We didn’t name him, but we loved him, a robust cat-about-town who once lived a few houses over. He has been part of our family for nearly 14 years.
Mouse loved his treats, and once plumped up to 18 pounds. He used to follow us around the block on our evening walks, and unlike most cats, he loved—and at times demanded—that I pick him up. I happily obliged.
Mike jokingly called him my “white haired gentleman.”
To love a cat is to pretend they’ll go on forever. You park science at the curb and love them with your whole heart.
In May, rapid weight loss and slowed eating led to a series of tests. My once plump boy was frail.
After our last visit to the Cat Hospital, our treasured vet sent us home, assuring me that Mousy was weak but not in pain, and it would be okay for him to die at home.
My sweet boy spent the last two weeks on a blanket in our closet, accepting small servings of Churu treats, licked from my fingers, before putting his head down to rest. It’s been a long and sad goodbye.
Last weekend, we celebrated our 29th anniversary in the charming town of Los Gatos. Let me tell you, if you’re looking for a night to eat out in this community, Sunday is it.
On Saturdays, the streets fill with young people, families with strollers, and pedestrians walking dogs, but by Sunday evening, most of the shops are closed. We had a terrific time. This time last year, we were in Italy, something that’s hard to top, but we enjoyed dining at a new-to-us family-owned Italian restaurant recommended by my friend Mary.
The Italian Brothers are relatively new to the area. It’s completely staffed and operated by a family from Sicily. You can read their story on the linked website.
Mike, My favorite Italian, outside of the restaurant
After a tasty meal of Caprese, bruschetta, pasta, and dessert, we walked around the downtown area, enjoying what I’ve always loved about Los Gatos: flowers and plants in shop doorways, redwood trees in unexpected places, interesting shop windows, and sandwich boards announcing wares along the sidewalks. The town is full of charm.
We also had our first kiss over thirty years ago in Los Gatos. I remember it clearly
“Los Gatos is one of Santa Clara County’s oldest communities. In 1840, the Mexican government granted a land patent for a 6,600-acre rancho to Sebastian Peralta and Jose Hernandez. Los Gatos was originally named La Rinconada de Los Gatos (Cat’s Corner) by early settlers due to the screams of mountain lions prowling in the night. In 1868, 100 acres of the rancho was selected as a town site. The town was incorporated in 1887, and by 1890, the town’s population had grown to 1,652. When the first General Plan was adopted in 1963, the town had grown to an area of approximately 4,000 acres, or 6.3 square miles, with a population in excess of 11,750.
At the time the first General Plan was revised in 1971, the town had grown to an area of 9 square miles with a population of 24,350. In 1984, Los Gatos covered approximately 10 square miles and had a population of 27,820 persons. Today, the Town population is estimated to be 33,529 in a 14 square-mile area. While most of the growth through the 1970s was due to new development, most of the growth in the 1980s and 1990s was due to annexations, in-fill development, and changing demographics.”
It’s fun posing for pictures among the local landmarks. It’s also funny to note the imports (like the famous red telephone box designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, a well-known British architect)
and this Victorian-era house, not imported per se, but the last one standing on the boulevard.
The house was built as a home in 1891, then sold to Alexander Place, which operated a funeral home in the Queen Anne mansion until 1971.
Several restaurants followed, with some locals refusing to eat there fearing the haunted house rumours. The mansion recently reopened as “Gardenia: a French Asian fusion coffee shop and cuisine,” since I don’t believe in ghosts, we will happily give it a go.
You’ll never guess what we spotted as we made our way back to the car: Gardenia had a wine barrel along the walkway stamped Wente Brothers.
Mike and I were married at Wente Brother’s in Livermore, 29 years ago.
In honor of Pride Month, today’s vase celebrates love. My vase includes the colors of the rainbow flag, designed by Artist Gilbert Baker at the behest of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician.
Colors have been added and subtracted to the flag over the years based on practical reasons (the cost and availability of the dyes) and the need for further inclusion. I didn’t realize before today that each color is symbolic.
I managed to include everything but turquoise. The representative flowers are pink (geranium), red, (sweet peas and Acer seed pods), orange (nasturtium, a flowering succulent and a self-seeded annual), yellow (salvia), green (nepeta, lavender, and nigella seed pods), blue (hydrangea), and indigo/violet (salvia).
Juno Dawson wrote the book pictured in today’s post. It was assigned reading when my eldest son attended university. It’s considered “young adult nonfiction, ” which tells me it should also be required reading in high school.
This Book is Gay, one of the Guardian’s Best Books of the Year, is described as “The book every LGBT person would have killed for as a teenager, told in the voice of a wise best friend. Frank, warm, funny, USEFUL.” Patrick Ness.
Sadly, I live in a country with powerful yet hateful, fearful, right-leaning folks that want to ban books and defend gun rights, strip women of reproductive rights and demonize anyone that doesn’t fit into a narrowly defined norm.
These flowers celebrate love and inclusion, compassion and understanding, and hope. They celebrate Pride. They celebrate Love.
Please visit the Cathy’s to see what they’ve created for IAVOM.
I filled my Beatrix Potter teacup with an assortment of sweet peas, evoking memories of an earlier time. My friend Carrielin bought this cup for me over forty years ago. I’m sure we’ve consumed gallons of tea over companionable talks. Friendships that endure are a gift; when I use this cup, it reminds me of her.
The cup also evokes memories of my time in the Lake District of Northern England. Ms. Potter donated almost all her property to the National Trust. Her forethought preserved much of the land that now constitutes the Lake District National Park. It’s pristine.
Sweet peas also evoke a sense of nostalgia, so they were the perfect choice for today’s vase. I tucked in a few green sprigs of lavender, and as a nod to the cat illustration on the cup, I added a small cutting of nepeta (catnip).
Thank you to “the Cathys” for inspiring this Monday series. It’s fun to think about what’s available in the garden and share it with others.
A vase is a container used to hold cut flowers. Traditionally, they’re made from glass, ceramics, or non-porous materials; however, today’s vase is a shell.
It’s a tiny shell. A garden snail succumbed to its fate, leaving a bleached and hollow vacancy behind. I used a toothpick to remove the dirt, knowing the shell might be useful.
Scale is everything when you’re creating a vase. You want something tall in the back and a bit of green for contrast, allowing the flowers to be the main attraction. Following those guidelines, I’ve used asparagus fern for greenery and height, showcasing the lovely blue Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ front and center.
Satisfied with my tiny vase, I snapped a few photos, then let “Bubba” have a sniff so you could see the true scale of the snail. Snail shell, that is.
The vase provides a focal point for one of my fairy gardens. I rearranged the lawn furniture, repaired (and then broke) the tiny door, added small pebbles, and returned my mostly rust-free garden gate.
This year’s garden features a tiny Alyssum hedge and a lawn of small greens, the name of which currently escapes me.
There you have it. The importance of a tiny vase on Monday to celebrate the opening of the fairy garden. The fairy garden sits beside the fountain’s right, surrounded by Campanula, commonly known as bellflowers. It’s a welcome respite for fairies and garden visitors alike.
I performed the Heimlich Maneuver on an unhoused woman earlier this year as she choked on a chicken burrito. She thinks I saved her life, and perhaps I did; however, as years go, this barely made my top ten. I am so ready to leave 2022 behind.
While nothing magical happens between December 31 and January 1, it feels like a fresh start.
I’ve watched helplessly as someone near and dear suffered through treatment-resistant depression most of the year. The constant worry and the overwhelming sadness never goes away.
My younger sister made multiple trips to the ER. She suffered three falls over eight months while trying to get out of bed and endured other medical maladies. Her advancing MS is taking a toll. She’s fought hard to retain independence, but in October, she finally agreed that she needed daily help.
Together we made one of the trips to the hospital on foot (I walked, and she used her mobility scooter) because Paratransit couldn’t accommodate a same-day appointment. Crossing two freeway entrances without the benefit of a traffic light proved harrowing. Every bump caused her pain. It’s not something either of us cares to repeat.
In June, I found myself alone in a building with a mentally unstable man who had set fire to the church sanctuary. I volunteered in the back half of the property. The sound of a distant smoke alarm and the smell of smoke sent me to explore the outer corridor. The man emerged, engulfed in a cloud of white smoke, holding a lighter in each hand.
St. Paul’s UMC Sanctuary Fire
My fumbling fingers managed to call 911, and I safely exited the building without another encounter. The fire went to two alarms, but thankfully there were no injuries, and they arrested the arsonist at the scene.
In the aftermath, we learned that Lifted Spirits’ entire inventory of donated clothing, masks, blankets, and more would be a loss. In addition, exposure to lead and asbestos rendered the building and most of its content unsafe.
Former Lifted Spirits Serving Room, Gutted and waiting for rebuild
At the time, I served as one of two lead volunteers. We moved the program outside, rallied our resources, and rented a portable storage container to continue helping vulnerable men and women from the parking lot. Unfortunately, San Jose had several days with triple-digit temperatures this summer, making for a few long months.
POD (Portable on Demand) storage delivery
For various reasons I won’t go into, I tendered my resignation from Lifted Spirits at the end of October. I had hoped to stay through year-end, but that didn’t work out. After nearly five years of service as a volunteer, program lead, former board member, and donor, my last month felt demoralizing. The executive director showed up on my last day of volunteering (at my request), so I could hand over keys and other property. She called “thank you” as she raced to her next appointment. It’s been painful letting go of something I’ve been passionate about for so long. I miss the program, my fellow volunteers, and, of course, the women we served. I’m disheartened to hear how quickly things changed.
While outdoors this past summer, our volunteers put lifting spirits first. We welcomed women through the gate, set out pretty paper placemats, and offered them water or lemonade and a scone. They requested hygiene items from a private station, then “shopped” in our clothing area. I enjoyed selecting outfits and setting aside clothing favorites as they came in. We also had a few food staples provided by our local food bank. We knew the women by name and were there to listen and offer support.
Since my departure, all of the offerings have been reduced to efficiencies. Clothing remains in the POD, and women climb a small ramp to view them in an unlit space. Hygiene items are pre-packaged, and they hand women a lunch instead of serving them at the table.
Last year at this time, we created a party-like atmosphere. We decorated the canopies, played Christmas music, and passed out hot chocolate and tea. In addition, we provided a hot, seasonal lunch, and one of our volunteers made soap and donated earrings so our clients could give someone else a gift and a card. Everyone received a generously portioned gift bag and left with a smile.
This year they put plexiglass barriers at the gate, and two volunteers asked if they “wanted a gift” and then passed it through the opening.
I’m heartsick when I hear of these changes. I’m trying to process my anger and grief, my sense of loss for a program I poured my heart and soul into, and an enveloping sadness for my sister, who I moved to an assisted living facility two weeks ago, just a few weeks after she turned 62.
I received the following email in late June via my blog:
Good afternoon, I came across your web page as I was researching Windsor water woollies of Poulton-le-Flyde near Blackpool as I have recently managed to purchase a large number of photographs depicting the companies swimwear products from the 20’s and 30’s. The photographs I have are the actual original copies the company had taken in order to select for their advertising and obviously your Aunt Alys features in quite a few of them and I was wondering if you would like copies forwarded to you? I look forward to your reply. Regards Jeff
Jeff Riddle
I felt giddy as I promptly replied with a resounding “yes!”
Of course, it pays to tag your blog posts, which is how he found my previous Aunt Alys’ posts.
I wrote:
Hello Jeff,
My goodness, you’ve just made my day. I would love copies of any photos you have of our Aunt Alys. If there are several, you can add to a shared Google drive. If there are just a few, email attachments work as well.
I would love to hear more about your collection in general and your interests in the Windsor Water Woollies.
Alys
Mr. Riddle forwarded these photos of Aunt Alys (Alys Milner Lancaster) and gave me permission to share his story.
Modeling a Windsor Water WoollieAunt Alys, with her winning smile
Hi Alys
Thank you for your reply. I am sharing with you copies of the pictures I have of your Aunt Alys. Sorry, there aren’t more.
Long story short: I used to own an antique shop and also ran Flea Markets throughout the northwest of England. During one of these markets, I met a couple who had purchased the old Windsors factory in Poulton-le Flyde near Blackpool. The couple were selling items they had found in the building, and after a conversation, they invited me to the factory to try and assist them in selling items they had found. To my amazement, when I arrived, the factory was like a time capsule, having been locked up and left untouched following a burst water pipe inside. It was a treasure trove of items ranging from vintage automobiles to little tin whistles, which were part of a children’s sailor outfit the company used to produce. One of the highlights was the bathroom in the office area, which was original art deco in design and beautiful for an office washroom. Anyway, I was able to advise them on the best way forward selling the items, and they gave me the collection of photographs.
I hope you enjoy the pictures. She truly was a beautiful lady.
Regards, Jeff
Jeff Riddle
Isn’t that a great story? Mr. Riddle describes the factory in fascinating detail. What a lucky break to run into the factory’s new owners and to further receive an invitation for a walk-through. I would have never known of the photo’s existence if he hadn’t reached out and graciously shared these images of my father’s only sister and my namesake aunt.
President Jimmy Carter is celebrating his 98th birthday today.
He’s my idol.
I met President Carter and First Lady Rosalyn Carter in 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. He’s an extraordinary man who’s done amazing things in this world. Here are just a few:
Jimmy Carter served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for work to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.
He negotiated the Torrijos–Carter Treaties, which provided for the return of the Panama Canal to Panama in 1999. In an effort to end the Arab–Israeli conflict, he helped arrange the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt.
In his final months in office, Carter was able to push through important legislation that created Superfund to clean up abandoned toxic waste dumps and that set aside some 100 million acres (40 million hectares) of land in Alaska to protect it from development. Carter would also be remembered for his inclusion of women and minorities in his cabinet, including Andrew Young, the African American former mayor of Atlanta, who played a prominent though controversial role as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
He considers one of his greatest achievements, the near-eradication of Guinea Worm Disease. According to the Carter Center:
Incidences of Guinea worm disease have been reduced from an estimated 3.5 million in 1986 to 15 in 2021. The disease has been eliminated in 17 countries.
The Guinea worm eradication campaign has averted at least 80 million cases of this devastating disease among the world’s poorest and most neglected people.
The campaign has helped to establish village-based health delivery systems in thousands of communities that now have networks of health personnel and volunteers who provide health education and interventions to prevent other diseases. Source: The Carter Center
Happy birthday, President Carter!
Posing with President Carter’s portrait at the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery, Washington, DCThe Carter Center and Library GroundsThe Carter Center Briefing
“We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.”
Megan Hanson, from the non-profit Little Free Library reached out to a number of LFL stewards in December, encouraging us to apply for a free book bundle. Stewards would also have a chance to have their LFL featured on Good Morning America.
El Codo Way Little Free Library
I didn’t win the book bundle, but she contacted me again last week and said I was one of 150 LFL stewards to be selected for the February book club. Megan wrote:
I’m reaching out because a few months ago you entered to win books through LFL’s partnership with Good Morning America. While you were not selected in January, you have been selected to win two copies of Good Morning America’s February Book Club Pick! Here’s what you can expect next: February 1 is the proposed air date for the Good Morning America segment. They will announce their February Book Club pick and share a map of the 150 Little Free Libraries that received copies of the book–including yours! They will encourage viewers to visit those libraries to find a copy of the book. They may even feature photos of select little libraries on air.
Good Morning America
A photo of our LFL appears in the segment! I feel like a twelve-year-old. It put such a bounce in my step to see our Little Free Library and Donna Pierre’s beautiful design featured on the morning TV show. It’s also an honor to place a copy of his book in our LFL.
Two copies of The Violin Conspiracy
Here is the link to the two-minute segment on Good Morning America, featuring Brendan Slocumb’s debut novel The Violin Conspiracy. Our LFL is pictured towards the end of the segment. Following is a blurb about his book:
Slocumb’s debut novel is a riveting page-turner about a Black classical musician’s desperate quest to recover his lost violin on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world.
Good Morning America
Doesn’t this sound like a great read? I received two copies of Slocumb’s book. I placed one in the library on the designated day, and after reading the second copy, I’ll place it in a different LFL in the community. I can’t wait to get started.
Posing with Slocumb’s book before putting in to ur LFL
At the start of the pandemic, Santa Clara County shut down pretty much everything for three weeks. That was back in March. I’ve been serving unhoused women at Lifted Spirits for three years, and it was devastating to see our program closed. We qualified as an essential service, but protecting volunteers from COVID seemed daunting.
Undeterred, we figured out a way to serve the women that came to our program and dubbed it Lifted Spirits Lite. Gone were the days of respite from the street, hot meals, and a place to nap and socialize for a few hours, all the things we were known for. It was no longer deemed safe to invite women indoors.
Instead, we served women from behind an iron fence, lined with clear shower curtains. Masks were a must, along with hand-washing every thirty minutes. Patio tables pushed up on our side of the fence enforced physical distance from our clients. We were able to serve in what we now call “contactless” engagement. What strange times we’re in!
We rolled out racks of clothing and toiletries at the start of each shift. We provided the essentials: feminine hygiene needs, adult diapers for sleeping rough, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and other items critical for well-being. Hand sanitizer, along with face coverings and wet wipes rose to the top of the list.
Toiletry cart filled with essentials and ready to roll outdoors
We stocked our racks of clothing all summer long: shorts and dresses were available, along with t-shirts, straw hats, pants, and scarves, all donated by women in our community.
Lifted Spirits Lite: Outdoors behind our fence
A generous board member donated boxed lunches each week, and we had extra water on hand to get us through the hot, horrible summer filled with smoky skies and unhealthy air.
I knew we couldn’t continue our services outdoors during the winter months, but as the pandemic dragged on, it was clear we had to adjust once again. It took weeks of planning, testing, input from volunteers and board members, but in the end, we came up with a way to serve the women in a more sheltered way.
Sheltered area at the back of the building near garden
We created a volunteer position called the gatekeeper. I set up three stations allowing our volunteers to be indoors, one in the lobby and two more along the building’s back. A handyman repaired the walkway for safe passage, we purchased two large canopies and created a sheltered area along the back of our building, once a church. Claridge donated five rolling, tempered-glass screens, which we use as a barrier between volunteers and clients.
Donated Claridge Screens
It’s been a hit with the women we serve. They pass through our decorated lobby, one at a time, affording them privacy when making requests. They exit through the kitchen and wait for the clothing station under the canopies in a garden setting. We roll out a rack of shoes for self-service.
Lifted Spirits Lobby – Toiletries Station on the right
Women can choose two outfits per day at the clothing station. They can pick out a warm jacket or coat if needed and lots of wonderful extras like gloves, hand-knit scarves, and knit caps. They visit the final station for lunch and a few pantry items. The gatekeeper escorts them through another gate, where they exit on the sidewalk. This avoids passing others and allows for social distancing among our clients as well. Our gatekeepers wear a mask and a face shield for safety.
It’s an exhausting shift requiring a different approach with each woman’s unique challenges and needs, but at the same time, they are my favorite hours of the week. Getting to know the women, encouraging them, listening to their stories, all the while helping them choose an outfit or two is rewarding. It’s not about the clothes, but about the normalcy of “shopping” for an outfit in your favorite color or style. I’ve learned a lot. I work with amazing volunteers. We all support each other.
I really enjoy the behind-the-scenes work as well. It appeals to my love of organizing, merchandising, clothing, and decorating. It’s fun learning a woman’s style and setting aside items in her size and favorite color. Keep in mind that everything is donated, and many things are dated. It feels good filling needs.
We created a small Christmas celebration this week, serving close to 40 unhoused women in two hours. Our Board chair and his son played Christmas songs while the women waited in line. We assembled Christmas bags filled with soft grey hoodies, a $25 Target gift card, fuzzy socks, and other personal goodies. Mary ordered boxed lunches with a traditional turkey sandwich, and Sharon baked cookies in her scrupulously sanitized kitchen. Our new director passed out the gifts and offered hot chocolate after they picked up lunch. Barbara handed out socks, new underwear, and other essentials, dressed as the slimmest Santa you’ve ever seen.
I staffed the clothing station most of the time, and helped troubleshoot in the parking lot when problems arose. All the planning paid off. We generally serve 30 women a day, but we planned for 40. We served 37 in the first two hours, and we’re able to provide lunch and gifts to two late arrivals. I’m so relieved that it all came together.
Of course real success would be knowing these women were tucked into bed tonight, warm and safe, well-fed and at ease.
It should be criminal to allow men and women to live, unhoused, in a country with such immense wealth. It’s unconscionable. Our vision is to put ourselves out of business because everyone is safely housed. For now, I’ll continue to lift the spirits of others, as I work to keep my chin up.
I hope you are safe and warm, and most of all, healthy as we count down to the end of this dreadful year.
I planted a potted garden on the bench
Jeff and Josh playing Christmas music
With Mary and Barbara, fellow volunteers
Donated miniature stockings filled with Christmas candy
Gardening Nirvana 