Whitewater Preserve

If anyone ever asks you to go on a hike in the Whitewater Preserve, near Palm Springs, say No ! Especially if you have to get up at 5:30 am and drive two hours to the hike. Thirteen miles and the most interesting thing we saw was a yellow bush. Here is a picture so you don't have to waste your Saturday: And we didn't even have a beer after the hike !

Economic Woes

It has been four weeks since Barrack Obama's election. He has been busy selecting his cabinet and advisers. For the past two days the focus has been on his economic team. Obama needs to restore our confidence in the economy.

I , for one, am not very confident. My job is secure because I am tenured. Even if my current position is cut I would be go back to a school as an administrator or teacher. It would mean a pay cut but I think I would be much happier working with children and families. But, even though I have a secure job and money I am hesitant to spend. It seems so frivolous to buy when there are people really suffering.

One of the suffering families are Christina, Jack, and Luke. Jack was laid off from his job as an electrician on Halloween. So far he has not found another job and they are living on his $450 a week unemployment. The worst part is the loss of hope . They were very happy when Jack got this job during the summer because it meant a little raise. They were both so happy to be independent and making what they think is a good salary. Both talked about saving for a house. Now there dreams and aspirations have to be put on hold.

I believe President Obama has the gumption to fix this economic mess.

So This is 47

Yesterday was my 47th birthday. I can' t believe I am THAT old . Christina said I should say I am 35, my mom thought 18 was a good age ! I am happy sticking with 47. Most of the time I feel strong and healthy, although if I work out too hard my knees and hips hurt a little bit. But, I have some amazing muscles for 47. I can do yoga and hike better and longer than most of the 20 somethings.

We went to our favorite neighborhood resturant, Ferraro's, to celebrate. The food was wonderful, as always, and the ambiance is like sitting in your own dining room but without the cooking and cleanup. We had a fabulous cake from Great Dane Bakery.

All in all it was a perfect birthday with people I love.

Busy Weekend

Our weekend was busy.

On Friday night Tony, Nick, and Luke came over for dinner and a movie. Luke slept all evening.

Saturday, Jim and I went on the Echo Park Stair Hike. About 3000 steps and ten miles. It was so hot at the end of the hike we had to have a beer and lunch in Silver Lake afterwards.

On the way home the sky became increasingly smoky. There are huge fires in the Yorba Linda/Brea area including in Carbon Canyon where we hiked just a month or so ago.

Sunday was church and a walk at Huntington Beach. We made yummy lamb shanks for dinner.

Poem: Eating Together

I know my friend is going,
though she still sits there
across from me in the restaurant,
and leans over the table to dip
her bread in the oil on my plate; I know
how thick her hair used to be,
and what it takes for her to discard
her man's cap partway through our meal,
to look straight at the young waiter
and smile when he asks
how we are liking it. She eats
as though starving—chicken, dolmata,
the buttery flakes of filo—
and what's killing her
eats, too. I watch her lift
a glistening black olive and peel
the meat from the pit, watch
her fine long fingers, and her face,
puffy from medication. She lowers
her eyes to the food, pretending
not to know what I know. She's going.
And we go on eating.

By Kim Addonizio

From What Is This Thing Called Love. © W. W. Norton and Company, 2005.

Building

One of my favorite bloggers, Peacebang, posted a homily about building so beautiful it made me cry. What touched me was the idea that we are all building, literally and figuratively. Jim and I spent our Veteran's Day building a house with Habitat for Humanity. We nailed up drywall and nailed about a million little metal plates on the framing that prevent the drywallers from nailing through the electrical wiring. We used muscles that don't get used very often but we had a good day working and chatting with the other volunteers.

One Month

Today is the one month anniversary of Doug's death. Here he is with Luke on September 30.

Silverl Lake Stairs

We spent Saturday morning with the Sierra Club walking some of the stairs of Silver Lake, near downtown Los Angeles. The stairs were built in the 1920's to allow residents to walk up the very steep hills. Many homes are still only accessible by stairs.

I can see Silverlake from my office window but had never taken the time to explore the area. I was surprised by the variety of architectural styles, lovely gardens, and amazing views. Then hike reminded me of the stairs on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. All that was missing were the grape arbors and olive trees.

Congratulations America !

This house in Silver Lake is decorated in celebration of the election o Obama. Double click on the picture so you can read the sign.

No on 8 Protest

Last night Jim and  I went to a protest against Proposition 8. Sadly, this proposition passed on Tuesday and will amend the California State constitution to ban same sex marriage. We had a great time walking with the huge crowd from Redondo Avenue, along Broadway, to Alamitos. The newspaper said there were 2000 protesters, but I think there were more.  My favorite sign was, "When do I get to vote on your marriage ?"  Hopefully, the California Supreme Court will overturn this so marriage can be for ALL who love. 

IEP Meeting Blues

Yesterday was Nick's IEP meeting. He is doing well in tenth grade- meeting his goals, getting along will others, enjoying woodshop. We set goals for the coming school year which include identifying the main idea and details and fractions. All in all, Nick functions academically at about the third grade level. We talked about Nick getting a job sometime soon through a job program for special needs students.

Despite the good news,  I always feel sad after these annual meetings. Nick is a funny, happy boy. He loves to ride his bike, skateboard, admire the ladies, and watch TV. He takes great pride in looking good, except for brushing his teeth. Sometimes I can even forget that he is different from my other kids . The IEP meeting is always a reminder of the hard reality that Nick is different.

Poem: The Patience of Ordinary Things

It is a kind of love, is it not?
How the cup holds the tea,
How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare,
How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes
Or toes. How soles of feet know
Where they're supposed to be.
I've been thinking about the patience
Of ordinary things, how clothes
Wait respectfully in closets
And soap dries quietly in the dish,
And towels drink the wet
From the skin of the back.
And the lovely repetition of stairs.
And what is more generous than a window

by Pat Schnieder


"The Patience of Ordinary Things" by Pat Schneider from Another River: New and Selected Poems. © Amherst Writers and Artists Press, 2005.

Cancer Courage

This morning I heard well known author Michael Crichton had died from cancer after a long private and courageous battle. Every battle with cancer is courageous. It takes courage for a person to get up every day and face the doctors appointments, chemo, radiation, PET scans, drugs, and countless decisions. It takes courage for caretakers to provide support when they are tired and feeling helpless. It takes courage to face the knowledge that cancer, especially when the beast returns, is often a death sentence.

Obama Victory

We started watching the election results at 4 pm. At first, with just a small percentage of votes counted, it looked like McCain had a chance. But when CNN called Pennsylvania for Obama and people poured into Grant Park in Chicago, I knew victory was near. Being at home on such a historic night seemed wrong. We needed to be out and celebrating. So, Jim and I went to the Long Beach Democratic Party celebration on Pine Avenue. It was so exciting to be part of a crowd reveling in Obama's victory and historic election.

Halloween 2008

Ninja Luke

Nick in costume. He changed his costume at least four times.

Nick and Jacob.

Luke with his favorite Grandma.

Finally.... A Name

Naming this blog ( not to mention posting ! ) has been quite a challenge. Finally, walking back from the gym today this name came to me.... Elizabeth's Moleskine.

Last December, I couldn't find a datebook I liked so I created my own using a graph paper moleskine notebook. ( This was not my own idea- I found directions somewhere on the internet) I liked this solution because previous datebooks always looked like a scrapbook at the end of year with poems, photos, and other souveniors glued in. The moleskine provided a monthly calendar and lots of pages for journal writing, pictures, drawings, poems I love, etc. I used the calendar pages but the journal pages at the back were just too beautiful- how could I possible deface them with my writing and other stuff. So, now it is the beginning of November and I have lots of empty pages.

This year I will try another solution. I'll use this blog to hold my random thoughts and other stuff. Of course, I will still need some kind of datebook because you cannot glue a fortune to a computer screen !