Cruisin' Around

Walked Kimball well bundled up. It was very chilly--middle forties--and stayed that way most of the day.  After breakfast, I sat down to finally write the reference letter (e-mail) to Jackie L. at SCAN for Brenda and Brianne. True, they're working at corporate in L.A., but this will be put in their files and should enhance their records.
Writing, revising, and re-revising took me most of the morning. Finished, but saved as a draft, and went out to buy spinach and stuff.  Boiled up some eggs to add to my salad; after lunch, I printed out my diet regimen, which Betty had requested, and sent it via snail mail to her at Carolyn's.  I'm not sure how--or if--she's going to follow it, but she can give it a shot.
Walked the usual town walk. On my way home, I got a call from Doris to tell me Sherry had given her a Christmas gift for me. I said I'd stop and get it, which I did. It's a pretty tree ornament in the shape of a stocking, with "R" on it. I really like it and was touched.  Called Sherry to thank her and after the New Year, I'll get in touch with these friends and suggest lunch or something. I'll see them on Wednesday, too, at the first BCNN meeting of 2018.
Vera, the leader of Soaring Spirits widder group, put on Facebook that tomorrow, we'll try another restaurant, The Sizzler, rather than Marie Callender's. I responded "YAY! I'll be there."  It's about time--Marie's a tired old gal who never met a processed food she didn't like. This might not be much better, but at least, it's a change. And yes, we'll meet on New Year's Day--why not?
Received from Amazon the gift (baka-something--I'm too lazy to look it up) for grandson, Joel; it's a kind of warm hood that covers the face. It's been so cold in Jersey, I thought he can use it, especially when riding his motorcycle. Sent off the reference letter to SCAN.

Routine, Regimen, and Reagan

The usual routine: Kimball, breakfast, store, lunch, town, home.  I prepared a spaghetti squash, as well as a few other veggies.
Suzanne came to my door to say St. John's has a refrigerator they want to replace and did any of Ellen's student families need it? Texted Carolyn to see, but didn't hear back from her. Later, when I talked to Betty, she told me C. had had a minor eye operation and probably hadn't checked her phone.
I invited Betty to stay over here a night; she'll let me know when, as she still doesn't have a return ticket. Later, she called me back when I was in The Coalition to ask about my diet regimen. When I got home, I revised it with more info and will send to her via snail mail.
Later, El called to ask if I wanted to go to the Reagan Library to see the Titanic exhibit on Tuesday. Yes, sir, I do, and we will. Asked El about the fridge; she doubted if any could use it at this point, as most of those burned out probably had moved in with relatives.

Clunk!

Started out for Kimball at my usual 7:00 and, as I drove out of the complex, heard a loud clunk, then a kind of rhythmic continuation--"clunk, pause, clunk, pause." I was sure it was one of my tires and pulled into the main entrance. Called AAA and Bob Carlson, the guy who had towed my other car, came reasonably quickly. He checked and the tires seemed okay. Looked under the hood--no problem. He then got down on the ground, reached under, and pulled out a large plastic bag. He said it had wrapped around my axle and was strong enough to cause the clunks. Funnily, he told me that wasn't unusual. He asked me to drive a short distance, I did and it was okay.  All this meant I was about forty-five minutes later than usual for my walk, but no prob, I got it in.
The rest of the day: Did a regular load of wash, plus the bathroom rugs.  Dusted and mopped the hard floors. Checked to see if Amtrak had refunded my train fare; it had for the Ventura to Oakland, but not the way back. Called and they will. Paid several bills (on-line) and did some other paper/computer work. Went out to buy onions and peppers. Stopped at Wal-Mart to buy necklace extenders. I had about two pounds of carrots, so I pared and cut them, then cut up some of the persimmons I got from Carolyn's, and they went together nicely. Put that in the slow cooker.
Took my town walk. Texted Ellen to ask if she wanted to see Three Billboards in Ebbings, Missouri. I'm dying to see it, as I heard it was good. She said no, she wasn't anxious to see that. Maybe I'll ask Nancy, although I doubt if that's her thing. If I have to, I'll go by myself, although it's only playing in Camarillo, which is a distance away.
Using my trusty Chop Wizard, I chopped the onions and peppers, sauteed, added ground turkey, and had a tasty stir-fry.

Lots Done

Walked Kimball, greeting my park pals, Irene and Diane, plus several others I see every day. After breakfast, I started in on the many errands and catching-up items I had put off. I won't go into detail, but they included
  -looking on Amazon.Com, to see if they had chargers. They do and I'm getting some. I then
  -stopped at Ralph's to see if my debit card had been turned in. It hadn't, so I went directly to
  -the bank, where I got a temp one; perm will come in the mail within five days. I then went to
  -Wal-Mart, where I returned the chopper El gave me, as I already have the Chop Wizard.  Didn't have the receipt, so received a credit card, which was fine by me, as I immediately bought Neo-Sporin infused Band-Aids and a few other things. (I still have money left on it.) Then it was off to
  -WinCo for scads of goodies: salad fixings, fruit, grilled chicken, eggs, and so on. From there, it was
  -the Cricket store, where I asked if the generic chargers could be used for my phone. I didn't really get a straight answer, but ordered them. I figure if they don't work, I can return them. After that, I
  -used the gift card from Amazon Mike gave me (one dollar for each year I've graced the earth) to order chargers, Oral B replacement heads, and a gift for grandson, Joel. (I still have plenty left on the card.)
That took me to lunch, after which I did the town walk. When I got home, Suzanne invited me in and told me all about her Christmas with her brother and his family. He's a doctor, wife's a teacher, and they have two grown daughters. I shared about my holiday and as ever, enjoyed our talk.
I accomplished a lot, but still have a few thing hanging. I need to make an appointment for a blood test (routine), fill out my 2018 reminder calendar, and write references for Brenda and Brianne of SCAN.  Also, I still haven't received my check from SCAN and I'm beginning to get annoyed--the pikers!  I also have to turn my attention to paying some bills and check that I got my refunds from Amtrack and the Getty trip, both cancelled because of the fires.

Day After

Walked Kimball--the full way 'round this time--and had breakfast before getting to Ellen's at about 9:45. We took off for Santa Barbara shortly after, arriving at Carolyn's in forty-five or so.
Steve, Robyn, and Dexter were there, as well as Betty, and we exchanged gifts. I had brought Calvin a rubber pig, which made a huge hit--with him and everybody else. I had wrapped it in tissue paper and he opened it himself, tossing bits of paper all over the floor.  
Calvin just loved that pig! It made a noise--a loud, rude one reminiscent of somebody with a stomach ailment--and he kept grabbing and shaking it, as if he had a live prey.  Claire and Dex took him out the yard and threw it for him to run after.  This lasted for ten minutes or so before Calvin tore poor Mr. Piggy to shreds.
We exchanged some gifts, had some wine and appetizers, chatted and laughed. The L.A. contingent left in a few hours, as Robyn had a bad cold. El and I stayed until about 4:00, then left to meet Greg at his mother's place.  Picked him up and we walked to the Santa Barbara Mission, about a mile away, so we covered two there and back.  I was glad we had, as I missed my town walk.
We strolled around the mission and grounds--a beautiful place--then went to a little Thai restaurant (I had spring rolls, which were very good) for dinner. After, we dropped Greg off after, then drove back to Ojai. El invited me to stay over rather than drive home--by that time, it was almost 9:00--but I didn't have anything with me, so didn't. I had no problem getting back, called El as she had requested to tell her I had arrived safe and sound, and went to bed to sleep deeply.
As much as I enjoy these pleasurable deviations from the norm, I'll be happy to get back to my regular life, I guess because I like it so much.

December 25th

It was a delightful Christmas. Quieter than last year, when so much of the family was gathered, but just as enjoyable.
Drove to Kimballl, but I was very early--before 7:00--and since it was Christmas day, the trucks were not moving. There were few people walking and I cut it short; was just uncomfortable at being in the far end of the park when it was more or less deserted.  Home, I did this and that, finished up the last of my salad for lunch, dressed, and took off for Ojai. When I got there, El was in the throes of dinner preparations, with Greg helping, and we chatted while this went on.  Later, I watched parts of A Christmas Carol (the good one with George C. Scott) and they continued in the kitchen.
Ellen didn't get a tree this year, mostly because of the great unpleasantness of the lost/stolen purse, but she had decorated the house beautifully with strings of lit garlands, and so on.  The table was covered with a bright red tablecloth and she had put a big vase of yellow roses on it, with some ornaments around--very tasteful.  Just as tasteful were the Margaritas she and I had as cocktails. Greg made the first, original ones, then El made Skinny Girls.
And dinner was the tasteful-est:  El had cooked a big (fresh, not frozen, and organic) turkey with homemade stuffing, sweet potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, fresh string beans, whole berry cranberry sauce, and gravy, which Greg made, plus copious amounts of Chardonnay.  This was followed by pumpkin pie--natch.  After, they went to the Episcopal (I think) church for the Christmas service (Greg has gotten interested in this), but I begged off. They got home about 10:00, I guess, and we all went to bed.
Christmas day, we opened our presents, received a video call from Mike and the girls (they're in Germany, but leave for Austria tomorrow and after that, Holland and Italy), got a phone call from Tuscon, and generally had a fine time. El made eggs for breakfast, then Gregg went back to Santa Barbara to meet his boy--they were going fishing off the pier. We had leftover turkey and trimmings for lunch--sometimes I think it tastes even better the second day--then went for a drive in the hills.
I left about quarter of four and drove directly to town, determined not to skip my walk. Did the usual, then home, El called and asked me to be at her place at 10 today. We'll drive to Santa Barbara to Carolyn's (Betty is there now); and also meet Greg and possibly, his son, then go back here later in the day.

UP!!!

Incredible. Beyond belief. Un-friggin' marvelous! Ellen's purse is back!
Did my usual routine, walking Kimball, some computer stuff, a little housework, lunch, then took off for town. Walked the usual, then stayed at the library for 45 or so, continuing the Judy Garland bio, of which I read a few chapters a day.
As I drove home, the Tokyo Trio called--that is, videoed--on my phone. I parked, then saw and talked to the beautiful boy, his Dad and Mom, and it was so good to see them.  While we were "together," so to speak, I got a call from an unfamiliar number.  I waited until our video visit was over, then called it back.  I got Ralph's Supermarket and person asked if I was Ellen Molloy's mother--then proceeded to tell me her purse had been turned in!
Ellen had sent a text saying to please return it to Ralph's or police would be called. I suppose this did the trick because there it was. Called El, but the machine (Tracphone answer thing) was on still, as it had been in the morning. Called Greg and told him, then El called me. I was so glad to be able to tell her her purse was found.
She asked me to see if this and that was there and it all was: sixty-some dollars in cash, her iphone, a $25 Amazon gift card, driver's license, and everything else.
Yay--now this will be a happy Christmas after all!

Down

Well, it was a hell of a day.
Because I had been up from about midnight to 2:00 am, I slept late and didn't get up until 7:30.  Because Ellen had bought a TracPhone, I expected her to call me by then. It got later and later and I got more and more worried. Finally, the phone rang and I pounced on it.  It was Greg asking, "Did Ellen call you?"  Naturally, that was enough to make me entertain just two possibilities: 1. Driving on deserted Route 33, Ellen had gone off into a ravine or 2. Ellen had been kidnapped and was...
I told Greg I was driving over there and I did. On the half-hour trip, I continued to worry and worry. I hoped I'd see her car in her driveway and--
I did. Turns out she hadn't bought the phone card with minutes that you have to for one of those jazzy models. I went to Vons and got one and she put it in; happy day, she can even use her old number.
I left, much relieved and went home to have breakfast at 11:30, but I didn't care.  After, I took a load of clothes to the laundry. While they washed and dried, I tackled the enormous amount of paperwork I had let slide, wrote out some Christmas cards, called Betty, and cleaned up a bit.
Had one of my huge salads for lunch, then went to Trader Joe's and Wal-Mart, a major mistake.  The stores were jammed, parking lot was filled, and so on. However, I got the organic olive oil I wanted (I'm making Rosemary Oil for Greg for Christmas) and a few other items.
Thought I'd at least take my town walk, but when I drove in, it was starting to get dark and I changed my mind. Ellen called and I pulled over to talk. She's using the phone, but there are various things she can't find; she'll probably go on their web site.
When I got home, I made the Rosemary Oil. I had already washed the sprigs and the next step was to heat the oil to simmering (but not smoking) and pour it over. Now it has to sit in a dark place for a few days.
By that time, it was almost 7:00, so I skipped dinner and just had pop corn and fruit at 8:00. I feel so bad for Ellen--what a Christmas present!

INCREDIBLY, EIGHTY-ONE!

Went back to my Kimball walk and felt good doing it. After breakfast, I went to WinCo and stocked up on supplies, mostly fresh produce.  Talked to Betty and to Ellen, it was generally decided Betty and I would get together the day after Christmas. It occurred to me that we're rarely together on our joint birthday, anyway, and we both wanted to be with our own families.
El called and said she and Greg would like to take me to dinner--5:50 at Steven's Greek. Sounded good to me, so I called Nancy to see if we could meet at noon, instead of 1:00, which was fine by her.
Met Nance at The Cave and she presented me with a gift--a lovely pair of purple socks, but not ordinary ones. These have a fancy type of pattern and are also fairly high. I love them and will wear them often. Of course, she made them--she's an expert knitter.
Nancy also treated me to lunch and we had splits of champagne; one each, then we split a split (ha!). We had a fine time talking and laughing, then parted happily.  Drove directly to town and did my afternoon walk; got home about 4:30, then left a half hour later to meet Ellen and Greg.
This was delightful. We had Greek food and, crazy and wild kid that I am, ordered a split of the bubbly here, too. After we ate, I was presented with gifts (slipper and a gift card from El, Anne Bancroft's biography from Greg), plus I opened others. Received two knives, a sharpener, a lovely family portrait of the Tokyo Trio, and an Amazon gift card--one dollar for every year I've lived (can't wait for the C-Note one).
Anyway, the best part was being with Ellen and Greg.  They came in separate cars because Greg's son is in town (Santa Barbara) from Wyoming and he "has custody" the next three days. Paul is over twenty, so what that really meant was that his mother "had him" the other days.
I was pleased when El invited me to stay overnight on Christmas Eve. This is shaping up to be a quiet, but very enjoyable holiday season.
Note: Sadly, Ellen's purse with iphone was stolen last night. She went to a supermarket after we had dinner, was busy transferring her items to the car, realized she had left her purse in the cart, went back, and it was gone. Surveillance video showed a family--with two children!--who clearly took it. Police were called, but I'm afraid it's gone. Talk abut holiday season--what a damned unpleasant thing to happen to her.

Alameda

I'm back and, oddly enough, we had a wonderful time. I'm not going to innumerate all we did--it's just too much, but it included
  Dinner at Frank's our first night, Maureen and Francine and families bringing Mexican food, plus beer. Lots of kiddies running around, which was so nice.
  Dinner at the Pasta Pelican, right on the water in Alameda, which instantly became one of my favorite restaurants.  Stopped at Francine's afterward to see their very large house in Alameda. Francine is in the judicial system and had a conference in San Diego, so we had to say goodbye to her on Monday night.
  Dinner at Maureen's with her terrific guy and their boy and girl. She had a truly lovely house, built I'd say in about 1890, enormously high ceilings, beautiful parquet floors, and original oriental art on the walls. They surprised me with a cake for dessert with "Happy 81st, Mimi" on it--and it was absolutely delish. Sang Happy Birthday and I was so touched.
 Went to see Marybeth in Mercy Center Memory Care and had lunch there. I thought she was gaga, but everybody else remarked on how "good" she was that day. Oh, well...
 Went to San Francisco on the ferry on Tuesday, took a cable car, ate lunch in Chinatown, called Uber to get back to the ferry, then dinner at Maureen's, as above.
  I stayed with Frank, Ellen at Francine's (Maureen's is in Oakland, farther away), but we were together most of the day every day.
  It was so great to have Ellen there. She ferried us here and there, using her phone person directions, and we covered a lot of ground.  I greatly enjoyed spending time with her, too.
We left about 9am yesterday and stopped for lunch at the Apple Farm (a hotel and restaurant) in San Luis Obispo.  Brother Jim called and my friend Nancy and others.  Got home about 5:00, stopped to tell Suzanne I was back, and stayed to chat with her.
  We had great fun most of the time. We sat and talked about out childhoods and so on each evening when it was just the two of us.  But my brother wasn't there.   A very nice elderly man had taken his place and I miss Frank so much.

Smoke Gets In Your--Well, Everything

I actually put on my mask to walk Kimball--lots of smoke in the morning.  Got some Christmas presents (on-line) done and did other stuff on the computer. Packed, then went to WinCo for a few items. After lunch, I did the town walk, again with mask. Not only was a smokier than it had been, but I was startled by the amount of ash on my car.
Suzanne came over when I got home to tell me parts of Santa Barbara were being evacuated. Texted niece Carolyn to see if she and family are in the line of fire (in this case, more than a cliche). Called her later to see and she said fire was five miles away.  I told her Ellen and I were leaving this morning for Alameda and she and family could take my apartment. However, as she pointed out, Ventura is still smokey and ashy; she'd want to go north, natch.
I may not be posting here until we get back. I still haven't figured out how to do that on my phone, but maybe I'll give it a try. Leaving for El's in a few hours.

Goodbye, SCAN

Walked Kimball, came home to change, and went to T.O.P.S. Everybody was surprised to see me, as they had known I had planned to go to Alameda. Was down a tiny bit--about the same as yesterday--and that was okay.  I was horrified to hear that Cheryl, who has been in the group as long as I have, lost her  home in the fire. She had a picture of it, and it was just a smoldering ruin except for the chimney.  The house was way up in the hills--large, expensive homes with beautiful views--and most of her neighbors' homes, burned, too.  Luckily, Cheryl and her husband own a duplex on the beach and they were able to move there. However, they were able to salvage almost nothing.
While we were talking, Carolyn, another member, tried to give Cheryl a twenty dollar bill.  With thanks, she refused to take it and I mentioned the drive for the children--these are poor children--in Ellen's school, many of whom were made homeless in the fire, so Carolyn gave it to me.  So nice of her.
The meeting meandered, as usual. We voted on meeting at the library branch downtown--yes, and we'll pay a buck a week to secure it. We won't meet there, however, until January. SCAN had a buffet lunch as a sendoff, as this was their last day (sob!). I stayed with everybody else for it, but it started at 11:00 o'clock, two hours earlier than I have lunch, so I just chalked it up as breakfast. It wasn't that great, anyway--catered by El Pollo Loco and included tacos. I just had salad and a piece of chicken.
Home, I had lunch at the usual time, then went to town. The smoke seem lighter this time.  Stopped at Kohl's to look for Christmas presents. It was jammed and as I do every damn year, I kicked myself for waiting so long.
Must pack today.

Around and About and Alameda

Oh, boy, what a disappointment, but remedied--see later.
I walked Kimball, then decided to go to SCAN--its last day is today--and weigh myself. I thought I might had gained, but no--I'm at 135.4, which means I'm six-tenths of a pound down.  Big deal, huh, considering it's been a day less than two weeks since I weighed in (I was in Santa Barbara last Friday), but down is down and I'm fine with it.
Had breakfast, stripped the bed, and took the sheets and a mountain of other wash to the place. There was so much, I actually had to use two washers and dryers.  While they were being done, I made salad and cut up a watermelon for later. Assembled a lot of things to take with me to Alameda and was satisfied that I'd be ready.
Only...I was at the 99-Cent store when Amtrak called: Trains are cancelled through Friday. They may be running on Saturday, but at this point, there's no way to tell. Darn!  As soon as I got to the car, I called Frank and niece Maureen; neither answered and I left messages asked them to call me.
After lunch, I took the town walk, still not having heard from bro or niece. Got home and called Maureen again--she hadn't looked at her messages. We talked about it and she said anything I'd like to do would be fine. Since my birthday's next Thursday and of course, I want to be here, we tentatively decided I'd go on January third, as Frank's birthday is the fourth. Called Frank and  he was pleased I'd be there for his birthday, so that's the new plan.
Called Don to tell him he wouldn't be earning his twenty bucks for a few more weeks; called Ellen to tell her and she suggested I come back the following Sunday, when it's easier for  her to pick me up and that's okay by me.
BUT...! El called later to say school won't resume until January. Did I want her to drive to Alameda on Sunday with me and we'd stay until Wednesday?  Great and I called Frank to tell him and left a message for Maureen.

Here And There

Kimball walk okay, but smokier than it had been. Spent a lot of the morning on Christmas presents (on-line method), Christmas cards (just a few), and other seasonal stuff I'm always late with (oops--with which I'm always late).
Went out for tomatoes, Romaine, and various other, had my salad for lunch, fooled around on the computer, then went to Famous Footware and tried on about a dozen pairs of sneaks--or tennis/running/walking/sittin' around shoes, or whatever they 're called. Finally bought one, which feels good, but it's beige, a color I greatly dislike.  They had them in black and navy, which I prefer, but not in my size. Considering I'm 5'3" and wear a 9 1/2, I have big feet. I might take them back and see if Kohl's has anything I like better.
Got an e-mail from Amtrak, confirming my trip from Oakland on the 18th. This made me nervous--why didn't they send one for my outgoing trip? Called and they have both okay, so who knows?
Did the town walk and was pleased to see the library was open. Stopped in and took out a bio of one of my favorite writers, Gore Vidal. I actually wore my mask on my way back to the car, as it was pretty hazy.
Niece Maureen called, just to
Note: I forgot to mention yesterday that Marcelle has no siblings, either, so her closest relatives are cousins. Seems so strange not even to have any nieces or nephews.

Lunch With Marcelle

I met my park pals, Irene and Diane, while walking Kimball, so things are pretty much back to normal. It was a beautiful clear, blue-sky, morning at 7:00 am--except for the miles of beige smoke all along the ridges to the north. But that was far away and I easily forgot about it.
After breakfast, I spent the rest of the morning on the computer, including trying to figure out how I'd get Christmas gifts to Singapore Son and family. I e-mailed him asking where they'd be staying in Germany.
Showered, dressed, and left about noon for my lunch date with Marcelle. When I went out, I was taken aback to see a smoky haze. Clearly, the wind had shifted and now we were getting it.
Met Marcelle at the Black Angus and we ordered lunch. I had a Blue Moon, she a red wine--she ordered it by name, so probably knows something about wine.  We then settled in for two hours and learned more about each other.
Marcelle: married, no children, husband retired, lives just above the college.  Her parents emigrated here from Malta, of all places.  I was surprised to hear she's 65; she seems a lot younger to me. I'm not sure if I think she actually looks younger--she does to an extent, I guess, maybe because her blonde hair is almost to her waist--or if it's because of her baby voice and big blue eyes.
I also can't decide if I think she's interesting or a bore. I perked up my ears to hear she and her husband are regular theatre-goers--they go to L.A. regularly--and also, that they had introduced the parents of the Neil Young drummer to each other.  I wasn't going to admit I didn't quite remember who Neil Young is--looked him up later and geez, he's 72, although the drummer's only 30 or so.
We stayed for two hours, then said goodbye, then I drove to town and did my walk. Annoyingly, the library was again closed. There was more smoke in the air than there had been, but it wasn't too bad.
El called before dinner and we had a long talk. I hope to see her before I leave for Alameda on Friday.

This And That

It looks as if my usual route at Kimball is now open, although there are still lots of trucks and other apparatus in the middle area. There's a temporary fence around all of it. I walked the opposite direction yesterday, but will resume the other today.
Called Ellen and found that school was closed yesterday, but teachers will go in today and, I guess, it will resume for the children tomorrow.
My friend, Sharon, from the widder group, called me to say she hadn't heard if our trip to the Getty was on or not. Later, I got a call from Nancy to say she had been called and it's canceled. Called Sharon to tell her. 
Actually, I'm not upset at that at all. I've got a lot to do before I leave on Friday for Frank's and I'm meeting Marcelle for lunch today, so having Wednesday free is good. The organizers have some sense, unlike those freakin' idiots at BCNN. Called niece Carolyn to see how she and family are doing. They stayed  over at her brother and SIL's after attending the Eagles (they're big fans) and Ram's (boo!) game in L.A.
Got batteries for the flickering candles and put them in the windows. I always like the way they look and you don't have to worry about wires, outlets, or anything else. They have a sensor you position toward the outside and they go on automatically when it gets dark.
Went here and there for fresh blueberries--on sale at Ralph's--90-calorie popcorn, and other fruit. I had seen that rotisserie chicken was on sale at Von's (a place I rarely venture near, as their prices are generally thirty percent higher than elsewhere).  Decided to go over after my town walk and get one as a special treat for dinner. Did so and found they were on sale only for three days, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Damn!
My other complaint is that it's advertised as "rotisserie chicken" and it isn't; it's just plain roasted chicken, as the clerk confirmed--they don't have a rotisserie oven.  I used to love the REAL rotisserie chicken from Shop-Rite and bought it often.  I could just plain roast a chicken myself. I actually went to the customer service person to register my complain and she agreed with me 100 percent. I'm going to e-mail the corporate office and tell them IT ISN'T ROTISSERIE CHICKEN!
Or I may just say the hell with it.

Dudley House And Dinner

Kimball again, where I walked the alternate. However, I noticed that one side of my usual walk is clear, so I'll try that today.
Jumped in the shower before breakfast, then ate and settled down to the crossword (talk about being in a rut!). Made up a big salad for lunch before I dressed for Dudley House, then went off for my ten to noon shift.
I was just a greeter, so sat on the porch and--well, greeted people. It wasn't terribly busy and there was a ferocious wind that several times, blew over a small table, with a poinsettia and a glass jar for donations on it.  Jan, the pres, finally put it elsewhere.
There were a fair number of visitors, but no more than thirty, I think, and this is the last day of the boutique. Enjoyed it pretty much. I asked Jan about the possibility of our T.O.P.S. meeting at Dudley House and she wasn't adverse to the idea. I e-mailed leaders Lolly and Lennie (heh-heh--"leaders Lolly and Lennie"--alteration, I love it!) what she said.
Went for my town walk and was pleased to see almost everything is open, including the library--yay! Sat and read for a while, then stopped at several thrift shops. I've decided to make rosemary olive oil for Gregg for Christmas and I want to find an attractive small decanter to put it in. Will look further.
Home, I sliced strawberries and assembled a fruit salad with them, blueberries, and frozen blackberries. I have a "personal" (small) watermelon, too, but I don't think the flavor is strong enough for the other fruit, do didn't add it.
Went next door to Suzanne's at 5:30 and she served a nice dinner of chicken wrapped in a kind of crust, mashed potatoes, and asparagus.  With the fruit salad I brought--and a nice Cabernet--it was a pretty good meal. We had a good time talking and getting to know each other more.
I'm always taken aback to realize Suzanne is a nun. Too bad she went that way; she would have made a great wife and mother. I wonder if she ever thinks of that.

Recovering

Unbelievable! I  had this whole entry typed, pressed something--not sure what--and it disappeared. Damn!
All right, I'll recap Saturday activities briefly:
Drove to Kimball, as I didn't want to skip any more. Found my usual route blocked, but approximated it in another direction. Reason it was blocked was because a large number of electric company trucks, plus other machinery, other vehicles, and a large tent had been erected there. It must be the staging area for part of the fire battle.
Went to WinCo and other places for various. Ellen called while I was in the parking lot; she and Greg were on their way home, so I hope that's the end of the fire--as it impacts us, anyway.
After lunch, I did the museum to library walk. More stores and restaurants open and more people on the street. Some wore masks, but I didn't feel the need, although it was slightly smokier than where  I live.
Called Nancy before I left to check on things in Oakview. They're okay, but air bad; she said DIL Erin will go back to work today.
Stopped at Don's when I got home to see if he wanted to make twenty bucks by driving me to the train station on Friday. He happily agreed--he's on a very tight budget--and I'm pleased to give it to him instead of Uber.
Just as I finished dinner, Suzanne rang my bell. They had had a holiday luncheon at St. John's and there were leftovers--did I want to come to dinner tonight (Sunday) and share them?  Sure thing, and I said I'd bring dessert. Actually, I had intended to make a fruit compote for the potluck tonight at Dudley House--I'm a greeter this morning--but decided I'd rather eat with Suzanne.
Got a nice, concerned e-mail from Ray and Barbara H., my friends from Sunrise Bay. They were concerned about the fires, of course. I'll write them back now.

Home

I'm back home!  When I was walking in Santa Barbara, Ellen called and said she'd pick me up, as she wanted to go home and wash her hair. After many thanks to Carolyn and her family, we left about 10:00.  Drove through very dense smoke on the 101 through Carpenteria. It was heavy in parts of Ventura, too, but when we approached where I live, happily, it had cleared quite a lot.
El brought my things in, we said goodbye, then I gathered up all my laundry and went to the place to wash. Chopped Romaine and made myself a big salad with the things I had on hand.
I'm bent on resuming my weight-loss regimen, so drove to town after lunch. Parked at the museum and walked to the library. It was closed, along with almost every other place in town, but that was okay, I walked there and back.
On my way home, Betty called and I pulled over to chat. Stopped at WinCo, as I needed to replenish my veggies; also got my favorite frozen cherries, fresh blueberries, and a few other items.
I rang Suzanne's bell when we got home. Thanked her for keeping me up to date on what was going on in Ventura and caught up with her classes. She has a young women doing her practicum and, although only seven people showed up for her diabetes management class (25 had signed up), she was able to complete the requirement.
A number of people called, e-mailed, pm-ed, and commented on Facebook their concern  about my--and Ellen's safety and I was grateful.
As much as I enjoyed being at Carolyn's, I'm glad to be home. I want to get my life back because--such as it is--it's mine and I like it.

Ellen and Greg picked me up and we got here to Carolyn's in Santa Barbara on Tuesday. Now, late afternoon on Thursday, 12/8, fire still raging. Ellen's house in Ojai is threatened. El and Greg in San Luis Obispo today to celebrate his birthday, which was yesterday. Too much to go into now. Carolyn, Dana, Finn, and Claire couldn't be more welcoming or hospitable, but I am anxious to get home.  Can't put on more right now.

Variety

Walked Kimball, but skipped the town walk; instead, I hauled out my Christmas decorations and put them around. Suzanne got a kick out of the two "motion activated" items I just bought, one a Santa head, one a snowman head. They play the first few bars of "Jingle Bells" when activated. Cute, huh?
The only problem is, they seem not to need motion to play.  They play all the time and it was driving me crazy.
I first put them outside, between Suzanne's and my door--until she apologetically told me she could hear them in her kitchen. I took them in and put them in my bureau drawer--one on each side, with lots of shirts and sweaters in between. Every once in a while, they still played.
Niece Carolyn called and invited me to go to the Caregiver's Christmas gathering on Friday, even though I no longer volunteer for them. I have a lunch and movie date with Nancy, but should be back in time. I called Nance to tell her I wasn't going to the widder group dinner last night. It's at 6:00 and Toastmasters is at 6:30--I just didn't feel like rushing from one to the other.
I couldn't stand it and took them out to my car.  Today, I'm going to throw them away. Geesh!
Finally called a guy to come and fix my computer. He'll be here at 10:30 today and I hope it'll be okay until I decide what kind of laptop I want.

Hill Street Library

Walked Kimball not once, but twice (see later).  Did the Sunday ritual--the Newsweek crossword may be the only reason I get the paper--and tidied up a bit.  Had just a bite at noon, then went to the grand opening of the Hill Street Library branch.
I wasn't exactly sure where it was in the government complex and first came upon a Democratic Socialist group. I was curious and always anxious to explore alternatives to capitalism, I fell into conversation with a woman who said she was a new member. She talked about universal health care and other domestic needs, but I cut to the chase and asked what her attitude was regarding war. I was surprised when she hemmed and hawed and equivocated about it. I guess either she wasn't aware of the official tenants of the movement  or it isn't one I want to join. Anyway, I thanked her and went on my way to the opening.
Wow, there were hundreds of people there--well, considering free hot dogs were mentioned, no wonder.  I got in to hear various library, county council members, and others talk about what a great thing it is to have a branch of the library in the east end. I agree.
As I was leaving, I ran into Doris and Sherry and we talked for a bit. I'll see them on Wednesday at the BCNN luncheon. I didn't stay for the  hot dogs, but went home and changed. I spent some time on practicing my talk for Toastmasters tonight, then thought about my afternoon walk.
This time, I didn't go into town. I knew I was lucky on Saturday to have found a parking place at the library, but didn't want to try it again. At the same time, I didn't want to give myself a pass altogether, so I drove to Kimball and walked that for the second time.
Stopped at the new Grocery Outlet and got two little watermelons, plus tuna steaks. Now I'm well supplied in the fridge and freezer.

Around Town

Walked the walk with coat and scarf. After breakfast, I went to the 99-Cent store for little this and thats. While there, El called to ask if I wanted to meet her at--the 99-Cent store. Well, sure, I'm already there, but she was still in her night clothes, so I had time to go home, put my things away, then go back.
I had told El I decided not to buy a laptop yet, since this old thing was performing okay. I should never say such a thing out loud, because when I dipped into it, I couldn't get into Office and Word is not letting me do anything and I'm going to get a knife and stab it in the heart--.
Well, no. I called and left a message for Victor, telling him I'd wait for the laptop, but could he come and get me back in Office. Haven't heard back from him yet.
Met El and we looked around for some favors for the little kiddies in her class; she found some and bought them. We then went to Lowe's, where we both got extension cords. Said goodbye after that.
Home  for lunch, then to town. The Main Street festivities were going on, so I reversed my usual, parking at the library and walking to the museum and back. It was fun to walk among the crowds and see all the vendors, and so on.
Stayed in the library reading for a bit--from Ho Chi Mihn, I went to Ava Gardner--then left. Stopped at Suzanne's to return her needle and thread and she invited me in for a chat. She was putting together little gifts for the volunteers at St. John's, where she works. She's worked there more than thirty years, in fact.
Made ground turkey/onion/pepper/garlic for dinner.

A. For A. Luncheon

Busy, busy day, and it was much fun.
Walked Kimball, changed clothes, and got to T.O.P.S. at 8:45. I was sure I had gained--if not, stayed the same, but no. Happy day, I lost another 2.2, which makes a healthy 45 pounds off. I'm now at 136--yay!
We discussed where we could meet once SCAN closes and several people have looked into possibilities.  I said I'd ask about Dudley House. Later, I e-mailed the person I think is in charge to see if we could meet there, preferably without charge. Haven't heard back yet.
Changed again and got to Marie Callender's at noon. Carole was already there and Carolyn came shortly after.  We went into what they call "The  Library," the shelves of which hold not books, but ceramic tureens and so on.
T.J. had e-mailed that he couldn't make it after all, and Sue had asked if she could bring Mac, who's getting more and more confused and of course, I said of course. John C.did come and, along with the rest of the gang--both Acting for Amateur classes--there were twelve people, just exactly right for the size of the room.
Anyway, we had a great time. Margaret gave me a little box of chocolates and a nice note, Noreen gave me a note of thanks, and others expressed their enjoyment of the class. We ate, drank, talked, and laughed for almost two hours, finally breaking up after 2:00.
I drove directly to the museum. Had brought my sneaks and socks and changed in the parking lot, then took off for the library. Stayed there continuing the Ho Chi Mihn bio, then walked back. Called Nancy and we made a date for Friday to see the new Orient Express; lunch beforehand, natch.

Humor & Drama Toastmasters

After Kimball, I got a fair amount accomplished: Wrote an intro for When Cooks Confer and a short lead-in for the monologue I gave Fern. I called it "Life in Conversation," but later changed it to "A Life On The Phone." I wasn't happy with either, but Fern wanted some kind of intro. I told her she'll develop it as she goes on.
I had forgotten all about bringing a snack for Toastmasters, and didn't feel like going to all the trouble of cranberry meatballs. Didn't want to bring cheese or crackers or anything like that, either, as I'd have to take what wasn't eaten home and I like it too much. Finally hit on tomatoes. I found a mix of red, yellow, and brown cherry tomatoes at WinCo.  I cut them, added fresh parsley, then dressed them with olive oil and vinegar. I regularly put this on my salad instead of plain tomatoes, so I'll take home the leftovers.
I sent my nieces copies of my train reservations and got some other computer work done. I texted Ellen to the effect I don't want to buy a laptop right now. I just feel too rushed and now that my desk top seems no longer to be acting up, I'll stay with that. I did rev up my tablet, but I'm having difficulty getting into this and that; it seems very different from this.
Impulsively, I stopped at Great Cuts before I went home and had my hair cut. Looks okay, I guess, but nothing special.
Got to the Lexington before 6:30 and Fern came shortly after. We went over the play once, I reminded her of a few things, then it was time for the meeting. It went over big--everybody loved it and they laughed a lot. Fern is really pretty good--not only has a good sense of timing, but takes direction well.
Judi, the president, did a piece on her misadventures in cooking when she was a newlywed--very predictable, I'm afraid (underdone company roast, giblets left in turkey, etc.) and her delivery is poor. Raul spoke on growing up in his hometown in Mexico and was much more engaging.  The toastmistress of the evening, whose name I can't remember (she was born in France and I like her a lot) "ran things," more or less.
This is a very casual--to a fault--outfit and last night, only eight people were there. However, it was fun and I like it, maybe better than the other one, "Pointsettia," which is more structured.  I'll deliver my seven- to eight-minute "icebreaker" there on Monday.