Where I am right now

I am sitting here with a cup of coffee that was almost poured without my favorite organic half and half.Then I remembered the little amount left in the refrigerator. So I poured it thinking about how milk, cream (and ice cream in particular) has sugar in it, and will only add to a diet filled to overflowing with sugar.I need some balance here.As a former marathoner (with a 2:54:14 best, mind you) it has behoved me to think that I am still using non-nutritonal, empty carbohydrates as fuel when I am barely walking up to a mile a day.I fear heart disease and diabetes at this stage of life.It's time for a change.Other changes have to be made as well

Yesterday I unplugged from all electronic distractions. No Iphone, Ipad, computer, radio, TV,electric pencil sharpener, whatever... anything electronic except for the lights. The day was started taking a shower in the dark, however.This was done as an extreme measure to start the day off consciously and conscientiously (i.e.in a moral and responsible way).I also abstained from sugar, meat and coffee for good measure

These agreements were kept until after sunset.As the day progressed ,It made me think of the Jewish people during Rosh Hashanah.They wouldn't use elevators, shavers, electric lights etc.,in honor of the two holy days marking the beginning of the Jewish new year.These people fasted, prayed and observed times of silence.These are also days of repentance. Observations like this are common within the Jewish religion and are done as a way to cleanse the body, mind and spirit (consulting a rabbi however, would be necessary for more clarity surrounding this topic).

Although I don't espouse to be a convert to Judaism, I would comply with this practice if only to honor and respect my body, as a temple of the Holy Spirit,the God which governs all.

No Excuses

It has been a couple of months since I've posted to this blog.To say I've been busy is an excuse I don't like to use.The truth is that I've been preoccupied with doing the same things over and over again, expecting different results. Crazy, huh?Anyway,Today the sun is out and the temperature is moderate.May has turned out to be a little more chilly than March, which was unseasonably warm.

I've continued pursuing beauty and creativity in my art work. Not only have the painted rocks contributed to this pursuit, but also work on the computer using Photoshop has been another vehicle for my creativity.

I recently won a poster contest at a local winery for a poster I designed.I have been awarded a private tour, tasting and luncheon for six people, along with two magnums of wine ( which by the way, won't do me much good being a tea totaler like I am. ) It will be nice to share this with some friends and family.I am looking towards the end of June to schedule this extravaganza.Below is a copy of the poster that won the award.

Incidentally, if you haven't seen this poster before, you may not be aware that it is a double image.What do you see at first glance? A guy with a glass of wine to his mouth or a figure of a woman? I've had this image etched onto a magnum of wine that fetched $2000. in the Napa Valley Wine Auction back in 1997

Going with the flow

It is already May and I've been slack about updating my blog here.Not too much to report either.Boring can be a stabilizing influence when one choses to make it so.My higher power is trying to tell me something. Something like "Be Joyful". My perspective suffers when I am too... Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired ( H.A.L.T. )

Today I went to Napa to sell rocks at the Farmer's Market new location. Although their were plenty of people there who came to get a variety of goods, no one seem very interested in purchasing a gift rock. I made one sale and that only amounted to twenty five dollars. The vendor's fee for the booth was thirty, so I lost money today. It is a challenge for me to look to the brighter side of things and I intend to do so.

Tuesdays will be my day to regroup and take stock of what may appear next for me. I am confident that I will be able to sell more rocks throughout the summer at the Calistoga Market.Many tourists come to Calistoga as a destination.I also sell rocks over in Sebastopol at the Farmer's Market there, so it is nice to know that I have options.

This coming Friday, I am going to sell some rocks at the First Friday event in Guerneville.This will be a good time to pick up some supplies to make pendants and to stop by a few places to purchase a bag of Mexican Pebble rocks which are very smooth and a good quality of rock.It may also be a good time to visit Russian gulch,where the creative pursuit all began.

Spring arrives !

Today was absolutely splendid. The vines and trees in the area are beginning to "Break bud" as the vintners say.I really feel hopeful and now until Halloween I can look forward to mostly great weather.We've almost reached out water table quota, and April can expected to produce a few showers. This years "El Nino" hasn't been as dramatic as was predicted earlier.Let's keep thinking positive thoughts.

Spring has generated a lot of activity and excitement around here.The birds arc chirping madly each morning, and the starlings are flying around in packs of hundreds, darting up,down and around the rows of vineyards along Highway 29.Each year about this time, these starlings show up at the Culinary Institute of America just like clockwork, and begin building their nests up under the eaves of the century old building.They arrive here almost to the day.The only thing one must be concerned about is that they leave plenty of droppings if you happen to be under the main entrance while visiting the CIA this time of the year.Bring extra tissue!

Pictured below is a popular icon here in Wine Country.This is Clo the Cow from the Clover Stornetta dairy. She shows up at many community functions, especially here at the Wells Fargo Center in Santa Rosa.Notice that I am already sporting shorts in anticipation of the good weather that is sure to come.

The Easiest things ...

"Are sometimes the most difficult to carry out." I don't know who I am quoting, but this has been my lot today.It was sunny and beautiful outside and I did not even give myself the opportunity to go outside and enjoy it. What I did do, was to stay inside stressing over application forms and the necessary documents that need to be mailed to the various market managers. Forms like Insurance, Permits, licenses, Mission statements, photos of you vendor's booth, etc. Then on top of that, my printer decides to mess with me.

I used to like my printer. I knew it well and it performed flawlessly except for the occasional color shift, banding or paper jam. Now it seems that every copy was either oversized, shrunk down, out of magenta, or just plain f***d up ! I ended up sending an email requesting that I send electronic files of these forms. I doubt that I will be able to; So I'm off to Kinkos tomorrow.

Is Mercury in retrograde? Is it a full moon? Damn, where did my serenity go?

The New Year and beyond

I didn't think of it until after midnight, but sweet sixteen has a nice ring to it.It is already the eleventh and I am heading for Portland to see my sister in another week.To say that time passes much too quickly is a curious understatement. Linear time is no measurement for the experience that has accumulated over the past decade.Is it me, or have we been in overdrive since the turn of the century?

My beard is getting whiter by the day. My hairline is receding by the week.Why even think about it? Why not just surrender to the joy of modern maturity, right?My brother John laughs at the prospect of retirement.Who retires anymore, anyway? What a crock! None of the people I know are not independently wealthy or spend their days counting their cash dividends... although many thought that they would be better off financially as they got older.It would be nice to hearken back to the days of penny candy and thirty-five cent movie tickets.Enough of this silly nostalgia. I am going to bed, just so I can face another day of uncertainty.

At least I got the oil changed in my car.

Winter Arrives

Today is the solstice and the storms are beginning to arrive from out in the Pacific. This is an El Nino year and many are purchasing sand bags,tarps and other assorted items at Ace Hardware for the upcoming season. It is cold today, and it is a damp cold. I like days where I can stay in and not feel guilty about not going outside. This is one of those days, although I plan to go to dinner at a place close by.

Today, I am writing cards and sending emails.I've sort've reached an impasse with my rock painting.It has supported me over the past five years, but I am beginning to tire of it a bit. What I am going to do next is anyone's guess, but until I do, rock painting will be the order of the day.Besides,It is Christmas after all, and remembering friends during the holidays is a good practice and something that is expected.Most of the people I know will be spending the day with family and friends.It is not any different for me.

This year I plan on participating as a speaker at an Alcathon meeting in Napa at 2am in the morning on Christmas day. What better time to be grateful for all that has been given to me. I am planning on being with friends on Christmas eve, and will also be doing the second reading at the church I go to here in Calistoga.Besides this,I will be probably be eating lots of good food and sleeping long hours on Christmas day. Best wishes to all, and to all a good night !

Winter Approaches

I don't seem to mind my indoor activities much because I have a good reason. I'm earning a living by staying busy in the studio part of my one bedroom apartment where I've lived for the past twenty years. I would have never imagined that I would stay in Calistoga, if you had told me that back in the nineties.Today was pretty darn cold. The temperature only got up into the high fifties, as the thermometer went down into the high twenties, which is just cold enough to kill the plants on the deck.The fruit as been dropping around here too. My neighbor Raphael let me pick a whole grocery bag full of lemons,and my friend Eleanore gave me a bag of Fuju Persimmons which are like eating fresh apples... yum! The other kind are to bitter and puckery unless they are soft enough to put in your yogurt.Okay, I am hungry and their is still enough turkey left over from Thanksgiving to tide me over.Speaking of which, you can see the whole group there noshing away at Martha and Ernie's place. My friends Veda and Bill are there along with my niece Terry wearing the party hats.

Are the rains on their way?

We have a storm on the horizon according to recent weather reports.It is said that this is supposed to be an El Nino year. All indications are that this Winter/Spring should be a whopper.I am already missing summer (which began a year and a half ago, and apparently has just ended this past October). The weather has been fantastic for my rock business however, which has me at the Calistoga Farmer's Market every Saturday morning.Talk about cooperation!

Many folks are already prepared for the wet weather.Ace hardware is busy with customers getting gutter covers, tarps,rubber boots etc. I still have to get a tarp for my sun deck, which is starting to show some wear.This little tarp which covers my deck has given my lots of treasured privacy though,especially from the kids who are hanging out in the back yard over the back fence and throughout the hood. I can hear them, which is enough.

It is a certainty that these cottages on Lake Street are a fertility site.Every young couple that has lived here in the past twenty years have made a total of at least three youngsters per household (and all these babies were born here !) I love kids as much as the next person, but squealing, yelling,bawling toddlers will eventually take it's toll. My neighbors are great people,and when all is said and done, this is a small price to pay for being the old fart that lives upstairs.

All the news from Lake Wobegon

Garrison Keiler might say that this is not the news from Lake Wobegon, but it has turned into a catch phrase way of telling people what you have been up to lately.Sometimes it feels like Groundhog day all over again here in Calistoga, because change seems to happen very slowly here. The weather has been cold in the morning and sunny in the afternoon. Temperatures have been ranging from 40 to 70 degrees, so Fall is definitely here. Rain is expected in the coming days and most are happy about that because of the long draught that has plagued us for the past two years.

The Warriors have started their basketball season with a few wins already and it looks like the team is off to a good start. Kids are recovering from last week's Halloween soire and hopefully are busy with their homework.I am busy painting rocks which is like a meditation for me.Below is a picture of a hippie couple dancing in the town square in downtown Sebastopol.They looked like they were stoned after watching them earlier.

Halloween approaches...

Next Saturday is Halloween and I am unprepared.These past few weeks have occupied my mind and body with a whole assortment of domestic chores. Car wash, laundry,doctor appointments, etc. This is also the reason I haven't kept up with my blog. I don't like the words "busy" or "work." These words should be stricken from my vocabulary. I am in pursuit of leisure, fun and play. I am replacing the word preparing for busy, because it points to the future. Busy just says that I am trying to catch up and am unavailable.Everyone nowadays is busy, distracted, occupied and unavailable. People around ,here are busy sitting on their asses ! I exclude myself as I am preparing this blog, of course).The picture below sort of looks like Uncle Fester from the Adams Family. I post this because it is supposed to look like a guy when he is too busy.

Another Fire?

What is now known as the "Valley Fire" has followed the Jerusalem and Rocky fires in Lake County. Now a large percentage of Middletown and Harbin Hot Springs have been devastated.The fairgrounds here in Calistoga is now filled with evacuees and the story has reached national attention.The climate of grief is palpable.Yesterday, I was at the Farmer's Market down in the city of Napa selling my gift rocks when I was approached by a young woman named Kathy.She was looking over the items I was presenting on the vendor's table. She paid a compliment about the rocks when I asked where she was from.

"Hidden Valley" was here response.She was on the verge of tears when I came out from behind the table to give her a big hug.My heart sank as she told me about her neighbors who had lost everything.Thankfully,Her house had been spared, but what was she going to return to? She had been driving around aimlessly when she decided to stop at the Farmer's Market.That brief moment with her enveloped my being for the rest of the day.Since that happened,I have been thinking about this event constantly.It is already Wednesday, but it feels like it just happened.Most everyone is still in shock as the donations and volunteers have been streaming into the evacuation shelters.

What the drought has wrought

The Rocky fire as it is called, has now spread over 68,000 acres... spanning three counties here in Northern California. The land is dry and brittle from our long drought here in California.It started on July 29th, and here it is the 5th of August and it is only 20% contained. Thirty-nine residences and 52 outbuildings have been destroyed. It has been reported that over 3,400 fire personnel have been employed, with over three hundred Fire engines having been dispatched. This thing is huge to say the least.Hotter conditions are expected as the week progresses.Clear Lake resides in the next county over,which is Lake County. The fire has enveloped an area southeast of a small town called Middletown.People in Middletown are on alert as the fire has been spreading.The cause for concern is that the fire can change direction at any time,all depending on which way the wind is blowing. This is a scary situation for everyone involved.It is hoped that the fire is contained soon, as this is making everyone quite weary and restless.

Mourning another tooth loss.

This is the second tooth I have had to have pulled this year. This one was a molar with a gold cap (which I don't know if I was compensated for yet ) It was quite painful, but I am relieved it got taken out. I will have to wait at least six months to see if I am suitable for an implant. My sister Rita is not convinced that implants are the answer. She has not had as much luck with them ( and they were taken out in short order for her ). Implants or not, the truth is that I am getting older and shit like this will start to visit upon me.Teeth are my friends,and I don't like to lose them. Last week I week I got a cortisone shot in my left foot to alleviate planter fasciitis. I doubt that I will ever run again, but at least I will be able to go on hikes. It seems like their are a lot of people my age that are comparing notes when it comes to medical maladies, as each of us grows older.Thank God for Medi-Cal and in the very near future,Medicare. I understand that at least my prescriptions will be paid for; and I only have to call ahead to Smith's Pharmacy to place my order.The saying goes that, "Getting old ain't for sissies!" No truer words...

On a lighter note, I went to hear a Cuban singer last night at Sonoma University's Weil Theater which is gorgeous and acoustically flawless.His name is Carlos Varela. The performance was moving. He spoke about his homeland in Havana growing up in a time-warped country under Communist rule.He sang beautifully and soulfully getting the audience involved through clapping and singing along. His brother, Aldo Lopez-Gavilan provided a solo piece that caught everyone buy surprise.His skills and vibrant expression on the grand Bosendorfer piano was the best I've ever heard.It was jaw-dropping.People gave him a standing ovation, to which they shouted and cheered, Bravo! Many were moved to tears.The trio, which included bassist Julio Cesar Gonzalez made for a evening of unique and thoroughly enjoyable music.My friends,Bill and Veda Florez went out later to Mary's Pizza Shack for a Pesto Pizza before heading home.

Pursuing Beauty

Here i am holed up, in my hot and sweaty apartment thinking about all the rocks I have to paint to keep my inventory current. If the creative juices were flowing, my work would bring a little more satisfaction. Unfortunately, I have been rehashing a lot of similar designs. Thank God for color variations and the many combinations because it helps provide each rock with a distinctive quality.Staying focused can be difficult when you have a bunch of neighborhood kids who scream and shout, celebrating their long days of summer.My personal code of patience and tolerance carries me through on most days.Staying inspired by finding things that stir the imagination reminds me that art is everywhere. The spillage on the sidewalk seen in the pic below is a sample of found art. Staying engaged in the process of seeking beauty wherever it can be found keeps me in a good frame of mind.Now back to the acrylics.

To the Beach!

It is important to get away to the coast every so often. My new friend, Robert and I went to collect sandstones over at Russian Gulch. The weather was overcast in the beginning and the clouds began to part as we went back. One has to go through a jungle of sorts to get to the beach. The trail is about a quarter mile, and this time of the year the plants are abundant and lush. The whole area was rich and green, teaming with life. The beach itself is rather small. I would say it is not over one hundred yards, from end to end. Drift wood and sea weed would cover the part of the beach where I took the following pictures. I went back to my car to get a few Spirit rocks to take some showcase images.Robert was content just to lie down on the sand.

School's out for the summer

Today is June fifth and the days are heating up again. The Spring has presented us with lovely, cool days in the 60's and 70's, but when it hits 80 and above... I roast. This weekend is expected to be over 90.The bike rides I've been taking to stay in shape have paid off. I am getting in shape and my attitude has been good. Notice I didn't say great, but good.The Warriors basketball team however, is doing great, and I mean great! They are in the NBA finals, and have already won their first game! That picks my spirits up for sure.

The other day my neighbor's kid(s) graduated from elementary school. I remember Monica (The girl on the left in the picture below) as a cute little four year old playing with her brother, and now they both are soon to become teenagers. These growth spurts get me feeling a little sentimental and weepy.

I suppose that as the days get longer during summer, my time on the planet seems to be getting shorter, I don't know.Kids just grow up too fast these days. I want them all to stay cute and lovable. I suppose they are still lovable.

Grieving a lost molar

Monday I had a molar extracted from my mouth.I have spent my whole life maintaining my smile. Frequent trips to the dentist when I was younger were common place. I never had to wear braces because I was told that if you don't stick you tongue in the space where the tooth came out, your teeth won't come in crooked.I believed that advice.

I used to have mercury fillings, but as an adult I had all of them removed. My health and well-being improved considerably.I have three teeth with gold caps, one porcelain, and have had an assortment of surgical procedures including three root canals and a periodontal scaling.One of the root canal treatments was botched. Dr. Scott did not remove the whole root and over time the pain came back whenever I bit down on my left side.

Eventually the tooth got infected and the dentist told me that I had a choice to make. Live with it, or have it extracted and replaced with an implant. I again, put the matter on hold figuring that I would just tolerate the pain and would have it taken out when the pain became unbearable.Well, that happened. Dr. Politz from Napa's Oral and Maxillofacial clinic had the job of removing the tooth.

Later, I was given a prescription for antibiotics and painkillers.As it turned out, I only took one painkiller and have nineteen pills left over.I don't know what to do with them.If I flush them down the toilet the will leech into the water supply.My plan is to return them to the pharmacy an let them deal with them.

Today i have a gaping hole where my molar used to be.I will have to wait six months before being considered for implant surgery. Great. Well,that will give me time to save up three grand to have it done.I still miss my molar.

Hard Work and Manifestation

I like to shop for supplies to add to my Rock Painting business.Going to the beach used to be a regular sojurn. Traveling from Calistoga to Jenner is usually a day well spent. I get out of town, take a relaxing ride to the coast and I spend time in a secluded area to commune with nature.This is where I recharge my creative batteries so to speak. Many times I will find a rock or several rocks to use in my craft.

Returning home, I will have stopped at several art stores to pick up other supplies that I would use. Stickers, paint, brushes, glue, glitter and types of paper are just some of the items I am always in search of;To make something individual and unique. The work is usually the most enjoyable part of the creative process, but that depends.

Today, I purchased a magazine called "Fructose" which contains stories about artists like myself. I read things of this nature, and go to museums and galleries to support the culture from which i draw these ideas. The ideas are the components, not the media which I use to bring them into being.The ideas fuel the fire which drives creative expression. Otherwise, I am just practicing... always practicing.This is true especially when their is no clear idea where or how an idea will manifest, and thereby move this whole process forward.

A Good Friday

Today is Good Friday and it's already off to a good start. I've made a bank deposit and have paid the rent. Now I only have to pay my quarterly taxes and I will be able to breathe a little easier, at least until next month. I am going to the 12pm services at the church I attend, and plan to keep silence for three hours ( yes, it is possible ! ) Then I will have a nice lunch and go for a bicycle ride to Bothe State Park. All in all a great way to spend the day in Calistoga.