I hope my kids read this. Our memoirs are precious and somebody has to hear them. Women were the Original Story-Tellers from the Beginning of Time, and we must keep our history to pass down to our children, and their children ~

I hope my kids read this. Our memoirs are precious and somebody has to hear them. Women were the Original Story-Tellers from the Beginning of Time, and we must keep our history to pass down to our children, and their children ~

We’ve been on the run, driving in the sun, looking out for number one…California here we come, right back where we started from.

California, here we come  – “California” by Phantom Planet

You know you’re in LA when…

• In N Out, conveniently located by LAX, is at your disposal. Mmm, time for that double double, animal fries and a shake.
• Northfaces and Uggs are replaced by a pair of American Apparel shorts and Rainbows sandals
• Gorgeous weather. Thanksgiving forecast: a high of 75 degrees
• Traffic on the 405 delays your return home
• People use the word “beezy” not “biddie”(Oh, East Coast)
• One word: BEACH
• Froyo everywhere you go! Hello Twist, Pinkberry, Yogurtland
• You’re bombarded by love and snuggles from high school friends
• It feels like you never left…and you sometimes wonder why you ever did.

Dear Los Angeles, It had been far too long! I’ve really missed you the last 3 months. Lets get to know each other again in these next few days. I promise I’ll appreciate your nice weather this time. Love always, Saba

And on Sunday, She rested.

I was beat! The events of the past days and weeks finally caught up with me.

Saturday promised to be probably the last good day for cleaning up the remains of the summer, so DH and I got up early and started out fresh.

I pruned back the Ornamental  Crab tree while DH cleaned out the gutters with his new Echo Leaf blower. He was just about done when the extension arm literally BLEW off the end of the machine and flew through the air with the greatest of ease, down 16 feet to the grass below. I was there to watch it fall, but not able to catch it. It fell undamaged, my Orna-crab broke its fall.

I tried my hand at the Wondrous Leaf Blower, it was a very powerful and handy tool. I’m glad DH finally broke down and got it-he had no say, I kept nagging, saying “Just DO IT!”

Sunday, I had biscotti to bake, and a doily to finish for a Christmas gift.  I set to work on the last two rows, and worked between timer beeps, and whipped out both a completed doily and not one but TWO batches of biscotti. I am Power Baker, hear me roar!

Sally Sells Seashells Doily

Seashell Ruffle Doily by American Thread Company Star Book No. 143

I hope its namesake likes it

I ran across this doily while cleaning out the Guest bedroom before DD’s arrival. I had totally forgotten this was in the room, buried beneath some mementos of Mom.

Shades of Pink and Lavender Doily, Star Doily Book No. 104

I made this doily the year Mom redid her bathroom, all in lavenders and lilacs. It sat on her bathroom windowsill until the day I packed everything up before selling the old Home. I can still hear the joy in her voice the day she called to tell me it arrived and how she loved it~

Oxy-clean brought out the faced yellows, and made it brand new again-the pictures do it no justice.

Faded Beauty, Mom's Favorite

a closer look

I love the old patterns, can’t get enough of them~ Thank you Mom, for giving me these to share with my friends.

If you’re listening, if you’re still there- I love and miss you, Mom.

Sandra

And on Sunday, She rested.

I was beat! The events of the past days and weeks finally caught up with me.

Saturday promised to be probably the last good day for cleaning up the remains of the summer, so DH and I got up early and started out fresh.

I pruned back the Ornamental  Crab tree while DH cleaned out the gutters with his new Echo Leaf blower. He was just about done when the extension arm literally BLEW off the end of the machine and flew through the air with the greatest of ease, down 16 feet to the grass below. I was there to watch it fall, but not able to catch it. It fell undamaged, my Orna-crab broke its fall.

I tried my hand at the Wondrous Leaf Blower, it was a very powerful and handy tool. I’m glad DH finally broke down and got it-he had no say, I kept nagging, saying “Just DO IT!”

Sunday, I had biscotti to bake, and a doily to finish for a Christmas gift.  I set to work on the last two rows, and worked between timer beeps, and whipped out both a completed doily and not one but TWO batches of biscotti. I am Power Baker, hear me roar!

Sally Sells Seashells Doily Seashell Ruffle Doily by American Thread Company Star Book No. 143. I hope her namesake likes it

I ran across this doily while cleaning out the Guest bedroom before DD’s arrival. I had totally forgotten this was in the room, buried beneath some mementos of Mom.

Shades of Pink and Lavender Doily, Star Doily Book No. 104

I made this doily the year Mom redid her bathroom, all in lavenders and lilacs. It sat on her bathroom windowsill until the day I packed everything up before selling the old Home. I can still hear the joy in her voice the day she called to tell me it arrived and how she loved it~

Oxy-clean brought out the faced yellows, and made it brand new again-the pictures do it no justice.

Faded Beauty, Mom's Favorite

a closer inspection

I love the old patterns, can’t get enough of them~ Thank you Mom, for giving me these to share with my friends.

If you’re listening, if you’re still there- I love and miss you, Mom.

Sandra

Sometimes, We need to check our facts and perspective from time to time.

I always thought that people would finance with the shortest and lowest interest rate possible.

Peter Majthenyi can be contacted at 416 236 9300 for all your mortgage needs. Check their web presence at http://theMortgagePlanner.ca. The storefront Location is 1026 The Queensway, Etobicoke. Islington at QEW. Make a point to have a look. The Mortgage Architects

Aquí va una muy buena canción de los tiempos en que California era algo más que el estado del vino , las narajanjas y los gobernadores republicanos …

Hello!
Just got back from visit with neighbors~ it’s been quite a while since we were over to visit.

I made 2 loaves of Butternut Squash Walnut Bread and took a loaf to the neighbors’.  I hope she likes it. They both stuck to the bottom of the loaf pans a little,  but I think that was the butter and brown sugar in the cooked squash-it caramelized, but was soooooooooo yummy when I peeled it off the spatula!

They wined and dined us, Sharon laid out a nice spread (way too much food) she is the Consummate  Decorator, goes all out for the holidays. I’m embarrassed at my weak attempts, even though we married on Halloween and consider ourselves big Classic Hollywood Horror Film Fans.  We have a “Toy Room” – their house is a virtual art gallery; I want to come home and re-decorate every time I’m there.

She was showing us around her house, prizes she had accumulated, her “finds”, and she pointed out this one item. I immediately recognized it. It was a German crafted hand-puppet she found at an antique store. She said I didn’t want to know what she paid. I didn’t let her finish. When I saw it, it brought tears to my eyes-I had a WHOLE SET of these as a girl. My mom bought them when we were in Germany…I forgot about those until I saw that puppet. I had to wonder then, what-ever did my mom do with those puppets, who ended up with them and did they survive as a set. Probably not, but seeing that one, it brought back memories…….*siiiiiiiiiigh.

So, tonight was a good night. Tomorrow we will get to hang out and watch Greenbay and hopefully get to the heel of LumberJill sock #2~

BOO!
S’me~

Never been to California. But standing here in dark, rainy Manchester, I know exactly what they mean.

Ou Favorite Trees, Fall '09

WHEW! I just finished the latest batch of incoming orders, it’s been like the rain today-non-stop, a good thing $$$-wise.

Writing a Rav-buddy about Meals on Wheels, reminded me of my folks when they had M & W’s coming to their house in Calif, until the day I arrived. We cleaned up what was in their fridge since they’d already paid for a week’s worth, and then cooked for them after that. It’s a wonderful way to extend community to those who can’t get out or are inhibited in any way from venturing out.

My dad did not drive, so when Mom became too addled to drive him to the store, he signed up for Meals on Wheels, it was his blessing, a helping hand when he couldn’t manage everything dumped upon him.

Dad never even wrote a check or paid a bill until Mom became too infirmed, then he had to take over the entire household, and did a wonderful job! Mom was sooooooooo MILITARY, she refused to even let Dad have his paycheck-he handed it over, she deposited it and gave him his weekly “allowance”.  He was a happy camper, especially when she took us to Lake Tahoe to play the slots.

I was too young to go inside the Casinos with them, so until about age 13,  I was deposited at the Kiddy Rec. Area for the day, loved it, saw many a Classic Horror show there and even met Emmett Kelly (Sr), the Clown during a performance for us kids!!  I recall he drew caricatures on a large sketch pad, and signed them for us. I don’t have my copy, wouldn’t that be wonderful!!!

When I was old enough (back then), mom and dad would let me just stay in the car, and I’d bring my art supplies and reading along-I was in HEAVEN up in the Sierra Nevada Mts for 4-5 hours, it was my Alone Time and being an only child, I was perfectly at peace with my own company. I would go down to the lake and mess around on one of it’s many beaches and pebbled shores, or hike the trails around the casinos, never venturing far.

Nowadays, I’d shoot myself before I would let my child venture out alone like that!

I don’t mean to ramble, but it is that time of year for me, when I get homesick…..so you just got a ration of my melancholy side this time~

Have a lovely evening!

Sentimental Me~

Our Favorite Trees, Fall '09

WHEW! I just finished the latest batch of incoming orders, it’s been like the rain today-non-stop, a good thing $$$-wise.

Writing a Rav-buddy about Meals on Wheels, reminded me of my folks when they had M & W’s coming to their house in Calif, until the day I arrived. We cleaned up what was in their fridge since they’d already paid for a week’s worth, and then cooked for them after that. It’s a wonderful way to extend community to those who can’t get out or are inhibited in any way from venturing out.

My dad did not drive, so when Mom became too addled to drive him to the store, he signed up for Meals on Wheels, it was his blessing, a helping hand when he couldn’t manage everything dumped upon him.

Dad never even wrote a check or paid a bill until Mom became too infirmed, then he had to take over the entire household, and did a wonderful job! Mom was sooooooooo MILITARY, she refused to even let Dad have his paycheck-he handed it over, she deposited it and gave him his weekly “allowance”.  He was a happy camper, especially when she took us to Lake Tahoe to play the slots.

I was too young to go inside the Casinos with them, so until about age 13,  I was deposited at the Kiddy Rec. Area for the day, loved it, saw many a Classic Horror show there and even met Emmett Kelly (Sr), the Clown during a performance for us kids!!  I recall he drew caricatures on a large sketch pad, and signed them for us. I don’t have my copy, wouldn’t that be wonderful!!!

When I was old enough (back then), mom and dad would let me just stay in the car, and I’d bring my art supplies and reading along-I was in HEAVEN up in the Sierra Nevada Mnts for 4-5 hours, it was my Alone Time and being an only child, I was perfectly at peace with my own company. I would go down to the lake and mess around on one of it’s many beaches and pebbled shores, or hike the trails around the casinos, never venturing far.

Nowadays, I’d shoot myself before I would let my child venture out alone like that!!!!

I don’t mean to ramble, but it is that time of year for me, when I get homesick…..so you just got a ration of my melancholy side this time~

Have a lovely evening!

Sentimental Me~

Was driving around in LA and ended up in Glendale at the Descanso Gardens. 

My weekend was great, but extremely unproductive, considering how much work I have.

T and I had a small birthday party at our apartment Saturday, and spent most of Friday night cleaning and shopping for it.  We probably spent $150 on snacks, alcohol, cake and other supplies, but ended up with 3 more bottles of wine than we started with, and quite a bit of snacks and alcohol left.  And a lot more cake than two people should eat by themselves.  And lots of beer left (I made T buy decent stuff because I figured there would be leftovers).  We definitely won’t be needing any alcohol for a long time!

I knew hosting a party was going to cost about that much.   We didn’t say BYOB, but most people did anyway.  Our neighborhood is pretty quiet, so we wrapped things up around 10:30 and most people joined us for a night out to the bars/clubs nearby.  I think we still annoyed the neighbors a bit, but we warned them, said we’d get everyone out early, and we don’t plan to make it a regular thing.

The other exciting event was a trapeze class on the Santa Monica Pier!  It was my parent’s birthday gift to me and T, and it was really fun.  It was quite expensive for what it is ($60/class!), but something I’d been wanting to do ever since I saw it on Sex in The City and found out there was one in town.  It’s actually a pretty good ab workout, and it was pretty exciting to fly through the air next to the ocean.  Loved it!

I’m going to pay for all the slacking off I did this week.

I have found the recent news about Mackenzie Philips being raped by her father, and then continuing an incestious relationship with him for ten years, very disturbing.

For my readers who don’t know these people, the father John Philips was one of The Mamas & the Papas, a fabulous singing group of the 1960’s and 1970’s.  This was one of my all-time favorite singing groups.

The video above is a medley of their multiple famous songs, intersperced with short interview clips with each group member.  Even though John Philips (the alleged abusive father) is now dead, we can see who he is and hear him speak while being interviewed.  We can also see Michelle Phillips (the alleged non-believing stepmother) speaking in a clip from a 2007 interview.

This group’s most famous songs included California Dreamin’ (1966),  and Monday, Monday (1966).

In the video above, John Phillips (the alleged father rapist) is wearing the hat, and Michelle Philips (the alleged non-believing stepmother) is wearing the floor-length dress.

In looking for information on how incest like this could happen, I came across a well-written article about another father who had raped all four of his daughters in a row over a period of years.  When one of the adult daughters eventually took the father to court (and WON), the other three sisters who had also been raped turned on her for “breaking up our family.”  The explanation the other daughters gave was, “That was how he showed us that he loved us.”  One of the sisters who said this had even been raped by him as a two-year-old.  The mother was present in the family but ignored the abuse.

It’s more understandable to me how a step-father could rape his daughter than how a biological father could rape his daughter.  I looked up WHY this could happen and actually found an in-depth article in the men’s magazine Achilles Heel, written by a man, explaining this phenomenon:

“The present family can prove a deadly trap for children, but why do men commit such a violation? One explanation suggests that the father (violator), while placing his wife in the role of his punishing mother, when their relationship deteriorates, seeks closeness elsewhere, usually a daughter(6). However, male sexuality is increasingly alienated, at present, from actual emotion. Love and affection are confined to expression of ’sex’, which at once provides a possible escape route and also the only apparent means for a heterosexual man to assert his sense of self, his self-respect(7). Consequently, in turning elsewhere, a man may be more likely to sexually abuse.

Secondly, the assailant turns to children to nourish him sexually and emotionally because of an inability, of ‘failing’, at meaningful adult relationships.

Thirdly, a molester may well have been abused himself as a child.

Finally, as Rush indicates, male treatment and attitudes toward women and children as pieces of property, to be ‘rightfully’ disposed of as they see fit, has a long tradition behind it(8). As property, as objects, women and children have been, and continue to be, in a state of powerlessness against their violators. Often, child sexual abuse has not only been not condemned, but seen as a man’s ‘right’, in some cases. That so many assailants are possessive about their relationship with the abused child, and experience sexual jealousy if she becomes involved in loving, close relationships beyond his realm of control, would support this appraisal.”

–Paloma Pentarian