Pumpkin Plunge is right around the corner!

Pumpkin Plunge is the annual swim meet hosted by The Girl's swim team, the Sea Serpents. I've coordinated the Snack Bar for the last two years and this will be my third. 

My sister and I sewed MANY aprons last year and
with her fancy-schmancy sewing machine, she embroidered "Sea Serpents" on them!

And here's just a few of them MANY 

volunteers who helped out last year over both days of the swim meet. 

THANK YOU!!

RIP Robin Williams, 1951-2014

I chose this photo of Robin Williams because I think we are all doing a "face-palm" right now.

Why, Robin, why?

The collective grieving is apparent..and we now have Facebook and Twitter and whatever to express our feelings in a huge way. Somehow it helps.

Robin, are you watching? Do you see, hear, feel the outpouring? It's so for many reasons...you were too young, you were healthy, we thought you were handling the "inner demons" everyone is talking about since you were so open lately about "going back to rehab" for whatever reason.

It wasn't an overdose. It wasn't an accident. It was just so deliberate.

All the love in the world didn't stop you. And, you know, all the world loved you. Because you were a good guy. A nice guy. A guy who could make us laugh until it hurt. A guy who helped people who hurt, even when not "on," your heart was "on."

Was it hurting you all along? Was that capacity to feel so much what also gave you your genius? (Along with that brain that moved at a 1000 mph.) Love/hate, sorrow/joy, happiness/depression. Two sides to every coin and those sides are millimeters apart.

Part of me thinks it's my fault. It's really silly, I know. Not my fault, really, but somehow I could have stopped you. No, I didn't know you...never even met you, never saw you on a sidewalk even though I lived in the next county. Part of me thinks...if I could have knocked on your door that morning, and asked you to go for a walk, this could have been prevented.

I know it's not that simple, but if I had a magic wand, I'd turn back the clock and sure as hell be on your doorstep and giving it a try.

If only you could have had your own personal "It's a Wonderful Life" happen to you, so you could see what the world would have been like without you, or to see the outpouring of grief and love at the news of your passing, maybe you could have seen and understood your true value and you would have made a different choice.

We don't have royalty in this country, but we do recognize greatness. Robin, you were a King of Comedy and a prince to us regular folks. It hurts that you are gone. It hurts to know we will miss out on what else we might have seen from you. It hurts to know that your family is hurting and will miss just you. You. You, the guy they loved. Dad, husband, son. No matter your accomplishments, you will be missed and the grief will continue.

We'll spend the next year watching you in films that you left for us. A bittersweet, extended good-bye note that will leave us crying and laughing like we never have before.

I just wish that if you'd wanted to be a poster boy for depression, that you would have found a different way to do it. Robin, whatever regrets you had in life, this is the biggest mistake you made. We all regret it.

But maybe that was part of it...too much pressure to "do the right thing." I don't know. None of us will know, I guess, none of us will know.

The Postcard Project

I may be crazy for starting another project, but this one is right up my alley.

On my first day of volunteering at the Food For Thought (FFT) Antique Store last week, I found all these vintage postcards (that need organizing, of course!). In looking through them, I found a number sent from Cape Cod in the 60's.

This one in particular had a great little correspondence on the back, and it was such a fun jumping off point for a short story (or novel, what the heck!). It's July of 1966, and Karen was working as a "mother's helper" for a doctor, his wife and their four children, two boys and two girls, ranging in age from 2-14, at the family's summer cottage in Dennis, MA.

Anyway, since she mentioned the family name and cottage address,  (I've blurred it out) on the card, I thought I'd do a little internet sleuthing to see if I could find someone in the original family. It was such a uncommon name that I found numerous hits right away. And, long story short, I am in contact with the boy who was 11 that summer, now a man of about 59, I guess. We'll be chatting later this week. His dad, the doctor is still around at age 90. (Hmmm, does this sound like a family we all know?)

I'm looking forward to where this takes me. It could be as simple as picking out a new card each week and writing a short story, finishing before my next shift the following week. Or maybe a fun project of looking up a card each week to see if I can contact anyone who has written a card or who is mentioned? A "where are they now" for 50 years later? We'll see!

 Oh, and a postcard stamp was only 4 cents! I wonder how much Karen made that summer? What are some things you would like to know? I'll get to ask John this week. (He said his dad would be thrilled to hear about this.)

2014 Update

Life has gotten busy or I have gotten lazy...not sure which or some of both.

A quick update...

Our latest vintage trailer is a 1962 Shasta Astrodome in need of a paint job. We were hoping the sale of the Lil' Loafer would finance that project, but (one new water heater and $2000 worth of car repairs later) that fund is dwindling! I haven't lost hope, just a little steam. We still need to take her in to get estimate on a paint job, and maybe we still have enough in reserve!

Her name is "Tweety" as in Tweety Bird since she is canary yellow and we will keep her original color scheme. And of course I've found tons of stuff in yellow and am amassing a, cough cough, hoard. This is just a tiny bit. More pics later. We haven't camped in her yet, although she's camp-able and very towable. (She made the trip from her other home in Susanville just fine. Seven hours!) Her interior is in really good condition and I think we got her for a pretty good price. Yes, there is a toilet room, but the previous owner had not used it, so we're not sure what the condition the plumbing is in.

I've started volunteering at Food For Thought's Antique Store here in Sebastopol once a week. Just one 3-hour shift each week amongst all that glorious vintage stuff! I've only worked once so far. Next week I learn the cash register!

The Girl has numerous day camps this summer. Two weeks at Coyote Camp as a Junior Mentor (helper), and two weeks of afternoon camps at Sonoma State. One was on Fashion Design and one will be a "Harry Potter Camp." She elected to not do the Humane Society Camp, she felt she'd aged out of it. And of course she had 9 days on the "East Coast Adventure" with her teacher and schoolmates in June. (Boston, Philly and NY) (Louisa May Alcott's home below.)

The Man is continuing to work and slave away, trying to get some three-day weekends to go camping. I make him work more at home, too since my birthday "present" was painting the kitchen cabinets and walls. (Going slowly, but it's coming along!) Finally got that awful "painting" off the range hood! Only 22 more cabinet doors and 12 drawers left! (The bottom cabinets on the stove area should be done shortly.) So far, it's just the island and the upper stove area that are done, and the trim on the pantry and laundry room doors and those walls (blue from yellow). Can't wait until it's all just blue and white! So far, I'm doing the walls, trim and bases and The Man does the doors and drawers with all the intricate sanding and caulking. I scraped down the range hood.

Allie is fundraising for her East Coast History Trip!

I'll be putting up pictures of the crafts we are making to earn her trip funds, and if you would like to order anything, just email me with what you'd like. I've even got a PayPal button on this site (look to the right) or you can just send me a check.

(Be sure to send me an email to tell us your order, the PayPal button is just for the payment.)

Or if you'd just like to donate straight to her trip account, here's the link:

http://www.efexploreamerica.com/secure/make-donation.aspx?poid=DB93D6FB&utm_medium=web&utm_source=paxsecure&utm_campaign=fundraising

(We have trip insurance, so if something happens and she can't go, we will get a refund of any money paid, and pay you back, too!)

Here's a sample of the Teddy Bear and the Owl ($5 each). Each item will be unique in colors (you can request colors if we have them!) and might be a little different from the last one we made!

More pictures to come this week as we get into full production!

Soon we'll have ornaments, gift bags, aromatherapy and whatever else we can come up with!

Easter Sunday Brunch

Some fun food and a fun "hunt." Vegan peeps, even!

RIP Davy Jones

 Davy Jones

1945-2012

I may write more about this later, but for now...we will miss you! I regret not getting to see you on a recent tour. You left us too early, but I thank you for your wonderful music and being a bright addition to my childhood.

My very first personal blog post on this site was about the Monkees. Click and scroll to the end to enjoy a video of the boys singing "Riu Chiu" a cappella for a TV Christmas special.

http://www.margaretismusing.blogspot.com/2008/03/musing-about-music.html

I miss the Wiggles

My daughter is 10 now. Actually, 10 and a half. It's been many years since we've watched Wiggles videos or listened to their CDs. But I just bought a new Wiggles CD because it's called "Ukulele Baby." My DD has been playing the uke since she was six, and I had to hear this CD.

I miss them. I realized I loved being a kid with my kid and I loved the Wiggles. Four (good-looking) grown men who loved to be silly for little kids. My little girl is in that pre-pre-teen stage, and while she still loves to be silly and playful, she is not a toddler.  She can compute a fraction once second and sing her own silly made up song (complete with dance) the next. I credit the Wiggles (and 9.5 years of Kindermusik classes and ukulele lessons) with her ability to do that.

I probably won't be attending any more Wiggles concerts. (Yes, I have attended two of them!) I can still love them from afar. And send this CD to my 4 year-old great-niece. I hope she and her mom can have the same love affair with the guys!

Superbowl Sunday Cupcakes

Allie made all these cupcakes and the "field." Totally cute!

 We called these the "spectator" cupcakes, since the other ones on the field were the "players."
Best comment of the night: When we told our friends they had to eat the spectators first,  ("the spectators go first!") one youngster commented "Unless you are an Italian cruise ship captain!"

Food I Have Loved: Chocolate Cupcake

Allie's Birthday Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes

Our house, Made by Allie and Me

Chocolatey, moist, lots of icing. Elegant birthday treat.

Food I Have Loved*: Vegan Sopapilla Cheesecake

Vegan Sopapilla Cheesecake

The Remedy Diner, Raleigh, NC

Sweet, creamy, velvety, crunchy, soft. Rich beyond words.

*This is a new category here on this blog. Just quick thoughts about food, meals eaten out or at a friend's place that has really wowed me. Of course it's all vegan.

Food I Have Loved*: Avospacho Soup

 Avospacho Soup

Slice of Life, Sebastopol, CA

Creamy, cold, rich, crunchy. Summer comfort food.

*This is a new category here on this blog. Just quick thoughts about food, meals eaten out or at a friend's place that has really wowed me. Of course it's all vegan.

A Reflection 10 Years Later: Are we sane yet?

I am not watching the news this weekend. In fact, I have stopped watching it already.

I do not want to see the towers fall again. And again and again and again. I saw it 10 years ago, and it was all seared into my brain then.

It was a beautiful September morning in West County. Russ was getting ready for work, and I was lazily lying in bed with our very new, 3 week old daughter. Life was bliss then. A house in the woods, a warm bed and a snuggling infant.

"Turn on the news," he said. "There's been a plane crash."

I didn't really want to see a plane crash, but he didn't normally tell me to watch gory news stories. I'm sure I did a quick mental check if I thought anyone I knew had been traveling and could have been on a plane. A good friend of ours is a pilot and flew his own small plane at the time.

I turned on the TV, and the story had just begun to unfold. Only the first plane had struck. You know the rest of the story, so I won't retell it.

I knew thousands of people would die that day. My heart was sick for them and their families. I knew that life as we knew it had changed that day. I suddenly had the thought, "What kind of life have I just brought this beautiful baby into?" when I just as quickly remembered that we had adopted her. We hadn't brought her into this, she was going to be here no matter what. Thank goodness she was with us.

My next thought was even more sickening...this isn't the end. This isn't the end of the killing, the hatred, the racism, the horror, the madness, the religious fanaticism. It was the beginning. Or, rather, another beginning.

In the magical world of Margaret-land (although if I ruled, Earth might look more like a Star-Trekkian future–people of Earth have united and get along), with me as head of the government, I imagined this: the high road. No retaliation. Peace talks. Find out why these people are so angry with us. Do something about it. Strengthen relations. Come to agreements. Bring accord. Make sure this didn't happen again. No more dead.

I know, I know. I'm a Pollyanna.

But in my heart I did the math. Thousands of Americans dead today. Retaliation. Thousands more dead in another land, maybe double or triple that number. Not even "an eye for an eye" but a whole body for an eye. And if we went to war, we would again double that number of our own dead. More Americans. This time our beautiful young sons and daughters.

I never dreamed it would all go on this long. We went to "war" months after the attack, and just days before my father died. I wondered if he had heard what was going on. Did his heart sink when he heard we were again at war? He served his country in WWII, luckily (for me) in a non-combat position, but he knew plenty of people who died, and plenty of people left with visible and not-so-visible scars from being in a war where you kill people. Our WWII veterans have all almost died away now. Is this when we begin to forget what war is and want to put on another one?

I'm not saying that we should never go to war. I know that Hitler was a horrid man and needed to be stopped. I'm still amazed at how one man can lead so many people into fanatic thinking and horrid acts. And there seems to always be one (or more) of those around. And they should be stopped. But why do so many people have to die before they are?

I don't have the answers. I'm merely a tiny little player in the grand scheme. But there has to be another way. There just has to be. There are plenty of people in our country smarter than me. Why haven't they figured it out?

Sam Harris, of Project Reason, ended his blog post today with this...

Ten years have passed since a group of mostly educated and middle-class men decided to obliterate themselves, along with three thousand innocents, to gain entrance to an imaginary Paradise. This problem was always deeper than the threat of terrorism—and our waging an interminable “war on terror” is no answer to it. Yes, we must destroy al Qaeda. But humanity has a larger project—to become sane. If September 11, 2001, should have taught us anything, it is that we must find honest consolation in our capacity for love, creativity, and understanding. This remains possible. It is also necessary. And the alternatives are bleak.

Doughnuts, Veganism, Alicia Silverstone and Das Racist

Ok, this is just too weird.

I'm not too sure where to start this story.

I'll begin in Portland where I was attending the first ever Vida Vegan Bloggers Conference last week.

On one of our out-of-the-hotel vegan foodie haunts to Voodoo Doughnuts (a whole tray of vegan doughnuts to choose from ... even "creme" filled ... I know, heaven, if there is such a place, is filled with cruelty-free vegan creme filled doughnuts, vegan corn-dogs and just-deep-dried tater tots and comfortable pleather shoes), our family heard a tune being blasted in the glowing pink-walled just-a-touch-too-hot (is that a velvet portrait of Kenny Rogers on the wall?) doughnut shop. The lyrics were simple. The metre was rap.

"I'm at the Pizza Hut. I'm at the Taco Bell. I'm at the cah-h-hm-bination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell."
"I'm at the Pizza Hut. I'm at the Taco Bell. I'm at the cah-h-hm-bination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell."

Now sing that again. And again. And again. And for about 5 more minutes. You got it. You got it. You got it.

I'll be the first to admit that I hate rap. (I hate to wrap, too. Presents that is. Is there a connection?)

But this song struck a chord. Granted, just one chord. Over and over.

My darling husband and darling daughter were with me getting doughnuts. Taco Bell and Pizza Hut are their two favorite places in the whole darn world. Yes, you can get vegan things (hold the cheese) at TB, but PH, well, not so vegan. We're waiting in line with our newly found vegan-foodie friends Cheryl and Kathy (vegan cookbook author) at this hot and stuffy hipster* joint (go look it up, I had to)  when I tell my family to "Listen to this song, I think it will have special meaning for you!"

Oh yeah, new family favorite.

The next day involves a twelve hour drive home to Sonoma County and some googling on my iPhone to learn about the song and its creators, the duo "Das Racist." Silly me, I thought they might be German. (I took two years of German in college.) Come to find out, it's slang for "That's Racist." Pronounced "Dass" not "Dahss." Which is really quite close to how it might be said in German, "Das ist racist." I have no idea how to say "racist" is German.

Fast forward to tonight, when we are just too bored to watch TV anymore (The Soup=Funny. Chelsea Lately=Chuckles, but Tacky. OMG, the Kardashians are on=Just Tacky. Let's google Pizza Hut/Taco Bell again.

We watch some pretty funny YouTube takes on PH/TB, but then I read that Das Racist is coming out with a real album on iTunes on September 13 and one cut has already been released. Once on iTunes, I see that there are a few free podcasts available with interviews.

One such podcast not only includes Das Racist, but an interview with actress and vegan cookbook author Alicia Silverstone. I only happen to write a blog, The Vegan Reduction Project, that includes her book. (APM: The Dinner Party Download. Episode 46.) How is it that the Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell song is so linked to veganism?

I like Pizza Hut. I like Taco Bell. I like Veganism. I like Voodoo Doughnuts. I like Alicia Silverstone.  I like a combination of Pizza Hut and Taco Bell and Veganism and Voodoo Doughnuts and Alicia Silverstone.

I like Pizza Hut. I like Taco Bell. I like Veganism. I like Voodoo Doughnuts. I like Alicia Silverstone.  I like a combination of Pizza Hut and Taco Bell and Veganism and Voodoo Doughnuts and Alicia Silverstone. 

*The whole hipster thing..I just have to say, even though I turned 50 this year, I was doing hipster stuff before I knew what is was. Ironic, huh? And THAT in itself is the definition of hipster. I served PBR  (that's Pabst Blue Ribbon in hipstese) at my birthday party this year, while dressed in my best 50's dress/crinoline/short poofed hair. I've been a vegan for almost two decades (when these 20-something vegan hipsters were still being bottle-fed cow-dairy formula), and I own two totally retro fondue pots. Which I serve vegan cheese fondue in. AND I've been blogging since BEFORE the term "blogging." OMG, I'm an old hipster. Now I know how all those old hippies feel out here in West County. 

"Turn on, tune in, drop out." Oh, what hipster said THAT?

1961 Breakfast at Tiffany's Pt 2

I just watched Breakfast at Tiffany's last night and...ummmm..well, Audrey was quite the beauty. I hadn't really read much about it, and my perception of what it would be was really "off." Audrey plays a young woman who "plays the field" (escort is a nice word) and the man she befriends who just moved in to her apartment house is a "kept" man by an older, married woman. She keeps hoping to marry one of these rich guys she goes out with, but they all turn out to be "rats" or "super rats" (go figure) and they dump her.

The movie was based on a book by Truman Capote, and I'm betting his story didn't give it the "light touch" that the movie did. My 50th Anniversary Edition DVD has extra interviews with the director (Blake Edwards, who died last December). He hinted that he wasn't able to make her character (visualized by Capote as sexy Marilyn Monroe) like she was in the book. "A big jump from the Capote Holly Golightly to the film Holly Golightly," he said.

I was expecting a light-hearted romp of the early 60s with lovely New York fashion and jewelry. But instead, it was a rather depressing tale of a young woman who escaped a horrible childhood only to have a horrible adulthood. A good story in itself, but when expectations are not met, it is depressing. Not really a movie for kids, although nothing really graphic is shown, and much of the inferences will go right over their heads, but the theme is pretty bleak and of course is about a prostitute trying to keep her head above water and better her lot in life.

I think I'll go watch The Parent Trap now (also 1961). It's just a romp about two parents that split up their twins as babies and never bother to tell them about their other biological parent, much less that they have a sibling. Now that's fun!

Update: I just watched The Parent Trap and the DD and I enjoyed it. Yes, a light-hearted romp. My only objection to it was the occasional violence. But I guess it was PC to slap people around in 1961, huh? The girls slap each other (hard) and start a rolling around on the floor and cake and punch spilling fight. Later, the ex-wife slaps (and punches) the father and when the girls finally upset the fiance enough to make her leave, she slaps one of them (very hard) after saying "Do you two share everything? Then share this with your sister!" SLAP! Really, it's OK to hit a 13-year-old? But again, great to see the fashions, especially the more casual ones for younger kids.

Next up, West Side Story. Just a romp about a couple of groups of kids in a city neighborhood who like to sing and dance, I hear. Maybe it's like Glee.

Famous people with my birthday

I share my birthdate with these folks...

1491 King Henry VIII

1577 Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish Baroque painter, Circumcision

1824 Paul Broca, France, brain surgeon/anthro, located speech center

1902 Richard Rodgers, born in Hammels Station, New York, composer, Rodgers and Hammerstein

1902 John Dillinger (robber)

1926 Mel Brooks

1933 - Pat Morita, Berkeley CA, actor (Happy Days, Karate Kid)

1946 Gilda Radner, born in Detroit, Michigan, actress, SNL, Haunted Honeymoon

1948 Kathy Bates, born in Memphis, Tennessee, academy award winning actress, Misery

1966 Mary Stuart Masterson, born in Houston, Texas, actress, Some Kind of Wonderful

1966 John Cusack, born in Chicago, actor, Stand By Me, Sure Thing, Better Off Dead

1967 - Gil Bellows, Canadian actor

Gilda has always been one of my favorite"birthday buddies" and I just found this quote:

A thought on comfort...

"I base my fashion taste on what doesn't itch."
- Gilda Radner

1961 Births

 A few of those who came into the world the same year I did...

01/13/1961 Julia Louis-Dreyfus, NYC, comedienne (SNL, Seinfeld, Day by Day)

01/26/1961 Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oiler/LA Kings (NHL MVP 1980-1987

03/15/1961 Fabio, Italy, romance novels model 

05/31/1961 Lea Thompson, actress (Casual Sex, Howard the Duck, Space Camp)

05/29/1961 Melissa Etheridge, US singer/songwriter/guitarist (Never Enough) 

06/09/1961 Michael J Fox, Edm, actor (Family Ties, Back to the Future, Teen Wolf)

06/14/1961"Boy George" O'Dowd, androgynous vocalist & druggie (Culture Club) 

07/01/1961 Diana Frances Spencer, Sandringham England, Princess of Wales

07/15/1961 Forest Whitaker, actor (Bloodsport, Platoon, Stakeout)

07/18/1961 Elizabeth McGovern, Evanston Ill, actress (Once Upon a Time in Amer) 
08/04/1961 Barack Obama (President)

07/23/1961 Woody Harrelson, Midland Tx, actor (Woody Boyd-Cheers)

08/27/1961"Downtown" Julie Brown, TV host (Club MTV, Inside Edition) 

09/25/1961 Heather Locklear, LA Ca, actress (Stacy-T J Hooker, Sammy Jo-Dynasty)

:09/30/1961 Crystal Bernard, Dallas, actress (Amy-It's a Living, Helen-Wings)

10/18/1961 Wynton Marsalis, New Orleans La, jazz trumpeter (Grammy 1983)

10/18/1961 Erin Moran, Burbank Calif, actress (Happy Days, Joanie Loves Chachi)

11/02/1961 k.d. lang, country singer (& the Reclines-Absolute Torch & Twang)

11/04/1961 Ralph Macchio, Huntington NY, actor (Karate Kid, 8 is Enough

11/12/1961 Nadia Comaneci, [Gheorghe] Romania, gymnist (1st 10/Olympic-gold-1976

11/19/1961 Meg Ryan, Bethel Ct, actr (When Harry Met Sally, As the World Turns)

11/22/1961 Mariel Hemingway, Ketchum ID, actress (Personal Best, Civil Wars)

1961 Events

1961 Happenings

05/01/1961 1st US airplane hijacked to Cuba         

05/04/1961 13 Freedom riders began bus trip through South     

05/25/1961 JFK sets goal of putting a man on Moon before the end of decade

08/17/1961 Building of Berlin Wall begins

10/06/1961 JFK advises Americans to build shelters

12/31/1961 1st performance of Beach Boys

June 1961

06/14/1961 106øF, hottest temperature in San Francisco

06/17/1961 Russian ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev defects to west in Frankfurt

06/18/1961 CBS radio cancels Gunsmoke

06/19/1961 Kuwait declares independence from UK

06/24/1961 Iraq demands dominion over Kuwait

06/24/1961 Beatles record "If You Love Me Baby"

06/29/1961 Launch of Transit 4a, with 1st nuclear power supply (SNAP-3)

06/30/1961 Explorer (12) fails to reach Earth orbit

1961-65 Margaret & Family

A little travel back in time...(I'm the small one)

 

That's my mom holding me, my sister Jennifer in the red coat (and next to my mom in the other shots) and my sister Chris with the white hat. Me in the bonnet. Chris is looking very Jackie Kennedy.

 From left to right: Darlene (our cousin), Jennifer (my sister), Chris (sister), my Dad and me,
with our mom in the back. At our pool when we lived in Antioch. The only house I've ever lived in with a pool and I have no memories (OK, a couple)! Russ and I visited this spot many years
ago and the house was right next to a KFC and the pool had been cemented in. 

We left and there went the neighborhood!

 A princess from the start. 

Proof! I was a natural blonde! Ages: 3, 10, 18.

 Chris, Jennifer and me and Mopsy as a puppy. On the ranch in Stockton. 1965?

 Again, no memories of this.

1961 Fashions Pt 2

I'm currently fascinated with Breakfast at Tiffany's and the black dresses Audrey Hepburn wears in it. (I have yet to see the movie!) Here are the two that seem to be iconic from the movie.