’17 January

February 4

Happy Birthday Alicia! It’s YOUR Day!!

January 31

Bill, me, and Ken, enjoying a long awaited dinner together. Although I’ve seen Bill and Ken separately this is the first chance since September that we’ve all been in the same town at the same time.

January 29

Merlyn and Hilda came by, we ate a meal of sorts I got from the store…but I made this thing, my third attempt and we all agreed it was pretty good.

I was trying to replicate a dish I remember from 50 years ago or so, an English Trifle. Whipped Cream is involved too but Jello is the thing. Next time I’m going to be Super attentive to making the layers clean!

ht.

January 27

Me.

January 26

I pull this much off the tree about every week. I hope the tenants help themselves, and I offer all the workmen to help themselves too. They’re delicious!

And also my knobs are delicious.

January 25

Lilly in her carriage. Too bad I didn’t get the big horse that draws this carriage.

Rome looked up recipes, we made a list, went to the store, cooked it up, et voilá! Rome made the plan, shopped, cooked, and presented the plates. Good job Rome!

January 24

Happy Birthday ANGELA!

Dev, Gary, Darryl, Angela, Lilly, Rome, Liz

January 23

I swear, since I get all my news from late night comedy shows (a gal can only take so much) I totally thought this was a Hey-Are-We-Living-In-North-Korea-Here JOKE. OMG NO, but then I suppose we’re getting what we deserve because we elected him…OMG I have to stop…and I will, now…with this, my Daily Show’s moment of Zen.

“According to a document published by the office of the Federal Register, the 45th president of the United States proclaimed Jan. 20, 2017 — Trump’s Inauguration Day — to be a National Day of Patriotic Devotion. Trump made the proclamation “in order to strengthen our bonds to each other and to our country — and to renew the duties of Government to the people.””

Baby it’s cold inside! I have a heater I carry around from room to room and I’m perfectly ok in my cuddle duds, hat, wool socks and hoodie. But I look a riot!

January 23

Last time Alex was here ‘we’ put up my two window crystals. I had one of them here when I lived in the house all those years ago and the two in the little place. I have a third hook too, waiting.

Every morning when the sun is out the kitchen is entirely wrapped in rainbows. I just stand here and smile.

January 21`

I drove past the throngs and got in only at the tag end but I feel so good about the fantastic world-wide turn-out, wow.

And that our brand new president, right out of the box, first thing, spends most of his day on lying petulance. Just keep lying and what you say becomes true…as we beg for mercy.

Click this link from the NY Times – maybe the definitive collection? It will brighten your day!

PICTURES FROM WOMEN’S MARCHES ON EVERY CONTINENT.

I met Darryl, Angela, Rome, and Lilly, and Pauli and Lola for a stroll through the Broad.

A small corner of a huge piece and I forgot to note the artist.

I forgot to note the artist here too but…

…Jeff Koons makes a large female figure who gets her own room.

SO fun to take pictures in a museum!

Rome, Lola

Nice one.

Me, Rome

Darryl wore his museum shoes made with a design from Andy Warhol’s soup cans.

Then we walked down to The Last Bookstore and it was massively fun. It’s so much more than this…

…for example, here’s the knitting club!

January 18

I had to have the kitchen drain snaked in the front house, and then Alex came to fix the running toilet in unit B and fix a light and a bathroom leak in 1/2, being in the category of it’s always something.

January 17

Sharon came over for some walking around the ‘hood. I felt like I should stick close to home because…

…Oscar came with four of his guys to do phase one of the electrical project in the back cottage. It’s a huge job for 300 square feet and is going to cost as much as it cost to do the front house for various technical reasons that I totally understand (?!).

Phase two coming after the rain leaves.

January 16

The 32nd year and my 1st!

Ingalill came with me. We took the Expo line from my house and it was all so easy-peasy.

We got there, heard the band, and quick like little bunnies made an end run around the crowd so we could see them coming.

I’m so glad we made it in time. This was the biggest and most well rehearsed of the bands…

…the Los Angeles Unified School District All District Band.

If it’s a parade there will be cotton candy.

Cool.

Look at that ball. I want one of those!

Dancing to the cheers of the crowd.

A vendor of bouncy shiny things.

I think there were three fraternities represented.

The signs on the cars were on the other side so I don’t know who these handsome people are.

A Korean dance troupe who had the parade shoe thing down.

This dog needs a caption.

Many of the participating groups must have rented buses from these guys.

She said she had an MLK shirt in her bag but she decided to choose Obama for now.

We were hanging around this corner for a while, that’s Lill grabbing a shot, and every police, group or individual, who passed by had hugs for the folks in the yellow because they were actual police who usually were in the parade but this year got assigned to street duty.

Hug after hug after hug until finally I couldn’t stand it…

…me too me too!

lg.

And the guys who didn’t give hugs gave salutes.

It’s a parade and there will be balloons.

This is another one of the fraternity groups and the guy standing with Lill pulled out of the crowd to dance at the front.

He was an INCREDIBLE dancer. He would do a dozen pavement spins without a break. We both told him Wow Man that was fun. Well, he said, I was one of the first dancers with Soul Train and I perform constantly even now.

What a treat!

Oh look, here comes Mardi Gras!

Makes me think just a little bit about going to Mardi Gras one day.

Henry Armstrong, I had to look him up.

#ourfightforward…and many other topic-specific groups made their way down the street.

We decided to head back toward the train before it was all over as the crowds were getting really thick and it became harder and harder to see.

We took a pit stop at Starbucks and then took the more-than-full train home. Thanks Lill for joining in!

January 15

JoAnn and David hosted a brunch this morning especially for Muriel and her dear friend Leslie, visiting from San Francisco. I got to come too!

Muriel and Leslie left for the airport and while I was thinking oh darn I didn’t get a picture JoAnn showed me this standing figure Jim had given her as a portrait, which she took to be so true so true.

So I carried it around their house…

…and put it places.

Too Much FUN! JoAnn had to get going or I could have had a dozen more. Next time.

January 13

Trevor is in town and Windy was coming over so the Browns dropped by too and we all had a lovely visit. Seats for everyone!

Lona, Trevor, Windy, Hartley

January 11

Aww, our little dynamo Lilly was not feeling well. For our first many hours together she was go-go-go and then her mom came home and that was the cue for a very short and instant rest.

Then go-go-go again!

This falls into the category of “Oh Great, what Now?!”. Ka-CHING, that’s what’s now. It was inevitable of course that some day I’d have to redo the 1924 electricity in the back cottage. Fine. Thankfully the tenant has been sweet and patient and cooperative.

January 10

Those chairs are lined up the size of the couch I’m considering just to see how it feels.

As you can tell from the windows it’s dark out. I’ve probably spent 8 full hours of my life trying to figure out a solution to the following problem.

I chose to have the fan without a light. I had my reasons! BUT, and I knew this would happen, when you come in the front door at night there is no easy reach for a light. I could have put a floor lamp nearby but I couldn’t make that work. I could have gone with a timer, or a clapper, or some such thing, I thought about them all.

Then it came in a flash of light: Motion Detector!

So I got this happy little motion detecting night light Et Voilá! TICK!!

January 9

Happy Sweet SIXTEEN to our Sweet as Pie Charis Brown! Here they are, the Hawaii Browns and friends on a Sweet as Pie dinner cruise in the Honolulu bay.

Happy HAPPY Birthday CHARIS!

January 8

Wow, I went with Sharon today for our first beach walk in ages, what with one thing and another.

What a day to break the fast!

Casa del Mar, my favorite.

The sky was really screaming. Take My Picture.

January 7

Nancy came by today for a visit. We did have a nice walk planned but were deterred by the rain. It was lovely none the less and we still cheer for the rain.

Here are facebook pictures of Nancy’s precious Chloe. Her employer Artis is there too. Awww.

January 5

Walking home from the store on the sunny side of the street. I toyed with this idea for a New Year’s Resolution, walking on the sunny side of the street but since it’s my basic personality to do so it doesn’t seem like much of a resolution.

What is not in my basic personality to do, like lose weight or practice every day or upgrade my wardrobe…those things I can’t do no matter how many years of resolutions pass.

So … I should probably just give up on resolutions in this my SEVENTIETH year.

January 3

Off the internet. Maybe I’ll be able to buy some shoes that aren’t flips?

January 2

Lona, Windy, and I met up for a New Year’s Welcome here in the Marina.

Lona and Hartley’s sunset nearly every night. WOW.

January 1

2016 Awards Season movies I’ve seen so far.

Hidden Figures: My feelings are complicated but it is a wonderful movie.
Jackie: Not so much.
La La Land: If you like singing and dancing and have an affection for LA this is for you. I liked it a lot.
Fences: August Wilson, Denzel Washington, Viola Davis. I think it’s brilliant.

Captain America Civil War: I liked this one too but no surprise it is Superhero shtick.
Florence Foster Jenkins: Meryl Streep can’t make a bad movie even when it should be a bad movie.
Lion: A well-done tearjerker from moment one.
Deadpool: I saw it on an airplane with headphones and laughed out loud.