Lead-up to the 4th of July

Posted on July 2, 2022 | 11 comments

The ants invaded front and back yesterday. The front porch had the little critters climbing the steps. The patio had them marching from the Italian cypress all the way to the dry cat food dish. The morning was a flurry of moving porch furniture, hosing the critters away from the front door, dumping cat food, sweeping the patio…and of course, finding the ant stakes to put in the proper places to halt their march to take over the world. All of this before 8 a.m.

The cats are enjoying the summer, finding roaches and ripping their legs off. There is very tall grass around the the greenhouse pad, which is ideal for certain insects. The kittens scamper and chase these critters all morning until they collapse in a pile and sleep under the trees in the cool grass.

Early last week we had many days of 104 degrees, but that has given way to cool temperatures in the 90s. Friday evening was so beautiful, with clouds at sunset that lit up bright orange and a breeze blowing through the backyard. Terry and I sat out on the bench, waiting for illegal fireworks to explode, watching the cats chase each other and climb the trees.

Friday night was quieter than expected, only a couple of loud bangs. I’m assuming each night, leading up the grand ol’ 4th, will get more explosive. Warnings have been going out on a daily basis, telling people of the fines they will incur should they set off the illegal stuff. I’m sure everyone is paying close attention and will adhere to the rules NOT! There is so much dry grass due to the drought and the people who refuse to water their yards. It’s very scary. Just one spark can set off a major fire.

Of course, I hate the sound of the fireworks. My anxiety, at this time of year, is literally, sky-high.

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Waning days of June

Posted on June 28, 2022 | 8 comments

The first half of 2022 is coming to its end. Sheesh, what a time it’s been. Will the second half be any different? I’m not counting on it. Instead, I keep finding my joy where I can and retreating further and further into my own small world.

It’s been over a month since I was at school, with the first and second graders, sharing books and stickers. I miss the kids. I miss the preparation each week. It keeps me grounded. I will be ready to return in September. Until then, I am sharing in Sunday Sermons for Children with a few others at our church. Ours is an older congregation, and the children who come are made over and doted on and made to feel very special. Most of the children who come to Sunday service are grandchildren or relatives of the older members. We are never too sure how many or who will be in attendance, but we prepare, nonetheless.

Last Sunday when I did a brief interlude on the meaning of hallellujah, there were two children in the room, the three-year old daughter of long-time members and the great niece of another member. The niece was visiting from Tennessee and I had chatted with her before the service, telling her what we would be doing and inviting her to come down the aisle to the front of the altar at story time. She said she didn’t want to do that, and I told her that was fine, she didn’t have to, she could just listen from her seat. The three-year old was front and center when the time came.

After the service we had root beer floats and ice cream sundaes in the social hall. The Tennessee visitors were there as the great niece wanted to have one of each. Her mother told me that after I finished the lesson, her daughter turned to her and said, “I wish I had gone down there.” Maybe next time they visit.

Every morning I go out to water some part of our yards, to keep the space cool for the cats, and for me. I stand under the trees, looking up into the cool green branches, and give thanks for where I am, what I have, and the ability to enjoy the cool of the summer morning. Small joys in my small world.

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Summer storm

Posted on June 23, 2022 | 8 comments

We had a big storm roll through here overnight, Wednesday into Thursday. Three tenths of an inch of precipitation, which is a pretty big deal for the area, especially in June, and lightening that lit up our bedroom for over an hour.

The downpour, hitting the patio roof, woke me up. I dozed off and on as it pounded and then realized that all of the cushions were out in the yard, on the garden bench and white loveseat. Oh well, it had been going on for some time, the cushions were already wet, they would dry out. But when I groaned and said what I was thinking, Terry sprang out of bed and ran down the hall, turning off the alarm, and going out in the storm to bring them in. Much more ambitious than me. Due to the wind the night before, a large limb had come down in the backyard, and Terry had spent the morning cutting that up.

After he got back in bed, I was awake enough to realize the lightening was providing a light show against the curtain and the thunder provided the soundtrack. I gave thanks for the rain. Any little bit helps. I gave thanks for a safe place to be in just such a storm. I gave thanks for a man who will run through the rain to get the garden furnishings to safety when he could have, like me, just stayed tucked in a nice snug bed.

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It’s not just books that get tossed aside

Posted on June 20, 2022 | 9 comments

Dear Reader, you may recall a recent post about my reading habits where I said I didn’t always read the whole book…my time being too valuable to waste on books that didn’t grab and keep my interest with its characters, plot, narrative…such is also the case with certain video series.

Somewhere I saw an advertisement for the British series, Killing Eve. It looked and sounded like some of the other series we had watched and enjoyed. This one supposedly had a comic twist to it, which always pleases us. The library has the full set so I ordered Series One which quickly came. We were glad because we had run out of current TV recordings to watch, what with it being summer hiatus for so many of our favorite shows.

Episode one of Killing Eve did have some comedic lines. The characters were interesting. The storyline appeared to be intriguing. Each episode is only 45 minutes so it’s a quick watch which we like on summer evenings. Episode two got us further along, and we were okay with the storyline, but the graphic violence and sex were bothersome. Episode three made us rethink the whole thing as it became pretty gruesome, but because there were four episodes on the first disk, we decided to finish off the last one.

Episode four was too violent. When it finally ended, after we had stopped the disk a couple of times to catch our breath and walk away to do other tasks (that’s another reason we love recorded programs, we can stop the action and do other things for awhile), Terry said, “I’ve had all I can take of this.” I agreed. It was traumatizing. Poor guy, he had trouble sleeping that night.

We aren’t finishing Series One. The case and DVDs are going back to the library. I am not recommending Killing Eve, even though, I understand from what I see online, it is a popular series. Not for the Zodys.

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Perhaps it’s the gas prices

Posted on June 17, 2022 | 11 comments

The traffic is less, and what there is on the roads is traveling at a slower speed. I am not complaining. As I drove by the gas station we regularly use, I noted the price was 6.50 a gallon. Fortunately, I have only driven 56 miles this week so don’t need to stop in and hand over my pension check.

I am being facetious. My goal is to refill at the 3/4 mark on the gas gauge. I’ve been doing this ever since Hurricane Katrina. Full tank of gas. Cash in my wallet. A file of all important papers, including passports, at the ready should we need to flee. Even during the last presidency when things were looking very bleak here in the United States, I wondered if there would be a time we would have to go to Canada or if Mexico would be willing to take us in. I remained vigilant and at the ready.

This Friday morning looks like a winter day. Very cloudy. Windy. Cool. One of my Facebook friends commented that it felt like she woke up at the coast. The central coast of California often has mornings like this during our hot summers. The residents of the Central San Joaquin Valley, who can, make a beeline for the coast to get away from the heat. That is, if they have a full tank of gas.

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Exploding cinnamon rolls

Posted on June 13, 2022 | 11 comments

I have bought and baked Pillsbury “popping fresh” dough in cans for a half a century, and my mother decades before I started. We always had a can of biscuits in the refrigerator as my dad loved biscuits and my mother found that it was much easier, early in the morning, to pop open a can of ready-made dough and bake those for his breakfast. My dad was an early riser and was in the fields, during the summer, before sun-up.

In all those years of baking “popping fresh” dough, I have never had a can to explode on me or know of a can exploding on anyone, until this Monday morning in mid-June. I had heard that it could occur, but I had made it almost to 70 without it happening to me. Just as I was unwrapping the outer label on a can of Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls, POP. Dough flew one direction, down towards the floor, and the can of frosting headed upwards, landing upside down, in the sink. Gooey cinnamon filling was splattered on the counter, backsplash, and floor.

Only one roll, of the the five in the can, actually flew out of the cardboard encasement. I was able to bake the remaining four, and salvage the frosting as the lid had stayed on as it flew through the air. Scrubbing the counter and floor took a bit of time as that filling is quite sticky.

Just as my mother liked to have those canned biscuits (which, by the way, I never buy as I make really good biscuits) for early morning breakfasts, I like to have cinnamon rolls for those mornings when I want an early start with something tasty. The Pillsbury cinnamon rolls have been hard to come by during the pandemic. I figured supply chain issues, demand, etc. They are now back in the stores, on a limited basis, and I have bought a few cans in the last month. Guess I’ll just have to be more careful when I open one as there may be some new thing they have done with the product and/or packaging process. Post-pandemic life will bring more challenges!

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To read or not to read?

Posted on June 12, 2022 | 17 comments

Last week I had seven books when I went to the the library. One third of my HOLD list came up at the same time. Sometimes that happens.

There was also one DVD, Season 2 of The Detectorists, a very funny series (there are three seasons) about these fellows in Essex who belong to a detectorist club and spend their spare time out looking for Saxon treasure. The treasure is only a point to hang the story on as it is very much about the lives of all the characters in this small English village. It is very funny as well as poignant.

But back to that stack of books…I posted a photo of it both on Facebook and Instagram, as I have different audiences on the different social media. Comments were made about finding the time to read all those books, and that’s when the discussion started about how I read books.

You see, I am as particular about my books as I am about my social media, my television programs, the food I eat, even the people in my life. I am highly selective. I test the waters. I give a book, a person, or a recipe or food a chance. I check it out, to see if the person or item meets my standards, and if I can adapt. If not, then I move on. Life is short.

The discussion about my books, though, gave me a chuckle. One of my former teaching associates, director of award-winning forensic teams, teased me about the way I would read a book. And, he was right. If I’m unsure of a book, I will read the first chapter, then the middle, and then, maybe, just maybe, the end of the book, if the first and middle peak my interest.

Often I read the first of a book and toss it aside. I can see where it’s going, or not, as the case may be. Some writers just use too many words. They are long-winded and can’t tell a story in a short manner. Or, I like the premise of the story, I want to know what happens, but I’m not interested in all the details. Such was the case of Death in Provence.

Delightful character development by the author, Serena Kent. Lovely location, a small village in southern France. All I needed, though, after an introduction, was to know how she solved the murder so I skipped to the last quarter of the book, and in a couple hours’ time, I had “read” the book. On to the next book, A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl, by Jean Thompson. I haven’t skipped around on this one. The writing is brilliant. I’m not sure if I care about the storyline, but it really doesn’t matter when the writing is this good.

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A committee of one?

Posted on June 10, 2022 | 4 comments

Two weeks into my summer break. It’s been busy, but in a nice way. Few obligations. Mainly doing things I want to do, that give me joy. Working in the yard. Delighting in our small kittens. Sitting on the garden bench and looking up into the trees.

I had one committee meeting this week, with people I really enjoy, doing really good work. Lots of emails back and forth, though, for another committee that I’m not finding the joy. The work is well-intentioned, but there is too much nit-picking. I prefer to work quickly, making decisions, moving on. Some committees and their members don’t respond in that manner. I guess the question I must answer for myself is, can I be a good team player.

Some people like to be the lone wolf. I’m not one of them. I really do like team work, but there-in is the clincher–what kind of team? Perhaps I need to rethink the way I do things, but, again, do I want to at this point in my life? Maybe I am becoming a lone wolf in my old age.

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And the summer begins

Posted on June 7, 2022 | 8 comments

Monday was the last school chaplaincy meeting for the 21-22 school year, and with that I completed 8 years of work with first and second graders. Who knew, all those years ago, that I would still be doing this.

Two other chaplains have been there a couple of years longer than me, one of whom is the leader of the group, a retired elementary school principal, who is one of the smartest educators I have ever met. The other one is at a school whose attendance boundary backs up to Columbia’s boundary. We share similar students, her’s more homeless, though. She started her work at the school before there was a school chaplaincy program because she had a heart for helping unhoused children.

We will meet again in late August, as the summer wraps up and students return to school, God willing. I usually begin the week of Labor Day, allowing the teachers to get to know their students and get their routines in place before coming in and causing some craziness.

The hope is that there will be more of us by the start of the new school year. When the pandemic shut us down, there were 40. Now there are 20. Schools want a chaplain but there are no bodies to fill the positions. This appears to be a problem in many institutions who rely on volunteers. We’ve seen fewer people at church. It seems that jump-starting people is more difficult to do than to jump-start a vehicle that has sat for a long period of time. My feeling is that people got too comfortable sitting on the sidelines, staying at home, taking care of their own needs, and now it’s hard to change that habit.

For now, it’s summer and the living is easy. I have taken on a new responsibility at church–children’s sermon a couple of times a month as well as coffee fellowship once a month. I did ask to sit out the coffee task during July as we will have our grandchildren here for part of the month. I’ll be busy enough trying to figure out what to feed them without having to also think about what to feed the congregation.

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And with June comes the ants

Posted on June 1, 2022 | 17 comments

We have a peculiar type of ant here, it’s a carnivorous ant, which can be a good thing to have if you have bugs and/or carcasses of rodents. They eat termites. We have seen them strip an animal carcass to the bone and then devour the bones. They are indeed voracious creatures and do serve a purpose. Until there are too many of them. Then they want to come looking for what we have to eat.

Such was the case on the first morning of June. Beautiful morning. Already 60 degrees when I got up at 6. The sun is up by then, too, streaming into the living room. No wind in the mornings, but it will probably whip up later in the afternoon. That’s been the case here for the past few weeks. Calm, still, warm, and the kitchen counter, with sun streaming in, had a stream of ants on it. They were coming in from the electrical socket on the wall. This means the ants are under the house, they’ve run short on critters to eat, and are coming for us, or at the least, our food.

I screamed to Terry, who was still at the other end of the house, in bed, asleep. No time to sleep. The war of the ants was upon us. He was up fast, grabbing the Dyson as he came down the hall, and as I wiped the counters, he vacuumed the ants into its canister.

We worked for awhile, until we had cleaned up all the ants who had made it farther afoot than the counter. Seeing where they were entering, I cracked open one of our ant baits and let it puddle on the counter just where the ants were putting their tiny feet as they came down the wall from the electrical socket. The ants gathered around the “watering hole” of syrupy goodness and then began the trek back to their colony, carrying the deadly stuff with them.

I hate to kill anything, and I refuse to use poisons, like pesticides. This ant bait dehydrates the ants and since they take it back to the colony, it can wipe out the ones we don’t even see. The ants are welcome outside, but they cannot breach the walls of our house.

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