The First Rainy Day

Its raining.

Today is the first rainy day of the fall season. I guess I am officially a Northern Californian, as I am actually happy to see the clouds cover the blue sky, feel the moisture in the air, and enjoy the bittersweet pain of wondering what I left uncovered in the yard. So far, its been just a smattering of drops, enough to count, but not enough to overwhelm. I like it. Whenever I have rain, I think of the ocean, and of waves coming onto the shore. I think of spending lots ot days baking on the sand and then freezing in the water with my dear Charles, now departed. I think of walking in the rain along the ocean near Eureka, picking up blue and green glass that was perfected by waves and sand. Yep, I love the first rain for the memories that it brings me. Its a good thing to browse in the past for a bit, and ignore the now and the coming.

I will not think of bills, or problems or bad economic forcasts or second rate candidates for office. For now I won't think about wet dogs and eroding slopes in the yard. I won't worry about slippery pavement with grandkids biking to school and daughters driving around town. I won't think about the fence slat installation project that I vowed would be completed before the rains came. Nope. Not me. I am going to enjoy the change of seasons. Yep. Worry free, that's me. Well, gotta go close the vents on the RV......it was nice while it lasted.

I'm back.....I will survive.

OK, so I've been offline for 2 1/2 months. It's been an up and down time for me...not able to focus much. I ended what was a spectacular vacation to Scandinavia by getting pickpocketed in Helsinki Finland. Yes, I know, it happens to lots of folks. But for me...being cashless, passportless and credit cardless all alone in a far away place was more than a drag. It all worked out OK, the only thing lost was about $1500, a few days and a bit of confidence. And it helped me learn that I can handle pretty much what is thrown at me.



But it was sort of the beginning of a bad run. You know how that goes, once one poo hits the fan it turns into a regular flying poo-fest.



When I got home, my computer died. Then I found out that my beloved friend from childhood had died while I was gone overseas. Then my mentor in the dogworld died. Then my job died. Then the a/c on my car died. Then Hillary's campaign died. Then the economy died. The list goes on, but you get the picture. So I hid. I went into my house, slept 14 hours a day and watched TV for another 8. Days went by without my bathing, brushing my teeth or dressing. I didn't go to church, I didn't go shopping, I didn't seek my friends. I still have no sheets on my bed...just a blanket under and a blanket on top. I ate enough ice cream and cheese to close the arteries of a large ox. Mourning, depression, call it what you will. But I'm pulling out of it, bit by bit.



I bought a new life insurance policy...so am guaranteed not to commit suicide for at least two years. Having closed off that escape route, I tried to decide what to do for money to supplement my retirement. Since CA decided that the services of "retired annuitants" like me were no longer useful, I actually filed for unemployment. This is the first time I have ever done this. It seems that a) the State will give me money to stay home and decide what I want to do next and b) I am actually sort of excited about deciding what I want to do next. I cannot take a retired annuitant job for a year once I take UI so that path is now closed. That means I won't be sitting around waiting for a call back to work, wondering how I should plan to proceed. I didn't realize that I had gotten really tied to that process. I will certainly miss my friends and the work energy that exists in that office. But now that the door is open, seems that there is actually some light out there.



So, for now, I'm pondering. No decisions, but lots of strands emerging. I'm trying on some new skin, being brave enough to bathe and brush my teeth and actually head out the door once in a while. I have several posts for this blog that I want to write in the coming days, so hope you'll join me as I peek up over the edge of the pit.



It's a new day.

Norway is Wonderful

Well, much to my surprise, I am thoroughly enchanted by Norway. Oslo was a wonderful city, full of life and art. The city is very clean, and has a new scupture every three or four feet it seems. We did the 'Hop on, Hop off' tour which allowed me to cruise through the whole city and get an overview. Of course we were rushed, this is the whirlwind tour, but I had time to visit the Folk Museum, the Kon-Tiki Museum (Old Thor H was one of my heros when I was a younger gal...I loved the back to nature, living in the wilderness naked with a pointy stick and a fishing line idea...) and the wonderful wonderful sculpture park in Frogner-Park. As the tour guide said, if you haven't been to Frogner-Park, you haven't been to Oslo. The park is immense, with hundreds of life size sculptures in it. It is the lifework of Gustav Vigeland, Norway's most famous sculptor. The works are in bronze, granite and iron and are excellent. There is a beautiful fountain surrounded by rose gardens, and a VERY phallic monolith composed of 121 figures all carved from a single piece of stone...I believe it to be granite. I could have spent at least a full day there, maybe more. If I was to re-do the trip, I most certainly would have booked at least one more full day in Oslo.
(There you go, Jami, a paragraph.XXOO)
But, we were off to the next adventure, we went by train to Myrdal, and then by cog railway to Flåm. It is a most beautiful trip, with high mountains and crashing waterfalls all along the way. Getting on and off trains is a bit of a challenge, as my traveling companions are carrying their full load of luggage (thank you Annica for letting me stash my 'stuff' till I get back to Stockholm). But once on board, all goes smoothly. At Flåm we boarded a ferry and cruised across a crystal clear fjord to Balestrand, a precious little town on the edge of the water. We stayed at a lovely hotel, Kvikne's, which has been there forever. I went up to the 'English' church, an Anglican outpost in the land of the Lutherans, for evening services. The tiny church is very beautiful, with 9 stained glass windows and a beautiful view. The pastor used the Mary-Martha text to talk about the importance of women in the world and in religion...nice choice, I must say. Then these three young people came by. Cristina, David and John (?) I think their names were. They have been traveling the world, 'singing for peace' for several years now. Nice gig, done on faith. They played and sang several very nice tunes, mostly using the Psalms as text, with a rewritten Ave Maria as a cap. It was very well done, and a nice surprise. I gave them a donation for their next cheese and bread stop...and they gave me a CD. I look forward to playing it when I get home.
Next morning, up to the end of the fjord by boat, to visit the glacier, then to a glacier museum with lots of info on global warming. The water is clear green, due to runoff from the glacier. During the winter, the green color goes away. The glacier has lost 73 meters this year, but the locals say it comes and goes historically, but is really going faster than usual recently. Back to Balestrand, then by boat to Bergen.
It is morning in Bergen now, and pouring rain. I'm resting up at the hotel, watching the people and the rain, but plan to go to a Grieg in Bergen Summer Festival concert tonight. Then, at break of day, we catch a train back to Oslo, then an overnight voyage to Copenhagen. The sprint goes on!!
Having a wonderful time.....will write more soon!

CanineGranny goes to Sweden

The trip to Sweden so far has been super. Thanks in large part to our hostess Annica, we've gone everywhere and done everything. The weather has been clear and mostly warm, with a bit of rain for a day or so. I feel badly for the smoke filled 110 degree heat sufferers in Sacramento. Really I do. The dog shows in Stockholm were super, we got to see 100s of papillons from all over the world. I toured around at the World show and had a chance to see the Obedience Championships, Freestyle (dancing with your dog) and lots of breeds I had not seen before. Much fun. Touring the old town Stockholm is amazing...clear Baltic sea water everywhere surrounding the islands on which the city is built, lots of stone buildings that date from centuries ago. Guess the Swedes were busy being a world power when Columbus discovered America! We went to the Vasa Museum, which houses a HUGE wooden ship, launched in 1628. Unfortunately, it sank like a stone out in the Bay on its maiden voyage...too topheavy and too many low lying open gunports. But, the good news is that after 333 years, it was raised by the Swedes and a multi-year archiolgical project restored it. It was amazing. A real picture into life in Sweden centuries ago. Next was Skansen, a very nice park where they have moved a hundred or so buildings from all over the country and recreated 'Old Stockholm'. They also have an animal park with Nordic animals, so I got to see bears, foxes, reindeer, seals, etc up close. Very nice. Then we were off on a road trip to Lake Siljan, sort of a Tahoe setting. It was created by a meteor long ago, and is very blue and beautiful. We toured the area, Darlana, and went to a concert in Darhalla. Darhalla is a concert hall that has been built at the bottom of a limestone quarry. There is a lake at the bottom, and they have a state of the art concert venue built which holds 5000 people. We saw Robert Wells, who is a concert pianist who went to the rock and roll world to make his fortune. Sort of a Philharmonic meets Manheim Steamroller effect. Very entertaining, and the sellout crowd was INTO it. The best part was the comedian who (of course) spoke Swedish. Apparently, he was a laugh riot....it was fun watching his gestures, facial expressions and trying to guess what was going on. I know one bit was about his grabbing a hot cup of coffee at Waynes (sort of Starbucks) and being conflicted about screaming and dropping it or holding on to it so as to impress the young gals who were watching. Visited St. Olof's church. Amazing. Filled with medieval artifacts and painting, lovely arched ceilings. Of course, I couldn't help but think of Rose from Golden Girls and what all happened to her in St. Olofs... We drove out to visit some friends of Annica's who have a lovely papillon kennel. Sílenzio has been breeding for 35 years+ and has some beautiful dogs. She was very gracious and charming to us, and I had to try hard to keep repeating my 'no more dogs' mantra. Now we're getting set to head out to take the train to Norway, without Annica's guiding hand. Should be fun. A week in Norway, 2 days in Copenhagen, then I go alone to Finland, and return to Stockholm. I'll try to keep you posted as I go. (Sorry for no pictures...I can't figure out how to post them, but will when I get back to Sac in late July. Meanwhile, go look online!)

Ja, Iäm Inga from Sveden....

Hi there to all. I'm off on my Scandinavian vacation and loving life so far. This is a beautiful place, lots of trees and water, and very nice people, most of whom speak excellent English so take good care of monolinguals such as I. I'm visiting with my friend Annica, whom I met through our common dog interest, our papillons. So, the excuse for this visit is the Swedish National Papillon competition and the World Dog Show. We've been up to our hips in great looking dogs, the National was at the polo grounds, and the World at the Expo center. Over 20,000 dogs entered, so there is a lot to see. Hopefully when I get home on the 22nd or so, I'll be able to post pics of all the good stuff, but for now, just trust that I am having a great time!

What's up with Africa?

So what is up with Africa? I've never been to that continent, but always have believed I would go someday. I believe, despite my age and financial report, that I will visit all the continents before I die. Maybe not all the countries, but at least the continents. I was amazed years ago, when I first saw an accurately drawn world map, to see how huge Africa is. All of Europe would fit snugly in one little bulge of the dark continent. Despite the huge desert, the place is rich in minerals, forests, water, diamonds, gold, oil. So why is the history of the world written so far away from Africa? Europe/US/China sure, stuff is known. But once we get beyond ancient Egypt, what happened to Africa? But I must say, when I dream of Africa, I dream of pyramids along the Nile, vast savannas, lions and elephants and hippos (oh my), Victoria falls, colorful black people living their lives, etc. The usual picture postcards. But it seems every day I am confronted on the news by horrific images of machete wielding bad guys chopping off parts of screaming victims, stories of tortured and drugged children forced into soldier roles, heads of state whose main role in life is to starve and kill the people over whom they rule. And of course, none of that even begins to touch the whole Israel Palestine thing, or the oil barons in their palaces, AIDS epidemics, starvation and disease on an epic scale or the wholesale oppression and ownership/mutilation/killing of African women. I am not a big fan of the whole British Empire and South African Dutch history what with the white guys oppressing the black guys, but I have to say, the last few decades sure haven't been a gold star on the charts for the innate ability of an entire continent of black guys to get it together. I just don't get it. Africa is purportedly the cradle of civilization. Great nations originated there. What the hell happened? Isn't there any shining light that will let me know that Zimbabwe strongmen, Idi Amin, Kenyan killers, Hutu/Tutsi slaughters, etcetcetc are just anomolies and not the stuff that the whole continent is made of?? I weep.

Victory and goodbye to George

The Diva Bag is completed!! Yippee. Yahoo. It is in fact, quite lovely, and I have received two compliments from strangers as I tote it around. Jkid says she'll post a photo for me...if only I will give her the bag. Au contraire, mon petit chou. Ha!--two with one blow. Deny her the opportunity to snag the bag and assault her with really bad fake French. I like the bag, may make another. It does put me in mind of a diaper bag, though.

George Carlin 1937-2008

• cio.us

And on to sadness at the passing of George Carlin. He was a funny guy, although sometimes I felt sad watching him make me laugh. He often seemed sad to me. Maybe it was projection on my part, but that's how it seemed. Anyway, George changed my life. I recall the joy and shock of hearing the "Seven Dirty Words" riff for the first time. I remember the door opening in my brain when the HippyDippyWeatherman told me it would be "dark, followed by light". I remember seeing words in a different way when he asked why we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway. I remember feeling so cool and so much a part of something avant guarde and special when I listened to him, and the fun of repeating his bits to unsuspecting folk who didn't know that I wasn't the one who had had the genius to come up with all that stuff. I think George was a gentle soul, who really felt bad at the injustice of the world, and I think he held on to that gentleness through the drugs and the sex and the wars and the "stuff". In your honor George, I will drink no bottled water for a week. Rest in peace, my friend.