Friday

For once in my life, I skipped T.O.P.S.; called Cheryl to tell her not to pick me up. I just felt like catching up with ordinary life, so shoot me. 

I stripped the bed, washed whites, then a color load before breakfast. Cleaned up a bit and did various mundane chores, then went over to Von's for bread. Great Clips is right next door and impulsively (I'm nothing if not impulsive), I stopped in and got a trim. It's not great, but looks okay.

After lunch, I bused to town; bought myself a blouse and a pair of jeans. On my return trip, I got off at the Loma Vista Road location of The Market for blueberries, mushrooms, and tomatoes.

Home, I prepared the carrots I had bought the other day at the Ojai farmers market. Just scrubbed and trimmed them, added some chopped onions, seasoning, and olive oil, and popped them in the oven. Had them for dinner with chicken and a sweet potato. 

Ellen called and we made arrangements for today: I'll bus to her place, we'll have lunch, then the six of us (or five if Greg has other plans) will have chicken on the barbeque for dinner. I'll then take the Access Van home. On Sunday, Mike leaves to go back to Singapore after taking Violet to camp. He'll be back to pick her up at the end of the month. 

I swept Suzanne's and my shared front walk (she does it most of the time), deadheaded the geraniums, and puttered around overwise. Jumped in the shower, washed my newly trimmed hair, and settled down after a quiet, but satisfying day. 

I love this picture, which somebody put on Facebook. It's the Ventnor beach from the ocean, an unusual vantage point: 

Wednesday and Thursday

Whew--I'm just going to run over what all went on during the last two days:

Mike picked me up, we drove back to Ellen's, then he, Violet, and I left for Morro Bay (Ellen decided not to go). It's about a five-hour (four-hour, six-hour) and we took the scenic route--gorgeous, of course, but hair-raising, especially over the San Marcos Pass. Got to the fabulous Madonna Inn and had an early lunch:

                                         

We were a bit early, so walked around the charming town of Morro Bay, then check into The Inn. This is a pleasant, but fairly ordinary motel, right on the water and with lovely views. (The cost, I might add, wasn't so lovely from a consumer's point of view, but Mike was payin', so--😁.) We went to the area around the big rock, of course--the area's claim to fame--and the veritable garden of cairns. to which Violet contributed:

Here she is again with the smokestacks that seem to balance out the rock:

She and Dad also fed the squirrels that live on the rocky beach. For some strange reasons, they also thought the ugly, slimy sea otters that infest the harbor were cute, too--ugh!

I'm not sure why, but after Mike traced on the sand, some lines from Shelley's poem, Ozymandias, came to mind: 

My name is Ozymandias, King of kings,/Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!/Nothing beside remains. Round the decay/Of that colossal Wreck,/boundless and bare/The lone and level sands stretch far away...HA! 

The next day, we explored a bit of the beautiful natural area:

On the way home, we stopped in nearby Los Osos ("the bear") for brunch at a Japanese restaurant Mike had remembered from when he was there years ago:

 We then explored a bit; Mike bought this shirt--I wish they had had one in my size:

Stopped in Santa Barbara on the way home to chat with Carolyn and Claire, then continued on the Ellen's. The four of us walked to The Farmer And The Cook for dinner (Greg was working), then played a fast game of Blokus before the Access Van picked me up. 

Mike is taking Violet to meet a friend in Universal City in L.A. and I'm going to devote today to catching up with ordinary life, aside from skipping T.O.P.S. Happily, I slept well and didn't get up until 6:15, have stripped the bed and done two loads of wash, now will get back to normal, at least for a time. 

Tuesday

Talk about a plenty of action day: Mike appeared at my door at 6:15. He hadn't texted or called me first, knowing I get up early, but still--! No prob, although I was stlll in my bedclothes and hadn't had breakfast yet. I dressed and we zoomed off to Ellen's for breakfast.

After, we hung out for while, Greg and I went to Bart's  Books, then Mike, Violet, and I (Ellen and Greg declined) went to the Fourth of July parade. It was kinda fun, but hot as hell, and it lasted two hours.  Some pics from the parade:

Back at El's, who had slaved in the kitchen while we were at the parade, Greg fired up the barbeque* while Mike read in the backyard:

. About 2:30, we had a great meal of salmon, sea bass, hamburgers, and sides. Later, Violet and El played digital chess:

After that, Mike and I joined them for several cutthroat games of Blokus:

That lasted until after 7:00, then El drove me home after speculating about getting me back in Ojai. This entailed getting Uber and Lyft on my phone and lots of other discussion. When we discovered driving me there via Lyft, I put my foot down. Finally, I went next door and asked Susan if she'd simply take me to the transit center and I'd get a bus. She asked where I was going, I told her and she offered to drive me to El's. I refused unless she's take some remuneration, which she finally reluctantly accepted, so good.

*It was nice of Greg to ask me to call Jim and invite him, too. I did, and he was grateful to be asked, but in his typical fashion, declined, saying he "wasn't pulled together" and so on. After we hung up, Greg called himself, but Jim--ever the way Jim is--still declined. Okay, another time.

IMPORTANT: Well, maybe not to the world at large, but here it is: We're leaving for Morro Bay at 8:00 am this morning for an overnight stay. I will not be taking my laptop with me. That means I won't be posting on this blog until maybe Thursday night or Friday. 

Movin' On Monday

Mike and Violet were at my door at 8:00 just as I finished breakfast. From here, we went to Starbucks for Mike to get tea (he doesn't drink coffee or alcohol); to CVS where the Singaporeans got a load of stuff for Violet to take to camp; to Barnes & Noble, where Violet got a book and Mike got several; to Target in Oxnard, where Violet got still more camp supplies, as well as a bathing suit; and finally, to Olive Garden in Oxnard, where we had lunch. They dropped me off about 2:00, as they were planning to go horse-back riding. 

I spent some time practicing my lines, (all six of them) and worked up a few actions with the cane. Regarding that: I had texted director Karyn, saying I'd like to bring a cane to rehearsal, as I had worked up some related business for her approval. Took a short nap, then walked over to Von's. I didn't find what I wanted, though, and left without buying. Continued to run over my lines and practiced with the cane. I  

Ken picked me up early for rehearsal so only Christina, the stage manager, was there and we sat and chatted with her. Jeff came soon after, then other cast members filtered in. I remembered Lindsey, a newcomer to F.A. and got acquainted with Lisa, who has theatre arts degree and had taught acting in high school until she retired. (She plays a drunk in the show.) Director Karyn, with her usual expert guidance, called for Ken's and my scene first, although it ends the play. She loved my cane idea and I loved the fact that she had Ken take it from my hand--a good touch. We went through it several times with Karyn stopping us to slightly modify some actions, and generally guiding us to a better performance. (It's a joy to have such a skillful director.) After that, happy day, we were free to go, and we did. I wouldn't have had a problem with staying and seeing the whole play, but since rehearsal was slated to last until 9:30, it was better to go. 

Ellen called to tell me Mike will pick me up this morning to take me to her place and Greg will cook us lunch on the grille. Not sure what we'll do after, but possibly fireworks.     

Note: It seems that not only Jim, but Stella thinks I'm an electronic genius. While I was waiting for Violet to try on a bathing suit, I called Ojai Business where, at Stella's request, I had emailed the file of the family picture I enhanced for her. They got the email, but wanted to know what size enlargement she wanted, which of course, I didn't know, so called Stella and told her to contact them. I hope that's the end of my running interference for those who don't want to educate themselves. BUT--I'm a fine one to talk: Mike set up my WI-FI which, it seems, never extended to the living room or something and I'm simply unable to understand what it is, let alone set it up. Modern life--it's exhausting!                                           Just to brighten up the page a little, here's a colorful--but somewhat peculiar--picture. 

So Fun Sunday

Saturday was crappy, but Sunday was happy. Mike picked me up at 8:00 and off we went to Ojai. He, Ellen, Violet, and I went to the Ojai farmers' market where I got grapefruit, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and plums. Ran into Erica C., one of my favorite fellow members of Fractured Actors, and introduced her to Mike and Violet. We then stopped at several other places, including Bart's Books, of course.  Back at El's, we had lunch, then she stayed home for a well-deserved nap (she still has a bed cold), and Mike, Violet and I went into town for ice cream. We strolled around for a time in the 85 degree heat (but with little humidity, so it was bearable), dropping in to stores here and there. At an antique shop, I photographed that darling angel, Violet, with her heavenly twin:

We went back to pick up Ellen, then checked out Camp Besant at Happy Valley, where Violet will spent a month starting July 8. Boy, it's way high and I nearly had a conniption fit (as we used to say in 1902) as Mike drove up the narrow, winding, hundreds-of-feet-up road. We stopped at an overlook and laughed at this sign:

because we sure did!

I don't think you can get the full effect of the height, but there was a sheer drop-off behind them, with the Ojai Valley ("Ojai" means "Valley of the Moon" in Chumash) spread out below. The school grounds and dorms look great--it has a music emphasis--and the surrounding countryside is lovely.

Mike wanted to check out the Ojai fitness center (he has lost 25 pounds and works out regularly at home), so we went there. He got a one-week membership for a certain amount and added Ellen for an additional fee, as she wants to go in the pool while Mike's here. We then cruised around town for a bit. Back at El's, she, Mike, and I played a ferocious game of gin rummy while Greg continued his paperwork and Violet napped. Poor girl, she's still suffering from jet lag and we let her sleep for a time.

Mike left to go to the gym he had just joined--he rode Ellen's bike the several miles there--and the rest of us puttered around a bit, then went to Steven's Greek Restaurant in Ventura for dinner. I had something called a something, the others various somethings, and we had a good time. They dropped me off at home and I'll be seeing them tomorrow.

Note: Just as I was getting out of Mike's car in the morning, Jim called. He was very upset because, he said, Microsoft had emailed him to the effect that his account was about to be cancelled--or he owed them money or something. Mike and I both assured him it was a scheme and not to respond. However, he wasn't entirely convinced, so I suggested he call Microsoft and ask them. This led to more consternation because the only number he could find was for sales. I told him to ask somebody in sales to transfer him to security or fraud or whatever. Disturbingly, Jim seems to need considerably more help than he had before. I know I'm not equipped to give that, but I'm not going to abandon him. Once Mike and Violet leave, I'll try to pursue some avenues. 

Saturday

Nothing much of a day. I did a white wash, then some house (apartment) cleaning, went over to Von's for yogurt, bread, milk, and a big sweet potato. Didn't do much else and actually felt a little down all day.

Mike and Violet got into Ellen's about 4:00. Talked to El and I was going to go over, but decided not--I'll see them shortly today. I called and we video-messaged. Mike wants to go to the Ojai farmers' market and we decided I'd bus over, join them, then we'll take it from there.  

I hope my mood lifts and I'll work on that. 

Full Friday

T.O.P.S.: Incredibly, I was the biggest loser, so collected the big five-dollar (actually, four-dollar, because I contributed one myself) prize. How much did I lose? Something like a fourth of pound, but the others all gained. I conducted the meeting, if you can call it that and made short work of it. Weirdly, my home scale said I had gained an unbelievable 3.6 to 131.2, but at T., I was 129.8.  

Home by 9:30, had my breakfast, packed my lunch, and walked to Telephone to get the 11 bus to east Ventura. I dropped my donations off at Goodwill, then met Diane at the park and we had lunch.Of course, we sat and talked for several hours, breaking up about 3:00. Bused to the transit center and from there home, stopping at Von's for cherries and Blue Moon. 

I noticed that the patio needed some sweeping and trimming, so did that. Also changed the birdies' food and water, and generally straightened up out there. I'm concerned about my geranium, which seems to be sick or something. I took a picture and will see if I can find out on-line what the problem is and how to treat it.

                                              

Stella called with a cockamamie story about the picture I had modified for her. She had taken it to Ojai Business center to have it enlarged and printed and was told I'd have to send the file there. I wasn't too confident about whether I understood what was needed, but told Stella I'd see what I can do. As it turned out, it was fairly simple--hope I did it right. 

Mike sent via Messenger the following pictures of Violet and him at the airport, about to leave. Yes, they go first class. Don't know if I like the beard--he looks like an old guy! And I don't know how Violet finds her way around with the hair covering her eyes. But no matter--they'll be here TODAY!