I Need Fall

If you arrange it, it will come?

I may only hold on a few days longer

Z

On A Personal Note

DD, Hannah and BB, her beau Blake

At Del Mar for his birthday and their 4th Anniversary.

Two of my three favorite people.

Now that Dearest Son and Darling Daughter 

live five minutes apart,

they see each other often.

They like each other as friends,

as well as love each other as siblings.

Mama could not be happier.

They are even going on vacation

together this year.

The three kids are campaigning to 

get me to LA permanently and I have spent hours

researching any possibilities,

but location and financials are mind boggling.

Houses are unaffordable since I refuse to 

take on a mortgage, after not having one

for over a decade, and condos come

 with large HOA fees.

Both come with triple the property taxes 

I pay here.

The worst though is where?

What small town within 60 minutes

of Culver City would suit me?

Definitely not more than 90 minutes away.

My eyes cross after hours on Zillow

and Realtor.com.

Any CA girls out there I'll GLADLY take any advice, 

area recommendations, realtor names etc.

I'm just thrilled that they want me near.

Till then the 4 hour drive seems to

be getting easier for all of us.

We're averaging about every other month.

and if they ever would build the super train...

of course in 80 years they will live much closer as the

rising ocean will have pushed em back 1 hour my way...

BUT I'm sure I will be long gone by then.

I told them last week maybe they should hold 

onto this property as it is in the very south of town and 

will be beach front real estate some day in their retirement! 

Ha!

forever stuck in lala

*******

And yes Amy, since you asked, I would love to have

 folks travel in for a Gathering class.

3 blocks away is a lovely large casino hotel 

Green Valley Ranch

with spa, movie theaters,

and adjacent a wonderful mall called the District. 

Mall has Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma,

Anthropologie, West Elm, great dining and more.

by car

I am 2 hours from St George and 

4 hours to Culver City in LA.

if that helps...

There are still a few spots in Sept class,

and it will be cooler then.

Bring your hubby, leave him at the casino

and come play with some great gals for the day.

On A Stage With No Vaginas

"On a stage with no vaginas there 

were a lot of opinions about vaginas."

I love Margaret and Helen

and if you still don't get it,

none of the federal funds to 

Planned Parenthood can ever

be used for abortions.

again and louder....

The fed funds @ PP do not fund abortions

So by all means dickheads,

(sorry my friends) but I am riled,

go and take more aid away from 

those who least can afford it.

If the heavens could open and make it so that no

woman you care about could ever receive

medical care, cancer screening, pre-natal care,

birth control, disease prevention,

or for that matter any funds for woman's disease

 research since you good ole boys only care about Viagra;

maybe we could drill it into your thick skulls.

While we're at it let's remove your premium

 health insurance and make you go to the

 emergency room and wait hours for any

kind of care for your babies....

I am disgusted and repulsed by men

 proposing to be our leaders,

telling out and out lies and fear mongering.

And now we no longer have Jon Stewart to call em out.

Oliver, Maddow, Colbert, Wilmore

save us from ourselves.

Hot August Days and Nights

Oh, those hot August days...

so much going on..

Had workmen here all day Sunday

 as they ripped out

and sawed down 21 year old

trees to make life easier.

My enormous African Sumac 

in the far corner had to come down,

as well as decrepit, way past their prime,

 bottle brush trees that lined the walkway.

Javier cut stump for me with foot rest

The Sumac was always too big for the area, 

invaded into neighbor yards and created 

so much debris that at least three times a year I 

had to pay for help in clean up.

I was dangling from tall ladders

cleaning out gutters,

making friends and kids frantic with worry.

(Ok I only fell once ...geez)

totally new updated sprinklers,

new plantings...

new dog run area..

pre-plans for vegetable gardens

Whew!

The yard looks foreign to me 

right now. Far less shade,

less cozy.

I'm working on it.

But as we age we have to come

 to terms with our capabilities.

I was astounded when my folks moved 

down to a wee space when we had always had

sprawling homes with lots of land.

I get it now.

made a fountain

Finished all the prep for the next Gathering class.

Kits ready and waiting, very early this time, because 

I am sooo excited for this one.

Marking items down at boutique

to make room for new holidays to come.

job interviews.. new directions

Proofing latest script for DD

Kids are thriving with

exciting projects, possibilities.

A surprise visit from my "surrogate son"

Ivan, made for wonderful long chats as the sun 

went down last week.

Making smoothies

has been the extent of my cooking 

this summer.

Cannot wait for cool weather

soups stews casseroles.

I am such a cold weather gal,

stuck in 

the wrong place for a long time....

Z