Here and There

I called the gardener guy Pat and Julie highly recommended, Wesley Shourt (the "u" must throw everybody for a loop), left a message and he called me back promptly. Said he'd go over to the house to look, did so, and called back to give me an price. I think it's reasonable, so I decided to skip trying to get anybody else and told him to go ahead. He said he'd be there on Monday, so I sent him a check for the full amount and texted Eileen to let her know.
Did still more paper work--never ends, it seems--and went to the library after lunch. From there, I picked up a few things at the new Smart 'N' Final supermarket (silly name, it seems to me). When I left the store, I saw a woman outside holding a sign about "lost job, no money, please help"--the usual here, I'm afraid. Her young son, maybe 10 or 11--was with her. I shook my head when she looked at me and hurried to my car. But after I put the groceries in, I took a few bucks out of my wallet and went back to give it to her. I asked if she could get to county services, but she didn't understand; neither she nor the son spoke English. I asked a guy who worked there where it was, and he told me, but of course, it was Saturday, so was closed. I knew nothing else to do, so I wished her luck and left.
But I can't stop thinking about her. Where can she go? Who will help? What's to be done? My friend had called while I was in the store and I called her back in the car. We talked about the woman and her boy, but of course, there seems no solution, considering there are thousands more--hurting and homeless, that is, not solutions.
My friend and her husband are now at Pike's Peak. Intrepid as they are, they didn't quite make it to the top; they were driving and friend said the sheer drops were just too scary. Gee, if they were leery of it--properly so--I would have been screaming my head off.
Anyway, we had a nice talk. They'll leave tomorrow for the Rocky Mountain Forest Park, where they'll pick up my granddaughters, Vivian and Violet, and host them for a week. Should be great fun and I wish I could join them.
Ellen called when I got home and we made a date for today to hang out. We plan to go to the Yardhouse Restaurant in Oxnard for lunch; I still have a gift card her fiancee gave me and I'd like to use it. Should be fun.