Ain't That America?

"Ain't that America, for you and me,
Ain't that America, something to see;
Ain't that America, home of the free....
Little pink houses for you and me.."

I love John Mellencamp!

It's election day! My stomach is tied up in knots~ don't know why; it's in the hands of the American Public now....will we make US history today or not? It's really almost overwhelming to think about; no matter which way the chips fall. The very fact that we have the choices we do is overwhelming alone.
There's a few propositions I'm intested to see also....namely, Prop 2 and Prop 8. There's either going to be a lot of celebrating in this area, or it's going to be very dismal; as this is a very gay-centric demographic.

I will DEFINITELY be glad that the campaigning is over though; I'm SO SICK of those manipulative ads they put on....ALL of them! It's so annoying and if I NEVER hear that stupid, stupid ad with Gavin Newsom (SF mayor) saying "Whether you like it or not" it will be TOO SOON! Word to your mother. Not only does it send a horrifically ugly message at it's very root, it's just plain annoying to hear that over and over and over. Even if I were against Prop 8, I'd vote "No" b/c that ad was so aggravating. One of my many quirks.

It's Tuesday again, so that means gardening day; the YE's are getting all tuned up and wouldn't you know, we were graced with a visit from the Fed Ex guy....I think I need to do some training.....it would probably be easier to train the Fed Ex guy, but he HAS to ring the doorbell so I can sign sometimes....O, the trials and tribulations of owning a guard dog or two, LOL.

I guess I need to go work out so I can get into the "endorphin nirvana" phase of my day...it didn't help getting another supercilious, self-aggrandizing, communique (that's military speak, doncha know, cuz he's UBER impotent in the Reserves) brother in law. He's a "2" if ever there was one. Yeah, that's on a scale of 1-10 people. He's actually more like a "1", but I'm a nice person, so I gave him an extra point for no other reason :S. I really hate liars and cheats, along with thieves. But that's just between us ;). Off to the gym with my sorry butt before any more garbage crosses my mind or falls from my lips!

Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?

Did you ever have to make up your mind?
Pick up on one and leave the other behind
It's not often easy, and not often kind
Did you ever have to make up your mind?

Remember the Lovin' Spoonful? Crazy name, great band though :).

But yes, I have a dilemma! With a capital "D"! I have committed to volunteering at a big Food and Wine event being held here in town next weekend. And not only that, I said I'd work an extra shift on Sunday b/c some people who had volunteered earlier had dropped out and they needed me then.

I kept Friday paper's business section b/c I noticed an article on Martha and KB homes coming to the desert; La Quinta to be precise. I assumed it was just an article about plans on building some of those homes here, and was curious about them; since in these pitiful economic times, there are quite a few large, brand new housing developments that have been started, and the homes are sitting half done, which is how they've been for over a year now. So I thought it was interesting that someone would be serious about building now.

ANYWAY, I finally get around to reading the article and when they said Martha and KB homes were COMING here, they meant COMING here. Martha will be HERE!!

AND, they're running a contest which 100 people will win a lunch with Martha and compete in a cupcake making contest .....on SUNDAY :(.

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a long time Martha admirer. I have all her books, stationary, if it says Martha, I've probably got it~ almost as bad as my Ironman stuff, LOL. My two passions; Martha and Ironman.

So, I'm torn. I really can't flake on the Food and Wine Event. That's not right.

But I'd give ANYTHING almost to be even in the same ROOM as Martha. There's not a lot of people who I am longing to meet~ I get to meet celebrities often, and that's nice, but.....it's not Martha or Cher, or Ellen, or...hmmm...who else am I dying to meet???? Irene Pepperberg, maybe...Bobby Flay! Or Gordon Ramsey~ those are MY heroes. Andrea Immer. I guess the people who you share the same passions with and are your mentors. People who you learn valuable things from that make your life more complete and enjoyable. I don't remember the last valuable thing I learned from Posh Spice or Madonna...even though I like them and their craft, and it would be fun to meet them, I won't feel incomplete if I never do so.

I'm getting off on a whole other subject...oops.

So, do I enter the contest, and then be angst-ridden if I win and can't go to meet her? Or should I enter it, and if I do win it, try to "fix" my volunteer schedule, making more work for the organizers for my own selfishness?

UGH, why do I have to be so responsible to a commitment I've made? I have some thinking to do....and I need to get over to La Quinta to submit my contest entry, haha.

Thriller

It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes,
You're paralyzed

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!!! We're off to see Ms. Patti LaBelle tonite~not only seeing her, but meeting her and having our photos taken with her. Don't know how that happened; all I know is that now, I'm going to have to put some effort into getting dressed, LOL! Dang, it's always something! Hope everyone has only treats, and no tricks!

Simply Irresistible

1. Where is your cell phone?
AMAZINGLY, I know....right in front of me on my desk!

2. Where is your significant other?
Well, I THINK he's at work in the LA area, coming home tonite.

3. Your hair color?
Dark brown, with hopefully, covered up grey

4. Your mother?
Living too far away from me in N. CA, wanting to buy a ranch now

5. Your father?
Daddy-O living the island life in Hawaii with my stepmom and their kitties.

6. Your favorite thing?
I have tons of favorite things; but my little M&M's are at the very top of the list. Especially crawling into bed with them at the end of the day.

7. Your dream last night?
I don't KNOW....but I sure did sleep well!

8. Your dream/goal?
Get back into shape/fitness like I was 2 yrs ago, move away from the desert and closer to my friends and family.

9. The room you're in?
Office

10. Your hobby?
Tablescaping, decorating, dreaming

11. Your fear?
Oh, I'm afraid to say

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years?
Back in the Wine Country...wherever; just so there's REAL produce that you actually SEE on trees or in the ground.

13. Where were you last night?
At home, watching Dirty Sexy Money

14. What you're not?
Over adolescence probably

15. One of your wish list items?
For my brother to be cured and restored to good health.

16. Where you grew up?
Napa ....when it was prune orchards and nobody knew where it was other than the state hospital.

17. The last thing you did?
Picked up kangan water at the water store.

18. What you are wearing?
White Tommy B capris and a black sleeveless sweater (my nod to cooler weather, LOL)

19. Your TV? Channel 3...soaps for ironing time, except I'm sitting here doing this instead, haha.

20. Your pet?
OH my goodness! You'd have to be living under a rock to not know about our Maxalicious and Madison, the Yorkies Exquisite, the light of our lives and the answer to world peace! I also have my Cynthia, a Maine Coon cat, who's very lonely since Cesare went away and my psychotic dove, Lucky, pictured above with his booster rocket, Tweety bird, the parakeet; and Coco, the dove who was a big surprise years ago when we came home from a trip and the petsitter had brought him over for "Lucky".....NOT a match made in heaven, so now I've got TWO cages instead of just one :S.

21. Your computer?
Dell laptop and desktop, dh has a Sony Vaio laptop that's BROKEN :(.

22. Your mood? Happy and getting excited about the holidays

23. Missing someone?
My friends in Napa; very much

24. Favorite restaurant?
Wow....where? I'm spoiled...Napa Valley has a plethora of phenomenal restaurants, I don't think I could choose just one. But the food's always consistently excellent at Fume.

25. Something you're not wearing?
Shoes or socks (what else is new?)

26. Favorite store?
My real favorite is Nordstrom's or Saks, but lately it's HOME GOODS....I could go CRAZY in that store!

27. Your summer?
BORING; extremely HOT, extremely DRY, very windy and sandy except for a few weeks I spent with my mom up in Napa Valley, which was fabulous!

28. Love someone?
Probably too many people ;)

29. Your favorite color?
Green!

30. Last time you laughed?
A few minutes ago when dh IM'd me; sometimes he's such a knucklehead.

31. Last time you cried?
Oh gosh, I cry at the drop of a noun; but I really cried the other night when I was talking to my friend who is getting me some information on an animal communicator in case she can contact my Nova and Valentino at the Rainbow Bridge. I just can't get over losing those birds (as anyone who knows me is aware of already). God help me if anything happens to my mom or my dogs :(.

OK, I get to blame Jan for this, LOL....I love reading about other people's stuff too, so feel free to fritter away some time on this yourself!

Stir It Up~

Remember Patti LaBelle? Wow, wonder when this photo was taken? I loved her songs from Beverly Hills Cops! And we're going to see her tomorrow night! I wonder if everyone will be all dressed up in Halloween costumes? I hope not, I hate costumes, especially on adults. On kids it's ok, but it seems kind of freaky on adults. Bad freaky, not good freaky. Anyhow, it should be fun. Even though I'm a LITTLE disappointed that we aren't going to dinner with the M&M's tomorrow night; I've got the cutest little tank tops for them for Halloween....Madison's says "Little Monster" on it, haha. Max's just has cute little ghosts and bats and stars and moons on it and says "eek" and 'Boo!" on it....oh well, they can wear them during the day I guess. Madison will be SO EXCITED to see his new top~ he's crazy about clothes, the litte stinker! He's a funny boy!

It's one of those days....you know, when you get up to a totally clean house, nice, neat kitchen,it's calm and quiet, you had a great night's sleep and the coffee is perfect?

For some reason, my coffee is sometimes PERFECT, and sometimes not so much. I don't know what the secret is....my BFF Roy, makes PERFECT coffee....every time. And he doesn't measure anything...just grinds it and pours it into the coffeemaker. Perfect. Me, I fill the coffee pot with water, set it on the counter, get down to eye level with it to make sure that the water is EXACTLY on the line. And then I get out my trusty coffee measuring scoop, and make sure it's not too full and not exactly level either....geeze Louise, you'd think I was performing neurosurgery! I make sure EVERY lump is smashed (b/c I keep our coffee in the freezer) before I push the start button too....no taking chances with my morning fix!
And sometimes...perfect, sometimes not so perfect. Anyway....today was one of the perfect days :).
I don't drink more than a cup or two, but I want it to be exquisite! It's always nice to start the day out on a positive note.

Which leads me to my next adventure of the day; my meeting for orientation for the volunteers for the Art of Food and Wine Festival.

I was running just a teensy bit late, as princesses are prone to do....or is that Divas? Hmmm, I think my mom told me that Princesses were always on time~ (yes, I know.....but I'm so much better than I used to be), but I knew exactly where I was going and it was only a little over a mile from home.
Of course, once I got to the hotel where the event and meeting are taking place, I went to the wrong end of the property, so had to turn around and go to the other end....couldn't find where we were to park, so had to make another round thru security gates and make u-turns...ugh. You'd THINK they'd tell you WHERE the meeting WAS on the property and WHERE to park.
Oh well, I figured it out eventually. Once I got inside, the meeting had been moved to another building...I got over THERE, and found out it had been moved all the way across the hotel to where I'd started out when I first drove in....I hightailed it over there, just in time to meet everyone on their way back to where I'd just come from :S. Yay.
So across the pool area, over the bridge, across the esplanade, up the stairs (and it's probably about 90 deg and most of the people who were there are WELL over 70 yrs old.....I felt bad for them).
Finally, we get to where I'd started out, in the grand ballroom and everyone got to sit down.Yay.
It didn't take long, we got the info we needed for parking on the day of our shifts and acceptable attire etc....no biggie. I almost was so disgusted at having to drive back and forth at first, that I was going to bag it, but I'm glad I didn't. It should be a fun event.
Plus, there will be some "celebrity" chefs...Sara Moulton, who I'm excited to meet and I'll be working with her (or around her or at least in the same general area) on the Sunday of the event, and the Hardy Boys (who I don't really know much about), and a few others....if you are interested, check it out HERE.
The weather will be beautiful I'm sure, and proceeds go to great charities, one of them being Meals on Wheels, which is a wonderful, wonderful group!
OH, the more I think about it, the more excited I get....I'm sure I'll bore everyone to tears by the time it's done :).

Well, another gorgeous day here, the lawns are greening up after being re-seeded for the winter. I have to say, that's ONE thing I LOVE about the desert....the lawns....and it's mostly appreciated, b/c MOI is the one who cleans up the doggie poo here.....no searching for it, wondering if you might step in it....the lawns are all FLAT, like a golf course; I LOVE that! A kitty litter scoop and I'm golden, LOL. No wrangling around long bladed grass..yep, there are some nice advantages living in the desert if you look for them, LOL.
Along with it being in the 60's in the mornings, about 90 during the day and the 70's in the evenings, I suppose this time of year I can't complain TOO MUCH! Not much wind lately either (me even uttering that is the kiss of death of course :S). The YE's can run in and out b/c I can leave the sliders open and the A/C is OFF, if only intermittently. I'm beginning to feel like a lizard, LOL.

It's my friend, Lizzy's birthday today too...one of the sweetest, lovliest women in existence, with more patience than 99.99% of people I know, and is the very BEST mom, and has brought so much joy, smiles and laughter into my life over the last many years than I can even say.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIRLFRIEND~ I truly do appreciate the day of your birth! My life is so much sweeter because of this day! Hope it's everything you hope for!

Ooooh....tomorrow.....halloween!!!

Celebrate Good Times

I just got the good news about my online friend Jan's Yorkie, Maggie~ her tests after surgery for her liver shunt came back clear and the little girl is in perfect health! THAT is cause to celebrate! You can catch Maggie's story on Jan's FANTASTIC blog (hold onto your hats, b/c it's LOADED with FUN!!) RIGHT HERE So, if you have any inkling how precious these little souls are, raise a glass and toast Maggie tonight. It's always a good day when a little animal's life is made better!

Java

Remember Al Hirt?

I've been thinking a lot about memories lately....and coffee, LOL.
This is one of my favorite artworks; done by Karin Diesner~ you can find out more about her and her art HERE

I love it so much because it combines two things that have been such a big part of my life...coffee and the Chron, and makes me think of relaxation and contentment. And I remember when I first saw it at an impromptu art showing in the park across the street from Saint Peter and Paul's church in SF~ Roy and I had gone to see his Nana, the irrascible Rose Pistola; and saw the easels being set up, so we went to check it out....I fell in love with what's called "Morning Fix" and although I couldn't afford to buy it then, I got the name and the card of the artist. Later on, I purchased it for Roy for his birthday. We spent many hours talking over coffee and the Chronicle back in the day. Another nice memory associated with the work, was that when I called Ms. Diesner, she shipped it to me before I even mailed her my check (or money order, or however I paid for it). Things don't happen that way much anymore.

I've been remiss in tending to my blog, not because I had nothing to say; just not enough time to get it down in black and white. Kind of like "I'm writing a book....I've got the page numbers done" sort of thing....

So, to rewind a bit: The Fergie concert was excellent! We were in the second row,she is very cute, and such a wonderfully talented singer. Dh and friend were well behaved, didn't complain about ANYTHING (other than a brief comment by dh about "it not being quite loud enough" Haha....VERY funny. He even said he enjoyed it! I think however, he probably enjoyed a cute girl and her young, nubile dancers more than anything, since I'm almost 100% sure he didn't understand one word of any of the lyrics. Evidence: as we were walking out, he and friend Tim, were discussing the fact that they thought she was really good, but they couldn't BELIEVE she'd sing (or they'd LET her sing) a song called "F@#K-a-licious". OMG. Men. Being that my maiden last name happens to be the same as hers, and having grown up with a grandpa that everyone called Fergie, it was just too much for me to ignore, LOL. I turned around and hissed "it's called FERG-A-LICIOUS; her name is FERGIE, get it???". Honestly.

The Golf Cart Parade was the next day down on El Paseo....I don't know WHY we didn't plan for it sooner; I just wasn't thinking I guess. It's a HUGE day for all the restaurants down there, and we should have made reservations LONG before but it has been so hot, I just didn't really think about going and sitting out (b/c I KNEW dh would NOT want to do that). But then, it's been a little cooler and the place we go often with the YE's has a patio in front that's misted and we'd be able to see the parade really well since that's the turn-around. Or we WOULD have been able to if I'd thought about it a couple of weeks before and made reservations, darn it. We could have gotten reservations at another place with a patio, but the dogs couldn't go and it's no fun to go without THEM :). So we didn't. Next year. In fact, I think I'll make our reservations now, LOL. In my own defense however, the parade used to be in December, so it was a surprise to me when I got an email about being in it from the Animal Samaritans....and then realized it was just in a week! Like I said...next year! And yes, it's really golf carts all decorated up; it's pretty amazing and a lot of fun.

Now, it's planning for a few little events. Like Dh's birthday, Thanksgiving, our 10th wedding anniversary and Christmas. My head is spinning....memories, memories....

The YE's are behaving (basically), but the cat..not so much. I've been letting Cynthia out for short bits of time during the day and evening with us (she's got her own bedroom and bath) outside b/c I know she's lonely without Cesare, who was PTS last month. She's like about 15 yrs old...hasn't been out of the house in probably about 13 yrs...and what is the FIRST thing she does when my back is turned???? She caught a little bird and KILLED it...there were feathers EVERYWHERE on the lawn! The worst thing is, unless I go vacuum them up, there they'll stay til the gardeners deem the new lawn long enough to mow. UGH. What a mess. At least the grass is greening up after it being brown and stubbly for the last couple of weeks...but Cynthia is on a short leash now. Killing a bird....not acceptable behavior at this casa, kitty! She's obviously forgotten about the two demon parrots who used to bite her tail when she wasn't looking. Maybe I'll have to think about adding one to my little menagerie again. Yeah, right.....over dh's dead body, hahahahahah......talk about memories ;).