I CAN'T COMPLAIN ABOUT THE RAIN

Spring is trying to spring, but the weather turns from warm with spots of sunshine to cold to windy to rainy to stormy to gale force downpours,  all within a short time. The last two days were wet and miserable. I feel guilty when I complain.


Whenever something blooms, I take a picture before the rain washes it away. Forsythia is one of three plants I have that bloom on the branches before it leafs out.


That is, excluding the fruit trees, like this wild Indian peach.


Dancing between the drops, I caught Karen, the Pied Piper with the chickens. They adore her and vice versa. They love getting out and wallowing in the green, grass. I love the green, too.


Paul was back in the hospital. Now he is in a convalescent home. Living is sometimes an uphill battle.


Pam, Wanda, John and I with our CCTV manager, Ed Lark had an important board meeting over the studio. Hopefully we'll get it transferred to new owners by the end of the year, freeing us to do things we like better. None of us produce television shows anymore. We are just cogs in the management wheel.


These last two years, we've taken to having dinner meetings. It makes things pleasantly social. John told us a great history about Hazel Fischer, a teacher who taught "everybody" in the old days, in a one room school-house. There are many stories about her quirky personality-some he claims are untrue. John is an "old-timer" to this area and he knew Miss Fischer.


I read in my local paper that Califoria is subsidizing low flush toilets. They'll reimburse you $100 for each toilet. So, I managed to put one in for me and one for my rental. I had already put in a low flush several years ago, but the new ones are better. It boggles the brain that they work. The engineering is so smart. I also have on demand water heaters in both houses. But the gas one needed a new computer board, which the company mailed to me free by Fed Ex. In all this cold, it was nice to have hot water again. The rain kept me inside long enough to read two days worth of newspapers and put a dent in my taxes. No, I can't complain about the rain.

EPHESUS AND CUTE TOWN.

The ancient Greco-Roman ruin of Ephesus is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Owen was torqued, because he wanted to see ancient ruins. We entered the area and I took many pictures.

Restored columns, things I’ve only seen on tv or magazines. What a thrill.

Usla explained how they joined columns by melting lead into the crevasse of the base. Led is a soft metal so it didn’t have a chance against a major earthquake which is what destroyed the ancient city.


I enjoyed walking among the marble  columns, the interesting carving and so on.


We came to a small amphitheater.


We arrived early so the crowds were thin, not that you can tell.  Owen climbed all over this edifice of crumbling steps and amazing views.


Restoration is very visible in this twin structure where two cement rounds replace a shattered section of the column. Double clicking on the picture will bring you a closer view.


Then we turned a corner to find an almost intact stone with the Goddess Nike and found the best was yet to come.


Below us is the famous Library of Celsus, though only a facade, a great beauty still.

One intact statue, part of the gateway to the promenade. When statues tumble in an earthquake, the first thing that hits the ground is the face, the noses are usually smashed, the arms broken off or crushed.


The main street, paved in marble, leading to the housing and business district of the ruins is flanked by columns, and carved marble pieces. Archeologists learned much about the times from writing on the bases of statues that honored certain citizens of the city. Here we sit among the ancient stonework as Usla explains significant areas of the promenade.


This colossal piece is called a header in carpentry parlance. Amazing stuff.


As we get closer to the library, the area of the richest people is paved with intricate mosaic tiles.

Color is preserved in some areas.


This piece of marble is beyond beautiful.


As rich as they were, they didn’t have toilets in their houses. Everyone had to use the public toilets with a drain.


One advantage of the rich man, he could order a slave to go to the toilet, reserve a hole and sit on it to warm the cold marble before his master arrived.


The rich had VIP seating to all events. Here Joan Zucker takes advantage of what had to be a pretty uncomfortable marble chair.


As we entered the library, Usla challenged us to find the tunnel to the brothel. The rich men lived close the to library and would spend time there. They didn’t want their wives to know they were headed for the brothel much of that time so they dug a tunnel to it.


Owen and I looked in every cranny of the library, but it was under our feet all along. The slabs of marble had to be picked up for the gent to climb down and make his way for about 300 yards to the brothel.


One can easily understand why it is a UNESCO site.


Everywhere is a marble painting.

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Such beauty. Ephesus is also where the Temple of Artemis once stood, one of the seven wonders of the world. It was one of the most colossal temples ever buiilt but is no longer standing.


From the library, we made out way to the Amphitheater where St. Paul preached to the Ephesians.


On the way, one of the first ads greeted visitors, pointing the way to the brothel, the cost and the direction to walk.


Usla asked Owen to go to the floor and speak in a normal tone of voice to demonstrate the natural acoustics of such a place.


From a distance, under some pine trees, one can see the entire amphitheater.


Judy and Lenny take a rest on a nearby stone wall.


We bused to a hilly village called Cute Town, so named because earlier residents named it Ugly Town. They didn’t want to encourage visitors. Later,  sense prevailed and residents now welcome tourist dollars today at Cute Town.


Usla choose this town because they make a good Turkish pancake traditionally in an outdoor oven.


They make two types, vegetarian and meat.


Owen and I shared a meat pancake which consists of ground lamb, spinach,  goat cheese, and peppers. We also helped eat other’s  vegetarian pancake which included mushrooms and artichoke in place of meat. Both were quite good. I think it was the first meal for Owen without chicken shish. He said, “it has everything I hate but it tasted good.”


We wandered the town for about 30 minutes and bought olive oil, a backpack purse for me, and Owen discovered knives. Very expensive antiques he wanted very badly but Usla told him, “they hold antiques at the airport and have to be approved by ministers of antiquities to be removed from the country and you might lose them.” So, he reluctantly passed on them.


A woman makes glass beads. Fascinating, the God’s Eye to ward off evil. I will  explain it another day.
To view a slideshow of more pictures of Ephesus and Cute Town, click on the link:

MURPHYS OPEN HOUSE CONTINUED.

Yesterday was a struggle, with an extended brown out, 50% power. Bitterly cold for us with eight and a quarter inches of snow. I couldn't open my electric garage door. Karen chanced our driveway and went to town. A guy living on our road plowed the main road. The return was dicey. She slid and slipped back up the driveway and with heart racing,  barely made it back to the house. Since temperatures last night were predicted at 12*, she knew the ice would be a more harrowing journey today, when the slush freezes. It did melt some yesterday, then it snowed some more. Then we  had a full power outage for several hours. I saw PG&E working the pole on my property at 10:00 p.m. So, another day of ice and snow. I hope to walk later in the morning and take pictures. It is nice to have electricity back. So, to continue Murphys Open House where Becky, Janice, Leslie and I met Jan at the emergency shelter, see yesterday's late post:

Becky talked with another shelter worker, Tammy, mostly about the beds and blankets. The beds are red cots. The blankets  are made of ugly grey felt, unwashable,  and are thrown away or given to the person who uses them. I thought that was interesting. One person used the shelter last night. And, Jan reported to me this morning she left at midnight, barely made it home the snow was so heavy, got into her house and a tree went down on her driveway after she got in. (She has 4 wheel drive.)

The wine tasting rooms were busy and filled with tasters. At Hovey's we had a chocolate tasting as well. Everyone was in a festive happy mode, as we were. Enjoying the cookies or treats with cider.

A new store had its grand opening that night. The owner has a lavender farm in Arizona and kids that live in Arnold. They have all kinds of lavender based soaps and products. Very nice. We tasted a delicious lavender cookie. Reminds me of that song:

He was only a lavender cowboy, the hairs on his chest they were two, he wanted to be a big hero, and do as the heroes do. Red, green many color hair tonics, he rubbed on his chest every night. But when he woke up the next morning, no new hairs grew in sight. He battled for Red Nellie's honor, and cleaned out a hold-up's nest. He died with two six guns a blazing, but only two hairs on his chest.
Sorry but that song has been buzzing through my brain lately. I tried to sing it for Jim.

I like bags and hats. We have a great bag shop. This Little Volkswagen bag reminded me of Janis Joplin's Volkswagen. Such a sad story. We visited her home town of Port Arthur, Texas earlier this year. The owner was a Joplin fan. Me too.

A Christmas tree made from rough bits of left over wood. I'm an avid recycler and it appealed to me, along with the home-made decorations. I used to lavishly decorate for Christmas. I'm now in favor of items I can haul out that are already decorated and just need to be set up. (It is an age thing, I think.)

Stores in Murphys have changed hands so many times, I always remember the original name. This was Riedel's Grocery. I met neighbors Bitsy and Mike Cameron.

And, Suki Tutthill. She used to own a business in town. We were in the Business association together in the mid 1980's. Running into old friends is another thing I love about Open House.
My very favorite store in  Murphys, though, is the IDEA store, which carries bathroom machineries and sooooo much more. I tell everyone to go. New on this visit was a child size antique porcelain bath and sink.

And, a more modern child size toilet. Tom  imported a truckload of porcelain one-and-a- half- pint, flush toilets, which will be the new law in California soon. I forgot to take Tom's picture, another old friend from Murphys Business Association. We chatted and enjoyed cookies and cider. The best thing about the place is his ghost story and the story of the over too hundred tons of keys and locks he got from Great Britain. All antique. Marvelous place. Just ask and he will tell you.
The open house was officially over at 8:00 p.m. People lingered beyond that, enjoying the fire pits, hating to leave, music still wafting in the air from somewhere. The Highway Patrol patiently waited and didn't come in like commandos and reopen the street to traffic.  It started snowing just before we left town. It was heavy about 500 yards from my driveway. What a lovely night.