Life of Wry

It’s the small things, Part 1:

I love the loveliness of a small touch, one that adds sweetness to the ordinary.. my cafe au lait this morning with a nice foamy flower:

And I so enjoyed that sweet small thing in the glow of sun streaming through the windows of Mishka’s… I’m such a sucker for streaks of streaming sun.

It’s the small things, Part 2:

This was actually yesterday, but the photo is also shot at Mishka’s, so I’m including it.

As I’d gotten up from the acupuncturist’s table yesterday morning, I’d sensed that perhaps not all the needles had come out… but when I couldn’t find one sticking out of my leg anywhere, I concluded it was my imagination….until I got out of my car downtown and felt something sharp poking my other leg. Unusually, a needle had, in fact, been left in. It dislodged itself as I’d gotten dressed and evidently got caught up in my clothes. Somehow, I guess, it shifted around as I drove until it found a nice place to re-lodge itself, which I didn’t feel until I stood up again and began to walk.

Sharp little bugger, too.

I found a bench, worked it out of my leg and down to an opening in my pants, where I could reach in and grab it. At which point I got my first-ever view of one of those acupuncture needles; I’d never had the nerve to look while being stuck. They are quite long! (About 3 1/2 inches..)

I think they may be spring loaded so that, when tapped, they launch themselves from their little plastic casings (I have seen those) with force sufficient to lodge deep beneath the surface of your skin. Just a guess… but seems plausible, ya?

The small and delicate things!

I don’t have too much to say about this yet, because I have more research to do on the matter, but felt anxious about correcting comments I recently made on the subject of the thick green stuff that covers the surface of Putah Creek down in the UC Davis arboretum.

Here’s a picture:

Apparently, that is not algae…it’s duckweed. Not only that, duckweed may not even be a bad thing. In fact, it may very possibly be good. It may not cause fish to suffocate, it may not be a result of drought, it may not be the result of poorly aerated waterways. All claims I brazenly made over the weekend, not really having any idea, apparently, what I was talking about.

Sometimes, apparently, this does not stop me.

It’s true that in all my years of taking regular walks around the 3 1/2 mile loop, I’ve never seen the green stuff quite like this, and it’s true we are in a four–and perhaps counting–year drought, and there would certainly seem to be a relationship… but maybe not.

Anyway… I’m embarrassed to have been so histrionic… so I’m coming clean and saying I may have been wrong and I need to do a little more research.

A teeny bit of research on the duckweed vs. algae issue turned up this:

Duckweed: Not just for ducks by Suzanne Kollar, PFRA, Beausejour and Darrell R. Corkal, PFRA, Saskatoon

A much maligned plant, duckweed has often been viewed as a nuisance, commonly mistaken for algae and associated with water quality problems in ponds, dugouts and stagnant water bodies.

But the facts are that duckweed will remove plant nutrients from water, block sunlight and out compete algae. It can even reduce evaporation loss [..]

While duckweed is an indicator that excessive nutrients exist in the water, it doesn’t contribute to water quality problems. In fact, this macrophyte plant improves water quality by removing phosphorus and nitrogen from the water and by naturally filtering unwanted matter in the water.

With optimum conditions–food, sunlight and shelter from wind–duckweed can grow exponentially by consuming phosphorus and out compete algae (phytoplankton), which is lower on the food chain.

Duckweed growth, instead of algae, is very desirable since algae pose more problems for water use [..] almost all algae will cause taste and odor problems in water.

Duckweed is an oval shaped plant that floats on the surface of water. It is the smallest flowering plant. When mature, the smallest species is two mm or less in diameter, and the largest species is about 20 mm in diameter, roughly the size of a fingernail or thumbnail. Duckweed looks like tiny floating leaves on the water surface. [..]

Often spread by aquatic birds and floods, duckweed grows in clusters and can grow rapidly with adequate food (phosphorus and nitrogen), sunlight and shelter from wind. Commonplace worldwide and quite hardy, it will even tolerate brackish water. [..]

Often considered unsightly, duckweed blooms can cover an entire water body with a “green blanket” or “mat” containing millions of the small plants. It won’t thrive on sites exposed to wind or where flowing water occurs.

When blanket of duckweed covers a [water way] it limits growing conditions for algae.

This means the plant food for algae will have been reduced as the duckweed blanket blocks sunlight to the water column, limiting photosynthesis and preventing algae growth.

If only one could be both an early riser and a night owl.

Was up early to take Betsy to the airport. On the way home, I stopped to walk around the corner of F Street and Road 29, just because it was so pretty. It’s amazing, truly, how much more vivid the view becomes when you actually get out of your heated car and walk around in the chilly air.

The thing I noticed the most, oddly, was how hard the ground was. It was a lot more personal when I got out of my car. Less distant. It was very quiet out there, very still, very cool. And the ground felt hard.

Anyway, I took a few shots… this one to the south…

And another angle, also southerly, no filter…

One to the east…

And another sort of south-easterly, clarified…

They’re a little messy b/c of the lighting, but I like them.

I really liked being out there. I do love the early morning.

Fall has finally come to Davis.. marked mostly by cooler temps. At long last. Trees have finally started to turn with an attitude of commitment.. maybe by January the leaves will all be down in time for a mid-January early spring. But my cynicism is getting ahead of me!

All of this is to say, we bundled up for Farmer’s Market and drank hot coffee to stay warm. Because it was all the way down into the 60s. Kind of a change. (It might have been in the high 50s when we headed out!)

The afternoon was a nice bike ride through campus — a first for me… we got all twisted around in the Vet Med school and all the new bike paths around the new stadium. But a nice day for a ride.

Wandered through the oak grove on the west end of the arboretum…

And looked at the ceramic art.

First, there is probably the most artistically adorned bathroom in all of Davis (though come to think of it, Central Park’s bathroom’s got a huge Heidi Bekebrede…hmm):

And then this Donna Billick piece (with help from my favorite ceramicist Mark Rivera):

I hadn’t realized before that it depicts the drought-tolerant plants best for our region, as grown in the adjacent demonstration garden… which is both beautiful and useful in designing your own garden…

Here’s a close up of one of the panels:

And on this end of the arboretum, the creek still looks horrible… so thick in slime you could probably walk on it..

And all that was lovely.. but the highlight of the day had to be seeing the show at Harlow’s (restaurant and nightclub on J Street in downtown Sac).

Went with Bill and Sabrina. Ate dinner on our laps–it’s what they do there. Fun place, great service. Intimate.

So, Jeff Daniels, the actor, who Jim and I have just seen in two current movies–Steve Jobs and The Martian–and who starred as Flap in Terms of Endearment, among dozens of other great roles, is touring with his son Ben and his band and playing small clubs all over the country. Sort of country rock-ish stuff. All their own material. I believe most, if not all, written by Jeff Daniels. Great lyricist.

Here’s the whole 6-member band:

The woman is Ben’s new wife, Jeff in front, Ben second from right, and a few more talented guys (okay, I’m calling them by name like I know them, feels weird, but there it is). Jeff is a skilled showman (sure his showmanship grows out of the confidence of a successful, decades-long acting career, genuine musical talent, and being the dad up there). The entire show was well-choreographed and polished in its delivery. But it was also a warm and genuinely fun set–Jeff being extremely gracious and clearly loving being up there among the 30-somethings–one being his son, one being his new daughter-in-law (and apparently his wife and another son were backstage…”Partridge Family on Acid,” he said). There was a short middle set that was just the Ben Daniels band, and it had a completely different vibe. It was interesting, but thankfully short.

Many high moments in the show. One was when he invited a woman in the audience up to the stage for a song. Turns out she’s the “sorority girl” in a clip from the Newsroom (tv show) that is virally circulating around the internet. The scene is a Q&A session following a panel discussion taking place on a university campus. The panelists, including Jeff Daniels’ character, are discussing politics and the media. Her question is “what makes the US the greatest country on earth.” Daniels’ character says it’s not–the audience is shocked–and he explains why. I’ve seen the clip numerous times, so it was fun to see the woman there. From the reception, the entire audience was also familiar with the show and that particular clip. I’m guessing the women just happens to live in the area… It was pretty fun.

But the best moment in the show may have been the encore song, just father and son, singing a song Jeff wrote about Ben when he was three. Jim’s comment, “That was not fair,” because it evoked heavy (loving) father/son stuff, very emotional and poignant. Left everyone in the audience in an emotionally tender place but was a super nice note to end on.

Great, great concert.

(And please note, second concert in three days.)

I don’t know who started it, but someone way back when, possibly nearly 60 years ago, nicknamed Betsy, “Betsy Boo,” and ever since, that’s who she’s been… to at least a sizable handful of us. We don’t always call her that, but if someone says Boo did this or said that, we know it’s Betsy. One of the funniest things I ever heard Peter say when I said we’d be seeing one of my oldest friends at some gathering was, “Oh, Betsy Boo’s going to be there?”.. not realizing that was a nickname (he probably didn’t even know for nicknames). It was so innocently inquisitive, such a genuine response to my casual statement, like, Oh, Harold’s going to be there? Great!

Just struck me as so sweet.

Betsy and I met when she was days old. I was three months her senior, but we were fast friends, spending a lot of playpen time together (playpens… can you imagine those now?).  Living at the beach, we may have romped in the sand and surf together too, who knows.

Our two families, along with a third–the Hesses–all lived on 39th Street in Manhattan Beach and were great friends. My dad and Mr. Hesse were hired on in the nascent days of TRW (in fact, Mr. Hesse hired my dad), and ended up working together their entire careers. After hours, and with the wives, much 50s-style socializing ensued on 39th (it was the cocktail and cigarette era, after all). Even as we all moved out of bungalows and into bigger homes elsewhere (Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills and Long Beach), we continued to share holidays, milestones, and generally remained close. Between us, eventually, there were 13 kids. Our Christmas Eve tradition was particularly memorable… well… it all was.

Only two of the older generation remain… my mom and Betsy’s mom. But the kids are keeping up the bonds. Yay us.

Anyway, for the first time ever, after literally decades of saying she oughta, Betsy came to Davis for a visit.

Today, we did some Davis-y things…. Compassion Corner, public art, lunch at Bernardo’s, downtown strolling, the Artery, Natsoulas Gallery, the arboretum, campus, the eggheads, a bike ride, the Old North, the Davis Food Coop, drinks at Vini, dinner (Season’s), a movie at the Varsity (Suffragette)… and lots of talking.

Some pics:

In the redwoods…

(Blurry and distorted, but at near-60, we like it that way.)

At the Natsoulas gallery, in a stairwell–possibly between the 3rd and 4th floors–an unlabeled sculpture sits crammed among unlabeled paintings in the shadows of late afternoon sun…

In the main gallery… I loved these perspective paintings… so appealing in every way…

This also really appealed to me… also hung unceremoniously in a cluttered hallway…

At the Artery’s gallery…

The above is a wood carving… which, when viewed up close, is unimaginably detailed, painstakingly chiseled, carefully painted…

Oh, how I loved her work.

And oh what the drought hath wrought. I think some of this is seasonal, some the result of generally poor flow and aeration, and some from lack of sufficient rainfall. I think. In any case, it’s gross. I think fish and other creek life is suffocating; we saw a guy collecting dead fish in a net.  I don’t know where the skimming boats are, and I don’t know how concerned the scientists are, but I was freaked out by it.

Still, algae aside, it was a great Day#1.

Ended an already lovely day with an incredibly enjoyable evening at the Odd Fellows Hall. I wish I’d clued into this sooner, but hope I won’t miss many more of these…. free concerts on the first Thursdays of the month put on by the IOOF (International Order of…).  Indeed, that’s what mailing lists are for… so added myself and will look forward to the next one.

Tonight’s featured two groups of overlapping musicians.  The first was The Cups–Tracy Walton, Chris Webster (of Mumbo Gumbo fame), Kathy Elzey and guitarist Tom Phillips. Mostly 30s-40s music, harmonies so lyrical, so incredibly lush and smooth. Maybe favorite song, probably because I knew it well but hadn’t heard it in decades, “Yellow Bird.” Here’s the rendition I remember (Kingston Trio): 

But even better were Webster, Walton and Edwards (Bill).

The harmonies were also there..lots of songs from their CD, which I’ve nearly worn a hole through, and love, and lots of other songs from the Mumbo Gumbo songbook. Fantastic. AND, Chris sang a version of To Sir With Love (Lulu, remember?). I felt totally silly being brought to tears, but there it is.

Fortunately they moved into some rockin’ and bluesy and folksy numbers, so I could just return to my good, general toe tappin’.

So happy.

Sh*t’s gettin’ real, as they say. Just got my very first paycheck! (Well, first in about ten years.. not counting the checks I used to get from various clients over the course of my somewhat brief stint as a community media consultant, back in the ought sixes, sevens and eights. Or so.)

No, this one is a real paycheck, issued per a regular schedule, signed by a real boss, from a real company, with deductions and tax implications–the whole nine yards. I am a working stiff.

Here it is!

Jim gets all perturbed with me when I take and post pictures of things that could compromise my/our financial security and/or lead me/us down the path to identity theft and financial ruin. I hate that, too. So hoping I did an adequate job of covering up all the salient, crook-worthy information.

It IS a pay check under all the yellow stickies.

Oh, and, modern member of the work force that I am, I took a picture of it (without the stickies) and deposited it right into my checking account! Just moments ago, from the comfort of my home office. You have to admit, that is pretty neat.

Gack!  I have nothing to write about. Again.

I blame it on my new job. No… no… I blame it on Peter’s college apps… or maybe too many acupuncture appointments?

I’m just way out of rhythm here–no pictures, no writing, no time. [Hangs head.]

Well… I lied a little about the no pictures. I did take one today of my sweet friend and mom-to-be, Margaret. She dropped by the office this afternoon [ha! “the office,” she said, ever so casually] to say hello. We all took a short break to visit with her (hey, is that a pregnant pause?).

It was basically Margaret’s place I took at Transcend, as she’s now out on maternity leave…. and you can see why!

So… not a lot to write about, but at least there’s this….. a moment captured. This is Margaret on the very cusp of a life changing, heart expanding, soul birthing journey.  And hers is truly the face of peace and existential harmony.

Aww…the beauty of pregnancy.

I had the most pleasant day ever. Or, let’s just say this kind of day ranks right up there. I sat for hours at Mishka’s eating baked goods and drinking coffee (coffee at first, later tea), reading (proofreading, that is), and enjoying the vibe of a cozy coffeehouse, while outside, the world was dark and rainy. It just seems like forever since one of those kind of days came along. The coffeehouse stint was flanked by a nice workout on the one end, and on the other, an even nicer massage.

Is that just the shits or what?

I love proofing, I do. But maybe one day, I’ll be writing my own stuff. Ya never know….

In the meantime, maybe I can find this 10-week course somewhere…

Having spent a good portion of my Sunday rearranging my workspace, I may be able to forgo three of those ten weeks!

When your greatest accomplishments of the day were finishing two long-outstanding filing projects, resetting all the clocks, and getting your son lined out on a college application timeline, and activities included getting caught in a rainstorm on your bike on the way home from breakfast and watching the World Series come to an unfavorable end… well… that leaves pretty much nada to write about.

As for a picture, I don’t have any of those either, except for the 54,762 in my iPhoto archive–an archive that seems to be expanding like the universe.

I believe I’ve not actually shared this one. Since it’s Fall, and rainy today, this one seems like a pretty good choice:

Chenoa and Peter, circa 2003, five years old.

Oh… and I got a paper cut.