WARM DECEMBER.

A long day yesterday, getting through a colonoscopy, one of those unpleasant procedures we don't like to talk about. My son took me to lunch afterwards in Lodi. It didn't seem like a good idea to carry an expensive camera along with me, but I always have my tiny Canon as a spare. On the way home, I stopped for a haircut and a pleasant visit with friends in Angels Camp, Bill and June Foster. We had a glass of wine and went through their scrapbooks on Turkey and Nepal. The night was so warm, we could sit on their deck and enjoy the moon in our shirt sleeves.
This is December. When I got home, Karen told me the water situation is so drastic, our water company warned we will be water rationing with huge fines, up to $1000 for overages. This weekend I have to decide what plants should be allowed to die by reducing my sprinkling system to half.  I could see it coming.
My friend John Seiferth had a sign from the 1970's during a long-term California drought. It was before I was blogging and I didn't think to get a picture of it.   KEEP IT MELLOW YELLOW. IF ITS BROWN FLUSH IT DOWN. Oh, boy. As my kids used to say. Gross!
I know the drill, shorter showers, curb your garden water, don't water your car, fill your dishwasher full before turning it on. Don't let the water run while brushing your teeth.
I decided I needed to do something soothing so I went through some picture albums.  I like benches, fun signs, barns, mailboxes, birdhouses, artwork, teapots, rugs, quilts, and I take  pictures of stuff  like that wherever I go.


I love this painting so much, I keep a copy of it on my desktop. It was in a Museum somewhere, but I've forgotten where. I was just grateful they allowed me to photograph it.


This is a painting of Rene Wiley's alley series. She has a gallery in Galveston, Texas.


This painting is by Lawrence LeVeque.


This is another of Leveque's. I met the artist and when I bought this painting from him,  I didn't think to take his picture. Darn. He gave me great advice on how to keep your oil paintings healthy. I have a big painting in my dining room I've allowed to get sun damaged. It happens slowly.  It only took sun for a short time each day in the winter. I didn't notice it until the damage was done.
 

I still have medical appointments in the coming days. A mammogram and an echogram, plus never-ending paperwork. From my compromised credit cards, I have to make arrangement for those bills that were automatically drawn from those credit cards. It is easy to forget, until you get that phone call.

MOON PARTY GIBBERISH.

Sunday night, I was invited to a moon watching party. My neighbor Jan loves things zany and fun. I showed up in my midnight sweater and yellow moon shirt, I intended to gossip and dish the dirt.

I told them they wouldn't be seeing the moon because I lassoed it and cooked it like a young spring loon.

Through the overcast, we didn't see a star, the moon was cooked or someplace far. But, Jan had a star tied to her fence;  I think we're both evil and must commence- a magic spell.

But, the night was early, we munched and ate dinner and played games for hours, when the hint was for a swim suit the answer was flowers. Becky was jubilant when she guessed one right.  She wanted my hat, but I said, "not without a fight."

I did take pictures of it; not meant for a queen, it is more on the style of a time machine.

A moon at midnight, takes timing and watches, (that's literally watches the hat holds seven.)

It's power was weak, it didn't influence heaven.

As the evening wore on, Cheryl opened her pouch.
An all-seeing crystal and rose, clear and smoky quartz. A geode of sky blue, magic was about.

Cheryl placed them strategically, a gateway to the moon.

Jan and I atoned for our evil sin. May the whole world let the light in..

...and find peace and love, everywhere. And, it works one person at a time, I know, I was there.
Happy Moonday!

MISSED THE COMET

A neighbor, down on his luck, had the ambulance at his door three days ago. He is suffering from congestive heart failure. Home from the hospital, he invited me and another neighbor over to play RummiKub. A tile game with similarities to all rummy card games. Fun and lively if you are competitive,  and casual if you like to curse politics between moves. We all decided we’d have to hold our noses to vote and pick the least damaging person. Not exactly the way you want to decide the leadership of your country. We also wanted to check out the comet as it streaked toward the moon or earth or missed the moon and earth. Unfortunately, by the time we remembered and got outside,  the event was over. But, the moon was surrounded by a beautiful aura and some pattern of visible dust in the sky. A lovely clear night to view a gorgeous moon. The view was worth the burrs I got in my shoelaces tromping around Brian’s darkened back yard.  And, we guessed that it missed since we didn’t feel anything earth-shaking.
Brian has an oxygen bottle with a pump delivering him air wherever he is. It has a 50 foot hose and we threatened to step on it if he didn’t behave.

His sister, Anita, mimicked his nose tubes. Hey, life is short. Might as well laugh. The next comet might be “the big one.”