Mother’s Day without my mother, plenty of Rome of course because that’s just tooo easy.
July 20
I did another couple postings on craigslist for L&H vacancies and the cost of housing these days gives me the shivers. They’re asking for (and people and banging down the doors to pay) $1800 for a veeery smalll liittle one bedroom cottage-style unit. It’s quite nice and in a great location, ok, but it’s old, and small, and $1800.
May 6
I finished the first pass of my New Zealand pictures and story. Click here for the Whole thing!
You can also click on the NEW ZEALAND link over in the far left column.
Don’t miss the penguins toward the end of chapter two. I was 2 weeks into a 6 week trip and I’m already hoping to go back next year in April to see more More. The scenery is just simply fantastic. The people are good too, and so is the food. And the roads, and it’s not too expensive. Wow.
This was the last shot from my last night in New Zealand. Thinking everything was ready, the following morning I got up at dawn and spent the next 2 days getting home, because, no, it was not all ready.
Click here to see the funeral and family reunion or click here to see my mother’s testimonials.
May 21
It’s Stefanie and Rome at Speech where Rome is getting a little boost in her intelligible vocalization skills…
…like Shooooes (her absolute favorite), Buuuubblllles, FloWer, Boy In Bus, aWayyy (when we put our toys aWayyy), Hi Granny! (my favorite of course).
Last Monday Max had Marsha’s birthday and tonight Marsha had Max’s. Hence the hats. We haven’t been able to manage a composed photo with all the heads being somewhat the same size because we don’t have Time because we have to Watch TV.
It could be a whole lot worse for me. What if we had to watch about the bachelor or the island or something. At least this one is about Dancing.
May 20
‘Ah! Granny’s got her camera out! Uhh Ohhh, dropped the lid to my grape tureen…’ Rome especially enjoys eating snacks from her new full-service tea set.
Note the total change in grocery cart requirements in just three days. Now Dora (in her Easter Bunny ears and her Easter Bunny shoes) takes her seat in the place of honor and other items are moved about as needed. Who knows what next week will bring?
May 19
This afternoon I enjoyed a lovely Ladies Lunch at the Hamlet Garden in Westwood. We were me, Nancy A, Nancy D, Sharon, and Sandy. This place offers the quintessential Ladies Lunch – tastefully stylish decor, great bread, many expensive salads, and a full bar.
Then Nancy A, Sharon, and I walked up to the UCLA sculpture garden for jacaranda season. The trees could have been fuller but the outing was excellent – excellent weather, excellent length, excellent company. We heart LA.
May 18
What I’ve been up to. Walking, and messing about with websites. I also worked on Japanese and had a class, went out socializing, filed all the papers for the NZ insurance (and to the airlines and car company), did an ad for l&h, fished around in the internet for Kansas City activities… and I have been a faithful watcher of my food consumption for 3 weeks and I have Not lost 3 pounds as the computer said I should have. I do rather want to reach 60 at a weight less than my All Time High, but obviously I don’t want to enough.
‘Oh NONONO, Mommy, you Touched My Stuff. There, I fixed it. Mommy, would you pleeease, Don’t Touch My Stuff.’
Angela is trying hard to erase from her brain the growing vision of Rome with all her possessions stored in a grocery cart.
May 14
Monday Night at Maxine’s in celebration of Marsha’s birthday. She brought us all gifts and Ya-Ya hats for the birthday girl and for the hostess. Maxine gave us crowns.
She would have had a perfectly happy and satisfying birthday were it not for Dancing With The Stars, the obsession of the women of this group no one of whom (of the people who have tvs of course) has missed a single moment. Here we are gathered around to watch.
Travis sent this recently with a nice Happy Mother’s Day note. Thank you! Aww, sweet Cali May. And the tattoo…
‘But I got a fabulous new Grocery Cart from my Grammy and Grandpa Gary and I’m Happy. Oh! Look up everyone, look at Granny, she’s got her camera out!’
What a Feast.
Lona (The Matriarch of the moment) is wearing her Happy Mother’s Day corsage from Trevor and family.
A few tunes, and a grand time was had by all. I should mention that for me and my sisters it was our first Mother’s Day without our mother. The march of time, the circle of life, and all that.
ak.
May 12
You are going to want to see this, big time.
The Dan Flavin retrospective (previewed today) will be showing until August 12 at LACMA. When you go, do follow instructions and begin where they tell you to, then see all the rooms in relative chronological order.
The internet is full of intellectual analysis of this stuff but it is also a joyful, physical experience, the sounds of the awwwing, cooing crowd and their amazed faces, wow, and not a word about ‘but is it art.’
Don’t miss the red room; it’s easy to pass by. It made me gasp, like that time I backed into a gallery, chatting away, turned, and came face to face with Guernica, and that made me gasp too.
(separate photos from the internet)
May 11
Last weekend I went out to Boban and Jo’s place in Newhall to admire the under-construction Palace they are building in their front yard. They’ll rent the old house when they move in here. Also included in the Palace is a two bedroom apartment that they’ll rent. And there’s still room for the horse yet to come.
The place is further along than these pictures – Boban sent them a few months ago. The wiring is done and the Palace includes all the electronic googaws Boban could get Jo to accept.
bd.
May 10
We are near done cleaning up and distributing Mom’s things and in that effort L&H are attempting to make room for some of these very things. So after much thrashing and gnashing of teeth, they’ve decided to throw out their collection of Trevor’s old shoes. Yes, they kept every pair of Trevor’s old shoes. Now try to imagine what else they keep.
Watching a little tv. Dora the Explorer is quite the favorite these days. Hola Dora!
May 7
Robert finished his journal telling about their trip to his family’s home town of Colima, Mexico. It’s delightful reading and you can click here for Roberto’s Pajina. Don’t worry, he wrote it in English!
rl.
May 5
This is a poster Windy made up for the funeral, with my encouragement and contribution being ‘More, more, we need More Stuff!’ It’s going to be Mother’s Day next week and Darryl and Angela have invited us all over. Isn’t that the sweetest thing.
May 4
This was the last shot from my last night in New Zealand. Thinking everything was ready, the following morning I got up at dawn and spent the next 2 days getting home, because, no, it was not all ready.
I do want to finish that trip some day! First I’ll finish the pix and stories from the 12 days I was there. A project for tomorrow.
May 2
Hangin’ out with Rome, one set of photos looking into the windows and one set on the opposite wall. I’m going to just let the colors be.
Rome, tuning her daddy’s guitar.
