Sunday, Olivas Adobe, and A Doll Adoption

The Access Van picked me up, all right, but dropped me at Olivas Adobe at 10:00, a full hour before I was due. Got acquainted with some of the other docents and volunteers and took a few pictures:

The paintings above are very large and so interesting, I thought.

The guy above is a actual historian and is also active in reenactments. 

Good ol' Shari, who with her husband, Ken, practically owns Dudley House.

The theme for the day was old-fashioned toys that the children of the Olivas Adobe era would have enjoyed. Of course, there were lots of wooden ones and dolls for the girls.  There were also some for sale.  So...I'm embarrassed to relate this: Donna, the woman who volunteered at the gift shop had some wonderful Spanish dancing dolls on display, which were also for sale. I could not--just couldn't resist these two, and I bought them:

Good grief, they're twenty inches high and spread out below, too. But look at her face! It's so full of exuberance and flirtatious life, I just had to  have her. And him? Well, I couldn't separate them, could I? 

As for the festival--or whatever it was--it was a complete bust. Besides our table, there were only four others and the most interesting were the wood carvers. The real problem was that there were almost no attendees, at all. I can't imagine where, if at all, they advertised it, but it sure wasn't effective. 

There was a possible plus for me, though: I met a guy named Dan Gregory--with his white facial hair, a dead ringer for Colonel Sanders--who is an actor and voice over performer. We chatted and exchanged cards, so who knows, maybe that will lead somewhere. Another plus was that Deanna took me home, so I was able to cancel the Access Van.

Just had time to change before I went next door to Suzanne's. Vickie came soon after and we had a good social session. I showed them my Dad's draft notice from 1918 and Vickie brought her "yearbook"--kind of a commemorative of her time in the military. (I refrained from pacifist remarks.) They then stopped over my place to see my dolls--both thought they were beautiful and I couldn't agree more.

Lunch with Julie today. 

Red Letter Saturday

I'm not sure where the expression came from (and no, I'm not going to look it up),  but it means a good one and that's what I had yesterday.

Got to Ellen's about noon and we sat and talked for a bit, one of those lovely little mother/daughter chats more and more precious to me. We then dug into her shed where she allows me to store a lot of my docent stuff. Got what I need for the Olivas Adobe thing today and piled it in the trunk, then went off to The Hip Vegan for lunch. We both had their burgers--non-meat, of course, but about the best I ever had. El had iced tea, I a seven-dollar beer, even more outrageous than Stone Fire Grille, but so what? We sat outside in the sunshine, I was with my dear girl, and it was delicious.

We went from there to the new age shop, which has lots of unusual and interesting stuff. El bought a birthday gift for her sis, which I'll bring to Jersey and I bought a sticker to put in  my window:

Then we sped off to Wal-Mart for items a lot more mundane. El came in for a few minutes, we talked, I walked her out, we embraced, and it was a fine day. 

Today, Sunday, should be good, too. Suzanne texted Vickie and me, with an invitation for one of our little social sessions, bringing our own drinks. She said 4:30, so I should be back from Olivas Adobe by then.

Friday And Dad's Draft

Good news on the weight front: At home, I weighed in at 124.4, a loss of 3.4 pounds, at T.O.P.S., 128.6 for 2.9 off.  Sharon called me in the morning to say she wouldn't be there, leader Lennie still away, so it was Lora (who picked me up), Bev, Helen, Julie, Carol, and me. We had more of a support session than a formal meeting--fine by me--and it wasn't bad.  It seems my resolve to skip eating while watching my one hour of T.V. (8 to 9 am) is working. 

Lora mentioned a place at the wharf where she had been recently: Transmission Brewery and Topper Pizza share a roof patio where the view is marvelous and the food and brew superb. Julie promptly asked if I wanted to go on Monday and three guesses as to my response. 😊

Jim came early. He seemed more cheerful than he had been--reticent as ever, but there was a noticeable lightening of mood. I served the pizza I had had in the freezer, which was pretty good, and the rest of the ice cream for dessert. Jim really didn't care for the cabernet I gave him and drank only half of the small bottle.  We sat and talked until 3:00, then I walked him out. He actually allowed me to give him a hug when we said goodbye, as I won't see him again for more than two weeks. (And if one of the planes go down, longer than that.)

Cleaned up and took a short nap. Texted Vickie to ask how her conference with the people caring for Mary went. She called me and she's somewhat hearted that they were so responsive. She also mentioned their noticeable tendency to be upbeat and to emphasize how much they appreciate Mary. The same is true at Villa Alamar where Betty lives. I didn't tell her this, but I'm quit sure this is part of their training. That's not a bad thing; I just think it's just not as spontaneous as Vickie thinks.

I looked into familysearch.org, the site Suzanne had given me. Idly put in my father's name and was amazed to have this come up:

It's his draft notice for World War I. Note the date issued: September 12,1918. My father, I was told, had finished basic training was on a train to a base in the south (Alabama?) when the war ended on November 11. He came home, enrolled at Villanova College, and the rest is history.  

Thursday And Concern For A Friend*

I again called Jim at about 9:00 am and again, he didn't pick up. As he hadn't Wednesday evening either, I got a little worried. I resolved to try again later. 

Met Diane at 11:30 for lunch at the Urbane. We exchanged clothes--I gifted her with my fur-trimmed sweater and another top and she gave me a nifty black and white top with touches of red. We talked and talked and talked on a wide variety of topics. By the time we parted, it was almost two.

Walked to WinCo from there to get the things I forgot on Wednesday. Bused home and blanched my five-dollar cauliflower, then prepared the dressing I like. I was about to pop it in the oven when the doorbell rang. It was Vickie, who just came in to report on Mary. I asked her to sit down and we talked for a bit, then I expressed concern about Jim. I knew he had some current worries and I was afraid he might...well, I was afraid. Good Neighbor Vickie than proposed that we go over to his place and try to see if he's there. I first called him again and, as before, no answer.

We got in her car, drove to his place, rang the bell, knocked on the door, and otherwise to see if he was home--no response. We were about to leave when one of Jim's neighbors--an old man with a cane--walked up and said he hadn't seen Jim lately, either. Now I was really worried, until...  

...Jim came up the walk. I had called him later than usual in the evening and he had been in bed with the door closed. Since he had only a landline, he didn't hear the ring. As for the morning, he was in class and when I last called, he had walked to Trader Joe's at the mall.  Remarkably, he invited us in and we sat for ten minutes or so and chatted. I invited him for lunch today and he accepted. 

Didn't get home and my cauliflower dinner until almost 7:00, but that was okay; I'm relieved that my friend is all right. 

* I'm thinking that labelling these posts simply with the days of the week is boring. I'm going to deviate from the formula and maybe experiment with other constructs. 

Wednesday

When I got to WinCo with Suzanne, I horrified to see that a single head of cauliflower was five dollars. That's just incredible, but, addict that I am, I bought it anyway. Driving home, Suzanne told me about the Mormon site "familysearch.org." She asked me in after we put our goods away and showed me the website, with many of her ancestors listed. That ignited my interest in my heritage and I showed her the binder my cousin had put together on the Irish side, which purports to show our list our direct descent from Adam. It's funny in a lot of ways and incomplete in others--fun to read, but very dated; it ends in 1968, which means the last 54 years isn't covered. I called my cousin in Cincinnati, Marifran, and got some info from her. Haven't yet looked at the Mormon site, but will. Emailed my friend, Pat, about Muckie and heard back from her.

Packed lunch and bused to the library in town. I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I've started watching The Watcher on Netflix.  It's fiction, but "inspired" by the John List murders in Westfield, NJ, which happened in 1960. He murdered his mother, wife, and three teenaged children, then went missing for something like 18 years. Was finally apprehended after his case was on America's Most Wanted. I had been fascinated by these murders (I'm a fan of true-life murder) and read the book about it ten or twelve years ago. That's why I requested it at the library. Picked it up, ate across from the mission, then bused home. 

Stopped at Vickie's to get the latest on Mary and we chatted. When I got home, I made refried beans and, boy, they're good--so much better than what you order in a restaurant. I also diced three onions and did a few other food prep chores.

The GOOD news is: My little pat, Laptoppy, has recovered! I ran the cleaner, it said it wanted to re-start, I let it, and happy day! 

Lunch today with Diane at Urbane Café. 

Tuesday

Wonder  of wonders, I got Wordle in two yesterday. Put it on Facebook (only on twos, do I list it) and got congratulatory comments from Duane, Ari, and others.

🟨⬜⬜🟨🟨

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 (word was "spell")

More Wonder of Wonders: It rained and a little more vigorously than the usual California mist. That was okay, I guess, but now I've had enough. 

Got texts from Duane and Ari regarding Greg's toenails, plus unrelated ones from Jeanne Painter, telling about, and sending me pictures of, her grandson's wedding on the beach at LBI. She added a old pic of her and Muckie when they were kids, along with other children, but I can't seem to get any of them to come up here. Still having problems with Google, which I hope Ellen will fix on Saturday.

Julie and Regina picked me up at 11:30 and off we went to the the Ventura Women's Club meeting and luncheon. The speaker, Mary somebody, sat at our table; after lunch, she spoke on a charity called "Step Up," which helps needy children five and under. That's certainly a worthy cause, but to be honest, this organization just isn't interesting to me; seems a little boring. As far as I can see, it consists  exclusively of white, affluent, older women with not a black, Latina, or Asian face to be seen. I was also put off--as I was when I attended before--by the prayer offered at the beginning. It was a thank you for the food and so on, no problem there, but the woman giving it ended with "in Christ's name." That suggests there are no members of the Jewish, Muslim, or other non-Christian persuasion, let alone non-believers. For that matter, since this is not a religious group, why include a prayer at all? (Regina mentioned that she's Buddhist, although brought up R.C.) 

Interestingly, though, I was greeted by several people I know, including Shirley Lorraine (that's her full name), who writes for The Breeze and, I found, is also the president of the club. I mentioned her here before because she had also entered the Cowboy Poetry Contest I won and she attended and reviewed the Area 22 show.  Anyway, she greeted me with a hug, as did Kathleen Somebody, as well as Somebody Somebody, both on the Dudley House board. Lunch was okay and, happily, we left before the business meeting, which Julie said would be a real bore--long-winded committee reports. 

I was pleased that Mike sent pictures when he met Patrick, Natsue, and Koushin for dinner in Tokyo, although I was disappointed that they either had masks on, or K. was making silly faces. He's nine, but isn't much shorter than his parents. 

Walked over to Von's for milk and got my Atorvastatin at CVS.  Much as I dislike rain, it's kind of cozy to be inside, snug and warm while it comes down. Going to WinCo with Suzanne at 9:00 this morning. A week from today, I'll be on my way, going back east, and I'm very excited, to say the least! (Well, that sure as hell doesn't scan! 😜)                                                                                                                                                                       

Monday

After breakfast, I impulsively called Muckie Datesman and we talked for one hour and ten minutes. Muckie* had been one of Betty's best friends and had been a bridesmaid in her wedding. I always liked her and still do. Muck has lived with her son and his wife in Virginia for quite a few years. I hadn't spoken her for about a year and she had important news to share. But not good news. 

It rained, which comes across as something of a miraculous event around here. I wore older shoes--I have boots, but they're fur-lined snow boots, which would have been silly--but as it turned out, I didn't even open my umbrella. Yes, a poky California rain.

Only Vera, Dennis, Greg, and I were there, unlike the usual Soaring Spirits lunch crowd (Californians think water falling from the sky is toxic), but we had an absolute ball. The guys couldn't have been more fun and the four of us just talked and talked and laughed. We all use some pretty "salty"--as the euphemism goes--language, Greg in particular. Frankly, that appeals to me a lot more than the sanctimonious types that seem to populate elderly ranks. Not that my companions are elderly--the guys are in their middle sixties and Vera's a mere kid of 43.  Dennis is the one who has a different theme painted on his toenails every month; I had posted his October skeleton ones and here they are for Thanksgiving--teeny turkeys!

Vera dropped me off at Von's after, and I bought a bottle of Drano. Poured it into the sink, but to no avail, so I called the office. Jose, one of the newer maintenance men, came and happily, used his magic--and other items--to unclog--YAY!  I took a two-hour nap and felt good when I got up.

Lunch today with Julie at the Ventura Women's Club. Not sure if I want to join--most likely not, but I never pass up a chance for an outing.