Complet Upheaval, major changes and a whole new world~~~

Well Sweet Things,

I think you thought I'd vanish, in a way I have.

There has been such changes in the last few months I'm still in a whirl.

Joe and I realized where is the perfect house.  And its the one right across the street from my parents that was being rented out.

I'll try and clear the confusion, this house is one my Dad purchased ages ago, fixed it up and rented it out, and he did this with other properties as well.

Last year Dad decided to deed over the properties to be divided fairly between myself and Sis with us receiving the monies from the rents---which went to repairs and taxes etc.  Dad did keep several for himself as income since they were paid off, and when he passes on they will be used as income for Mom.

Well the house that would be perfect for Joe and I is one of the rental one's and the people who lived in it, decided to move back east to be near the wife's family, so when their lease was up it simply went on a Month to Month and then they'd let Dad know when they were going to completely vacate it.

2 months ago Joe and I went over to the house, when we were visiting my folks, simply to find out what the family's status was, they were glad to see us because although most of their stuff was boxed and stored at a storage unit, they still had large items to go into a U-Haul truck later in the month but they wanted to show what they thought were concerns on the house.

Any house has wear and tear, and they wanted to be totally upfront with everything, and really in the grand scheme of things since they'd been living there for 12 years, naturally there'd be wear, so we went over everything carefully and said that Dad would go with them through the final walk thru.

Later that evening Joe said to me "Do you know that house is really what we're looking for."  And he was right.

We talked it over with Dad and Mom and they are thrilled at the idea of our moving in.

Ahh you ask, but what about everything else?  Joe's friend offered to buy out Joe's half of the property that they were doing the cars in.  We will get car transports for Joe's cars, and that will take a little time,  my house I'm going to be renting out to my friend Yoshi, she and her husband have been renting an apartment in Concord but it was so far away from work and Yoshi's Mom, so that my house would be a perfect answer, close but not too close, with several modes of transportation to the City.

I am keeping the Country property I love it too much to give up.  And we will continue to travel to it from time to time.

Joe has decided to completely retire, he has enough funds, and so do I, I'll be quitting my job as well.

Joe and Ted will be working on a car restoration work mini-business, I'll be helping Mom and Sis with their business, Dad will be busy doing the book keeping and paper work---Yes Dad is retiring  and Joe and I will be there when Dad has his cataract surgery to help out while he recovers.

I'll still be helping Heather with her education, I'm not so worried about her as she seems to be recovering from the lost of her grandmother and has a young man in her life, she has been selling her works and getting free-lance work while she is going towards her degree and pursuing a career in the field she wants to be in.

And in a way I'll still be traveling and Joe will be with me, Yes we have an Airstream trailer, and we're going to use it to look for items for Sis and Mom's business, patterns and things. 

We'll be looking into possibly a re-sale license to sell at various shows, or offer things to dealers for their shops. 

But will I give up the City?  No, it and the Black Bird, Sam Spade, the fog, the whole Noir of it will always be with me.  We will travel back and forth between my parents home and here, but now we will be in control of our lives, living our lives as we want to live, and enjoying it. 

At bit Retro, a bit Noir, maybe a bit Mad Men, but still our own  Fabulous lives.

I do not know when I'll post again, but I could not leave all you Sweet Things hanging, and dear Fram, I hope you are as happy as I am.

Kisses Sweet Things

Trying to get back to functioning~~~

Hello Sweet Things,

Things of late do not feel normal.  With Lillian gone, there is an emptyness that will take sometime to heal.

Having Heather in my home is the best therapy for her at this time. 

From time to time either her parents or one of her two Uncles stay in Lillian's home for security sake.

Lillian's will (a trust really) help make things move more easily,  at first Heather thought that eventually her grandmother's house would be sold, but instead, the house has been left to her parents, with equal value portions of money to her uncles.

This is good really, her parents had to sell their home at a loss, when her father was un-employed, so even with Lillian gone physically she is still reaching out and helping family.   Lillian left Heather a letter, a lovely long letter, Heather reads it every night before she goes to sleep.   It helps encourage her to continue with what she is doing.

But everything is going to shift slowly, everyone wanting to make sure everything is done right.

Baby Sis is going to come up and visit with me for a week, so Joe is going to retreat to his apartment for a while, as he says "one man in a house full of women is courtin' danger, if I leave the seat up all three of you will come down on my head".   That doesn't mean he'll stay away, but with only one spare bedroom there won't be much space.

I'm looking forward to seeing my sister.  I've taken the week of Halloween off as vacation, with so much of my work already edging over to my associates I can aford to play "Hooky".

But I have to admit, I'm feeling a bit lost without Lillian's presence,  now I must go,  Heather is asking when are we going to the Spirit Store to get a few Halloween decorations, I think we will both welcome that distraction and I need to buy candy for our eventual trick and treaters.

Kisses Sweet Things

Aftermath~~~~

Well Sweet Things,

My Assistant and I got to work early, I'm taking a short break right now.

If you want to know what's been happening go to SFGATE.com, they have pictures and stories,  but it was horrible, the vandalism, the willful destruction of property that are owned and operated by the hardworking people, NOT the 1% is more than enough to say that "Occupy" is nothing but a reason for hoodlums to gather and have the opportunity to do damage.

They destroyed a Channel 5 news van, burned a police car, vandalized private businesses and private cars,  my Joe has bruises that he showed me via video phone that are so black and blue it will be ages before they go, he may even have cracked ribs.  He is in a lot of pain right now and he's seen other officers get it worse, bottles and paint thrown at them, hit with crowbars and metal objects,  it's a job that he took on years ago, but it hurts him in other ways, people that need help that need the police.

One protester an Amanda Young said that (and I'm paraphrasing) this is not what Occupy is about, but that it does turn the people against them.   Oh Really??? And what gave you that idea...no protest can be peaceful, and this is not Syria or Egypt, if you want to do a peaceful non-violent, non-vandalizing protest you can here in the U.S.A with out fear of being shot at---if it's peaceful, Syria and Egypt are totally different situations they are held by dictators.

But turn those vandals, those criminals in,  show real solidarity that your message is peaceful.  Show that"Occupy" has zero tolerance to such acts.   Since you're not then "Occupy" has no validity, it is nothing but a criminal element.

Heather could not get to school via the normal routes, our neighbor drove her to classes by different route, she was even thinking of staying late until someone could come and get her or the buses were running normally again.

Since my Assistant and I have put in extra time by coming in early we are going to go home early via the Ferry which is running again----if this was an earthquake disaster they would not have shut down.  

And the cost in insurance, the rates will go up because of this  "Occupy" what have you done---anything positive???  I think not.   I am totally disgusted with "Occupy's" motives for they have none, I now view them as criminals, lazy good for nothings that want handouts without having to work for it. 

I paid my way through college, working part time jobs, fighting for grants, if I didn't have enough money for a full class load I got what I could afford.  I didn't have health insurance, going to clinics and dental schools for my medical needs, buying cloths at thrift shops, eating more Mac and cheese and raman noodles than I care to think about,  sleeping on floors in well-meaning friends apartments, trading baby-sitting for a place to sleep,  collecting bottles and cans to get money for foods or transportation, or walking everywhere, getting so thin that I looked like a refugee from WWII.

When my Father hears what I went through because of his stubbornness those years ago, he cries and asks forgiveness, which I give him, I can't hate him anymore, because he hates himself for what he did and now trys to make it up to Baby Sis and wants to make it up to me.   He has in his own way,  our healing our relationship has been like a soothing balm.  

But it has taught me that hand outs only make people lazy, unless it is done in a way that is positive.  You have to work for everything, save for everything, it cannot be handed on a silver platter, we want what our folks had???  They saved and scrimped and sacrificed for it, and so will you, think back to the 1930s' that is the only way.

Now I have to go,  the rest of the staff is finally showing up after all the delays, so a meeting in 15.

Later Sweet Things.  Kisses

"When the Lights Go Down In The City..."

Friday was a day of very mixed emotions' Day Sweet Things.

Thursday I was excited, yes, excited to see the rain coming down and once again washing my City, creating a misty haze for the neon lights to blur into and be defused from their gaudiness to soft accents in the twilight, the buildings lined in red to celebrate the 49er’s win.

As the ferry pulled away from the dock taking me home to my refuge, droplets of rain and the spray of the bay made a further soft distortion of the city skyline, rendering it to a fairyland of lights that hide the grittiness of it’s streets; a promise on its lips like lies on a well paid hooker’s tongue.

Like that song “When the lights go down in the City….”

It was comforting to return home, although silent, but warm, lived in by both our lives, Joe once again pulling a late night shift, his cell phone message about grief on the streets, and his thoughts knowing I am his support to get through another night in our own ‘naked city’.

Then Friday morning as he returned from duty, my own knight, giving this ‘sleeping beauty’ an awaking kiss and the smell of coffee perking in the kitchen, even as the night had not yet given away to a rain drenched over cast dawn.

Seeing his face drawn in sadness and hearing softly in the back ground Etta James singing “At Last”….

I asked him “hard night?” and he nodded saying “it wasn’t made any easier after I heard Etta James passed away.” Etta is one of Joe’s favorite female jazz singers.

“It’s like when we lose one of them that we grew up with, we lose a part of ourself too.” he said. I could only hug him; I knew the night had been tough on him and that he always likes to relax with one of his singing ladies. I told him “It may not seem like much but at least she was recognized and we have a large body of her work preserved, she’ll never die.” And I was rewarded with a smile.

Only when things had been difficult or funny would he unload what is on his mind, a young 11 year old Asian girl was kidnapped in the very early morning hours from her parents home by a 40 year old Asian man who was acquainted with the family, a shooting at a undercover officer, the funeral of a 5 year old boy who was shot and killed and his murderer still not found, Joe sent a donation to the family to help with the funeral, he told me a number of officers sent something.

The Occupy Oakland group protesting against the police and vandalizing property along the way. Joe warned me that the Occupy S.F. group was going to be in the financial district, he was worried for me, and I assured him I had my tennis shoes and pepper spray already packed.

But it’s the children that prey on his mind. More than once he’s said “what kind of society shoots, kidnaps, rapes, murders little children? What have we become?”

“When the lights go down in the City….”

He fell asleep on my bed, exhausted as he was reciting the nights event’s, I removed his belt and shoes and covered him with a comforter, set the timer on the coffee maker for when I know he’ll wake up. Seldom has his internal clock failed him.

Fortunately I didn’t have a problem getting to work; my connections were fine as the Ferry plowed through the Bay to my City, even the rain felt so good on my face.

Everyone seemed to want to go slow and be careful in what they were doing, tying up loose ends, dotting I’s and crossing T’s. Making sure that nothing was going to delay their leaving to go home.

“When the lights go down in the City….”

My assistant was worried about getting home, so we planned on leaving together, which turned out to be a good thing. A hundred or so protestors were being an annoyance, I saw one man just upset talking to police, I was told he was parked in an alleyway out of the Occupy’s way and some dozen or so of them surrounded his car and told him to move, he wasn’t even in the car just watching the parade of protestors, until some of them threw paint on his car, it wasn’t an expensive car, it was a working man’s car, part of the 99% and yet they vandalized it.

My assistant and I came to the conclusion that this so called Occupy Wall Street West is nothing more than an excuse to do damage and be vandals under the disguise of being protestors. They have lost any and all creditability with me.

We were wondering how we could get down to either a BART station or the Ferry, in the rain and the wind, so we looked at each other and started singing “Love Me Do” a Beatles song, and sort of danced with briefcases in hand doing our 2012 version of “Laverne and Shirley”, then we switched off to “It’s a Hard Day’s Night” followed by “5 O’clock World” (the Vogues), flipping to “She Loves You, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”, I was surprised my Assistant knew so many of the songs, but she’s a 60’s rock fan. So singing and dancing our way down towards the Ferry dock in our now soaking tennis shoes, people made way for us, even the Occupy protestors, the police officers that were there just smiled, yes we were harmless, we kept it up until we arrived laughing at our destination. And no one stopped us.

Using her cell phone she contacted her Grandparents to tell them where she was going to be when we got on the other side of the Bay. Using the time waiting and riding the Ferry we exchanged our thoughts on the City, on work, on our dreams, she is ambitious and she has smarts, in time when she moves up in the company or takes a better position at another company we can be friends instead of Manager and Assistant.

She was feeling the pull as well as I saw her looking with longing at the City as it receded into the distance.

“Oh I want to be there in my City…ohhhh”

Her Grandparents, met us at the dock, and taking advantage of their kindness they drove me home; I thanked them and wished them a good night and a good weekend.

Joe was still asleep, he was more exhausted than I thought, at least when he woke up it was to good news, the 11 year old Asian girl was found unharmed, they captured the suspect who shot at the police officer, I wish I could have given him more.

The coffee was warm but being so long on the warming plate it had turned bitter, I washed it out and made a fresh brew, dinner was baking in the oven, a simple shepherds pie.

As the coffee dripped through, the dinner baked, and Joe taking a shower, I went out onto the covered balcony and looked out at my City, partially hidden by rain and clouds, the early evening darkness surrounding me, and my City….

I realized I could never leave here, the pull is too strong, I’ll keep my country home but until I can no longer walk those streets, with it’s rain and fog, it’s bustle and hustle, it’s crowds and smells, it’s noise and it’s hidden silence, it’s light and dark, with all it’s contradictions, my eternal hunt for “the black bird”, it’s magic, for all it’s grittiness, has me entwined to its heart…

“For when the lights go down in the City,

And the sun shines on the Bay….

Oh I want to be there in my City…

Oh, oh, ohhhhhhhh”

Later Sweet Things, Kisses.

I bought a car~~~

Well Sweet Things,

I finally did it.

I succumbed to buying a car, a bright red Dodge Challenger. O.K. I know it is not fuel efficient as one would like, but right now I'm buying for fun, not for efficiency.

And I'll have all of you know I am being practical in other ways, I take public transportation to work or I car pool with my neighbor who also works in the City. So for 5 days a week I'm being a 'very good girl'. But on my days off----Growl Look Out!

Now I bought it weeks ago, before Christmas, so it was my Christmas treat to myself.

And the reason why I'm telling you now is some of my blog friends have been asking me why I have not bought my own car.

Well I have to confess, Joe is restoring a old car from the 1940's, and he promised it to me, he loves his bone-jarring jeep and he's rigged it up so that flaps can be put on it to keep the rain out, but that is his car and I'll ride in it when the weather is good, but in this cold?? I'd turn into a Popsicle.

And although I love the idea of driving in a period car, when I'm going to the country I'll need one for those roads.

Oh I know sweet things, but when I'm ready I'll go for efficient, maybe a Dodge caravan 6 cylinder or something, but do not talk to me about a Prius. I know more people who feel they have been taken for a ride by so called promises and it's not delivering according to the advertising.

Our weather persons are promising rain here and I know it's much needed in the mountains, we are almost 70% below normal. I hope we are not heading into drought conditions, although most of my plantings are drought tolerant.

Even though its suppose to be a holiday, I went in early to work to follow the overseas markets, they do not recognize this day. And am making sure what my agenda's will be for the week.

Joe and I have had a few hissy fit arguments of late, fortunately we've made up. We both agreed its the stress that the Occupy Oakland groups are putting on resources. They are so totally disorganized, even the other Occupy groups have official spokes people but the Oakland one is just becoming a haven for criminal elements and homeless, the Oakland group does not have the message. It is lost with them, they are just being disruptive just to be disruptive now and are down grading the message.

At least Joe and I understand what he's going through.

I'm going to be helping him put together his paperwork for his taxes, he doesn't own any property, but he does have some deductions and he's been having more taken out of his paycheck so he'll get a bigger refund. But I've been advising him to consider taking out less and putting it into a short term account so he'll get the interest then if he does have to pay at least he'll be getting the interest and not the government.

And I'm getting the paperwork ready for mine---I do not do mine I have an excellent tax accountant do it, it's one headache I do not need.

I miss the whirl of the Holidays, but really one does need a breather and I've been enjoying the weak sunshine as I walk along the beach here, it makes enjoying coffee an even greater pleasure.

I've decided to join the Art Deco Society, I'm on their e-mail list for events so to be able to get in at a discount will be very nice. I've even managed to persuade Joe to go in for a suit and Fedora, well it wasn't too hard, we had gone to see the movie "J. Edgar" at a matinee and he sort of got caught up in the style of men's clothing in the film.

Heather, wicked child that she is, recorded a recent episode of "Supernatural" in which one of the young heroes meets up with Elliott Ness. I told her to save for when Joe and I have an evening together and we'll all watch it.

Well I did tell him if he's going to restore a 1940's car he might as well dress the part when he drives it. I can just see it now with fake bullet holes put on it. He has been in touch with my future brother-in-law Ted about car restoration, I can see them collaborating on this.

I know Sweet Things this does seem like a lame posting but, really nothing much has been happening, I've seem to have fallen into a routine.

"What"? you might say "The Fabulous Diva into a routine?" Well it does happen. And I have to say there seems to be a comfortable sense to it----at least for now. The cold for some reason is forcing me to hibernate, but with the spring---well Sweet Things we'll see what will happen.

Kisses.

A phone call~~~

Hello Sweet Things,

My Mother and I are going shopping in a few minutes, Dad is at work, Baby sis is with her husband to be (eventually).

While Mom was getting ready I got a phone call from Joe, he said a number of sweet things to me and asked me to seriously consider something which could mean a change in my life, he doesn't want to rush me, as he said "we have all the time in the world."

He is seriously considering retiring from his job and looking at taking another and yes he is a police officer, he wants to stay in that line of work but in another location, away from the Bay Area, but he knows I have my life as well. So he said he'll hang in there until I'm sure about my decision as well. No rush, no time constraints he knows I have commitments as well.

He was married once, a long time ago, she died---cancer, no children, so he knows it means changes in how we live and commit ourselves and our life styles.

He said to not think about it now, to enjoy family and friends, and then later we'll put our ideas and feelings on the table, I could only agree, so we shall see sweet things, we shall see.

Mom is ready so we're off.

Later Sweet Things and Happy Easter.

A dog in one's life~~~

Hello Sweet Things,

Life has a way of thrusting things into my sphere of life, be it adventures, problems, good friends, family events or things that seem to develop for some reason that’s unknown to me~~~at least at this time.

I have traveled up to my country house and had a very nice, relaxing and fun Valentine’s weekend, enjoying the town’s Valentine’s Dance and the Fireman’s Valentine’s Fund raising Pancake Breakfast---they add 7-up to the batter, for some reason it makes it fluffier.

Laughter, catching up with events and people, finding things for the house, enjoying the peace of the area.

And a dog.

In my last blog I told you that when I arrived there was a stray dog on the front porch that my caretakers were not familiar with, but the next day Hal took another look at the dog and said he thought it might belong to an old man who lived on the other side of town, a bit of a recluse in his old age, but he’d come into town from time to time as he needed things in his old truck and a big dog that “rode shoot-gun”.

But what puzzled him is if it’s that same dog why so far away from home? I said that maybe we can find the answer at the Vet’s, I had called earlier and the receptionist said to bring the dog in, the Vet had a very light day for a change she said.

At the Vet’s office we were surprised when the receptionist upon seeing the dog said “Buddy!!! Where have you BEEN!!?” came over and rubbed his head and the dog responded very affectionately. The Vet came out and confirmed that it was Buddy, the old man’s dog.

As sad story in a way, the other day a sheriff’s deputy was doing a standard-welfare check on the old man, it was the deputy’s habit to stop by the fellow’s place every day, especially in the winter time, the old man was over 90 years old and the historical society had made arrangements for the daily check since the elderly fellow had no living family.

The deputy found the old man dead on the back porch from a heart attack, the dog no where to be found, supplies in the back of the truck, but the house was locked. The deputy found strange human foot prints and believed that the old man and his dog had frightened off trespassers and the dog must have chased them for a long time, being so far away from his home the dog wandered around and somehow came to my house.

The Vet told us that Buddy was voice trained so if Buddy ran after any trespassers and the old timer was unable to call out Buddy would have kept after the strangers until exhausted and lost. Somehow the dog must have thought that my house looked familiar and went to the shelter of the front porch until we let him in.

Hal remembered that the old man did come to the house a few times with the dog, delivering old time farm and ranch equipment for the barn for the historical displays, and the dog would romp around the place.

The Vet gave Buddy a through checkup and told us what he is suppose to have, so Josie made arrangements to pick up Buddy’s things and it looks like we have a dog.

The Vet offered to have Buddy bathed, since he had volunteers arriving in a few minutes and we could pick Buddy up later in the afternoon, that way he could also run some blood tests as well to be on the safe side although he pretty much was healthy. I said I would pay for the bill since this was a special case.

The question came up who would be the legal owner of the dog? Josie, Hal and I looked at each other, I could see that Josie would like to have the dog, so then I said, “All three of us” and was happy to see the relief on Josie’s face.

As Hal and Josie left to get Buddy’s things, I said I would walk around the town and would contact them by the cell phone to let them know where I was. We all had planned to come into town anyway for groceries and things and I wanted to look in the antique shops again to see what could be added to the house.

Bit by bit we are having it go back to the 1880’s which isn’t too hard to do, much of what was found in the attic and in the barn could be used, and some pieces were being refurbished but still there was a thing here and a thing there I wanted to add, especially in my Bedroom.

Josie had suggested that I look at an old treadle sewing machine at one of the shops that was in excellent condition, she thought it would look very nice in the very small room to the back of the house, she remembered her Grandmother-in-law saying that way back when it was the sewing room because it got such good light, to keep it warm there was a very small stove and a pot of hot water for tea was always on it, and we had found the vent in the room for the stove and the old stove in the barn, so I suggested that we re-install it, and that did seem right for it to be the sewing room since the cedar lined linen closet was just off of it.

Not only was the sewing machine just right, there was also an antique dress maker’s dummy, so I bought them both, and made arrangements to have Hal pick them up later in the week.

They called me on my cell and we met at the coffee shop for lunch, and there I discovered that word traveled fast about the dog and us. More than once someone came up to us saying they were glad we found the dog and was going to adopt it. Josie told me that she found Buddy’s food, and such and his bed but wanted to wash the bedding at the Laundromat and Hal bought some flea spray and was going to spray the basket while the bedding was washed.

I told them what I had purchased, so after lunch we went back to the shop and Hal set the date and time to pick up the large items while the smaller things I bought were packed in the SUV. Grocery shopping was next, and while we were at the store we ran into some of the historical society board members, they were going to take care of the old man’s funeral arrangements, he left his house to the society with the proviso that anything of value or historical interest be used for the museum or the exhibits that will be set up at the house, fortunately they were not interested in selling the house but instead will rent it out to a family who can maintain it and the income of the rent will pay for taxes and upkeep until they can decide what to do.

We picked up Buddy next and he looked wonderful and ready to go, so with just a few voice commands he took up his space as “shot gun” Josie said to me, “I’ve been displaced!” but Hal with a few words told Buddy to go to the back seat, and he joined me resting his massive head on my lap. Looking at his size I was glad that more food was bought for him.

That evening after dinner we went to the Valentine’s Dance, Buddy came along and was a perfect ‘gentleman’, lying down under the table out of the way and occasionally getting a tidbit from someone. Josie said to me we might have digestion problems during the night---but we didn’t.

I had my share of dances with various partners including one 8 year old boy who appears to have crush on me, I’m going to have to be gentle with him until his attention turns to another girl or cars.

We got back tired but happy, and Buddy was once again in his old sleeping bed, his familiar things with him, but I noticed during the night he’d walk around the house checking things, even coming into my bed room, since I have a habit of opening the door after I’ve dressed for bed, some how it felt very reassuring. And he was a good boy, no accidents.

The next morning dawned a bit gray and cold but the Pancake breakfast was a success, such a huge turn out, and again word had traveled around that Buddy had a new home. At the house I noticed that he seem to prefer being around Josie which was fine since I would only be coming up only now and then, I suspected because Josie is the “food maker” and with his sleeping bed under the kitchen table he can lay there close by the delicious smells of food.

Monday was a relaxing day, I put some of my new purchases for my bedroom up and Hal and I walked about the property to see what to do next, Buddy came with us checking on this and that and seeming to fit in with the place.

Afterwards I felt a bit tired and took a nap, since dinner wasn’t going be on for a few hours but the house bit by bit is coming together as it looked when it was a working place, so not only will we live in it but it is also ready for tours for the season. One thing we replaced esd the stove, the original stove is sitting in the barn waiting to be worked on, and it will go into the smaller foreman’s house, and be used for living history demonstrations, but we replaced it with a more modern one that was rebuilt that uses gas and is also a wood burner, one of the areas for major renovation is the kitchen it had gotten a modern work over in the 70’s but doesn’t look well, fortunately there are some old snapshots showing the old kitchen before the 70’s re-do and we can use those photo’s to re-adapt the kitchen back to it’s original style but with some modern things; we still have to have a way to hide the dish washer. But the pantry room which now looks dreary, we discovered was at one time quiet bright, some how a window got covered up so we are going to restore that as well and we'll put the refrigerator into the pantry area as well, since we discovered that it had been partitioned.

Plans lots of plans.

Hal and Josie e-mailed me saying that Buddy has settled in real well, but when they went back to the old man’s house, Buddy looked around and whined, Josie thinks Buddy is missing his old master. Not knowing what to do she found an old flannel shirt that belonged to the man and placed it in the SUV and Buddy seemed to settle down with that.

They told me that the Historical Society has made arrangements with a retired military vet and his wife to stay in the house to maintain it and keep vandals away, until they can go through and catalog everything and move anything valuable out to a safe location. And they will help the Society with things.

Right now I’m back in the Bay Area coming back on Tuesday Morning and driving directly to work seemed to be the right thing to do. And I caught up with everything,

It will be a while before I go back again, a lot of things to do here and family events.

It’s cold right now as I write this, I’m tempted to start a fire in my fireplace but I need to see if it’s an O.K. day to have a fire first. My friend Janet called me and wants to do something together, she’ll be here any minute, so we’ll decide what to do.

Lillian is still visiting her sons, I had a nice chat with her last night and she’s doing well.

But this cold just creeps into the bones. I will be so glad when Spring finally gets here, although some of the trees are blossoming and Yoshi and I are planning to once again go to the Chinese New Year’s Parade, that means layering on the clothing and be prepared for rain.

Janet is here, time to go.

Kisses, Sweet Things.

Had to Take a Break~~~~

Well Sweet Things,

I just had to take a break from the Bay Area and once again drove down to the Santa Cruz Mountains.

I took a chance that a hotel or motel room would be available, but this time I did not go all the way to Santa Cruz but instead stayed in Brookdale just 5 miles north of Felton on Hywy 9.

I think it was last year that I drove past it on my way to Santa Cruz and thought it would be a quaint place to stay for a night or two.

Work was boring me, and the weather had turned yucky, not warm enough, over cast, just a bore.

I was ahead of things and with WiFi I knew I could keep in touch if I had to, so I made arrangements and on early Thursday evening I took off, Chugged South down 880 and I have to say chugged because it was afternoon going home traffic.

But near Los Gatos I took the opportunity to turn off onto Hywy 9, the back door, granted with it's twists and turns it is slower, but at least people don't try to run you off the road like they do on Hywy 17.

I was so into going along the road that I missed the turn off for Brookdale Lodge and had to back track, not unusual considering how tight things are.

And I was lucky they did have a room available, I had a chance to see the age of the building, it had been around for a long time, and it seems that maintenance is a never ending chore, but the room was comfortable, the water hot, the fellow stayees quiet.

They have a swimming pool, a cafe for breakfast and lunch, a bar, live music on the weekends, and the most fantastic dinning room, a brook runs through it and an excellent dinner, more than enough to eat, I had to take what was left over to my room and finish it later when I dined there on Friday evening.

I was told that I should come in the spring after the rains and see the brook when it runs at it's fullest.

There are some down sides, no air conditioning but it seems that people come to the mountains to get cool and air conditioning is not necessary, heat really is.

So I used Thursday to settle into my room and do a bit of simple exploring in nearby Felton in the evening where I came across a park that had a historic bridge built and had a chance to walk a bit in Henry Cowell redwoods with a family before sunset. It was enchanting, and felt otherworldly

Granted Felton had a number of the "modern" conveniences, like a chain drug store and super market, the Starbucks, but if one looks you can find things that are still "rustic" and "Homey".

Friday I used to see what the town of Brookdale and the other nearby communities, there was a church that had been converted into a museum, I was lucky to get there just as docent was opening it up, I bought a couple of books about the area and took pictures, the lady who was more than happy to talk about things told me about some of the other historic places I should check out and about Roaring Camp, Big Trees Railroad and was advised to get there early for parking----it seems that "Thomas the Tank Engine" was going to be visiting Roaring Camp

Saturday Morning I got up early and had a very good breakfast at the Lodge's cafe, blue berry pancakes and they didn't skimp on the blue berries, I got there early and found parking and was already being overwhelmed by little children and their parents clamouring about "Thomas"

The closest I came come to the excitement is like opening day at Disneyland, a lot of children, a lot of steam whistles and a lot of parents tired before the day begins, but friendly helpful staff at Roaring Camp, I managed to buy a ticket to ride the Narrow Gage train that takes one up Bear Mountain----this was different from the Thomas train ride-----very informative, historical peaceful and just delightful. We even managed to catch a glimpse of a buck I think his antlers we coming out of velvet, of course the children cried out "Bambi", it just stood there for a moment and then trotted off while everyone clicked their cameras.

A lot of old growth and second growth redwoods, all preserved for future generations I'm happy to say and the people of the concession of Roaring Camp also working to preserve it as well.

I've got to admit, I spent time in the "General Store" afterwards buying books in regards to history about California and the West---it seems my library is going to be taking a different turn.

I again had a chance to take a walk from a different end through Henry Cowell Redwoods, seeing it from a different time of day, but I felt at peace with it even though I could hear the steam train whistles it seems as if they were not intruding but a part of the fabric of the area.

I left about 1:30 just when it was getting really, really crowded, but staff was smiling and working to make things run smoothly, I could appreciate that. I also manged to get information about future events they are going to have, I have to plan on going down for Labor Day weekend when they have their Great Train Robbery Event---it should be fun as well as a nice little get away.

I couldn't leave right away as there was a pond with ducks and since I also bought a bag of duck feed I had to toss it to them, all fat and sassy.

In going back through Felton I checked out several place that were more out of the way and quiet and found several to my liking, they still had rooms available for Labor day weekend, but I'll have to reserve them by this week.

When I eventually returned to Brookdale Lodge, I was amazed to see the parking lot filled with antique autos----I found out that they were doing a run from the Bay Area taking Hywy 9 with the owners staying at the Lodge overnight.

I made the acquaintance of one couple that had the most marvelous Model T. They invited me to join them for dinner at this little restaurant in one of the communities that was just two miles away, so jogging and jolting along I had the most fun ride, and enjoyed the wonderful company.

Paul and Gretchen live in Fremont and knew a few acquaintances of mine, they said they were coming up for Labor Day weekend as well and recommended one place that was on my list, it seems they are also members of a Gunfighters re-enactment group that is taking part in the Great Train Robbery event. Now I have to go.

But all too soon Sunday morning has come, I had to return back to my home. My new books are now on my shelves waiting for me to read, in checking my e-mail and work everything is going smoothly.

So now I just have to do a little grocery shopping, pick up my mail from Lillian and treat her to dinner and tell her about my travels.

This next weekend I need to go to my gold country properties, I know it's going to be hot, thank goodness my car has air conditioning. I'll also be taking some more clothes to my country house and see how things are going with them.

But after my little "escape" from the world----I'm beginning to wonder do I want to continue to do what I'm doing---do I want to do something else. These are things I'm going to have to ponder on.

I know I have to make money, and my money needs to make money even in these tough times, it will take some careful consideration.

Until later, Kisses Sweet Things.

Next weekend I'll be visiting my gold country properties.

An Easter Update

"Perry! Perry! Can you hear me?? Darn these low cost cell phones! Perry, can you hear me?
I'm down in the wilds of what-ever, I'll be in the office by Wednesday. Perry? Can you hear me? Perry?? Perry!!!"

~~~~~~

Hello Sweet Things, I've been visiting my family for the Easter Break, it's been much better than I expected, many, many positive changes. I'll be back by Thursday and will post more later.

Until then take care everyone.

Changes and Buying Things~~~~

Well Sweet Things, I’m back.

And I think I need to ‘splain myself.

I had remarked to dear Sweet Fram things about change and moving and such, and it seems that I received inquires here on my blog, from Mean Kitty and others, as well as a question by Fram, why was I moving or changing?

Well Sweet Things, it’s not so much moving as it is investing. My own home is almost paid off, and with interest rates being so low I began thinking (gently encouraged by Fram---you little devil, you ***smiling ;)*** ) that purchasing property would be a good thing about now, of course it depends on where and how one purchases it and for what reason.

I am of the belief that things will take a turn for the better, of course first the stock market has to improve then the economy and then finally joblessness will start going down ward and when that happens, spending goes up and so does the interest rates.

But now is a good time, as much as I would like to buy in Santa Cruz or by the sea, the values haven’t gone much lower in the areas where I prefer, but there are some areas where one can find bargains.

I took a few days off and went into the Gold Rush Country having made an appointment with a reputable and well recommended real estate agent to look to purchase some property, Fram you are right, the time is perfect now with the much lower interest rates and although it’s harder to get a home loan one can still find them.

I had been looking for a while in listings in the Sierra Foothills, granted with drought conditions and worries about wild fires perhaps the Sierra Foothills is not the best area to buy, but it is the most affordable. And I was looking really for a place to both rent out for vacation rentals and make an income with as well as an investment that will increase in value (as all things must) and eventually make a profit from should I decided to sell when the time is right. Or given that I can be a bit of a “changeling” eventually move to if I should decide to just ‘chuck it all’.

And if I should decide to do the latter I can always rent out my home here in the Bay Area and make an income from it as well.

I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and now is the time to make my move to purchase.

This last weekend, I narrowed it down to two properties, both were very, very affordable, and fortunately both were and are handled by the same agency.

So I bought both!

Alright Sweet Things, why both---well I just couldn’t make up my mind!!! Simple as that!

The first property is in Merced, yes, at the gateway to Yosemite, a very simple ranch style board and batten house, two bedrooms 1 ½ baths, rustic but with modern plumbing, on one full acre, currently it’s being rented by a family that has resided there for the last 8 years, the husband was out of work for 6 months and finally got another job, they had hoped to buy the house but were not in a position to, but I talked to them and we’ve agreed to continue on with the lease that is in place (I’m over simplifying) they have kept the place up in great condition, and they plan to continue to live in the area until they are in a position to buy their own place, but that may take time and I know from the previous owner that they are excellent tenants so I’m not in a rush to have them move, and I don’t think they are in a rush to leave.

The second property, well this had a sad story which I was able to give a happy ending, the agent put me on to it. It’s within a short walking distance to a historic gold rush town (sorry, I do need to keep the location private) lovely old Victorian built mid 1870’s, owned by the same family since then, but now the people who own it made the mistake of taking out a very high interest HELOC to do repairs, well repairs done but they were only paying the interest on the HELOC and were planning to renegotiate the terms but the husband was stricken with congestive heart failure, and is now on disability, the wife works and they are able to make the interest payments, but they were not in a position to re-negotiate, they were having a hard time paying the outstanding medical bills and were afraid they were going to lose the family home.

I talked to them, they are both in their early 50’s and have no children, so when they die there will be no one to inherit the house, but they are also afraid of being out on the street, they agreed to sell me the house for the cost of the HELOC plus a little extra to pay off the balance on the medical bills, and in turn would pay me rent and keep up the place for me.

And with the much lower interest rate the amount of the rent will cover everything and it’s more affordable for them, they no longer have to worry about insurance, property taxes, the painful HELOC or medical bills and they know that the house with the original furniture will go to someone who will appreciate it when they pass on and they can live there for the remainder of their lives. They’ve also agreed to keep one bed room and full bath just for my use when ever I plan to stay there when I want to get away from the Bay Area.

I had wondered about why they didn't consider a reversable mortgage, but it turns out you have to be 62 and older to do that, they were too young. And they were worried that the house would be torn down and modern condos put up. Just would not do.

So with what it would cost me to buy a house in the Bay Area in poor condition, I’ve been able to negotiate purchasing two income properties in very good condition, with the income from both to cover the payments, insurances and taxes, plus a bit extra to cover other things, and have two very good tenants residing in them.

Of course I’m over simplifying, the whole process is more complicated, but that’s it in “a nut shell”. So the changes for me was thinking and purchasing income investment property, a greater financial security, looking towards the future and a place to go to should I feel the need.

But that will not stop my “foot-looseness”, if I want to just get up and go for a weekend I can, I have to admit that going into the Sierra Foothills, with flowers blooming, and all that fresh greenery was very refreshing, seeing different places, talking to different people, feeling a different pace of living. It is a start.

I don’t know if in the end I’ve done the right thing, but something tells me that I have, so if one is going to think or do changes, one has to start somewhere, right or wrong, one does have to start somewhere.

And Fram, thank you for the compliment on my changes in writing style, I know that this is not like the other two, but…well…one does have to try things and see what works. And I am glad that in some way my Web Log encouraged you to do your own, I do enjoy reading yours as well.

Now it’s a very warm evening, and I’m tired from driving, but Lillian is coming over later with Coffee Ice Cream, and I cannot resist Coffee Ice Cream, with walnuts. Mmmmmmm.

The Diary continues---shocks and changes

March 10, 2009 6:30 p.m.

Lillian came by earlier and brought in my mail and newspaper, I had given her a key to my house, so she can come and go without having to get me out of bed, more Chicken Soup but also some fresh baked, sweet French bread, “Just heat it a little in the oven” she said, but it was so fresh and the smell is so wonderful, it made me think of quaint side walk Bistros in Paris.

She couldn’t stay, one of her friends was coming by to pick her up and they are going ---are you ready for this?---Bowling---she’s on this Senior Bowling Team and she plans to help beat this other team in some sort of Bowling competition---more power to her.

Resting has helped and it seems that a fever is trying to break, I keep sweating on and off, drink hot Chamomile tea and take plenty of fluids is always the best. Yoshi will be coming over later with some more cold meds and Kleenex as well as the updates I need.

Frank called to see how I was doing and to offer any help, and so did Joe, he told me that Frank called him to let him know. I owe each and everyone one of them for their help, I am in their debt.

Yoshi has arrived and we will review things, at least she got her Flu shot and she says I most likely was contagious the few days before I developed the symptoms. I hope she’s right I’d hate for her to come down ill.

March 10, 2009 8 p.m.

Yoshi has left to go home, she’s taking Wednesday off and said that Dan will cover my clients until she goes back on Thursday. I was going to go back to bed but I got another call this time from baby sis, she said she wasn’t coming up for Spring Break and that plans had been changed.

What she told me has my mind reeling. Ever since last Christmas, she said, there have been changes and that she and Mother wondered if Father is the same person.

When she told me what happened I asked her if something hit him in the head to cause this change, and she said to me “You are what hit him in the head, at least verbally”

After I left to go home but before New Years, Father sat Mother and baby sis down at the dinning room table and started to ask questions. All kinds of questions, their desires and goals what they liked and disliked, and then he told them what he liked and disliked. Then he asked them what they wanted that would make things easier and more comfortable..

Baby sis said that Father listened to them very carefully and it was one of the longest evenings they had, they wrote things out and formulated a plan, there had to be compromises, but it was all workable.

Baby sis said that Geek-wanna-be boyfriend is out of the picture, he had been told by Father to not come by the house that since she (baby sis) was not interested in getting married but focusing on getting a degree and a career that he should not pin any marriage hopes on her. Father told Geek-wanna-be that he (Father) wants baby sis to discover life and find out what she wants in life and that maybe marriage, especially at a young age would create greater dissatisfaction as baby sis got older

Next, Father bought and had installed for Mother a dish washer, one that is just right for the household, and he bought a brand new refrigerator that looks old fashion like the old Frigidaire's but is frost free---now that was not cheap, I know how much they cost because I bought one for my house--- Alright sweet things, I love old things, but I want modern conveniences too. Both of these items have saved Mother a lot of extra work and are more efficient.

And, shocks of shocks, he bought a combination radio/phonograph/ tape player-recorder and CD player----but it looks old fashioned, right out of the 1930’s but its modern, it even has a table that matches the style of the old phonographs of that period. Baby sis said it blends right in with the old furniture. But there are some restrictions, the PBS radio stations are permitted and classical music and there is a news radio program that he likes, but it is not to be turned on at dinner time.

While she is telling me these things I’m thinking that I am having a delusional dream but no, it’s real. I asked her where did Father get the money and she said that Father “Opened the wallet and let the moths fly out”, he had been saving and saving not only in his retirement fund, and in the regular savings account but also in a savings account that Mother was not aware of.

This was my Father??? I asked her again “Are you sure Father didn’t slip and fall somewhere and hit his head?” Baby sis said no, but she remembered what I had written to her about in a long letter that I sent to her via Ms. Lambe.

So she told Father that many people were looking for old things but didn’t want to lose the modern conveniences, but what they do to conceal them. And she gave him a lot of examples. Baby sis told me that Father said that there were many changes that he was not happy with, and didn’t feel comfortable and felt that a number of them didn’t belong in their house, but that some things could be acceptable. And he was willing to work with them, Mother and baby sis were willing to work with these compromises, currently no television or Internet, but they could use the Internet connections at the Library.

Baby sis said that if she could figure out a way to bring the Internet into the house without it feeling like a threat to Father she was going to work on that and for me to think of ideas---Me!! Think of ideas?? When I’m trying to absorb all this new information on top of the Flu???!!!

They’ve taken Father to a few antique shops, but the biggest revelation to Father is when they took him to a Vintage antique show sponsored by an Art Deco Society.

“You should have seen Father’s eyes pop out” said baby sis, “And Mother was in Heaven” it seems that since Mother sews her own clothes some people have asked if she could sew up a few dresses for them. Father made the very big commitment for Mother to purchase modern patterns that are reproductions of vintage styles in different sizes. But, and this was a very big revelation, “There was a group of people who were selling CD’s of music they recorded. Songs from the 20 through the 40’s, Father heard them and he liked it, so he bought a couple of the CD’s!”

At the Vintage Art Deco Show, baby sis met a young man that she likes that goes to the same college she does and is in a couple of her classes, so she introduced him to our Parents. It seems he loves Art Deco and old fashioned things but his personality is totally different friendly, outgoing, balanced, and he’s been to the house a couple of times for dinner and all 4 of them have long talks over coffee about the world and likes and dislikes. So far Father seems to like him.

I almost fainted when baby sis told me that.

Baby sis said that Mother added some bright colored pillows to the couch and chair, and some pretty crocheted dollies, she even picked up some nice vases at the thrift store and put those silk flowers in them and they’ve brightened up the rooms, it’s so much more cozy, comfortable and inviting.

So Mother is making extra money sewing, and is planning to take classes in hat making.

And there is more, but ---and here is where even I had to take a deep breath----baby sis asked if I could come down and stay a few days over the Easter period in April. I’ve never gone to visit them at Easter, but baby sis was insistent. “Don’t drive, come down by train, we’ll pick you up” it seems that it was Father’s idea.

Baby sis says that I have to see what is happening, and she implied that maybe it might be a good thing for Father and I to be on ‘speaking terms’ again, to see the changes. I have agreed to go down, but I told her I had to make some arrangements as Easter time is always difficult to get any vacation time, and I would up date her as soon as I was able.

I knew that since that Christmas when I send letters to Mother she reads them and then gives them to Father to read, but instead of him destroying it like he did with the others he just gives it back to her, but, says baby sis, now Father is saying little things like “I’m glad our daughter is doing well” ‘Our Daughter’???!!! That is a change, I thought, what has happened? Plus it’s alright for baby sis to call me long distance, provided it’s evening or night rates, unless it’s an emergency, and she can receive letters from me at the house.

So here I am, sick and feeling weak, I’m hearing things that are making me think that I’m hallucinating, but no they are real, I played back my answering machine and I hear baby sis’s voice just as I picked up. And now all this.

I know it is impossible for such sudden changes to happen in a man who has been inflexible for so many years, the only thing I could think of is that he is ill, perhaps with cancer and is trying to make up for things before he dies.

Before I hung up I asked baby sis to try and find out if Father is well and what to watch for, but she says that he hasn’t shown any of those symptoms, and is not planning on taking a retirement either, as a matter of fact even though there has been some reductions in the company that he’s working at, through attrition and a hiring freeze, they’ve asked him to stay on and not take a retirement because he knows so much of the workings of the company.

I knew that the company that he works for is in good financial shape (although not great) and should be able to weather things, so for him to retire would really be at his convenience, but for him to say he’d stay on told me that maybe he wasn’t ill. So now I have a sort of mystery on my hands, but I won’t have any answers until I travel down.

For now I’ll put it to one side, and focus on getting better from this Flu, my fingers are tired and slipping.

Until later Sweet things, stay well and be healthy.

P.S. Would that I currently look as beautiful as Ava, but right now I'm with a red nose, red eyes, flannel P.J's and Robe, fuzzy wuzzy slippers, an achey body and head, and carrying my box of Kleenex (Oh pooh --aaachoo!) Not so very glamoures. But determined to get better.