Three Days, Four Events

I invited Marilyn to go to concerts with me starting with Foreverland Thursday which she couldn't make. The plaza was packed with fans for this professional, energetic, dancing, singing tribute to MJ. She came for the Greek Fest Friday and we had a great time line dancing and belly dancing. We returned to her Petaluma home for breakfast out, yard sale, shopping, farmers market and a return to Clayton and Concord catching an hour of The Hot Rods Band concert at 5 o'clock before the California Symphony Pops annual concert at 6:30. What a blast and we rocked out dancing at both venues. Sometimes it just feels great to be alive and this was one of those times. We've been friends for almost 26 years and love to have fun and enjoy life.

I asked the mayor to dance.

There I was getting my vegetables and some fruit at the weekly farmers market at Civic Center and was dancing to the wonderful boogie of a young piano player and drummer that are there sometimes. It's the 30th anniversary celebration with music all day long and at 1 o'clock the mayor appears with at least three well dressed agents looking out for him. I went over to the small circle of people and said, "Hi Mayor Lee. Would you like to dance?" He responded, "Was that a cha cha?" before someone else took his attention. The music was so good I let loose and had some fun dancing. There were a few of us mature adults having a good time and taking advantage of good dancing music. I've been going to that market for about a third of its existence there and more lately because I enjoy my vege dish so much. Today I bought chard, bok choy, spinach, beet tops (gratis), and some Asian apples. It's a lovely weekly event. Mayor Lee missed his chance to dance with one of the best.

"Mom! There's a For Rent sign!"

When I lived in the city I had a calling spanning 20 years. I was the housing specialist in two wards spilling over into Concord a bit but not near as needed there. My children grew up looking out for signs as we biked or drove so I could record the information and be ready for the next person who needed help. I found people rooms and apartments, sometimes temporary while here for a needed course or job. It was particularly gratifying when I'd get a call telling me how much it helped. One time I introduced myself to someone new in Sunset Ward and asked if he needed assistance with housing. He ended up renting a room from a ward family. That's all he needed at the time. I later learned he was a bishop in his home ward and he was grateful for my welcoming invitation to help with housing. I helped a family looking for a house to rent for a year. The couple had five children. They ended up finding the Parkside house themselves but when they moved and our own family had to move, guess who moved into the rental? We did, and lived there about nine years. That was our last dwelling in the city and once again, our rental was being sold and we had to move. June 3, 2000, we moved to our first bought home in Concord.

Trials

Two days before hosting the third family reunion my windshield was smashed in along with the hood at BART. I left work early the day before the reunion to have it repaired in front of my house. A week or so before my vacation there was an attempted theft of my car at BART. I had to have a locksmith come to the house and repair the ignition. On Labor Day I was accused of casing a house while looking for a new family to invite them to the neighborhood HOA BBQ and the irate man was insulting. On top of that the female officer was rude and insulting to me as well. Then the day before 9/11 my car was stolen from in front of my house. I've been attending temple sessions on Saturday for 22 months, attend church on Sunday, and live my life. Life happens.

9/11 Tenth Anniversary

Ten years ago today America was attacked by cowards and defended by heroes in planes and buildings. My flag is flying. God bless America. My day began by listening to Tom Brokaw narrate for The Spoken Word and Mormon Tabernacle Choir 9/11 tribute on KOIT at 7:30 and ended with a tribute to 9/11 heroes at the Temple Hill Choir and San Francisco State University Handbell Choir concert at the LDS chapel on Decoto Road in Fremont with Sheila driving us there. They were both so beautiful.

"I love people like you."

That's what I was told today at the San Francisco Symphony Birthday Bash at Civic Center when a woman asked me if my hat was for sale or if I'd done it myself. My hot pink pointy birthday hat with fringe was decorated with 100 YEARS to celebrate the symphony's centennial. People were taking pictures of me. What a grand celebration on a fine summer's day in the city with free Ghirardelli sundaes, chocolate, 100-Year bottles, drawings, and great music! Thank you beautiful San Francisco. Mayor Ed Lee declared it San Francisco Symphony Day in the city.

Three of Us Went Camping--Me, Myself and I

For a full week from August 27 to September 2 I enjoyed a glorious solo camping experience at Mt. Shasta. These pictures were taken by some nice Oregonians I met at Castle Lake where I spent a full day hiking the right side of the lake, eating lunch in my boat, swimming, journaling and reading until 7 p.m. I rented a kayak three times and covered Lake Siskiyou, swam, hiked the left side of the lake, hiked the Burr Trail and picnicked twice near Sisson Museum, walked the main street after shopping Trading Places dollar trunk, picked blackberries, was told a shortcut to the library over a meadow covered with fields of wild sweet peas using a wooden foot bridge, took walks in the campgrounds, read scriptures in my hammock, read the Ensign, Alaska, VIA magazine, played Scrabble by myself for the first time ever using Gypsy and Olie and found "OLIE" on my Olie rack, already spelled out! I prepared large campfires in the morning so all I had to do was light it after the movies at Bijou. I cooked and prepared my own food the night before I left on the 300-mile trip one way. Mt. Shasta Ward members were very happy to see me and I was happy to be there once again. I sang hymns every night around the huge, hot campfire and prayed, talked to Michael and even myself to keep me company. If there's a prettier place to be outdoors for a week I have yet to find it. On my last night I saw a UFO. I was staring at a star and suddenly it got big and very bright, then completely disappeared! Or can stars explode? I took the 3:30 tour of Shasta Dam in Redding wishing we had thought to stop there as a family. I stopped overnight at Con's in Citrus Heights arriving at 8 p.m. and left Saturday morning for a childhood friend's memorial service in Vacaville, barbeque and jam session as a celebration of life at the 7-1/2-acre ranch. Unpacking and swimming in Concord and relaxing at home was the culmination of a fabulous trip. I'm thankful and feel very blessed.