It's Alive!

I was walking along the beach the other day when I noticed a ton of little tracks in the sand. Peering closer, I noticed the sand was moving! I realized I was atop a huge colony of sand fleas! It seemed like the sand was alive!

These little guys are crustaceans about an inch long, and you can always see them at the beach. They don't do much but scurry to re-bury themselves when they are washed out of the sand. They are kinda fun to play with. I had never seen so many all in one place, though!

Here is a picture.


Here is a video. It's not the greatest quality, but you get the idea!

A Tale of Two Ladies

It seems that often my clients come clumped. I'll have a streak of clients with a particular trait. Maybe over-100-year-olds, or several folks suffering from Parkinson's disease. Or, maybe a bunch live within a few blocks of each other in Goleta. Right now, it is Crazy Cat Ladies. Ok, so they aren't crazy, really; all three have dementia. But they are strikingly similar: about the same age, with memory and cognitive deficits. They all live in similarly modest homes. All of them are widowed (actually, one long-divorced), and they each live with a supportive daughter. They are open with many stories of their past. They all love cats. And they are all happy.

All three are in similar places now, at this time of their lives. But getting to know them, I see they traveled here on very different paths. I want to tell you about two of them.

Mrs. S was born in Oklahoma and grew up dirt-poor in Tennessee during the Depression. When she was in her early teens, her mother left her father. A cousin from California drove to Tennessee to get the family and moved them out West. Mrs. S had to quit school in the 8th grade to care for her baby brothers when her mom had to go to work. Though she can't remember if she ate breakfast this morning, she is full of stories of a large, warm, supportive family. For example, a cousin was orphaned and was sent to live with an "evil" aunt. Other relatives shuttled around the unfortunate little girl to shield her from the unhappy situation in that house. Though she grew up poor, it is obvious Mrs. S grew up happy and loved. Her extended family is important to her.

Mrs. W is another delightful lady. She grew up in a very wealthy home in the suburbs of Cleveland. During the Depression, in her words (she gave me a written brief biography), "While people were living out of garbage cans during those years, and the Oakies were struggling across the country, we had our sacrifices, too. Our household staff was reduced to a live-in cook and a live-in maid."

Mrs. W's stories of her childhood are heart-wrenching. Her mother was cold and abusive. There was no love in her house. Her higher education was in fits and starts, depending on if her mother would give her the needed money or not. She finally got a master's degree in library science at age 41.

She overcame a disastrous marriage, too, and eventually found her way to a fulfilling, happy life. She raised two kids as a single mother. She is an animal rescuer and currently has four cats. Lately one has died. She feels his loss deeply; her animals are extremely important to her. She is a laughing, happy, sweet lady that I have the real pleasure to know.

Getting to know these women really got me thinking. It isn't always about where you were, but where you are. Life can put up obstacles of many kinds. There are ways to knock down obstacles. You can decide to do that, or you can decide not to. Finding the path to Happiness is not always easy, but there is more than one way there. Go out and find it!




"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." --Abraham Lincoln

"Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory." --Albert Schweitzer

His sniffer is better than Brag's!

Remember I told you about this story? The Chief issued a commendation!


The chief's writing at the bottom reads, "Thanks for the great response & attn to duty. Chief Sanchez"

Congratulations, Officer Squid!

Singin' Seance

Oooooh! Isn't Erin lucky?!

Being a theater student has its perks! Her teacher had an acting stint in NYC, and he got to know composer Stephen Schwartz, who has written such works as Pippin, Godspell, and Wicked. Mr. Schwartz has said goodbye to one-word titles and created Séance on a Wet Afternoon, an opera commissioned by Opera Santa Barbara, enjoying its world premiere this weekend!

He visited Erin's class this week! He talked about the creative process, particularly in composing songs. He played and sang. He ate a snack.

And that's not all! The students got to attend last night's dress rehearsal of the new opera! Erin enjoyed it, but comments included, "It was creepy and scary. I'm going to have nightmares."

Theater is cool!

(check back later--Erin said a group picture was taken, and if I can get ahold of it, I'll post it here)

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

Fall is not my favorite season, but I like to look at the bright side of things!

Things I Like About Autumn

• Soup time
• Hallowe'en (Party on October 30! You are invited! If you want to come, contact me and I'll tell you when and where!)
• Hallowe'en: the start of Candy Season
• My Birthday!
• It's Santa Barbara! Come on, how bad is any season?
• Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays
• Fires in the fireplace
• STORM WATCH 2009
• Autumn is a cool word
• Gaucho basketball
  

What are your favorites parts of Autumn?

"Knock-Knock..."

"Who's there?"

"Inturrupting Kanye."

"Inturrupting Kan--"

--"I'm gonna let you finish...."

Arrrrrrrr!

Avast me maties! It be Talk Like a Pirate Day! Don' be a land-lubber! Let's hear yer stuff! .....an' don' be forgittin' to share yer booty!

Flight of the Conchords

If you haven't enjoyed Flight of the Conchords yet, go put them on your Netflix list.

Hammer Time!

From the Santa Barbara News-Press. You have to buy the article to read on-line. I transcribe it here.

Homeowner hammers would-be burglar
Mountain Avenue resident struggles with her attacker; who flees after getting hit

By MARCI WORMSER
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

A transient who broke into a backyard in the 2100 block of Mountain Avenue, near Portesuello Avenue, on Friday afternoon got more than be bargained for after the homeowner hit him in the head with a hammer.

According to Santa Barbara Police Department Lt. Paul McCaffrey, the 51-year-old homeowner was working in her backyard at about 3:15 p.m. when her dogs began "making a commotion" and then ran over to a shed in the yard. After the woman followed her pets, she saw the suspect walking out of the shed.

The suspect lunged at her, grabbed her clothing and arms and slapped her, according to Lt. McCaffrey. Because the property is uneven, the suspect lost his footing as he was attacking his victim, which gave her a chance to grab a nearby hammer and swing it at the suspect's head.

After the suspect was hit with the hammer, he ran toward La Cumbre Junior High School and hasn't been seen since.

The victim, who only suffered minor injuries, told police officers she doesn't think anything was stolen from the shed.

Police officials are asking anyone who thinks they may have seen the suspect to call the department.

The suspect may have been hanging around the area, Lt. McCaffrey said.

He is described as a white man in his 30s, with long brown hair and a beard. He was wearing a khaki-colored jacket at the time of the incident.

But should people also be on the lookout for a man with a large hammer mark on his head? No, says Lt. McCaffrey. There is no evidence that the hapless suspect was gravely injured by the hammer.

A photograph accompanied the article. (Apologies for the scan; the website is set up very badly and I was afraid I was going to be subscribing to the rag instead of just buying one article.)

Santa Barbara police officers on Friday afternoon look through a hillside on Portesuello Avenue for a suspect who broke into a backyard shed in the 2100 block of Mountain Avenue and then attacked the homeowner. The homeowner broke free from the suspect after hitting him in the head with a hammer. The suspect then fled.

Follow-Up

Follow-Up to my last post. Read this article.

I tell ya, this issue really stuck in my craw!

A Strange Pull

After watching the President's speech to America's schoolchildren today, I felt a strange pull. I don't know what it is, but right after I heard Obama talk, I wanted to work to establish a new economic system in this country. I wanted to go to the library and read some works by Karl Marx. That Obama has real powers!

Who else feels perplexed by the "outrage" by some Americans about the speech? I feel sad, too, that the President is looked upon as some sort of enemy. When the news came out about his proposed speech, there was misinformation and fear swirling around those groups who don't like Obama. It seemed silly and a bit frightening all at once that people can blindly make decisions like that.

As President Obama said today, "And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself."

Education. Reading. It's not just for schoolchildren anymore.

Junior and Freshman

I am pleased to announce that I have a Junior in High School and a Freshman in College!

YAY!

Kevin has enrolled in three classes at Santa Barbara City College, a jewel in our community. Needless to say, I am very happy!

Erin has started off the year at Dos Pueblos High School with a bang, being diligent about homework. This makes me happy, too! She is headlong into her crew duties as well, preparing for the fall play, You Can't Take It With You.

It's going to be a great year!