Composure

Thursday was a wonderful day. I picked Veda up at the Santa Rosa bus station around noon and drove from there through the Russian River Resort area and then to the coast. All the way to Russian Gulch to be specific. The sun was out, with a whole assortment of puffy clouds and a very light wind. We got to the beach around 1pm and proceed to look for rocks that we could collect to add to the Spirit Rock inventory.She had packed a very nice lunch with stuffed olives, salad fixings, biscotti biscuits, candy box tomatoes and the like. I had brought some lemon tea and dried fruit and nuts to share. We walked around the beach and met up again at the opposite end after filling a blue bag with a whole quarry of beautifully smooth, round rocks.We then walked back to the other end of the beach to discover our picnic lunch STREWN all over the place. It turned out that the seagulls swooped down and had a feast of our food ! Veda was disappointed, but did not react too badly. We salvaged what we could ( I guess the didn’t care for the stuffed olives ) and made our way back to the car. When we drove back through Guerneville we stopped and had lunch at a nice little Cafe which made up for the little glitch in our plans.After lunch, we found a little Spiritual storefront that had some workshops offered in yoga, breath work and healing. We walked in and talked to the woman there who was very enthusiastic about the history of the place which was founded by 13 grandmothers from different nations and tribes. I was very surprised to find some of my sister’s art work for sale in the gift shop! Talk about Providence ! Veda and I were invited to stay for the Kundalini yoga class which lasted about an hour. We both benefitted greatly from this practice and came away energized and serene at the same time. All in all, it turned out to be a very adventuresome day.

Dora the Explorer

It seems that the only thing worth talking about is Dora. She is the parakeet of my neighbor, Cindy. Cindy is four and her little bird is kept outside under the eaves of the laundry room. Early last Monday evening we had a big storm blow through which left a few trees down and numerous puddles to drive around. Later on in the week around Thursday, the sun was back out and Cindy was playing outside as I went to my car. She always says hello, and I try to find something to talk about with her. Naturally it is fun to tease a four year old who is given to believe most anything you say.

I told her that Dora was upset and was crying because she was left outside during the storm and that Cindy had forgotten her. Cindy immediately looked me straight in the eye and said, “ SHE DID NOT SAY THAT !” Dora is a bird !

Anyway, I thought I would share that with you.

The Farmer’s Market

Saturday was the kickoff for the Calistoga Farmer’s Market. I got up early after a long Friday which involved gathering all my resources in order to have a successful first attempt at selling the “Spirit Rocks”. It went pretty good actually. I met lots of locals and tourists alike and made enough to pay for the space and buy some lunch ( whoopee ! ). A Car Show was going on, which took up most of Lincoln Avenue. The foot traffic spilled nicely onto the side street where the Farmer’s Market was being staged.

I had an area that was near a coffee stand, so a lot of people stood around, drank coffee and talked while they checked out my merchandise. It’s odd to think of these rocks as merchandise, because I would rather have people think of them as personal talismans which they are gravitated towards and would naturally make a "suggested donation.” ( yea, right ) Of course, this scheme would not work for teenagers and others who probably just walk off with them. People liked the Glow-in-the-dark aspect of the Spirit Rocks, and I pitched the idea that it helped youngsters who were scared of the dark to get to sleep easier. My friend Veda was there and she helped out a lot by providing me with much needed moral support.

Later on in the day we went to my nephew Edward’s house for an early Mother’s day celebration. A lot of food and conversation ensued as many close relatives were present. Ed’s brother in law Nevin, announced his engagement to Jo, his fiance. She proudly displayed her engagement ring as we all helped ourselves to the Lumpia they brought for us to feast on.

Venturing out

Just in case you haven’t checked it out, I strongly recommend a blog called “ Smart-Ass Cripple “. This guy knows how to write !
His most recent submission is hilarious… real dark humor.

Today was another warm and sultry day in Calistoga. My friend Don and I decided to hike to China Camp which is just beyond the Palisades cliffs, just north of Calistoga. I recall the hike being about 3 hours… how it ended up taking six hours I will never know. Initially we had prepared a modest backpack filled with two water bottles each ( we needed three ) Two apples, Two tortillas with turkey wrapped inside (no lettuce or filler), A couple of Clif bars and a bar of chocolate. Later on, it occurred to us both that a few more Clif bars each would have been appropriate, and perhaps a few oranges. We started at 11am and completed the hike at 5pm and we were both spent.Don has been out of commission most of the winter because of a ruptured disk. He felt confident enough at the beginning, but by the time we reached our destination it was starting to bug him a little. I’m a little sunburned and my muscles are cramping. I have taken some supplements and an aspirin to ease the pain. All in all, it was worth it. Kind of like banging your head against a wall… it feels so good when you stop.

Sunshine Galore

Spring has sprung. The weather has been just gorgeous. The birds are chirping in the morning, the plants are almost growing as fast as we watch them. This Saturday morning is a day I’ve been planning for a long time. I will be selling Spirit Rocks and Chefs Toques at the Calistoga Farmer’s Market. I hope this is going to be as simple as it sounds. I will be setting up a table under a large umbrella in an area designated for craftspeople. I will have a few chairs, a table cloth and some small display tables on top of the large table. As I write this, I am trying to remember all the little details of other items I will need to bring. A receipt book, change, Sunscreen, hat, etc., etc. My brother and I have talked via Skype about things to expect. He has been in the Flea Market business for some time now, and knows the ropes, so to speak.