STANDARDIZATION WELCOME.

For days I've tried to fit my camera cord into the trapazoid slot on my camera to unload pictures into my computer. The same cord also charges my camera battery. It wouldn't fit. It defied logic. How could a cord I use every day and keep in the same place next to my computer, suddenly not fit?
 How could I  misplace something I use every day that stays next to my computer? All week, I unloaded pictures by removing the SD disk and plugging it directly into my computer. Last night, the camera battery went dead.

Desperately I searched the zillionth time.  I picked up every item from my three desks one by one again. The light bulb went off. I had used my Click Free back-up drive a week earlier. Sure enough, I'd put the camera cord into the Click Free box and the Click Free cord stayed next to my computer. Like electrical outlets, is it too much to ask that they be standardized?  It would save a lot of hair-pulling.

On the frustration meter, my credit cards were compromised over Christmas and I got new ones in the mail yesterday! Oh, happy day. It left me feeling very vulnerable when I didn't have those little pieces of plastic for ten days.  However, it made me apply for two more cards knowing I will be going to Turkey and our trip lit explained that Turkey businesses like different cards, MasterCard and Discover. Wow. I got lower interest, wonderful rewards, and no charge for overseas ATM transactions on the Discover Card. Two reasons to celebrate.
Jubilation T Cornpone!!

FLOTSAM AND JETSOM

I had an appointment to see a specialist in Lodi, CA. and in the parking lot was this eye catcher.


It may represent youth, or the future, or...whatever. Look at it amid a sea of white, grey, and  two black cars. To me it says LOOK AT ME! I couldn't resist taking a picture.


I ran from errand to errand yesterday without much time to do anything more useful. I have a rosary plant I got from an aunt in the 1960's that manages to struggle on. Nearly killed it several times. While cleaning up around my sink, I noticed it had bloomed. After all these years it decided to bloom? Of course the blooms are so tiny, the cropped picture shows the plant bigger than life-size. You can see three more blooms starting on the stem. It brought an unbelieving smile to my face.
Then cleaning up little bits and pieces of useless information on my desk, I ran into stuff I'd tucked away, and here was a pillow menu.


Have you ever?  Are we elitists, or what?

Other useless flotsam and jetsam hanging around my desk are interesting names I see on the road and I'm always curious about how they got their name:
Sour Lake, Grandfather Rd.,Hungry Horn, Flathead River, Lone Elk Trail. I guess Lone Elk Trail is self-explanatory, but why just One Elk?

When we are on the road, I always want to stop and find out about curious names. It must be an old Indian legend,  but the motor home doesn't stop for such small stuff.
In the car, I can stop sometimes on a whim. So yesterday, I took this picture of a mailbox:


The Cheshire Cat. Cute. I have dozens of pictures of cute mailboxes. I'm ever planning to do something clever with my own. Ah!  Some day.

OUTER AISLE.

A new restaurant in Murphys, Outer Aisle, opened right on the highway. I met two friends for lunch to try it out. It is more than a restaurant; it is an organic market as well.


If you should have to wait for anything, you can enjoy a delightful foyer, comfortable couch, good art. Hey. I like it already. A place to take your wine or beer and sip.


Marilyn and Valerie and I kind of learned our way around. We chose an entrée with the salad bar. It is casual dining;  walk up to the bar, order what you want and someone brings it to your table. This place started out as a pizza and craft brewing place. But, oh, the building itself is beautiful and I hadn't noticed it before.


No pictures can do the salad bar justice, but the lettuces, cress, chopped kale and chard with many choices of in-season items, plus goat cheese and beans and... all fresh and organic. You have no idea what fresh means in a restaurant until you eat here.  Soups, too, are right from the garden. Choices this day, vegan greens, butternut squash, and I've forgotten the other choice.


I love craft brews, my favorite being Black Butte Porter. They didn't have it, but their porter was just as good, fresh on tap. Loved it. You can order organic wine, or tea. Or other choices that are not organic.


The food itself comes right straight from the market on the opposite side of the building. Taylor farms grows and sells everything organic including grass fed beef.  The veggies are wonderful fresh choices in season.


The refrigerated section comes with organic eggs from nearby Vallecito, meaning you don't get them from long-term storage, moved miles across country in a refrigerated truck. I love it.


A varied choice of bottled organic condiments, crackers, pasta, nuts, beans, cous cous, dried product not grown here, but aimed to provide healthy choices.


This item was on the salad bar and we tried it guessing it was a seaweed mix of some kind. Kale chips freshly made that day and scrumptious.


I talked with long time friends, Patty and Marc Miles who love Outer Aisle. I've never been in an organic restaurant that was so comfortable and friendly and warming. My friend Marilyn says, it is just Murphys. Maybe so. She left the county, moved to Sac, liked many things but for friendliness, she moved back into her old house.


If you wish, on a nice day, as it has been, you can eat outside and enjoy the sun. We girl friends like to yap and Marilyn walked up to the bar and said: "I've been using this a lot lately, but we who are over 65 would like the music to be slightly lower."  The attendant immediately accommodated us and we had a great visit.

LOOKING BACK.

2013 is gone and I'm looking back.  I had brunch for my good neighbors Ron and Suzy Hayes on New Year's Eve morning. You just can't beat good neighbors who help me consistently with any and everything should I need it.


And, family members, Bill and Karen came along with neighbor Patty Gulyas. It was fun and I didn't get around to blogging it, so I'm looking back.


I celebrated New Year's Eve at neighbor Jan's. Veronica blows a horn and hoists a glass.


Mikey had to stay in the house during the party because we had a lion scare. It was seen wandering behind my house and it is easy to follow if you stick your head out the window and listen to the pattern of barking dogs in the neighborhood. Karen locked her cats inside for the night.


Atilla and Patty did the same with their dogs before coming over. Atilla brought a platter of homemade sausages. Some pork, some venison. The food in this neighborhood is always good even if my pictures are lousy. Using a flash would have helped. I never turn it on. Not too bright. (Pun intended.)

Today, I'm interviewing a former Deputy Sheriff Becky Miller for the Archive. And I keep playing with the idea that I can STILL send Christmas cards. Who am I kidding? I need to get back to the motor home so I can rest. Sometimes life is just too busy.  Friends and family?  I never say no, one reason I return home every couple of months. The best things in life, as we all know.

THE LEGO GENERATION

My grandkids absolutely love legos to this day, even though they rarely play with them anymore. So did my kids. Check this out:

http://gas2.org/2014/01/03/video-life-sized-lego-car-air-powered-green-dream/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IM-gas2+%28Gas+2.0%29

This video comes from one of my favorite subscriptions, everything about cars. Gas2.0
They love green and electric cars as I do. Always great info here.

I'm working on my trip to Turkey, taking care of loose ends. Got into travel sites this morning. A lot of bargains out there in January and February. Cabo, Cancun, Puerto Valarta. Next year, I'm going to take advantage of one of them. Jim and I are hoping to go to Cuba next year. Reading travel sites really gets the juices stirring.

PLASTIC BAG BAN.

I am torqued that plastic bags are being banned by a city the size of Los Angeles. What a boon to the environment. I remember Harlingen, Texas, how clean and serene the beaches because of the bag ban. Wonderful to have it happen in California. I understand that several nations are pooling resources to remove the huge vortex of plastic bags stuck in the ocean, a glob the size of Texas has only grown bigger since first compared in size to Texas.  A huge, expensive undertaking.

It offends me royally when I see videos of whales caught in plastic fish line, or water birds and small mammals strangled by plastic products. All that stuff should be biodegradable. If we can put a man on the moon, materials engineers can solve this problem.

I'm trying to find my flight back to the motor home today, it seems to take me all morning. I should probably just drive up to the airport and return. It would be more fun.

Ah, I have other off-line duties as well. Preparing for my trip to turkey.

Gidday!

TWO RICH GUYS TALK ABOUT TAXES.

In my news yesterday was the 55 tax breaks that are scheduled to expire, but, that congress will apparently fund them again, so the pundits say. It is also said that the reason they pull this uncertain crap is because they want to line up their lobbyists for future election donations. Whatta bunch a crap.


It would help if we had great National leadership instead of a pattern of paying for huge campaigns and having to buy votes through email support to leverage our elected officials to do the job we pay them to do. Well, it is a new year. Wonder what horrors they are up to this year?

We need change and listen to two of the richest men in the world and remember them when you vote:

http://www.aflcio.org/Blog/Political-Action-Legislation/Warren-Buffett-and-Bill-Gates-Find-This-Unfair-It-Might-Surprise-You

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW.

Isn’t this a pretty package? One of my favorite baby pictures, Sherry Lynn Littlefield, first born child of my “adopted” daughter, Karen Littlefield.

It is a marvelous feeling to look back on a year and find good things among the inevitable sorrows.I can say with certainty that good health is a giant totem.

It brings me great joy when grandchildren have learned that life is what you put into it. They are the frosting to match the silver in my hair.

Friends are gold without which life would be tarnished. I can truthfully say my cup runneth over as I salute 2014.

WE DON'T REALIZE HOW SAFE WE ARE.

Last night, a friend came over and together we watched the video, "It's A Wonderful Life." Her parting comment to me was, every time I complain, I have to remember how good we have it."  I would say AMEN to that.
Then, in my email this morning came a video honoring a particular CNN Hero, Anurada (Can't remember her last name.) But, my friend Wendy's words to me:  "We don't realize how safe we are."  I hope we can step into a new year and do one thing to assist the safety of daughters everywhere. Please watch this video from CNN.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=136222669915551&set=vb.100005834562339&type=2&theater

Let's Make the New Year Better.

TOO BUSY.

Life is busy and this YouTube describes some of us:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX9EAavxrus