Monday With Mucho Amigas

 After spending quite some time communicating with Amazon via "chat," then with the seller via phone, I finally got details about the personalized gift I ordered straightened out. Then I took off for lunch at the Stone Fire Grille with my pals from Soaring Spirits. Got there at noon and, incredibly, didn't leave until four o'clock. Reason was, Renee and I went into a deep conversation about politics and various other topics. Without recounting the hour-long conversation, I can just say we agreed on a lot of things, not others, but that was okay.

Then my old friend, Barbara and her friend, Sue, joined us and the four of us had a rousing session. I was delighted to learn I wasn't the only one who had been devoted to the coffin nails: Barb and Sue had also smoked for years. Sue still does, but only a few a day. I found her interesting: she came with Barb to the S.S. lunch because her husband of 54 years died six months ago. Barb retired at CEO of the Ventura County Fair and Sue owns and runs the "Swap Meet" there:

Sue is well known in the area for running estate sales, too. She told us about one she did in Beverly Hills, to which Margaret O'Brien came!  O'Brien,  who now lives in the San Fernando Valley, is exactly twenty-five days younger than I am. My sister, Betty, and I loved going to the Ventnor or Margate movie to see her in Meet Me in St. Louis, Little Women, and others; we considered her a kind of remote friend.  Anyway, we had a terrific time and, besides the ciggie thing, I found that Barb and Sue had also taken amphetamines, as I did as a young wife--AAGH! Barb invited me to go to a bus trip on November 30, run by the Parks & Recreation Commission. It goes to some kind of movie museum in L.A., so right down my alley. Sixty-five bucks includes lunch and yes, indeed, I'll go. 

Barb is very much into county government stuff and I asked about the City Council because I want to complain about people ignoring the "walk your bike" ordinance. I'll see if I can register my complain via Zoon. Incredibly, we stayed talking until 4:00 pm. 

Birthday lunch at Diane's today.