HOT FRIDAY!

It's HOT. Way too hot. How hot is it? How too hot is it? Since I think 72 is ideal, and it's 98 (and ONLY 12:25 pm, and the hottest part of the day is a few hours away, unlike Southern California where the hottest part of the day is between 12 and 2 pm) it's at least 26 degrees TOO HOT!

A few nights ago we took a walk, and this is what we saw:

Pretty tree with many yellow blossoms. I didn't photograph the mess on the sidewalk from the tree!




Pretty flowers. We saw MANY of these along the way.
Here is the view of the magnolia and avocado trees from the house that backs up to ours.And of course there's the token cat who thinks he or she is hiding. This time the cat meowed at us!When my former neighbor gave us this beautiful tablecloth, there was one with mostly blues, and this one. At the time, I had no green in our house, so I put it away and rarely used it. I saw it for sale at the local Art and Wine Festival and it was very expensive.I think this may be like the blue one that she kept - we found it today at an estate sale for $2. And I find my best dish towels at estate and/or garage sales. This estate sale was put on by a private party who happens to live two blocks away from us, though the sale was in the next city. She is the person who is close in size to me, so I've bought several items of clothing from her - including the denim dress I was wearing!!!!Then we went to a professionally run estate sale near the first one that was put on by the people with estate sales we've frequented before. We've never gotten there close to opening on Fridays, so we were surprised there was a line to get inside, and a number system that didn't quite work. Instead of having two people go in when two people came out, the gal at the door was waiting, and then she went in to check, and it was so hot and annoying but I finally got in while Will sat on a bench outside under a tree. The worst part was, there wasn't anything I cared about inside.

When we got home, Mow was on another level of his "crow's nest". He doesn't usually sit here. The top level is his domain!I finally ordered yarn and accessories to use up the gift certificate given to me by a colleague. It arrived at our PO Box yesterday, but I had a seminar all day, and didn't get to pick it up until today. Yarn isn't as exciting when it's 98 degrees outside as it is in winter, but it's always good. And I just checked the "weatherbug" program on my computer, and you can make that 100 - it's 100 degrees outside. I can barely bare to look at the temp reading inside - it's "only 94" in our office with two window fans and a big regular fan. Here's the yarn in the box.Her's the yarn "outside of the box" to use a cliche I've heard too many times! I think it's funny when used literally!
And finally, yarn outside of the bag - Mowry couldn't help himself. The black yarn is for socks (I can never find matching store-bought black socks when I need them), trekking yarn for socks (I love the pair Diann is knitting, and this is similar, but more "Joan" colors, a couple of fuzzies for scarves (gifts?), bamboo double-pointed knitting needles (I've been using aluminum DPNs that my mom used to use, and I like them, but I'm told I'd love bamboo), cable holders (I may experiment on the scarves) and DPN holders so yarn doesn't fall off the DPNs while in use (and I don't have to attach the big blue rubber bands that come on broccoli bunches, though that works, too, most of the time).
Alex found something interesting that got him on his hind legs. Look at things around him to judge his size. He is long, wide, long-haired furry, and TALL! That's Cinders peering at me behind him. I swear that if he ever got out, we'd hear alerts of a "bear sighting" in Fremont! He's really that big.

It's too hot in this office. I'm going to try to find a cool spot. I bet there aren't many when it's 100 degrees outside!!!!

Wednesday

The 2007-2008 basketball season ended last night when the Boston Celtics won game 6 taking a 4-2 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers. It was weird cheering for the Celtics since my first encounters with basketball were as a Lakers Fan, but I am a player fan (Eddie House), not a team fan (except for the Warriors). Eddie - the kid from Hayward High School - got lots of playing time in the final series, and he did well. It was a fun series, even if game 6 was an unexpected blowout by the Celtics. We are buying a 2004 PT Cruiser from our neighbor's sister who is moving to Costa Rica. It looks like this, but this isn't it! They are not much different than any other 4 cylinder car, except they are so cute! We rented one a couple of times when we were out of town and they are fun to drive. My cousin has one and LOVES it! My aunt has one and I think she loves hers, too. A dark color means we may have to actually wash it, but we didn't pick the color!
My favorite mode of transportation is still public transportation. Sometimes I have to remind myself that BART is better than driving, like this morning on BART when the guy in the seat in front of me was talking loud on his cell phone in a foreign language - you have a phone in your hand, you don't have to yell...and thank goodness for the tunnels where cell phones don't work, but I digress!
This shirt was appropriate for yesterday's post.
Need I say more?

Tuesday

I like my cats better than most people I encounter. Some days I think I'm the only one with a clue. I try to give people credit where credit is due, or the benefit of the doubt, and I'd like nothing more than to be wrong, but they prove over and over again that they are lame, or they don't get it. How do they function in life? I find this everywhere - it's no one person or group in particular. It's many people everywhere. It's boring. Get a clue, people. If you say you're going to do something, do it, or let people know with sufficient notice when you can't do it. Think before you make decisions. How hard is it? How do you figure out the mundane things in life like when to tie your shoes, or when to take a drink of water if no one is doing it for you?

So that was Alex above, sitting on the clean, folded clothes on the coffee table. Notice that he has a cat bed on the couch in the back, but he prefers the clothes!

I started knitting a sock in the car on the way to the band gig. I had to restart it about 5 times to get it right, but then I rock 'n rolled. I knitted for hours on Saturday, and then on Sunday and a little on Monday. My finger is sore, but that's the price you pay. This sock is fun because the blue looks like denim (my uniform of choice) and the purple is a cool color, too. It's hard to see the pretty purple, but that, too, is a color of choice in my wardrobe, eyeglasses, etc. You can see a tiny bit of my jeans in the upper left corner, and they match the light blue of the socks perfectly.

I ordered from www.yarnmarket.com to use a generous gift certificate someone sent me for referring a client to them. She isn't too happy with the client today, but that's another story. My order will be here on Thursday, but I probably won't be able to get to the PO Box until Friday. I ordered some yarn, needles (on backorder), etc.

Sucky Monday

I couldn't decide if I should go to the company in So. San Francisco today. I have a meeting at 2:00 pm that I could probably change, and it's cold and overcast out, but I went. So it was very cold (remember, it's almost summer, except in San Francisco), and it was 51 degrees with 11 mph winds. I was very glad I wore a JACKET.

First a *&%$ bird poops on me as I'm waiting for the shuttle. I was about to turn around and just go home, but then I remembered vaguely that somewhere it's good luck. Not that I believe in that crap (ha, crap, get it?) or feng shui or any of that other superstitious baloney, but I use it when I need it. So I wipe off the disgusting goo, and get on the shuttle to the office. When I get here I read my email and calendar and find out the person I'm meeting with wants to change the meeting to 3:00 pm. Sorry, but I leave at 3:00 pm, so either earlier, or when I return on Wednesday.

So not all is bad. The band gig party on Saturday was fun and good. I started knitting a new sock in the car on the drive up (we hit graduation traffic at Cal State East Bay) and ripped it a few times, and finally got it right. I talked to people, and then settled in to listen to the music and knitted for most of the day, and some yesterday, so I'm already done with the heel, but no pictures.

I was talking to a woman at the party on Saturday who told me she used to knit until she had problems with her finger. Fast forward - we both have trigger finger on the same finger (different hand), not sure what it's from, etc. etc. She had a cortisone shot, said it hurt more than anything, then physical therapy, which did help and she does the exercises, etc. at home. I told her I'm just living with it. It seems better, except this weekend with the extra knitting. Oh well. If it's a choice between a sore finger (cause by .... not sure, but I think I noticed it for the first time after being outside clipping in the backyard) and no knitting, that's an easy one - manage the sore finger.

So with all the scumbags, jerks, mean people, criminals, annoying people, and losers out there, a bird has to crap on me. If that isn't good luck, I don't know what is?

Things on Friday the 13th

This is how Mowry plays. He sniffs the string. He comes in to get Will, Will goes to play with him, and then he doesn't really play. This is the cat who used to fetch when he was a kitten. We'd throw a toy, he'd run and get it and bring it back. Must be kitten stuff. He's mature now. And speaking of Mow Mow, he just jumped up on my desk. Kandyman likes to pick the dirtiest spot to hang out. This is the gutter out front. I saw trouble when I saw the bird in the street (upper middle of picture). I was on my way out, so I can only hope the bird got away.

More cilantro in the pot on the left, and the lavender is peeking thru the white fence. I was trying to keep it trimmed away from here, but then decided it was fine like this!
The herb garden! The monster lavender, the artichoke, sage, tomatoes, mint.
Our neighbor's lemon tree. Lots of lemons.
Our Meyer Lemon tree.
It is 76 degrees already, but it's not supposed to get as hot as yesterday.

Tomorrow is the big band gig - party in Oakland.

Things on Thursday- Beauty and Ugly

Every once in a awhile I like to look at Mowry's "mug shot" from when he was up for adoption at Furry Friends Rescue.

I didn't have jury duty yesterday, so I'm done for one year (at least at that courthouse - that doesn't mean another one won't summons me). I don't mind serving, but it always seems to occur at the most inopportune time. I got to my prospective client meeting, and we'll see how that goes.

It's 81 degrees at San Francisco Airport. That means it's REALLY hot at home. According to the weather program on my computer, it's 87.6 at home, and only 12:15 pm. Our hottest part of the day isn't for a few hours.

Here is an aerial view of our lovely bay area. We live between the water and the hills, but I'm not exactly sure what's what in this photo.
This was our City Hall - built ON the Hayward Fault (did our very own City Council approve the building of this building and then abandon it when it was proved to be unsafe?). I may have posted this in a very early post, but it was just so ugly, how could I not repost? It's been demolished and now you can see our beautiful hills from places that were previously blocked by this monstrosity.

Here is our Niles Library. I've posted the outside before, but now I found a picture of the inside.

It looks like a library we might remember from our childhood, if we're old enough to remember this kind of library. The difference is, today no one, including the librarians, uses library voices. When I asked the librarian about this at the main library, she told me it's more of a community meeting place, so that's why it's noisy. I think she's wrong. It's a library and I'd prefer if it was quieter.

I'm not sure exactly where this was taken in Fremont, but I know that where our townhouse now sits used to be cauliflower fields, so this could be it.

Niles Canyon is beautiful. When we volunteer for the Niles Canyon Railway we stay in town or near the train station, but we'll be riding the train in a few weeks with out of town visitors and local friends and their baby, so that should be fun!

The "Sullivan Underpass" is closed off to pedestrians on Sundays when the Niles Canyon Railway runs.
This is the Niles Banquet Hall. Unfortunately there has been recent violence here. In February wedding crashers ended up in a fight, and someone was shot and killed. Last weekend a fight broke out when a wedding was crashed, and six people were stabbed and another one had a head injury. Our town is in an uproar, and some are blaming the property owner. We all agree that this fence should be removed so the property could look better, but everyone has their own theories about how to curb the violence. The first was gang related, but police say the second may not be. If not, can someone tell me who crashes a wedding?
This used to be an antique store, and I was sorry when it left to become a bead store. In fact, the owners of the antique store bought an old dresser Will had. They refinished it and fixed the drawers, and resold it here. It looked beautiful when they were done with it! I was wrong about the store - when this bead shop took over from the antique store, she did a fabulous job with the windows - they still have the antique look fitting our town's main street.

This weekend is Will's band's second gig since forming last summer. It should be a fun time at a party in the backyard of their keyboardist's sister's home.

Hurry up and wait!

I don't mind doing my civic duty and serving on jury duty, but I do mind waiting. I checked on the internet last night and found out I didn't have to report at 8 am today, and that was a good thing, but now I have to wait until 11:00 am to find out if they need me for a 1:00 pm call. So my day is on hold until 11:00 am. I have a prospective client meeting scheduled at 2:45 pm, so I'm hoping that I don't get called and I can get to the meeting and not have to reschedule.

Today we had a VERY loud bird "talking" to Mowry. I know he's there somewhere....


The bird is on the fence, and Mow is on the windowsill (inside, of course) but it looks like the bird is on Mow's back! Is he back again?Maybe if I stand up I can see him! Aha, there he is. How could this little bird chirp so loud?How much is that kitty in the window?The Celtics lost to the Lakers last night, but it was a very good game, and Eddie House got lots of play time! He got two three-pointers, three assists, two rebounds!!!