H is for Hawaii

     I finally visited Hawaii for the first time in 2019. We took our son David and had a wonderful time. It was one of those vacations where you hang out at the resort and chill. We stayed at the Fairmont in Maui. I'll never forget the entrance into the hotel that opened up to the breathtaking view of the ocean. It was warm, a slight breeze and a refreshing tropical drink was given to us. "I really had arrived," I thought.

    The colors and variety of the flowers and plants were beautiful. You just knew you were far, far away...and the temperature of the water. Well, when you come from the waters of Santa Cruz, California - you can really appreciate warm ocean waters. 

    My husband swam with the turtles. I stayed near and in the water with my son. Maui has a very happy and easy going vibe. It's all about living in that moment and indulging in it.

    The two of us are going back in June, just the two of us. My assignment is to find accommodations, which I had better get started on pronto uno. If any of you reading this blog have any suggestions, send them my way!    

    We'll be fully vaccinated by then. It's hard to believe we've been quarantined for a year. I'm excited, yet a little anxious about going out into the world again. Ready to lose the mask.

                                            Bennie swimming with the turtles in Hawaii (Maui)

G is for Garden

 

     It's been quite a while since I've written a Haiku. I think what I love most about them are the unspoken messages that the first two lines lead to. Haikus are a form of Jarpanese poetry made of short, unrhymed lines that evoke natural imagery. My favorite form is the three line poem with a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. It took me about 10 minutes for this one. They're spontaneous and fun or can be very thoughtful and deep. If you have one to share, I would love to read it! 

                                                                    Herb box is ready

                                                          Soon thyme and sage will appear

                                                                    It's time to unfold 🌱

                                                                                

                                                                    

                                                                               Sage

                                                                 

                                         

                                                                                Thyme

                                                                              

"So Far Away" by Carole King, with James Taylor

    Carole king is one of my favorite artists. This song is from her 1971 album, Tapestry. It is definitely somewhat of a sad song and yet when I listen to it, along with the rest of her music...I just feel good. The phenomenal James Taylor plays alongside her in this video. The two together are magic. 

                            If you've had a long day or need to unwind, sit back and listen 🌺

                                                                        

                                        

                  A few interesting facts about Carole King:

                          * her birth name is Carol Klein

                          * while she was a student at Brooklyn High School, she dated Neil Sedaka

                          * she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 

E is for Elephant 🐘

     If you follow me from A - Z, or even check in now and then - you'll essentially get to know me a little. And elephants have always been and still are one of my favorite animals on earth. 

    It all started when my mom and dad bought me a plastic Noah's ark set, complete with the little plastic animals and my favorite part - the ramp. I would have the animals go up and down that little brown ramp all day long. Anyway, my favorite was the elephant. Now that I'm older and I pay more attention to the nature of the animal, I am in awe of the elephant mothers and the care they give to their babies. The female is called a cow. They are very protective of their young and teach them how to lead a herd during hard times. The older female elephant also plays the role of the matriarch and ensures the survival of the family. 

    The males are called "bulls." They grow up and leave the herd, The mature bull elephant has an important role in leading the younger males. They have been mostly known for being loners, but evidence points to them traveling with other groups of males. The more mature bulls travel at the front of their herd, implying they have valuable ecological knowledge. Sitings of bulls are less rare than that of the female. Sadly, poaching is to account for some of this.

    Finally, I'll close with the phrase, "you have the memory of an elephant!" Where did that come from? Well, this short video can expand on that.    (click on link below)

                                                                                  ⬇️

                                                                  memory of an elephant

                                                                                      

                                                                         Bull Elephant 

                                                                     Mama and baby

    Yes, elephants are terribly dangerous too, but there is something mysteriously gentle about them ❤️ 

D is for David (my son and his music)

    David. What happened to my baby? He grew up, that's what happened - and he is following his passion and his dreams. 

    He is now 17 years old, a junior in high school. The summer after his freshman year of high school, he asked for guitar lessons. For a kid who wasn't into sports or the drama club, I welcomed the idea. He did enjoy drawing though; for he's artistic and creative. David was every music teacher's dream student. He did his home work and he practiced. 

    The pandemic hit and guitar lessons ceased. He is a big fan of you tube and continued learning from various guitar teaching videos. Part of being a student of music and its culture is knowing where you fit in, as far as the genres. He soon discovered after a lot of research that he fit into the year 2000 punk era and that's the music that made his little heart leap. 

    The following summer after sophomore year, he told me wanted to be in a band. He was passionate about this and determined to make his dream of being on stage performing come true. So, what does he do without my knowing? He goes on Craiglist. Of course, I gave him the time out signal with my hands and said wait a minute...you have to be so careful on Craigslist David, etc...and a small lecture ensued about the potential dangers and what not of putting an ad out there that reads, "I play guitar and want to join a band."

    Well, he had already put the ad out there and I just told him I would have to be involved and he wouldn't  be able to go to some random house or garage to practice. Not happening. An offer came in, and a band needed a bass guitar for a start-up punk rock group in Santa Cruz. I just did the sign of the cross and agreed to let him see where this leads. 

    There was one problem. David didn't play bass guitar, nor did he have one. David never thought it was a problem. He told the guys he could be the bass player for their band before they even met. His birthday was coming up, so I knew what he was getting for his birthday - a bass guitar. He studied and practiced with vigor before their first meeting, and to this day, I don't even think his band mates know he never played bass guitar before. I think that took some confidence and hutzpah on little David's part. 

      Long story short, this was an answered prayer. David needed to connect with other kids while being in quarantine. He wasn't part of a tight knit social group at school, so this became a social and creative outlet for him as well.  He shares his style, talent  and musical ideas with the band. They practice every Sunday evening at a music studio in Santa Cruz, with their manager always present (the lead guitarist's dad and former musician), and social distancing is mandatory. 

    If you listen closely (if you choose to, it is punk rock), some of the wording tells you a little about the message they're sending in this song in particular. The title of it is, "I don't want to be cool like you." It is referring to not wanting to be like the kids who think they're cool: 

            "just cuz' I do good in school, you call me a diehard..."

            "I know it's hard to say no, but sometimes your gonna have to let go",

            "stop doing drugs just for clout, your time is running out..."

            "I don't want to be cool, I don't want to be cool, I don't want to be cool, I don't

             want to be cool like you!"              

             

    No, he hasn't gotten his hair cut through Covid, but will be getting one tomorrow night. 

This is David, my last born and my little rocker. One of the nicest people I know ❤️ (and he is the one on the right with the retro green bass guitar)

                                                              (click to listen on Spotify)

                                                                                  ⬇️

                                                                      "Cool Like You"  

                                                                       ~ Street Freak~

            *and I'm certain God had his hand in the above. I have prayed he'd find his niche.

Street Freak recorded their first album (5 songs) at House of Faith recording studio in Oakland, Ca. They're working on new music and can be found on Instagram and Apple Music as well.

 

C is for Costco!

    Who doesn't love Costco? I'm not sure what percentage of you all have access to a Costco store, but there is a Costco in Santa Cruz, 15 minutes north of my house and it is loved by many. My husband has the business lifetime membership card (or something like that) and we have access to some good deals online. We also get a rebate at the end of the year depending on how much we spend. We have a construction business, so we try to get fixtures and other home building items there. 

    We started going to Costco years ago, as our family grew...and grew, until we had six children. So Costco was a great source for milk, bread, cereal, meat in bulk that we would split up and freeze. It definitely was a logical place for the staples as far as food goes.

    Then, there's the fun part of Costco. The first thing that comes to my mind are the "free samples." You can nibble while you shop. Covid put an end to that. When my kids were little, Bennie would stop at Costco and pick up what we needed and come home. Now, that I only have two older teenage boys at home, we basically make it an "afternoon date" when we go to Costco together. I don't get all dressed up or anything, but we hit every isle of that big warehouse and load up the cart with not only groceries, but little gifts for ourselves, kids and our home. Bennie's wardrobe is pretty much all from Costco. Haha, it's a standing joke of ours. I seem to always find something for myself as well. iPhones, jewelry, vitamins, lotions, optometry (I get my glasses there too, 20% off), plants, cookware, furniture...Costco has it all.

    But, you can't walk out that door without one of their hotdog and soda specials for $1.50. That's how we conclude our date to Costco. Since the pandemic, the indoor tables for sitting are no longer there, so we find a concrete spot against one of the pillars outside of the store and dine. 

    Life is good.

    

    

B is for Bennie

     I met a young man named Bennie in the fall of 1984. I was working as a bank teller at Far West Savings & Loan in Almaden Valley, San Jose, California. As a twenty year old teller at a bank, it’s natural to scope out the cute guys who come in to do their banking business. This one day, a handsome guy came waltzing into the bank. He had dark curly hair, blue-green eyes and dimples at his cheeks when he would smile. He was average size, about 5’10” tall...but what really got me was the way he was dressed. He had on a dark pair of jeans, collared checkered shirt underneath a v-neck pull over sweater and a pair of nice sneakers. Yes, I remember. 

    From that day on, he would intentionally wait in my teller line so I could handle his transactions and we would chit-chat. He was also charming in his own way and it intrigued me. One day, I had chosen to wear one of my nicer dresses to work with a pair of matching pumps and he made the comment to me, “My, you look lovely today.” Okay, this guy had some class and I found out through our exchanges that he had graduated from UNR in June of that year, with a degree in Business.  I always found a man with an education appealing. I chose to start working out of High school. That “was” the end of my education up to that point. 

    It was now Christmas time. It was just a handful of us that worked at this branch and we decided to have a little Christmas cheer celebration on the Friday before Christmas. When you work at a bank, the end of a Friday was a reason to celebrate, holiday or not. The bank was closed and my co-workers and I were having some snacks and a glass of wine. Amidst our laughs and banter, Angela says, “Linda, there is someone at the door that I think wants to talk to you.” It was Bennie. I asked my manager if I could unlock the door. And so I did and he asked if I wanted to go out for a little while after my Christmas party and I said, “sure!”

    A plate of shared steamed clams and a cocktail later, we’ve been inseparable ever since.