This is my youngest Grandson and perhaps the wisest. His name is Solomon, so that bodes well biblically, He speaks constantly in his own tongue, which no one has learned to interpret yet. He lives with his brother Sidney in Vancouver British Columbia.

Sidney is our 4 year old Grandson named Sidney because if you play hockey you must have a name that converts well to one syllable. As you can see he is computer literate. He first learned to Google the word PIXAR and find his favorite films. Now I understand he can find his Grandfather's site in Flickr, so I'm certain his next step will find Grandpas Blog 

"Old can = Fun" So I now must censor all my stuff. There is a law prohibiting voting until

 you are 18, and drinking spirits until you are 21.But there are no laws prohibiting kids on the internet. I know there is software written that limits childrens access to naked ladies, I also know where children are concerned, they will find a way, password. or key. It is in their nature to look and the more cleverly you hide something the more determined they are to find it. Kids are like that. I remember one of my first metal banks made kid proof! I could insert a thin piece of metal in the opening and turn upside down and jiggle all the money out! 

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More dogs

Rikki has a best friend, her name is Bebe. Bebe is a miniature poodle, Mexican hairless, terrier, Dalmatian, pencil legged, hairy, little mutt that is hopelessly in love with Rikki. And Rikki returns her affection by chewing on her. Rolling her over and sitting on her. She in return, likes to steal his supper, and his place in the sun. Sneak up behind him and chew on his leg, or is it the other way around. Bebe was found in a box of puppies by our friend Barbara. This was a match made in Heaven? Barbara needs a dog to spoil, and Bebe loves to be spoiled. Rikki has a bad case of separation anxiety. And Barbara often needs to have Bebe sat. A perfect relationship.

Bebe calms Rikki and Rikki chews on Bebe. We used to have a problem when Bebe stayed overnight. She was accustomed to sleeping in the bed with Barbara, While I am accustomed to sleeping without dogs, After several attempts to place Bebe in a bed downstairs, in Rikki's cage, or at the foot of the bed. She finally accepted her place on a pillow on a bench at the foot of the bed. So I'm happy! and I don't care if she is or isn't.

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Friday Feast

Last night we hosted some lovely people for dinner there was good wine, good food, and good conversation. I cleaned up the pool yard, while Elspeth did the house. I did the stove and picked up stuff. You know? we have altogether too much stuff. We tend to accumulate, and have a lot of trouble getting rid of it, somehow. We give to several charitable organizations but still grow. I think because we have lived in the same place for about 44 years people leave us stuff, For years I subscribed to the Readers Digest condensed books. association and monthly they sent me a group of novels in one tome. I always said some day when I have time I would sit down and read them, then there is our collection of National Geography's, Smithsonian magazine,  old Mensans, Scots magazine and some old Playboys! aside from their prurient interest, they have good articles! (yea right) A friend recently sent me and E-mail with the collection of all the centerfolds of Playboy! Talk about interesting material. When Mr. Hefner first began publishing he offered a lifetime subscription for something like $50, unfortunately I didn't take advantage.  Lets see 12 times 50 = a whole lot of magazines. I once advertised my playboys and the only people interested were some pubescent males.

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From a childs eyes

Last week we received Photos or our Canadian Grand kids. Sid coloring eggs and with his mountain of toys! and Sol with the ears and sleeping. Sidney does not have a pile of toys, but a MOUNTAIN! of stuffed toys, and his eggs are a rainbow of eggs, When they visit us in the summer, we anticipate an old time revisited. The coffee table will have to be organized and non edibles will have to gain some altitude. I seem to recall some 50+ years ago my older girls used the coffee table as a teething ring, and it sported tooth marks for years. Sol is now at that age. he staggers from one "nono" to the next. Sid should be swimming the next visit. He almost did it last summer. If he only could spend a summer here, I'm sure he would learn.

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Warm Wednesday

This is what I looked like when it was hot in the desert.

It's a beautiful day today. I spent the morning cleaning up the yard, vacuumed leaves, and then hosed the deck off. The temperature is up to 70F. almost swimable. a week ago  it was in the 40's so a little sunshine goes a long way. I feel comfortable at 77 degrees, while Elspeth won't go near the water 'til it hits 83F.  It's funny how we tolerate heat and cold, I grew up in the desert, where we played in 135 degree temps. We swam in anything liquid, like mud, super saturated and pools with 3 inches of algae. As long as you didn't touch the side and knock it loose, the water was clear and cold. The mud was the tailings from the mine, the surface looked dry, but there was 10 feet of goo under that, after the swim we would roll around in the tailings until we looked like lizards, pulling your Levis pulled every hair when you pulled them on. The Western mine had large surface pools of super saturated borax solution. when you dried you crystallized. Neat stuff. The time has come for Rikki and I to head to the park, catch you later!

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Day trip to Avila

This morning we had no appointments, no classes so we took a trip north to Avila in San Luis Obispo county. It was a marvelous day a little warm so we drove most of it with the air conditioner on. The beach was nicely habited with kids on their Spring break. Not having suits I can't attest to the water temp. We drove to the end of the road and walked out on the "Olde" pier, where lots of food from the sea was sold and sea lions sun themselves on the platforms just above the surface. there were 4 or 5 cramped into one small patch of sunshine so we heard lots of grumbling when one of them wanted to move. Rikki was interested but in a very cautious way. Some of them seemed quite frendly and put flippers over their buddies.

The wild flowers were blooming, lots of lupins and poppies.

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"Have you ever heard this one"?

It seems lately when I'm in a conversation I always have an interesting anecdote, that is perfect for the time and place. Then when I'm holding court and lose my train people just go on and don't wait on baited breath. I find my wife also telling long involved personal stories. I can see this in her, but fail to see it in me. So in the future, if you yawn, look at your watch, and I fail to take heed. you can hum a few bars of "It seems to me I've heard this song before" Getting old usually entails many interesting experiences. I always feel you need to know, I should learn, but probably never will. so the next time we meet, just remember "I've heard that song before, it's from an old familiar score."

 "may your day be full of easily solved problems and food taste great without adding an ounce of weight!"

Sunday is a day of rest!

Dogs I have known

This picture is Rikki and Nala, a Great Pyrenees mountain dog. Rikki likes to tease big dogs then run to some seated lady, and leaps into their lap, "home free".

My current dog is a rescued poodle from Santa Barbara's animal shelter. The story on Rikki is that he was a stud on a Milpas street puppy mill. He wasn't treated well, never groomed and living his life in a cage. So he taught himself to unlock and open his cage door, then off into the night. After several escapes 9and subsequent fines) He took some of his girlfriends with him. His second trip with the girls, the owners of the puppy mill said they would pay the fine for the girls but the shelter could keep Rikki. At this time I had been dog less for over a year and really needed my dog "fix". So here we have a 3 year old mostly white poodle stud. A quick trip to the vets fixed the stud part, and as far as I can tell, he never missed them.  His one flaw was a terrible separation anxiety. Living ones life on a puppy farm did keep you in company. He had been the Lothario of the breeding mill, then the platonic lover of the animal shelter. (on his resume it warned, he Frenches)  Poodles as a breed are very intelligent, this means that Rikki never completely relinquishes his authority to me. We have several arguments daily, he comes when called, when he wants to. He will at times stare at you, like are you insane? I'm busy! I'll come later, then while at a crowded dog park come running when I whistle.

He is a champion hunter, having caught 4 gophers at the park and 2 here at home. All in all Rikki is a splendid dog, a lover, not a fighter.

Pet Peaves

This is not the broad in the story. I ripped it off to make a pretty illustration. 

Have you ever started into a checkout line only to be pushed aside by an over eager, in a big hurry lady, then she leaves her cart to get a forgotten item, rushes back and dumps her stuff in the counter and takes off again, by now the checker has totaled her Items and we all wait while she shops. Only to return with two items that she wants to pay one price for. "it said so" she wails, the checker shows her these were not the products in her ad. then she needs to pay! Her first card is expired, and she tries upside down, then offers a Department store card and can't understand why the market won't accept it. Finally she pays for her purchases and swears at the handicapped girl that offers to help her to her car. I followed and she had left her cart in a parking space, I beckoned to her a said you were @#$%^&& Rude, and grow up!, It probably did no good, but made me feel better. Always remember be kind to others so old farts don't swear at you. Be safe and think of others.

Spring is almost over

Twas a beauteous day in spring and all the boids was on the wing

Oh my woid, how absoid,

I thought the wing was on the boid!

Our winter begins and ends with our rain. Everything turns green and if we get enough we have wild flowers.

The birds are nesting, singing their territorial sons. One pair began a nest on our front porch light! but that is too close, so we discouraged them and they began again in a hanging basket. The gophers are proliferating. creeks run, and ducks pair off, we have a momma mallard in the creek and two daddies following her. The oxalis blooms in the front lawn, and all the polliwogs in Diane's fish pond have turned into full voiced frogs. The skunks are leaving us alone, I guess they are holed up having babes. Along with the possums, raccoons, wood rats, and field mice. 

 Our phoebes didn't leave this last winter, so I don't know where they are nesting, with the rains they may not use our eaves, they do love the water and eat lots of bugs. The bald eagles they reintroduced to our reservoir have increased every year, so now I hear there are over 7,000 pairs in California. Life is good 

Meanderings of a once nimble mind

Today it is proven, my mind is a meager mass of mush. Meandering from moldy masculine minimal mosh pits to massive meals of metaphorical mish mash. There that's finished and no harm was done. Memory is a terrible thing to lose, I don't mean amnesia, but "what the hell am I doing on the stairs?" Am I on my way up? or going down. Your at the supermarket, no list, just winging it, you haven't had lunch yet, so you really should be careful.That isle with the perfect turquoise bay and alabaster white beaches, let us land there! That's the problem. You screw up a word and your on a completely different playing field. Words are such marvelous things, they can do heroic battles, woo innocent maidens. Have you ever bowled a maiden over? That's like pitching a no hitter in the game of cricket. Speaking of which, have you ever played grasshopper? Aha I thought not. Beetle is a game played in the UK with a deck of cards, I think it's called a drive. When you drive cattle, they are on foot. When they are carried by vehicle, they are trucked. Trucking was an innocent dance move in the 40's, and Arti Shaw played "String of Pearls" that was a great tune to dance to. A nice rhythm and a sweet beat. The beat of a drum is most hypnotic, a Chinese drum like Flower drum song, a Japanese drum, I remember an evening in Tsukuba in the hills above Yokohama I heard a distant drumbeat, it was a warm moist evening, and the drums beckoned me. I wandered about a half mile and came upon a large group of slightly drunken Nihonjin beating off! It was magnificent. They seemed to take turns in leading and the sounds were awesome! Awe like the first view of Yosemite or Niagara Falls. Something like taking my son into the lobby / atrium  of a hotel in San Francisco that had some 13 stories all facing the lobby floor. and little glass elevators whisking up and down. and the appropriate word was Wow! A wow like you shout when you first step on the edge of the Grand Canyon. Gee whillikers wouldn't it be wonderful to have that outside your back doorstep, what a trash can! Can you imagine some archaeologist in the far distant future, digging our middens through stakes of plastic covered newspapers that can be just barely be made out. This looks like religious tract, get the book of ancient writings and translate, "special Today canned peaches 39 cents" Hmmm, canned means let go from your work, peaches was an other name for the female of the species, 39 numerical mathematics, no? cents did they mean sense, so as I see it your God will fire you if you fail to pay that lady for her smell!  Odor is  a wonderful thing , it can bring back hidden memories from our childhood, like the white paste used in the 3rd grade, almost edible. Then came the little bottles of amber syrup that was dispensed through a flat rubber nipple that wasn't edible. Have no fear, the world continues to spin, summer comes, followed by fall and winter. The polar icecaps melt and the sea rises. Should we start building our dikes now? The coastal commission forbids breakwaters because it will disturb the people down stream. Don't you just love it. We  are not responsible, we can sit (and perhaps drool a little) and people will speak louder and slower, and cut up our food for us! and remind us when it's time to go to bed! 

The perils of walking your dog

I don't normally obsess on bodily functions, but this morning was a most memorable episode. It began on the 'puter, reading today's comix, obits and Ann Landers (now it's her nieces column) when I checked the time it was after nine! and we would miss Rikki's buddies at the park. So I jumped up grabbed a coat because the poop bags were in the pocket, threw my "Older than Dirt" hat on a short leash and called Rikki to the arm of the sofa, so I don't have to bend over. We hooked up and dashed from the house. The park is about a half mile from the house and it was a nice day so we chose to walk. when we got to the corner of the street that goes over the creek I felt my first bubble in the bowels, walking behind a young mother pushing her child, I held in the fart. This in itself is not a dangerous move, but when I turned to go up the street and was about to secretly release the gas, Sally appeared watering her garden. Now, although I've known Sally for twenty odd years, I don't feel that close. So holding everything in we went to the park, I unhooked Rikki and we started our stroll. My first tentative toot went inconspicuously into the morning air. Then I had an overwhelming urge to pee. This is not a problem, as Rikki and I had the entire park to ourselves, and there is portion of forest that you can step into and be completely hidden. So I duly did covertly what dogs do openly (Sometimes I'd like to be a dog). when finished I zipped up and walked back to the park and although Rikki looked, no one else was the wiser. Then it happened, a BIG BOWEL BUBBLE ! I knew at once this was not the gaseous state, but much more solid. We were at that moment the furthest from the house. Now I thought, "why hadn't I cultivated a closer relationship" so I could have asked to use Sally's John. (commode, crapper, bathroom) so I quickly re hooked Rikki and took the most speedy and direct route home. Arriving just in the nick of time, divesting ,my self of dog, coat, hat, leash felt an enormous pressure just as I dropped trow and hit the seat. Oh Why do I do this to myself?