of the entire legal system in this country. To top it all off,  it's an "old-boys-club" with all that implies. For example, doltoid's lawyer would play golf with mine. Somehow that just seems wrong on so many levels.


It's a complete racket. Now in these tough economic times, it seems from my experience, the system's goal is to drag out all proceedings to make money. In the end, as always, it's the general public that pays and through the nose. Take all the current machinations going on in Washington with the budget. Look back at the past. The lawyers/politicians spend money like there's no tomorrow and then surprise! "We're" in debt. How did that happen? How will they fix it?

Raise taxes and borrow money of course. It's the answer to everything. Problem is, "they" won't have to pay for it, "we" will.

Edvard Munch's "The Scream"

Continued from above:  After reading the post again, I censored the balance of the rant. It accomplishes nothing and why ruin your day and mine? I'll just leave you with the above work of art as my final comment on what I was quacking about. I think it's a far more creative way to express the last half of my thoughts! :)

Okay, back to the present...the good news is that I saw a rheumatologist on Saturday. He was quite impressed with my balloon knee and even said "wow". Then he aspirated as much liquid as he could, which was a lot...two huge syringes...full. Even the nurses were impressed...lol! It feels soooooooo much better.

The bad news is that I forgot to ask him to sign my jury excuse for a change of venue that would be closer to home. Dang! Hopefully the other Doctor that was watching will be able to do so since the specialist only comes to the clinic once a month! Please cross your fingers.

I swear, I should pin my "to do" list to the front of my blouse when I leave the house, since my memory is off somewhere doing heaven knows what!

Trollup, Bee, Men and Personal Happiness Post

Just talked to a friend in the Midwest who I've known since I was ten years old. We've stayed in contact off and on over the years. She's been struggling with a cheating husband over the last year. She really loves him and doesn't want to get divorced.

He says he still really loves her but doesn't understand why they "can't all just get along". Funny (not really) but that's exactly what doltoid said to me about the trollop he was "seeing" while still married to me. What is it with men? How dense can they get? Apparently, pretty darn dense.

She said the worst part is at night when her mind is filled with all the bad things that could happen. I told her I'd email a poem I had since grade school that got me through a lot of difficult times in my life. I've come to view it as sort of a code for living, surviving and happiness. It's called Desiderata by Max Ehrman. It was written in 1927. I told her my favorite line was "But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness." This is so, so true.

After reading through it a few times, I decided to share the poem with you. Hope it gives you some comfort when and if needed. It has me.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Isn't that a remarkable piece of writing? She also told me she'd recently read two books that she felt were good but depressing. One was Little Bee:  A Novel, written by Chris Cleave. After listening to her and reading a few reviews of the book, I decided she needed a "better reading list" at this point in time. I'll share that list with you tomorrow. Hope this post finds all of you in a place of peace and happiness. Thank you for reading.

Pickles and Peas Post

You'll perhaps remember my post a while back on the cost of Le Seuer canned peas in 2011 vs. 1994. Well, get ready...I passed a can of those little green balls in Albertson's and the cost had risen from $2.19 to $2.59 in less than one and one-half months! That's $2.00 higher than 1994.

While shopping, I picked up a jar of Claussen kosher dill pickle spears, not looking at the price 'cause how much can pickles cost? I mean, really. Well, even the guy at the checkout looked at the price that rung up and commented. $4.59! We looked at each other in astonishment. Pickles used to be a "cheap" food. I still bought them, but they will now be a once-in-a-blue-moon treat and I won't be woofing down three at a time any more either.

This is on top of noticing prices on pre-made salads like potato salad, coleslaw and macaroni salad at the deli counter, going from $1.99/lb. (1.38Euros/.5kg) to $3.99/lb. (2.76E/.5kg) in a matter of three months!
I really don't know how people afford eating. Reading an article on the internet yesterday, it stated there was a 74% increase in people in the U.S. on food stamps. No wonder.

I've always thought that counting on the government for assistance was for the truly destitute, but quite frankly, I'm contemplating it more and more lately.

Back Up Post

Getting a new computer is fun but it's also a pain. I know, I sound like an ungrateful "arse". (Note:  I am truly thankful that I'm able at this point to afford to purchase a new one.) It's just that after almost four years, I had my computer set up just the way I wanted it. I had all my favorite blogs and articles to read, bookmarked. And here I am, starting over.

I'm getting sick of the "starting over" theme playing in my life over the last five years. Really, really sick of it!

I bought one year of Geek Squad help so I'm bringing my Macbook in to see if they can save all the data on the hard drive. If only I'd have payed attention to the little voice saying "back up your computer". I got as far as getting the portable back up hard drive out of storage and onto my desk but there it sits.

So I'm trying out a new iMac for two weeks. So far, the screen seems too big, but then after almost 4 years of the little Macbook screen, that's to be expected. I'm still torn over the portability issue. I haven't had a desktop computer for over 5 years except for the ones at the store and am not sure about lugging this beast to and from the Geek Squad at Best Buy.

One thing's for certain, I feel lost. Tried to wish my nephew Happy Birthday on Facebook, but can't remember my log in ID or password. Tried to pay a bill online and couldn't remember the User ID or Password. On my old Mac, everything was "remembered" and I had a document with all the IDs and passwords in case something happened. Foolishly, however, I hadn't backed up the info recently. Sigh....

I really hope the Geek Squad can save the data, or I'll have to start my book over and have no photos of the last 4 years. Loosing the photos alone will break my heart. Another point for not only backing up, but using flicker or some such place to save your photos!!

I'm too bummed to continue writing, sorry. Now stop reading and go back up your computer and especially your photos RIGHT NOW! You'll thank me for it later when your machine croaks without warning or you foolishly put liquid near it. Life is short in so many ways.

Holy Cow!

Or perhaps I should say Holy Pig. Forgot to mention that when I stopped at TJ's and Pavilions yesterday to pick up some salads and so forth, I cruised the meat counter. Saw some nice pork chops and thought that would be a little change from the last few weeks of salads.


Well, I almost passed out..."on sale" they were $6.49/lb. (4.55E/1/2K)!! Last time I looked, about a month ago, they were $4.49!!!! 

You'll recall my Pea Post about the movie Guarding Tess a while back. In the movie Shirley McLaine tells Nicholas Cage to run to the store and pick up a can of Le Seuer peas which would cost $0.59. I had just purchased a can of the same day I found my note for...$2.29!!!! I'm really starting to feel like my parents in the depression when "bread only cost $0.10 a loaf, but no one had $0.10"!!!!

Nothing and Everything

It's been a few days since I had anything to say, so no posts. There's just nothing all that new in my life at the moment which in some ways is a good thing. No drama or calamities, just quiet. Well, that and the heat. This year I'm really noticing it more as I said in an earlier post.

The only thing I've had to do in the last few days is figure out what health care plan to go with. It feels like playing a shell game. There's a lot of guessing and once you pick a plan, then they'll send complete coverage details not before. So it's a shot in the dark and then you only have 10 days to change plans if you don't like the details of what you picked. It's such a complete joke. 

But if you don't have health insurance, you could wind up paying on a hospital bill every month for the rest of your life, like my friend. Her husband became very ill, requiring a week in the hospital. With no insurance, they faced an astronomical bill. At first the hospital was going to work with them, but then the person they were dealing with was replaced and the second one wouldn't do a thing. They now owe USC Medical $100 per month forever. Isn't that just pathetic?

I'd probably better stop now, I feel a soap-box moment coming on as my thoughts drifted to the Congress which is a bunch of spoiled, self-interested/involved brats who should be ashamed of themselves. I normally would not speak badly of this government, but of late, the whole bunch in Washington D.C. are an embarrassment to say the least. If I see one more picture of Boehner I'm going to scream! They're all boneheads.  See? I told you I felt a soap-box moment coming on.

I guess even though nothing's going on in my life, I did have something to say.

Added later the same day but at night:  oh, there was one "new" thing this week, I went to the dentist for a cleaning and check up. Due to the money restraints of the long divorce, the dentist was one thing I gave up. My parents' ashes are twirling in their grave as I write this, but it's been two years. They ingrained the every-six-months-to-the-dentist rule into me from early on. Growing up in the Depression where dental care was basically non-existant, my dad had false teeth by the age of 55, so I understand their efforts with their children. When I opened wide, I expected Dr. L. to pull out a chisel or crowbar to chip the layers of tartar off my teeth but to the surprise of both of us, there was very little! So that's the good news for this post. I know you were dying to know that bit of nothing. Good night!


Oh, oh, oh! One more thing, the office manager at my dentist told me her divorce took 8 (count 'em EIGHT) years! Unbelievable!

Lost in the Woods

Just when you think you are out of the woods, bang! You're facing more problems. Such is my life at the moment. The divorce was finalized on June 10 and court orders were issued to award two accounts to me. As you know I have not found a job yet and am living on almost nothing.

The lawyers for my ex (which he fired) still hold the escrow trust account and are not releasing it. They don't return phone calls or emails. I checked with my lawyer and they agreed that this is unethical and illegal. However, since they aren't responding, I would have to file an ex parte with the court. Since having found out that the court system I'm in is the slowest in LA county, this will take 2-3 months! Can you believe this?

After spending 4 years and 11 months and a fortune to get a judgement I'm now supposed to go to court to have it upheld? This is obscene.

The other account is an IRA which my ex (against court orders) moved out of California to Nevada where he now lives. So my IRA custodian has her hands tied because the paperwork the Nevada company needs does not exist in California's system. Plus, the custodian in Nevada never answers her phone so she and my custodian are playing phone tag.

Meanwhile my landlord has started eviction proceedings which will involve more lawyers. Can you believe the idiocy of all this? It's enough to drive a person over the edge.

Heat Post

It was quite warm today, but not nearly as warm as it can get and the evening temperatures aren't dropping so that isn't helping. I finally gave in, cleaning and turning on the living room air conditioner at about 3 p.m. today and it's not even July. I have a feeling this is going to be an ugly summer. Thus the reason that I'm still up and posting this at 1:40 a.m.!

When it doesn't get below 60F at night outside, the house never really cools down. Plus there was absolutely no evening cooling breeze to take advantage of and so my window air conditioning unit is still on. I'd turned it off at about 11 p.m. but it became so hot, I had to turn it back on. I dread seeing my electric bill this month. To combat this, I walk around after dark using a flashlight, having turned all the lights in the house off. Hopefully this will counteract some of the electrical usage.

I really wish the idiot hadn't  cut all the shade off the tree, it made such a major difference in the house staying cool. What a short-sighted, inconsiderate fool. I may go out tomorrow morning and after picking up after Blue, hose the roof and house walls down. Maybe even do the same after 6 p.m. too.

Mr. Blue is "glued" to the living room where the A/C is and won't come into the bedroom or the office so he must really be hot. Maybe I need to buy him a little plastic "kiddy swimming pool" for the summer.  Well, good night and sleep tight.

What To Make For Dinner

That is the never-ending-question on this planet and visiting food blogs can be very frustrating when it's too hot to turn on the oven. Oh, I know there are those who'd be thrilled to have grilling season all year round. It can, however, get very boring and now that there is NO shade in the patio area, I have about as much desire to stand in front of a hot grill with the sun broiling me as I do to stand in front of a moving train. I believe it's time to break out the patio umbrellas. Luckily I bought a new one on sale at the end of the season last year.

Since the sad little window air conditioner in the bedroom is now exposed to sun all day long, it'll be far more inefficient than it used to be. (No, I'm not going to get over the new lack of shade any time soon.) So I'll probably put the old umbrella over by the unit to give it and that side of the patio some shade. The new one will go over by the back porch.

Funny, it seems like the workers have been pounding, jack-hammering and sawing on the place next door for at least four or five weeks now...I checked and it's only been an eternity of two and a half weeks. Amazing. At least they turned off the polka-like music they had on at 8 a.m.

Anyhow, back to cooking. Spent part of the afternoon visiting Ree Drummond's blog, Pioneer Woman. Lots of good recipes but many require using the oven. Ugh. I think I'm going to have to break out the little counter top oven I bought on sale last fall just in time not to use it because it was big oven time at that point. I'm actually toying with putting it on a table outside and plugging it into an outlet right by the garage side door in order to keep the heat out. Sounds kind of trashy, but I want to keep the house as cool as possible without turning on the air conditioning for as long as I can.

You'd think with the amount of food blog browsing I do and with the 58 plus recipes for salads and 108 plus for pasta dishes I've saved in my cookbook folder on the computer that I'd have plenty of ideas. Well, I bought a head of cabbage Sunday when I went errand running, so I do need to make coleslaw today and I cooked macaroni noodles at about 9 p.m. last night when it was cooler, so I just need to chop celery and onions to throw a tuna salad together. I found my favorite tuna in the large can, on sale at Pavilions at two for $5.00 which is a steal, saving me over $1.50 a can.

But I've already shared those recipes with you. Maybe salmon patties...just one burner needed with a salad on the side. Hmmm.... I've saved over 16 salmon patty recipes. Only one problem, I'd need dill for the cream sauce I like to have with them. Looks like I really need to break down and visit the Home Depot. For the last two years I've bought herbs at Trader Joe's because they were inexpensive. But within a few weeks they'd die, (even when repotted into a better pot and watered) so I won't buy herbs there. I've had better success with Home Depot's herbs as well as Target's. Well, it's pumpkin time, referring to the fairy tale where Cinderella's magic carriage turns back into a pumpkin and where my office turns into a little piece of hades that I must escape from.

Construction Post

Last Tuesday, I told you how the day laborer next door butchered the tree on this property and how all shade is gone, so the west side of this house is hotter than hades from noon till night. Well, the construction has continued on the houses and yard since then. This morning, a Saturday, I was awoken by pounding and drilling at 6:30 a.m. Since I still have the hacking cough, which gets worse at night, I didn't fall asleep till 2 a.m.! So to be awoken that early really annoyed me.

Luckily, most cities have rules about when construction can start, so I called the police. Turns out that on weekends, construction noise can't start till 9 a.m. on weekends, so the officers must have come by because shortly after my call, the noise stopped. Yay! I fell back to sleep till about 10:30 a.m. when the pounding began again. Thank goodness, I really needed that sleep.

The houses and yard next door should look nice once they're done, I just wish they weren't so brutish and so noisy. Having torn down, rebuilt or refurbished 6 houses* in LA since 1983, I realize construction noise is a necessary pain in the neck. However, on my projects the workers knew they had to plan on doing "quiet" work till 10 am. Then they could pound and saw all they wanted. Maybe that's why I'm sensitive to workers who show no regard for local ordinances or courtesy to neighbors.

It would seem that I'm in a rather negative space of late. People are ruder and pushier than they used to be. Personally I blame this on the current economy and depression. So much money was lost by men running major institutions, men with no ethics or conscience. What's amazing is that none of them ever paid for the cavalier destruction of the economy and many peoples lives. It's the average citizen who suffers because of their negligence. Oh dear, I'm going off on a soap box here aren't I?

I'm going to have to work on myself and get in a more positive frame of mind. After all, I can't change what's happened and would have little effect on the men running these companies who are now receiving massive salaries and bonuses, carte blanche! Obviously I'm having a little trouble getting off my soap box or turning my mood around. Sorry. I think I need to cook something. It'll probably be my Chicken Pot Pie or Danish/Caldo Verde.

*Note:  Any houses I tore down were of no architectural value or beauty. The beautiful Mediterranean style homes from the 1920's were all treated as treasures and only returned to their original beauty after having been bastardized by former owners. The tear-downs were rebuilt to be period pieces based on historical data and informed by other architecture in the neighborhoods.

Post #3

Update:  Still no news on the final divorce papers. What is the man (commissioner aka fake judge) so occupied with that he takes a month to read a few documents and sign them?

Butcher Post

After I finally fell asleep at about 5: 30 a.m. I was awakened at 8:20 a.m. by day laborers from the rental house next door who had been unleashed with chain saws. Their job was to cut off all limbs of the pecan tree in this yard that encroached over the property line next door. They were over-enthusiastic to say the least.

Apparently the owner is either readying the two houses on the lot for sale or re-rental. When I moved in,  a nice couple were the tenants for one and a half years, (Note:  gossip starts here) they were kicked out at Christmas, so the landlady's daughter, a porn actress could move into the back house and rent rooms/beds out to girls in that industry.

The daughter installed two sets of bunk beds in each of the two bedrooms and we saw a string of young women staying there on a rotating basis. So there were at least 8 assorted women living there at one time. Men would come and go at all hours and the girls living there often got into screaming matches. That group lasted about ten months. In the last two years the property has had many more tenants, each new arrival comes with hardly any furniture, maybe just a few boxes but only stays a month or so. (End of gossip.) No one in the neighborhood could quite figure it out.

The first thing the workers did a week and a half ago, was to rip out the sweet little picket fence and any plants in the front yard. Next they power washed the whole house including the roof. That was another early a.m. wake up call. After that, a week of painting the interiors began. Since the houses were empty, all the lights in and out were left on 24/7, shining right into my bedroom.

Now they began painting the outside which is what prompted the tree butchering. Heaven help it if a branch or two get in the way of their painting. Below is a not so good photo from last year showing how much shade over the house the tree provided. Everything green is the pecan. The huge branch across the photo belongs to the Live Oak tree in another part of the yard.

What I find so utterly amazing is that in this day of conserving energy, when people are being advised to plant trees to shield their houses from heavy sun, these idiots are essentially stripping most of the shade that the tree affords this house from the West heat and their house from the East sun, although I'm sure the person owning the property could care less. I just went out and took pictures of the mayhem.

After butchering. Where you see blue sky, used to be all green leaves.

Over the years I have noticed when men get their hands on any power tool, they become crazed. It some how raises their testosterone levels and they become super macho brutes, hacking at everything. I have observed this with most of the men who do any kind of "mow and blow" on a daily basis. There is no arborist's art or understanding of plants to their madness, just ugly stumps and leafless shrubs left in their wake.

Tree butcher

During butchering

This has pretty much made up my mind about moving from here before the heavy summer heat arrives. You see, this side of the house faces West and that tree was truly a life saver in the summer since the office has no air conditioning and the unit in the bedroom is so small that it barely keeps the room livable, much less cool. They cut off over half of the foliage and limbs. It was enough to fill one and a half flatbed trucks with side panels. They even cranked up the volume so they could share their Spanish  talk show which blared from the truck parked at the curb with the whole neighborhood. What is it about talk radio? I don't care what language it's in, the announcer always speaks in an annoying monotone voice.

The person who owns this property is apparently anti-foliage. About 2 years after moving here, the tall lovely shade tree in their back yard was hacked down and now all the light from the back house shines in my bedroom. This may not seem like much, but the back porch has a huge light, which the tree blocked.

Yes, I think I have worn out my welcome in this house. Now, just where shall I move? Because if I'm going to move, it's going to be to a state that's less expensive than California. Any suggestions?

Updates:
It's now 2:20 p.m. and one of the butchers is painting the trim on the house but the nozzle is too big so there's a great deal of overspray which is just what the environment needs. (Note:  sarcasm)

3:59 - the sun is dropping in the West so I'm getting a taste of how freakishly hot this room and my bedroom will be in the coming summer. Not a good thing. I may cover the two West windows with foil to reflect some of the heat although that won't help the now totally exposed West wall of the house stay cool.

5:52 - finally silence. Although, I noticed he didn't paint any trim on this side of the house this afternoon, so he's probably saving it for tomorrow a.m.  Oh joy. (Sorry, I know I'm being negative, but it was a very annoying day with these brutish men and chain saw noise.)

The Slowest in LA

Any CENTURY now. Literally! That's my opinion of the Pomona court system which is known as the SLOWEST in the entire county of LA. Signed papers on 4/29/11 and they NEEDED MORE paperwork filled out. I am soooooooooooo fed up with the legal system in this country that I could scream. The U.S. has changed so dramatically from the U.S. I grew up in, that it is utterly pathetic. I'm sooooooooo disappointed in all the CEO's/CFO's and so on that I could just scream when I hear that after taking fortunes away from the baby boomers' retirement funds, they can be so richly rewarded. A$$holes. Need I say more?

Breathless Post

Just realized I haven't posted since Sunday. Probably because I'm in an allergic haze. The pecan tree outside  my bedroom is blooming, well, I'm not sure blooming is the right word. It gets these three and four inch long strands of tassels covered with lime green flower like things that shed a ton of chartreuse colored pollen. It covers everything. In fact, I've been hiding out in the house.

Problem is that when Blue has to go out, his coat gets a dusting (the tree is relentless) of pollen. He comes into the house and suddenly I'm having a sneezing, runny nose, wheezing, itchy eyes and ears attack. So now, he's greeted with two wet paper towels and wiped down which seems to help. I hate to waste paper towels, seems environmentally unfriendly but the trade off is using half a box of facial tissues from sneezing and blowing my nose. I buy 6 to 8 boxes of tissue every few days.

This all has a point actually, and that is to ask why on earth asthma inhalers were banned because the propellant hurt the ozone, yet hairspray with propellant is still available. I guess the message being sent by our legislators is that making hair stay in place is more important than the ability to breathe. I think before that was done, everyone who got to vote on it should have been treated to a taste of what not getting enough air feels like! It just boggles the mind!

Oh, one can get a new version type of inhaler that's environmentally friendly, but since these babies are "new" they fall into the brand name not generic category of drugs which my insurance doesn't cover. So I have to pay about $40 to breathe. Isn't that just special? Makes tons of sense doesn't it? I've chosen the only affordable alternative which is to use generic albuteral liquid with a nebulizer. This is so ridiculous. I get over a month's supply for $10! The down side is that I can't be away from the house and machine if I want to breathe during this allergy period. Let's just return to the 1950's because of misguided environmental governance.

The whole debacle kind of reminds me of viagra and how that was rushed into existence while breast and prostrate cancer still have no cure. Just another of life's little mysteries in this male dominated society. I'll get off my soapbox now. I've been wanting to address this raging stupidity for several years now. Thanks for listening.

Whine, Whine, Whine

The next time I whine about the weather being cold and dreary, I give you permission to slap me. Seriously. What I wouldn't give to get some of that back! Summer has decided to rear its ugly, sweaty, hot head very early this year. Today it was at least 95F (35C) and it's supposed to get hotter tomorrow and the next day! UGH! The beginning of May is way too early for this. I'm hoping that the usual "June Gloom" is just around the corner. In the past 8 or so years we've had it in May also. Without it, this is going to be one very long summer.

Of course this is all sort of unimportant, while I'm facing the possibility of living in my car. It really depends on how long it takes the commissioner (appointed/aka:  fake / judge) to sign the final divorce documents. 

I can't type anymore due to a weird growth balooning just under my right fingernail......I SOOOOOOO hate life.

Why...

Frankly, I think a lot of women all over the globe can relate to my situation. Men control the world. Sorry guys, but you DO and you have ALL the "boys' networks" set up everywhere. Women are apparently more trusting...or stupid...or...I give up! What makes us (women, married or not) not likely to reach out like men and help each other? It boggles the mind...mine, at least!!!

Come on ladies! I don't care what your nationality/religion/ethnicity and so on, is. You HAVE to have an opinion! And if English isn't your language, I'm SURE someone out there would volunteer to translate for you! Plus, there's Babel Fish (I think that's the site).  Though some translations can be mangled; if we all got together, possibly, just maybe, something would change for each of us. No, I don't think the world will because it's all patriarchal. But maybe if we made a teensie dent in the wall/armor/facade, a wee bit of difference in each of our lives would be noticed.

Sorry all, for going on, will get off my soapbox now, but DO think about it...just a wee difference, here and there and then a wee bit more....  Life is CHANGE/OPPORTUNITY.

Thank you for listening, and for your visit to my blog. Hope it wasn't too negative, because it was meant to be positive and give us strength in all our gods' names. He/She never meant for the world to be so very horrid.

Sorry, with that I will give you a little picture of happiness...  It's my late Siberian Husky who was the dearest soul. With me for so many years and in her favorite place in the back yard, sniffing spring air.

Spring smells SOOO good! I'm in heaven!

P.S. If you don't like this post, don't bother commenting because it will be deleted. But thank you anyways for reading.

One More Time Shall We?

I swear I'll be the death of me yet. Yes, you read that right. Once again I have fallen, literally. It happened when I was out picking up after the little dog since the garbage can goes out tonight. Being that the little beast is less than a foot tall (not counting the ears) he seems to like to poop in "private" and that to him must be under things. One of his favorite haunts is under the potted sago palm on the back porch.

The sago palm is not really a palm but a cycad and having just looked it up on Wikipedia only now found out it's very poisonous to dogs! EEK! It also stated it was very tasty to dogs. Double EEK! So far, in the 20 plus years I'v had the plant, not one of my dogs has shown any interest in the plant thank goodness and knock on wood! I also found that:  "The Cycas revoluta, commonly known as the Sago Palm is one of the oldest species of plants that exist. They appeared on the earth during the Paleozoic Era from 350 to 250 million years ago, before the flowering plants appeared. They were dominant plants in the Mesozoic Era and coexisted with dinosaurs. For this reason these plants are sometimes referred to as “living fossils”,  and the Mesozoic Era is referred to as the “Age of Cycads”. "The oldest survivors of our planet is extremely poisonous for humans and animals if digested. Sago palms can cause liver damage, especially if the nut portion is consumed." (Source) This would explain why they survived the dinosaurs.

Duck inherited with the house.

Anyway, back to the story. Due to the abundance of rain this year and the fact that the silly (read:  lazy) gardener did not turn the sprinklers back, the back brick patio has turned into a slimy field of moss.

So I'm out there, as I said and had to bend down under the sago. Now if you've never experienced a sago, they are prickly little monsters, beautiful but the tips of the leaves are like daggers. So between bending, dodging and slime, my foot slid out from under me and I did a 190 degree flip, ending up on my back under the potted sago.

Blue immediately came over and sat on my chest which while dear, didn't facilitate my getting up. Did I mention that there's only 2 feet of space between the house and the plant? Also not the greatest for righting one's self and I couldn't use the pot to help since I'd be impaled by the dang plant!

Finally got myself sitting, leaning against the house, staring at the sago when Blue promptly planted himself on my thigh. I did eventually get up and finish poop patrol but the bruise on my back shoulder blade almost rivals the shiner I got in January. On the positive side, I didn't land in any poop-mines so that was a very good thing.

When I got back in the house I called the property manager, told her what happened and asked if the gardeners which were due to come could turn the watering times down. She said that she'd advise them. So they arrive and ask what to do. I tell them to set the timers so the water doesn't stay on so long. Then they proceed to argue with me that the rains were over, summer was almost here and the sprinklers were fine! So here I am, a woman with an ice pack strapped to her back and another held to her neck showing them the slime where I fell and still they argued. I turned around, said "fine"(while thinking something else) and went inside.

About 45 minutes later, after they finished this yard and the one behind me, the front door bell rang. Having just donned the ice packs again, I hobbled over and opened it. There's Tito the gardener who informs me he turned the timers back. Talk about wanting to "reach out and touch someone" as the old commercial said (only this time, not in a good way). But it would accomplish nothing so I simply said, once again, "fine" and closed the door. Sigh. Why do some people have to make it so difficult?