Sunday

Last night Will played his new cocktail drums at a party. The party was good - the food was GREAT, the backyard is perfect for a party, the hosts were terrific, the music was very good, but we had to put up with the usual LOUD people who were drinking and probably didn't even know there was live music. They certainly wouldn't have been invited had it been my party.

We woke up at 8 am, looked outside the window, and there were cars parked everywhere! The Flea Market had begun. We walked into town, stopping at different garage sales - there were more than yesterday. Unfortunately, there was a lot of new junk at the ANTIQUE Flea Market, although I'm told that it was better than last year. We found the garage sales more interesting.

We didn't find anything except one thing for a friend who likes giraffes.

Someone gave me this box. Is it a HUGE box (the size of a PT Cruiser)?
Actually, a few weeks ago we found these old dominoes at a garage sale.

Only the domino is to scale!!!!
After walking around town we went to our neighbor's for their annual Fish Taco party. The husband is a fisherman and caught the halibut and barbequed it. They were excellent.

We were really looking forward to this weekend, and now we're glad the flea market/garage sale part is done!

Tomorrow is Labor Day. Summer is over already! At least the "summer vacation" part of summer. This means more traffic, we'll have to go around the other way when we leave our house in the morning to avoid the "Mommy Parade" of moms taking their kids to school, the days are shorter, etc.

Today was a beautiful day! I hope it stays cooler as it was today and yesterday.

Niles Antique Fair and Garage Sale Weekend

We got up early and went walking around the neighborhood to the many garage sales. It was cooler than last three days, thank goodness!

We started out walking a block away to my favorite seller who wears the same size clothes as I do, but she had mostly mens' clothes this time. I found only one sleeveless black T-Shirt (no picture).

Then we found this beautifully framed repro of an old postcard of Niles.
Will found these Bose speakers, so we had to head home because they were heavy and he was ready to do the setup.
There seemed to be fewer sellers - maybe tomorrow! We'll walk tomorrow to the Antique Fair and see more garage sales.

Mowry knows right where to get thru the sheers in the TV room. It's a little blurry, but I finally got a picture of his pink "lips".
More garage sale info to report tomorrow, I hope!

Thursday

I know I posted this picture on my last post, but it cracks me up. What a look Mowry was giving me! I need to capture a picture of him with his mouth open (he really does "smile") because he has pink "lips".

If it's warm in South San Francisco, which it is, it will be a scorcher in Fremont. It was 72 degrees with "only" 4 mph winds at 10 am here, and it was already 80 at home. It's supposed to cool down tomorrow or Saturday, and that will be welcomed by me.

I'm waiting for information so I can process a stock purchase, but it's "hurry up and wait" so I'm snooping on the internet while waiting. I sit in an office in a long hallway, and people walk by talking on their cell phones, sniffing and snorting (just like they do on BART, whooopeee), talking to their friends/co-workers who are way on the other end of the hall, etc. Yes, people, I may actually be trying to work here. If I close my door, it gets too hot inside.

The picture below is from a house that was on a "for sale" email listing I get from some realtor. I never took myself off the list when we bought our house and were no longer looking. I can't help myself. Even though Sept 6th will be two years since the offer we made on our house was accepted, and August 25th was 2 years since we put an offer on the house we didn't get (and we're glad for that), I STILL look at house ads.

Is it my imaginaton, or is the shower curtain INSIDE the glass shower door? I used to have a shower curtain outside of the door because it was a pretty shower curtain, and it hid the glass doors, but this seems goofy.

I was in SF earlier in the week. You can't beat the ambiance. Even though I'm almost always on my way to a client for work when I'm there, I still feel a little tingle of being on vacation. I used to love visiting NY, but since moving to the SF Bay Area 17.5 years ago, I don't ever need to go to NY - I've got SF a BART ride away!

HOWEVER, this still is one of my favorite sights and monuments around.

Tuesday

I'm not really grouchy, I just look grouchy!

Nice new drum set for Will. Smaller than his other drums, so he can play in more venues. At least that's what he told me.
Mowry had to check them out, but I'm guessing this isn't the first time he's checked them out!
Maybe if I close my eyes, she won't see me!

Oops, it's Tuesday and I completely forgot about the library. I have one book due, and was able to renew the other. I also have three books that I requested that are ready for pickup. I need to read faster!

The Democratic Convention speeches were interesting. I used to think being at a convention would be interesting, but now I'm not so sure. It seems like a sales meeting for politicans. I'll just watch what I want on TV!

I was in SF where the weather was beautiful. I walked to the Farmers' Market and found it ridiculously expensive. Price differences:

Tomatoes $1 per lb. or $1.50 per lb. our Farmers' Market, $2.50 per lb. Ferry Bldg. FM

Peaches/ and Nectarines $1.50 per lb. our Farmers' Market, $3.25 per lb. Ferry Bldg. FM

Fresh Basil $1 per lb. our Farmers' Market, $1.50 per lb. Ferry Bldg. FM (but maybe it lasts longer!)

It was OUTRAGEOUS, but I guess someone has to pay for the Ferry Building rent. We'll stick to the farm and Farmers' Market closer to home!

Monday

It's Monday! Last night the chicken I was defrosting wasn't defrosted, so we went to PF Chang's to use a gift card I had gotten from two business associates. Thank you Camille and Laura.

I finished the Mobius scarf. It's funky! It blocks as you wear it, so we'll see. I was thinking I might want it a little larger, but then again, maybe not. (Looks lovely with the red T-shirt, so ignore the red if you can).
Cinders was sitting next to me last night as I typed. BETTER than when she sits on my hands as I try to type.
The plants out front are doing well. The purple flowers are the only ones left from a six pack I bought and planted.
I misspoke about my tomato plant. I have ONE tomato growing. See if you can find it.

There it is!

We're looking forward to the Antique Street Faire in town this weekend, along with the neighborhood garage sales on Sat and Sun, and then we'd like the rest of the year to slow down and not whiz by. We know that's unlikely!

HOT Sunday

It's HOT again today, and will be hotter Tues thru Thurs of this week. We took away the blue rug in our TV room. It's just too hard with three cats and two people to keep it clean. Now you can see our 1970s linoleum, but at least it's clean!
We got our AT&T installation today (internet and cable), and aside from the phones in our office not working (something got disconnected - the phones are not new service, and the phone in the TV room works), it's all good, and we'll save $30 per month. Will is right - the HD (high definition for you non-techies) is dizzyingly dimensional and awesome.

While all of this was going on, Will was tuning his bongosso he and Eddie could practice music.

Diann and I knitted, but it was really too hot to have wool in the same room as me!I am almost done with the Mobius scarf. It "blocks as you wear it, so I still can't quite see its shape.
Mowry was in his spot once everyone left. "Don't you have ENOUGH pictures yet of me like this?"Alex was still hiding under the bed long after everyone had gone!Even my fresh basil wilted. I guess I won't be buying basil from the Centerville Farmer's Market - even in water (and not in the fridge this time) it wilted the next day, but at least it was good yesterday when I needed it.

Thank you to my neighbor, Martha, for sharing her home grown tomatoes! They look delicious!
I'm going to watch TV with the fan on me!

Saturday

We went to garage sales today, but nothing special. Next week is the big Antique Flea Market in Niles.Several of the neighborhood homes have garage sales on Saturday and Sunday, so we're looking forward to that. Last year we had a garage sale, but it wasn't worth the time or for the amount of money we made, so we're not doing it this year. We'll definitely walk around and go to the garage sales and flea market.

We went to a BBQ this evening, and spent most of the time talking to a couple we haven't seen in two years.

My Mobius scarf is coming along. I'm knitting with Diann tomorrow while Will practices his bongos with his guitar friend, Eddie. They are invited to play at a party next week in the neighborhood. I should be able to finish the scarf. Pictures tomorrow!

Friday!

Yesterday I was at a client in SF and I should have had my camera with me. It was magnificent. Today I'm off to South SF and while BART goes thru SF, I'm in an underground tunnel so I won't see it. It's clear at home, so I may get a nice view of the bay once I'm off of BART and on the shuttle.


I decided after talking to my knitting consultant, Diann, that I would give the Mobius scarf one more try after using a hair dryer to straighten out the circular needles so they aren't quite so curly (didn't work) and wax paper on the bamboo portion to make them more slippery (not sure if it worked) and changed to a wool yarn (definitely worked).

And up close....


And while you can't tell from my pictures (the stitches look large and funky), it is to gauge. Here's a reminder of what I hope it will look like when I'm done.



The first row was a little difficult, as first rows can be, but nothing like my frustrating Thursday night experience noted in yesterday's post.

Thursday

Last night was frustrating. I planned to knit at home by myself on the Mobius scaff while Will was at band, but they didn't practice. I was glad he was home, but I didn't like having him there while I was trying to knit. The yarn I wanted to use didn't work, the needle seems too long, the bamboo wasn't slippery enough, and I wasn't happy. Diann gave me some ideas about how to fix my knitting problems, but I think I'll resist working on that project for a few days.

The only Olympic event I cared about last night was women's beach vollyeball, and at 9:45 pm we gave up. I hear it was on at 11 pm, but we were asleep by then. It was a school night. One person told me his cable went out right about then, so I'm glad we didn't wait up. They won the gold without us!

So I'm hoping today will be better. Homemade tamale with brown rice and spinach or something, not sure yet, for dinner. We got the tamale from the local grocery store - someone makes them and brings them in daily. I'll use the hamburger meat I defrosted for something tomorrow.

I was in SF today and it was a BEAUTIFUL day. I took a walk to the Ferry Building to the Farmers' Market that used to be on Tues and Thurs in the summer, but it's Tues only, so I'll have to go back when I'm there next Tues now that I like FMs. I sure prefer SF to South SF.

And for the record, I know how many houses I own.

Wednesday Photos and Things

Today I had to drive down to a client in Sunnyvale for two hours, which would have been hardly worth it except I met two people for lunch, and I was able to go to the Costco that has SF Bay DECAF French Roast Coffee. They also had the double packs of Heart to Heart cereal, and I got in and out QUICKLY, so it was all good.



I brought my camera on our walk last night. On the far right below the palm fronds is an owl! It's so hard to see, we almost didn't see it. Can you see it? Did you kow you can buy these covers at Dale Hardware? Who knew?!


Very nice 1967 Chevelle. Yes, that's me in the reflection taking the picture!

Roses (yes, that's Will waiting for me).

One of my favorite spots - this was taken one block over from our house.

And back at home - I finished one of the short socks. I used leftover yarn from the red sock, and some denim blue I bought for this purpose. I had to make sure both socks started the blue in the same place. I didn't like the top near the ankle, so I crocheted some blue to make it a little higher. Then I went to finish what was actually sock #1 and realized my pattern was "knit 3, purl 1" on the finished sock, and "knit 2, purl 2" on the one I was working on. While I liked knit 2, purl 2 better, I was NOT going to rip the finished sock, so I ripped the unfinished one, and I'll be starting that over.
Socks always look funny, so I took a picture of it on my foot. It's blurry, but you can see that it does fit!I got my 48" double pointed needles, so now I can start the Mobius scarf. I hope it's easy and comes out good, in that order.

Tuesday Pictures

I'm at home today with some work to do for my So. SF client, which I can access from home, but I was waiting for information that I just got, so I will probably just complete it on Friday when I'm back there. I still want to write a book about my clients and how I often wonder how they get product out the door when they seem confused in the simple ways.

Mowry was in one of his favorite places trying to nap. This chair is one of my favorites, but you can only see it at the bottom because we have to keep a throw over it so Mow Mow doesn't scratch it. The throw is from my very first time speaking at a professional association conference in Boston. The throw is on backwards, so you can't read it, but it's sites in Boston. I wasn't a scheduled speaker, so I had to ask if I, too, got a speaker's gift. We left to go on errands, and when we returned, we expected to find Mow in the same place, but he was gone!
Out back, Kandyman is again in his favorite spot! I actually planted a tiny cactus plant that I brought from Arizona in that planter, and I went out one day and it was gone. I wonder if this has something to do with it?
Our apple tree is loaded with apples, but with the amount I find on the ground that are wormy or otherwise rotted, I was surprised to see any on the tree. I've never gotten a good green one from the tree.

Last year I had some good red ones from the same tree, and it looks like that may happen again.

We are not impressed with the hanging tomato plant. It's cherry tomatoes, which aren't a favorite of either of us, but it's also not grown all that well. It's now dead, yet still has one tomato that I probably need to pick tonight. In the garage, it's a very tight fit. Peety is very close to the shelf. Will was reading about PT Cruisers online, and it appears that 2009 may be the last year Chrysler makes them. Tomorrow I'm off to a client in Sunnyvale. I can take the ACE train and a shuttle. They only need me for 3 hours, but then again, I'm guessing they won't actually be set up for me since they moved since I was last there several months ago, so I'm thinking more than 3 hours. I may also meet a friend for lunch who works nearby. I guess I'm lucky they remembered to tell me they moved! Read above about my book!

Monday Monday

We had a very nice weekend. We went to open mic on Friday, and for once the crowd listened to the music, and those who talked during performances used their "library" or "inside" voices. There is usually one table, and sometimes one person, and sometimes it's even the same one person, who talks in loud voices thru the performances, and ruins some of it for those of us who are considerate enough to speak quietly if we speak during the performance.

Saturday we went to the "Hot August Niles" car show, and then dinner and dominoes with friends.

Sunday we did chores around the house - Will watering out back, and fixing a cabinet hinge in the kitchen that came apart, among other things, and me baking Chocolate Zucchini cake, making a green salad and then the tomato basil mozzarella appetizer, thanks to Diann and her delicious home grown tomatoes.

Unfortunately, the fresh basil I got from the farmers' market on Saturday (and put into water and then in the fridge) didn't last, so I had to get more, courtesy of Darlene who went to another farmers' market on Sunday. I'm told it was too cold in the fridge, but who knew? I learn something every day!

Sunday late afternoon we went to Chouinard Vineyards (http://www.chouinard.com/) for their final concert of the summer.

It's a beautiful venue (although we've been very hot, and very cold at different visits). You pay by the carload, so we usually have a car of 4 or 6. We used to go to two or three concerts per year back several years ago, but for the past four or so years, we go once with Lorne and Darlene, and their friends from Reno, Frankie and Bob. This year we saw people we knew - our realtors were a surprise with a table of 4, and our friends Debra and Ed had a table of 6. We had planned to have a big potluck with Debra and Ed, and while that organizing became a bit cumbersome, we managed to sit close by and share what we had.

We had veggies and guac and another dip, a shrimp/avocado salad, my tomato salad (I keep forgetting its formal name), sausage and sauces, bread, some kind of chicken salad wrap that I didn't taste, but heard was delicious, wine, champagne water, soda, fruit salad, pasta salad, chocolate zuch cake, and little mini cheesecakes. Since salad wasn't on my original list, but I decided to add it, I forgot salad dressing, so the salad went uneaten. When we got home, we gave some salad to Darlene and Lorne, and kept some for ourselves. Good music, good food, good friends.

My only complaint that I run into over and over again, is with people who love to drink, and can't understand other people who either don't drink, or drink very little. Why do people care if I drink or not? Would they care if they were with a vegetarian who doesn't eat meat? hy do they think that anyone who isn't drinking can't possibly have fun? NOT TRUE!

Will chose not to drink because he was the designated driver, and the road, while only a couple of miles long, is windy. I completely respect his choice, and wouldn't have it any other way. Some people were asking why he didn't want wine since it was early in the night, and he responded, "I never drink when I have to drive, especially if it's a windy road". And even without wine or champage, he had a great evening.