Pete Seeger

Last night listening to story about the life of Pete Seeger made me think. So many of the songs became part of our lives. They were written as protest songs but without an angry tone. Without the anger the songs became part of the next generation and were sung by schoolchildren. I think his legacy is that protest can be delivered in a gentle tone.

Have to Laugh

One of my caregivers, Elisa, has 5 boys and the youngest is 3. When she gives me a shower she especially cleans between my toes and behind my ears. My feet love it, but should I tell her I have not been playing in a sandbox or digging in the dirt?

Birthday thoughts

Dave would have turned 70 today. Funny that I don't think of him as old. Before he got sick he was working with a trainer and really proud of how strong he had become. In my mind's eye I see him that way or on the boat. In the boat image he is looking at something off to port. Sailing changed us as we learned to slow down and live in the moment and see the many small wonders of our world. We never regretted choosing to spend the time aboard. As health issues changed our lives we could look back and say we did it. Dave became vehement when telling people to follow their dreams. His DO IT NOW could often be heard. We did it and have the wonderful memories. Happy Birthday Dave.

getting started

Starting out the year right I finally had the van oil changed and a good looking over from a friend of Todds. One of the things he mentioned was the battery was low. This was on Thursday. Why I did not get a new one on Friday or Saturday is beyond me. Sunday morning the van would not start. One call and Todd to the rescue. Only a little late to church. After church caregiver Yukie started the engine before opening the ramp. Did not have a problem. I knew we would not have time on Monday to get a new one. Yukie does not back up our steep driveway so Cindy put the van away with no problem. Tuesday morning I did not even think about starting the engine before operating the ramp. Once again Todd to the rescue. Then off to Les Schwab. Getting the battery was just like their commercials. We drove in and someone came to the car to see what we needed. When Cindy said we needed a battery he said come right here. Looked at battery and proceeded to go get one and put it in. I think it took as long to pay as getting the battery.

Traditons

New Year's Day is full of traditions for both Dave and me. As kids growing up in Southern California the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl were big events. We watched the parade on television and I remember taking a ladder and going to watch the end of the parade. I don't remember if we did that often but do remember going to see the floats where they were parked. Dave's memories were about seeing the parade in person. They started with people passing kids to the front to sit on the blue line. (a line painted on street about width of parking strip. People can move out to that line at midnight.) Many years they put out a bench the afternoon before and moved it out at midnight. Then they discovered that a bottle of booze could entice someone to move the bench for them. There is nothing that can portray the beauty of the floats. Remember every inch of the floats must be covered by plant material. Following the parade was the Rose Bowl. During our early years it the only bowl game. Some years the outcome mattered to us. Other years we just wanted a good game. It was always part of the day Fast forward past marriage, babies and several moves. After hearing all the stories it was time for the kids to experience a night and day on Colorado Blvd. (Cindy Haven do you remember what year that was?) The big difference was Dave's parents RV parked on a side street. It was very nice to have a bathroom and hot breakfast. We still had to find a spot on the curb in the afternoon. Watching cars cruising up and down the street and crowds on the sidewalk contributed to the festive atmosphere. Then midnight came and everybody moved to the street. Very gradually things settled down some. Even wrapped in a sleeping bag it is difficult to sleep on a busy street.. We " let " the kids have the privilege. We then stayed home on New Years. The new tradition changed to a big pot of chile simmering on the stove. Crispy rolls and fresh fruit finished out a eat when you are hungry day.

Delightful Christmas

I hope everyone had a delightful Christmas as I did. I am blessed with wonderful kids who married equally wonderful people. For the second year we had a sleep over Christmas eve. It started when everyone was talking about coming here in the morning and Walker objected because Christmas is when you stay in your pajamas all day. We had to agree so did a sleep over. It worked out so good we did it again. We do our stockings then have breakfast and finally open presents one at a time. Sometimes we did the Santa present before breakfast. All off this takes time so you can see why Walker didn't want to get dressed and have to wait to start. You might wonder how the just the stockings can be enough before breakfast. Ours are big. I made them when my kids were small and as they got older the quest for stocking stuffers became more difficult. Did that stop me from making them for the boys? No. At least now there are more people to help fill. How big you ask? The biggest apple and orange you can find fill about one third of the foot. It is interesting to see how each one empties their stocking. Walker looks at each item and moves on. Sam looks at everything one at a time and checks to see what it is and how it works. Miles dumps everything out and then looks at what he finds most interesting. After the usual scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage and monkey bread, the fun begins. Some times it takes a very long time because everyone has to look at a present for a while before moving on. Often there is a story behind the gift to share. This year Walker got books and that always brings everything to a stop while he reads the back to see what it is about. Sam is almost as bad. When they read they do not hear anything. We finished opening about noon. Lunch was left overs from Christmas eve dinner. Finally the mean parents : -) insisted the boys get dressed and go outside for a while. A beautiful dry day brought others out too. It was also an opportunity for Kari and Garrett to see the demolition work Todd and his father-in-law had completed in preparation for remodeling. Caregiver Cindy then had time to give me a shower. Soon Kari and Garrett had to leave so they could celebrate with his family the next day. I am definitely spoiled to have them all on Christmas eve and Christmas Day. This year Christmas continued as TCWSM spent another night here. I miss my favorite editor

Three Blind Mice

Unfortunately the title is not accurate. We have (or had) more than 3 and they were not blind. This adventure started more than a month ago. Kari and Garrett were here and sleeping in the former media room in the basement. They heard the scurrying of little feet. Looking in daylight confirmed their suspicion. Mouse droppings were in many places in the basement. Not good news because the space between the ceiling of the media room and floor above was insulated but had access all along one side. This gave them access to walls above. During their clean up several areas indicated activity. They found 2 traps and set them them in the heavy traveled areas. Monday morning caregiver Cindy called the pest control company. They set out 6 more traps and they plugged up two probable entry spots. Early in the week we had some success. We did not know where all should the traps were but felt good about the 5 we caught. Todd especially liked catching two in one trap. Friday the exterminator found two more in more his trap. By then we should have realized that the 7 trapped meant there were many more including babies. To make a long story short we continued to find more evidence including in pantry and kitchen. By now they were we ignoring the traps too. Something had to be done. Now it Thanksgiving week. Marlene, a friend from Bakersfield, was here. She has a marketing company and and one of her longtime clients is a pest control company. She and Kari spent most of Friday finding and cleaning up droppings all over the basement, pantry, kitchen and even bedroom. Marlene knew about bait houses and other options so offered to call the exterminator Monday morning before she left. The call only resulted in a statement that the manager would call back. As the day progressed with no call I emailed a friend who had a positive experience with a different company. She quickly responded with the information and contacted them to expect my call. They were able to come out Tuesday morning and do what Marlene told us to expect. What about our regular company you ask. The manager did call back on Wednesday. When I told him I had another company working on the problem he asked if he could come out and see what needed to be done to prevent future problems. I I said yes. When he was here he asked caregiver Cindy if I had signed a contract with the other company. She said no. When he came back with several suggestion he made it very clear that there would be no charge since they had dropped the ball. That helped me be willing to stay with them. Now it looks like we are mouse free. There are also more plastic containers in the cleaned out pantry. Caregiver Elisa still checks for droppings. The bowls with nuts for snacking have not been put back out. All the bags with nuts now live in the freezer. I want to remain mouse free.