We need "a Little Christmas"

Hello Sweet Things,

I love flash drives, I can write and save with them and then down load when I have a chance. I love them.

So far the Christmas Season is in all it’s wonderful tinsel and wet glory here in the Bay Area, many people in my neighborhood have put out their Christmas Decorations and are refusing to allow the darkness of the economic situation dim their spirits.

GOOD FOR THEM!!!

Lillian and I had a marvelous time at the Dickens Fair “meeting” with all the characters from the Dickens’ novels as well as ones from Jules Verne and even Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, saw the queen and her prince consort, Father Christmas, Fagin, Marley’s Ghost, even Mr. Scrooge himself running around in his nightgown and cap wishing everyone “Happy Christmas” and many more characters both fictional and historical, including Mr. Dickens himself giving readings, Mark Twain, dancing at Mr. Fizzewig’s party.

And the smells of fudge, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking of cookies, meat pies, ‘bangers’, roasting chestnuts, bread pudding, mash potatoes and gravy and the calliophie of sounds, even a chimney sweep kissed Lillian’s’ hand and wished her Happy Christmas.

We were very fortunate that we managed to travel to the Cow Palace without any problems with rain, we managed to miss the heavy squalls, although while we were there at the London Dock’s area we heard this heavy thunderous noise, I looked up at the metal roof and realized it was the rain pouring down in heavy gushers, which soon passed.

Both Lillian and I were wearing long skits, but she insisted that we get period hats and get more into the “spirit” of it. How could I possibly refuse her suggestion? So I chose one with Christmas holly on it, just for the season.

The Marines were there in full dress uniforms collecting either toys or donations for Toys for Tots, I even gave a check in addition to the toys I had collected, even though I can’t give as much as I want I wanted to give something to guarantee that a child will have something for Christmas.

I remember the Christmases in which I grew up and there was no Christmas tree, and only just one toy if any. All due to my Father’s mistaken belief of what was the season, but that has changed with him. I have been told by Baby Sis, that this weekend they are going to shop for a tree, already Baby Sis has bought lights and several boxes of ornaments that look old-fashioned and Dad had the outside of the house decorated with lights for Christmas. He had special hooks installed so it would be easy to drape the lights without falling off of a ladder. Something we don’t want to have happen to anyone.

But what Baby Sis is concerned about is Dad going overboard on the gift giving, we both agreed that he didn’t have to make up for those Christmases past, that he has already done that especially with Mother and all the concessions that he has made. We told him this over Thanksgiving, both she and I told him to not give us a present of any kind, but that it was just fine to spoil Mother, what he had done has made up for a lot of sadness, it’s like that song from “Auntie Mamie” called ‘We Need a Little Christmas’.

I had been racking my brain about what to give him, but Sis told me that Dad is interested in old time Detective Stories, I asked if he had any of the Sherlock Holmes and she said no, so I found a complete volume that includes pictures as drawn by Sidney Paget, and for Mother I found an antique pin that had her exact initials on it.

Baby Sis told me to not get anything for her or Ted, they were just happy that I was coming down. Baby Sis and I discussed about Dad’s change and we agreed that if Dad wanted to spoil any future Grandchildren that was fine as long as it didn’t go overboard.

Sis told me that all though Dad had been parsimonious with us, there was some value behind it, it was all a matter of balance, she was concerned that if she had children that they would become too involved in material things and forget the spiritual. I said that it was all a matter of upbringing and schooling and who the child’s friends are. I said that as long as the home was loving and warm, and with the understanding that spiritual wealth is more important than material, it should balance out.

It was important to have enough for food, shelter, clothing, health, insurances, and transportation, but all the fancy extras are just that, fancy extra’s.

Then I asked her what was she getting at. Well, Sis and Ted want to announce their engagement at the Christmas party at Ted’s Family house two days before Christmas and we’re all invited since Ted’s folks know Mom and Dad but they haven’t met Big Sis (Me), and she said they all seem to be expecting something.

Sis told me that the wedding will still be several years off because she wants to get her Master’s degree and Ted is just completing his, and he wants to be sure of his employment and income which right now looks a bit precarious, so waiting and saving is a good idea.

Oh Sweet Things, this is going to be a very Happy Christmas indeed. I’m keeping my Dickens’s hat with the holly for next year and the long skit; I’m looking for a Victorian style blouse to go with it, Lillian has agreed that next year we’ll get a “Fair Ever” pass so we can go back more than once for it’s just a lot to see just one time.

Now I must go, I have a busy day today, I’ve come in early to work and then off to do more shopping, I’ve spotted a music box that I know Lillian will like, I was surprised to discover that she collects music boxes. And Yoshi’s Mother loves a particular make of candy, which she doesn’t have too often, Yoshi said that she just wants gift cards to Nordstrom’s, Thank you Yoshi, for making it easy on me. And I think I’ll look for a copy of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” for myself, there’s this marvelous old book store where I can find a copy.

So until Later, Kisses Sweet Things.

My "Antique" Desk arrived~~~~~

Hello Sweet Things,

Yesterday proved to be a bit of a busy day for "home bound" me. The desk that I purchased a month ago was delivered yesterday, thanks to my friends, and now sits in my home office.

I'm not being able to lift things Yoshi and her brother moved things around for me until it was placed just right, and then Mom treated them (and myself) to a wonderful Roast Beef dinner that she cooked herself, there was so much that Mom packed much of it for Yoshi to take home to her Mother.

Yoshi told me that I owe her and I reminded her about the "Pole Dance Contest" and my sore toes, so she said "O.K. we're even."

Yoshi also told me that she saw a similar desk like mine at another antique shop, but the asking price was more than what I paid for.

Mother just loves the look of the desk, now we have to go to some vintage stores and look for 1940's or 50's desk accessories---Well I am seeing my Doctor again next week, and I am feeling much better and stronger, but the only thing is to avoid heavy lifting for another 4 weeks and I should be fine.

Since I don't do any heavy lifting at work that won't be a problem so I'll be able to return to work on Nov. 2 without restrictions. So to antique stores we will go, it will be nice for Mother.

Joe treated me to a nice little ride out to the Sonoma wine country on Wednesday, he rented a light weight wheel chair in case I got tired, which I did, but it was so wonderful seeing the Fall colors and having a little wine tasting. I bought several bottles of different varieties, a wonderful Merlot, and a very sprightly white wine---no my Dears I'm not going to tell you which one's, if there is anything I've discovered is that it's always best to let the individual select what they like and not say 'Oh I like such and such and so and so' .

Mother wasn't bored either, she and Lillian went out to Lunch to "Angela's" here in my hometown, and then went to do some shopping, she needed the break.

But the good thing is she doesn't have to do as much for me now, I can do light dusting while she does the heavy vacuuming, but I keep warning her to not over do, I can always hire a maid service to come in and clean. She insists on hand washing every dish and knife, fork and spoon and I keep telling her "Mom, that's what a dishwasher is for, please use it" But she does what she does.

We've talked to Dad and baby sis on the phone every few days, I can tell Dad misses Mom, but he says that baby sis and her boyfriend have been keeping him company when he comes home from work and Trixie always demands her walks.

I'm planning on taking the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off and driving down to the family's home for Thanksgiving, but I'm going to have to leave Sunday to be back to work on Monday, but I'm going to take the train down again just a couple of days before Christmas and come back a couple of days after New Years, I have this vacation time that I need to use or lose.

I've been in touch with my tenants and they are doing fine, I was sad to miss the Harvest Festival but it couldn't be helped.

So now I'm going to get dressed and Mom and I are going to go to a few shops and have a late Lunch out, I might be pushing it, so I'll have to pace myself. Anyway I do need to buy candy for Halloween, we do get a fair amount of children coming around and this year Halloween is on a Saturday, Lillian said her Grandson is going to be with her to hand out candy and keep an eye on her.

Frank and Joe told me they are going to be pulling overtime, Halloween is always "Mischief Night" and sometimes not so nice. I told them to come to my house afterwards no matter what time to "crash out" I've got cots for them. I've seen how exhausting it can be.

Oh my, Mom wants to go to the Food Shop (as I call it) on Park St. to check out the pumpkins and squashes, she wants to make pumpkin bread and pumpkin soup, and a few Fall comfort foods. I suspect she wants to try out some recipes that she's seen on the cooking shows, I know I'll have to go to the gym after she leaves, I haven't gain weight but now that she's experimenting I'll have to be prepared.

I'll be sorry to see her leave to go home, she's going to take the train home the day before Halloween, Dad, baby sis and Ted will pick her up at the station, I know by that day I'll be in good shape but I will miss her company, we made up for a lot of lost time, something which I am so glad for.

But I also have to admit I am "itching" to get back to work, I miss that, as much as I enjoyed being a "Lady of Leisure" it was also boring as well. My desire to do things and not being able to do them frustrated me, well next week after I see my Doctor it will be Hairstyling, manicure and pedicure, I'm treating Mom as well, I've managed to book all day spa treatments at the Claremont, Mom is going to be pampered in high style. Lillian suggested it and will be joining us for the day.

I have to admit I do enjoy the Fall weather, when it's not pouring down rain in "gully washers"

Now to get dressed, Mother is restless not that I blame her.

Until later Sweet Things, Kisses.

Of Shopping, Reporters, Guns shows and Poker~~~But mostly shopping

Well Sweet Things once again we experienced a heat wave last week, a very muggy one at that, but our weather persons predicted that it would cool down a little by Sunday with some dry lighting----HAH!!

Not only did we have the lighting we also had some serious showers, which would have spoiled an outdoor wedding for one couple that was planning to be married on the beach near my home, but ever resourceful Lillian came to the rescue and called a few favors and before you knew it up went some of the neighbors e-z up shades that fend off all but the most worst droplets and it was one very happy, laughing couple ---yes Sweet Things, I was among the rescuers with an e-z up shade. At least the vows were held at 11 a.m. and everyone was off to the reception which was moved indoors just in case.

I have to admit life with Lillian as a neighbor is never dull and that is one of many reasons why I love her.

Last Friday I got home early from work which gave Lillian and me to finally do the curtain and drape shopping that needed to be done to replace the ones that were destroyed earlier this year.

I’m sure some of you are thinking “well it took long enough”, to be honest it didn’t feel very high on my priority list because of the work that had to be done in my own home, the floors were refinished, the walls painted and for an accent one of them wall papered, my couch redone, a chair and a few end tables replaced, and bit by bit the lamps, I even got a new area rug, it wasn’t until I had all of that that my thoughts turned towards the curtains and drapes.

And my lawyer neighbor whose tree it was that started my re-decorating has been as good as his word about paying the bills, what the insurances didn’t cover he did. How rare to find that quality in a person.

Well I did baby sit for him and his wife their two little ones while they went out for an anniversary dinner 4 weeks ago. And very good children too, dinner early and instead of asking for a movie, they wanted to play a board game, Scrabble Junior, so I asked if Lillian could come over and be a 4^th player, it made for an interesting evening, we all laughed so much getting into friendly debates about the legitimacy of a word. We did have to lay down some rules; abbreviations such as “TMI”, “OMG”, “ROTFLMAO”, “BFF”, “IMHO” etc. did not count.

But late Friday night in a fit of energy I totally stripped out the bathroom and gave it a very through cleaning and Saturday (after the wedding event) Lillian and I went to see what we could find at IKEA or Bed, Bath and Beyond. Frankly I adore the things at BB and B but I knew Lillian wanted to see what IKEA had so I indulged her; we even swung by Target as well.

Yes Sweet Things it was an orgy of shopping, we even went into the City last Sunday to see what the shops in Union Square had to offer. Sometimes one has to do that.

Today I went to the Cow Palace again for their Gun Show, and I enjoyed myself completely. I saw a lot of nice people, and a lot of nice guns, this time quiet a few antiques and collectibles, and surprisingly a lot of survival things. I have a feeling that this might be a future trend. (Along with another heat wave)

I just hope that the idiot legislatures don’t put a crimp into that by passing that stupid legislation banning Gun Shops at the Cow Palace. It’s only a “feel good” legislation which will promptly go to court and be another waste of the tax payer’s money.

I’d written to my Senator and Assembly person protesting about it and urging them to vote no, as if these idiots would listen to common sense

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Now it’s before the Governator, and I have written to him as well, I hope he veto’s it.

If he doesn’t it will come up for a lawsuit by the NRA.

If I didn’t love the Bay Area so much or parts of California in general I’d move to another state. Hmmmm I really don’t see why I can’t anyway, there’s property in Nevada near Carson City that looks good or Arizona.

Oh wouldn’t that be rich, buying a place say in Tombstone, Arizona.

Ahhh but it is a question of visiting the family as well. This is something I’m going to have to think upon for future, owning the property and having it pay for itself is important, but it needs to be in an area that I’m going to like and have that special “something” that makes it special to me.

Arrggggh!!! See what happens when one goes Shopping!!! Decisions, decisions!!!

And more shopping this week, well I have my tennis shoes on and Lillian and I will make the most of it. Yes Sweet Things, I still have vacation time to use up, because the last couple of years I barely used my vacation I was asked by Corporate to use it up this year to get back to into sync with what I would normally have---***sigh*** well there is an advantage with being connected to work from home so I can take time off and keep tabs as well.

So I’ve taken this week off to finish redecorating my house, it’s not dark like it use to be reflecting at the time what I was emotionally going through, now it’s more fun, I’m looking for pieces that look like it was from the stylish 40’s and 50’s sort of an art Moderne without going into those extreme Picasso styles. Clean lines that could also support Art Deco as well if I wanted to.

Yesterday I saw a desk with matching chair at this Antique Coop here in town with clean curved lines, the drawers dove tailed and pulled smoothly, with even a drawer for a file to hold current files, in a light blond wood. I was pleased that it barely had any scratches on the surface so I bought it for my at home office, but it’s not going to hold my computer, that is going to be on another work table, no I want this one to be clear for me to do other paper work.

But Lillian, who was with me, drew my attention to this typewriter that was displayed on top of it, I hadn’t noticed it before because my attention was taken up with the desk, but when I saw the provenance on the typewriter I could understand why there were tears in Lillian’s’ eyes.

The typewriter, a reporter’s lap top portable Remington belongs to a long time news reporter, Everett Johannes. Lillian introduced me to Everett when I first moved into town, he was semi-retired then from the local paper, still writing local color pieces.

He, along with former Mayor Terry LaCroix was at the Tahoe Apartments when a navy Jet crashed into them in 1971, resulting in a huge disaster, Everett was the first reporter at the scene that was how he met Lillian, she lived across the street and he asked to use her phone so he could call the story in.

The story about this event can be found at www.alamedastories.org under “Front Line Mayor” as a digital story.

I noticed that Everett always called Lillian “Joan” and although he was told my real name he started called me “Ava”. I found out from Lillian that he was a real film buff always preferring the old films when stars were stars, so he had a habit of addressing the Ladies by nick names of the female stars that they might have resembled. A flattering bit of style and also a way for him to not have to remember the real names.

So from time to time the three of us would get together for drinks and dinner, and he told me about the town back in the days when it was a real town with real characters. He had been a reporter since his high school days, he never thought of any other career, he worked for a number of large newspapers, but eventually came back to his home town started working for the local newspaper and settled in.

He always found something interesting and he told me that this town was never boring, he was right. The last 18 months he didn’t come out of his apartment because of a disfiguring growth, a type of goiter that was impossible to operate on because of his age, from time to time he would call me and I always returned his calls and we had nice chats on the phone.

He died earlier this year in his mid-eighties, I and Lillian attended his memorial service, he never married, and left his estate to his younger brother and this was his typewriter. It was in beautiful condition, he took loving care of it

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I asked the shop owner since the desk that I bought was just recently displayed in the window, if he wouldn’t mind continuing to display it until he got in another desk to preserve the vignette of the display, the owner agreed. I didn’t have the heart to break up the display at this time, but instead I found a hat in the shop of the type that Everett wore and draped it over one corner of the upright cover of the typewriter, as if Everett just returned from covering a story and in his haste put his hat there as a convience, the shop owner liked it, it gave immediacy to the scene.

No Sweet Things, I don’t think I’ll buy the typewriter as much as I’m tempted to, but I’m going to take a picture of it for my memories. I just hope someone will buy it who will appreciate it.

So now Sweet Things, I’m going to join Lillian, Joe and Frank and few other friends at her place for an outdoor buffalo wings and other goodies Poker Night. All proceeds to go to charity. We write out a check to the charity and we receive in return that amount in chips, the winners with the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd highest amounts will receive prizes

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I think it’s going to be a long night and a very warm one.

Kisses Sweet Things.