August 25, 2015 by Born To Organize

Quenching a Thirst

California’s drought is taking its toll on thirsty wildlife. Many sources of fresh water are depleted. Birds and mammals are struggling to quench their thirst.

So while I’m happy to let my lawn die while at the same time watering trees with my bath water, I’m choosing to share some of our fresh water with the critters that need it most.

Our small, re-circulating water fountain continues to flow.

This thing weighs a ton. It took all three men in the house to move it from the car to the back patio

New fountain closeup (the copper fairy is a gift from Boomdee)

We have a bird bath hanging from a branch of a maple tree

Bird bath and water wiggler. The wiggler keeps the water fresh and discourages mosquitoes

Water Wiggler closeup

and the newest addition: a pair of dog food bowls.

Quenching his thirst at the water bowl

Last week I spotted a squirrel on the patio umbrella, sipping from a rivulet of water formed by the morning dew. I filled a plastic bowl with water and wedged it into the rock wall. Within minutes the squirrel was having a drink.

Squirrel drinking from a small rivulet of water

A few days later, a mourning dove swooped in for a drink from our bird bath. They’re large birds, so she couldn’t land on the small bird bath and instead sent the bird bath swinging and sloshing water.

Over the weekend I bought two, heavy-duty dog watering bowls and placed them outdoors on the hutch. The bowls are sturdy enough that they can’t tip over, but accessible to larger birds, opossums and squirrels. As you can see, above, the squirrels found them immediately.

As we draw to the end of another long, hot summer, I’ve become acutely aware of the value of every last drop.

Nothing in all Nature is more certain than the fact that no single thing or event can stand alone. It is attached to all that has gone before it, and it will remain attached to all that will follow it. It was born of some cause, and so it must be followed by some effect in an endless chain. – Julian P. Johnson

If you live in California, I would like to issue a small challenge: The next time you stop to quench your own thirst, think about sharing a bowl of water with the creatures in our midst.

Resources:

Then and Now: California’s depleted reservoirs

Wildcare: Live well with wildlife

Water Wiggler: attracts birds while keeping mosquitoes at bay

August 24, 2015 by Born To Organize

We The Jury

Jury duty. Love it or hate it, it’s part of our civic responsibilities. Sometimes you’re summoned, but your group number is high and you don’t have to report.

This time, no such luck. I reported for potential jury duty this morning at 8:30.

7:33

I take this sort of thing seriously, and worry about messing up, so I left the house at 7:33 giving myself plenty of time. I drove ten minutes to the light rail station, boarded the train and arrived in front of the courthouse at 8:00. Not bad! I waited in line, cleared security, waited in another line, and learned I was at the wrong courthouse.

NO!

A snappish worker barked “there’s no one here today.” Now it was 8:10. I retraced my steps, got back on the train, and went two more stops. From there I hoofed it three long blocks, repeated the same security procedures, and after one elevator ride and a short line I was finally where I needed to be. It was eight-thirty-ish by then, but no one seemed to mind.

9:15

I’m waiting in a room with about 100 prospective jurors. We’ve each been assigned to a group. I figured out the wi-fi so I can wile away the wait time.

9:58

We’re called to a courtroom two floors up . Our group of sixty makes it to the 4th floor, and we’re seated in the courtroom. After we’re sworn in by the bailiff we meet both attorneys and the judge. The courtroom judge is welcoming but he also makes it clear that hardship excuses will only be honored in extreme cases. 15 people line up anyway. The rest of us return to the second floor

10:10 Waiting…

10: 28 Good Times at the Vending Machine.

Boredom and snacks frequently go hand in hand. I arrive to see a woman trying to feed the machine with a two dollar bill. I can tell she’s been at it for a while, as she turns and leaves in disgust. I feel for her. I buy a bottle of water with a five dollar bill, then wait for her to return. She graciously accepts my two dollars in quarters in exchange for the cranky two dollar bill and waits for her turn at the machine. The man in front of us isn’t having much lucky either. His coins drop, but the swirling arm in the machine refuses to deliver his snack. It’s partially extended but not dropping. The three of us stand there commiserating. We all give the machine a few thwacks but the fig bar refuses to budge. Then the woman offers him her remaining quarters, and at last he’s rewarded with his original snack and a spare. A wonderful bonding experience that we can all write home about.

11:00 ish

We’re all back in the courtroom again, two flights up. Roll call, stand up, sit down and further instructions. The law clerk calls the first 18 names at random, including mine. We all file into the jury box and one by one answer a series of questions from a piece of paper. More questions follow from the judge. Then the defense attorney approaches the group and the questions continue until noon.

12:00 – 1:30

Lunch…with a mom I used to volunteer with when our sons were in grade school. She’s in my group! What are the odds? We’re under strict instructions not to talk about any of the intense material covered the hour before. I find myself thinking of 100 things I want to say, but stopping myself every time. It’s such a strange day.

1:30

Second floor jury room

1:40

Fourth floor courtroom, back in our seats. More questioning from attorney number two. The attorney’s gather in whispers with the judge. Then they excuse six of the original 18 prospective jurors and six more join us in the box. The judge announces that we’ve all passed the prospective juror “test”. The judge announces the next phase: peremptory challenges. Then in rapid fire order, the attorneys took turns making peremptory challenges, and on the second or third round my name came up.

2:30

In my relief and exhaustion, I board the wrong train. I correct my mistake, eventually make it home, and by 4:30 I’m snoozing on the couch.

Epilogue: Reflecting back on the day’s intensity, I think the biggest challenge is the amount of new information coming at you, interspersed with the mundane. Sitting on a jury is serious business and you want to get it right. I mostly feel intense relief that the day is done with complete empathy for the final twelve jurors of the day.

Have you served on a jury before? What was it like? Would you want to do it again?

August 19, 2015 by Born To Organize

Slinky Malinki: Life in the Blue Zone

Slinky looking a bit world-weary

Our little Slinky has a sordid past. We don’t know the details, but she arrived on our front steps a few years ago with fear in her eyes, looking for a meal. I reached down to pet her and she lashed out, biting and clawing my hand. Boy did that hurt.

My family quickly learned to keep our hands to ourselves. Slinky visited our deck every few days and we offered her food and water on her visits. She started rubbing up against our legs with a nervous purr, but any attempt to pet her sent her scrambling, biting or both. This went on for months. Then one day, my son simply bent down and picked her up and carried her into the house. She froze in his hands, clearly terrified, but I rejoiced knowing we could get our hands on her. In November of 2010 I lifted her into a cat carrier and took her to our vet.

Contemplation

I warned our vet about Slinky’s propensity to bite and claw, but they countered that she was a sweetie. Clearly they’ve seen it all. Her health checked out, I paid for boosters and an exam and came home.

We kept Slinky indoors that first night, but with a small house, two boys and at the time, four other cats, she was under great duress. The eventual compromise was to create an outdoor enclosure in our back, side yard. This kept her safe from the dangers of the street, including cars and cat fights, but we still dreamed of having her inside.

Slinky Today

We’ve come a long way since those early years. About two and a half years ago, and on her own terms, Slinky moved indoors. She sleeps on the back of my desk and keeps the other cats in line. She’s the smallest and the oldest and hearing-impaired, but Lindy and Mouse know to give her a wide berth. Slinky likes to dart outside for ‘fresh’ water, then quickly returns to her chosen spot on my desk.

Until this summer.

When we cleaned out the side yard earlier this year, we tossed the decaying bench. I bought small blue cushions for the bench, and used to sit there to keep her company and to give her treats. The blue bench cushions were still in good shape, so I planned to use them on the back steps. As I tossed the cushions on the patio Slinky seemed to recognize them. She headed straight for them with purpose and intent. I wonder if she has fond memories of sitting on those cushions in her side-yard domain? Whatever it is, she’s spent most of her summer in this area of the patio known as the blue zone.

Life in the Blue Zone

Slinky wants to go out on the porch around 6 am.

A long, cool drink at the bowl

She has a long drink of water from her blue bowl, which is really a ceramic tray used to catch water under a plant. She spends the rest of the day on her blue cushions.

8:42 Grooming

9:04 Planning her day

9:12 The first of several naps

On really hot days, she slips off the sides on to the cool stones, but by day’s end she’s back up on her cushions.

Another nap, resting her head on the cool stone

Another nap

At dusk she comes inside and sits on the arm of the couch for a bit of TLC. She purrs and head butts and looks for affection, but we’re still a bit leery. One false move and the claws come out. A quick hiss follows, from a place of fear. Slinky recovers and things return to normal. Eventually we’re all off to bed until Slinky sounds the alarm the following day. She can’t hear so she dials up the volume to an impossible-to-ignore cry: GET UP! IT’S TIME TO RETURN TO THE BLUE ZONE!

Slinky patrols the Blue Zone

Slinky is loud-mouthed, quick to temper and at times a bit of a bully.

Sometimes you just can’t explain love.

A bit more about Slinky and the origins of her name

2012: Slinky in the Garden

2013: All’s Well with Slinky

Penguin Books: Slinky Malinki by Dame Lynley Dodd

My old, graying Slinky. On a recent visit, my vet described her as “an old woman with really good teeth.”

August 17, 2015 by Born To Organize

Strange Little Weekend

Smoky gray skies at dusk

Local temperatures soared again this weekend, breaking into the triple digits. What made it surreal was the oppressive air. Though wildfires still burn up and down the west coast, the Bay Area has been relatively untouched, other than a few small and quickly contained grass fires. This weekend the skies were a murky grey with the smell of burning wood. We kept going outside hoping to locate the source. The acrid smell got worse at dusk, probably due to the heavier evening air.

According to KTVU, one of our local TV stations:

Fire departments across the Bay Area received numerous calls Saturday, from concerned residents about seeing and smelling heavy smoke in the area, officials said.
KTVU meteorologist Rosemary Orozco says it has to do with a shift in the weather pattern. She says the onshore breeze normally would blow the smoke towards the Oregon and Nevada borders.
But a change in the weekend weather pattern is blowing the smoke from the Gold Country down towards the Bay Area.

Leading up to the weekend, I couldn’t wait to get started on another sheet-mulching project. After nearly four months, we finally have our lawn replacement plans in hand. Yes!!!

To qualify for the lawn replacement rebate, I have to wait for San Jose Water Company’s final plant approval. They have strict instructions NOT to start planting without prior go-ahead and that could take up to six weeks. The rebate pays $2 a square foot so it pays to play by the rules. That said, I am so over our brown, crispy “lawn.”

Forms and more forms. Santa Clara County likes to keep it old school

I drove the list of plants, the application and other requisite forms to the water department. Knowing how slow government agencies are, I didn’t want to waste another day mailing the packet. I left with an official looking date-stamped slip of blue paper. Now we wait.

The better news is that they we’re allowed to remove the lawn while we wait. The preferred method is sheet mulching. Since I already sheet mulched half the lawn last fall with great success, I was ready to get started.

I sheet mulched this area starting last October. It used to be lawn.

On Saturday morning, my back garden looked like this:

Did a wild raccoon go crazy with an overturned garbage can?

Did the rats throw a party in the compost bin?

Nope. I made that mess. On purpose. But only because my Friday night self didn’t know about our Strange Little Weekend ahead. Excited to get started, I tossed cardboard, compost and compostable material on to the pile just before dark. By the time I was home from Pilates and haircuts the following day, temps were searing hot.

This week I’m practicing patience while I hide from the heat. I’m thanking the universe for the extra time indoors to catch up on (yawn) my boring (yawn) paperwork. This heat won’t last forever.

How was your weekend? Is your week off to a good start?

I have no right to snicker since I make mistakes all the time, but according to the paper, we can expect low “clodus” at the beach.

August 14, 2015 by Born To Organize

3 Days, 3 Quotes: Friday Finisher

Are you thinking at this very moment of a favorite quote to share?

Go for it!

Sometime in the next three weeks, share three quotes spread out over three days. Or do what Joanna did and share three wonderful quotes in one rich vibrant and moving post.

That’s it. I’ve been tagging different blogging friends all week, hoping everyone will join the fun.

That said, NO pressure. In fact, you can forget I even mentioned it. Think about this though before you go: you never know who you’ll inspire with a quote that is near and dear to your heart.

Pauline of the Contented Crafter got the ball rolling with her quotes here, here and here.

There is actually a fourth and funny quote on her blog but I need to maintain my Rated-G WordPress rating. You can go take a look, but you didn’t hear it from me.

Tag, you’re it (but only if you want to):

Benjamin at Nest Of Squirrels
Joe at The Visual Chronicle
Robin at The Forsyth Sagas

August 13, 2015 by Born To Organize

3 Days, 3 Quotes: Day One is Done, Day Two Begins Anew

Hello there! Won’t you come join the quote train? It’s day two. Choo Choo!!!

You can read yesterday’s quote here. It’s a good one, quoting the brilliant Dr. Seuss.

If you would like to join us, here’s what you do. Over the next three weeks, add three quotes spread out over three days and be sure to have fun doing it. That’s what we’re all about here. If I call out your name below, it’s because I think you’ll enjoy sharing your own favorite quotes. NO pressure. In fact, you can forget I even mentioned it. It’s fun though and you never know who you’ll inspire with a clever, witty, creative, or mind-bending quote.

I’m jumping on the coattails of Pauline of the Contented Crafter. You can read Pauline’s clever quotes here, here and here.

You can quote me on this…

Today’s quote is from one of the “greatest practitioners of nonviolence,” Mohandas Gandhi.

Tag, you’re it (but only if you want to):

Petals at Boomdeeadda
Sheryl at Flowery Prose
Cathy at Words and Herbs (she’s on a wee break right now…Cathy, perhaps when you come back?) xox

August 12, 2015 by Born To Organize

3 Days, 3 Quotes: Come Join the Fun, Day One

Good grief, Charlie Brown, has it really been three weeks?

I was about to say that Pauline of the Contented Crafter posted three quotes last week, then offered up the challenge/opportunity for others to do the same. It’s actually been three weeks, reminding me once again that life is just a teeny bit too busy now.

I digress. Doesn’t this sound like fun? Here is my own little twist: in the next three weeks, add three quotes spread out over three days and be sure to have fun doing it. That’s what we’re all about here. If I call out your name below, it’s because a) I think this is fun and b) I think you might enjoy it. NO pressure. In fact, you can forget I even mentioned it. It is kind of fun though and you never know who you’ll inspire with a funny, clever, pithy, creative, mind-bending quote.

Here’s what Pauline says:

like so many of my friends here in the world of blogging I’m not given much to following rules and I’m hoping some of you might just like to keep the thing alive by posting a quote on your own blog and you can nominate or not – according to how you feel about rules. Let me know if you pick up the banner.

This is what I think about ‘Quotes’: Quotes can be read and not understood. Quotes can be read and not seen. For a quote to have meaning, I must attempt to live it.

Pauline posted four quotes. What a rule breaker! ;-) That’s how much fun this is. You can read Pauline’s quotes here, here and here.

You can quote me on this…

Washington D.C.

Tag, you’re it (but only if you want to):

Lisa at Arlingwords
Diane at Garden Sunshine
Sheila at Sewchet
Johanna at Mrs. Walker’s Art and Illustrations

August 10, 2015 by Born To Organize

Fledgling Hummingbirds, Baby Squirrels and an Unexpected Pumpkin

I’ve been meaning to update you on the baby hummingbird we rescued in June. You can read the entire story here. After caring for her overnight, I drove the little darling to an animal rescue organization where they immediately placed her in round the clock foster care. She thrived. Within a few weeks our fully fledged little Ana started her new life in the wild.

Temporarily fostering a baby hummingbird

I think I exhaled out loud once I knew she was okay. Hurray for second chances.

On the subject of second chances, check out this baby squirrel.

Baby squirrel enjoying a fresh tomato

We’re taking part in the occasional back yard release of urban squirrels who are either orphaned or injured before they can make it on their own. The first group of squirrels high-tailed it from our yard last fall without a backward glance. This second group of six are staying closer to home. One in particular is incredibly trusting. I keep startling her when I round a corner at my usual brisk pace, only to find her nibbling on tomatoes.

Holding a cherry tomato

I inwardly smile at my own double standards. I’ve been disappointed in the past when squirrels eat the vegetable garden. It’s especially disheartening when they take one bite out of a pumpkin, leaving the rest to wither on the vine. Instead I snag the camera and happily watch her nosh away at the tomatoes while I point and click.

Two years ago, nasty squash bugs moved in. They arrived uninvited with family and friends in tow. Most of that year’s crop fell victim to the vermin. I harvested two surviving pumpkins, but the rest of the fruit succumbed to the ravages of that pest.

2013: Adult and juvenile squash bugs

Last year I moved the crop to our front deck so I could cleverly outsmart the little juice suckers. All seemed well until the plants set fruit. No amount of handpicking or pruning could slow down those squash bugs and again another crop went belly up.

2014: Squash bugs ride again

This year I decided to skip planting altogether, hoping to send future generations of repulsive squash bugs packing. Then we entered year four of this punishing drought so I skipped planting anything all season.

This brings me back to the squirrels. I think they may have planted a pumpkin. Last fall I sheet mulched part of the lawn. At the edge of the path, an all-volunteer crop of tomatoes took root, circling a single pumpkin. They’re all happily growing in a dry dirt patch without a drop of water!

At first I refused to invest any emotional energy into a crop that would surely expire after the first heat wave. The pumpkin plant did indeed wilt, but then it did something else: it pumped out one small, starting to turn orange pumpkin. Within a few days, the fruit shriveled and died, snapped clean off the vine. I left it there for future noshing and went about my business. What a tease!

Then this happened:

An as yet, undisturbed foot-long pumpkin

How can you ignore that?!

So I did what any self-respecting gardener would do: I encased the pumpkin in a leg of pantyhose. I found a box of extra-large pantyhose on clearance at a local drugstore.

Just my (pumpkin’s) size

Pumpkin secured inside the leg of a pair of pantyhose

Dear rats, squirrels and other foraging critters, Please eat the tomatoes and leave the pumpkin. We only have one. Thank you, The Gardener

The ample material gave me plenty of wiggle room to cover the pumpkin and to allow it to continue to grow. I’m not the only one that hates pantyhose. Apparently that nylon irritates rats and squirrels as well. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Not that I care or anything.

Because…I don’t.

;-)

August 6, 2015 by Born To Organize

Dear Opl: I Love You

My pre-ordered copies of Dear Opl arrived this week. It was great fun opening the box. I finally had my hands on this gem of a book, penned by Shelley Sackier of Peak Perspective.

My 15-year-old son asked why I ordered so many copies. “Because I know the author,” I gushed, to which he replied, “Yeah, but why do you need so many copies of the same book?”

More about that in a bit.

I discovered Shelley’s blog a few years ago and quickly became a fan. She’s an extraordinary writer, who weaves humor and smarts into a variety of essays published weekly. When I belly up to my computer and settle in for a good read, I know I’ll be entertained. I’m also there to learn. Each week I try to absorb that special something that makes her an engaging writer. When my blog grows up it wants to be just like Peak Perspective.

On the subject of Peak Perspective, Shelley’s blog title

was born of both sight and wordplay. [She] lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Through a series of serendipitous events several of my fellow bloggers met Shelley on her “peak” earlier this year. She graciously hosted four women she’d never met for a magical gathering of spirited conversation.

If time travel were possible, I would give a copy of this book to my younger self. Like Opl, my father died when I was young leaving a gaping hole in our lives. Like Opl, I turned to junk food for comfort and solace. And though our mother was a wonderful cook, once faced with the task of working full-time and raising three girls on a budget, much of our food came from packages, too, just like Opl. My life in those days felt hopeless. Opl learns a healthier way to be in the world. She discovers ways to nurture and be nurtured and in doing so discovers her own voice.

Here’s what the book jacket says:

There are three things Opl never expected to do during the eighth grade:

Start a vendetta against celebrity chef Alfie Adam, the “nude Food Dude”

Take yoga classes with her grandpa

Become a famous blogger

But after a year of shrinking down her personality to compensate for the fact that her body’s getting bigger (like taking the “a” out of Opal to make her name 25% smaller), Opl thinks it’s about time to begin speaking up again What she doesn’t expect is for everyone to actually start listening…

Sharing the Love

Would you like a copy of Dear Opl for your own library? Do you know a young teen that would enjoy “a brilliant story with heart, a few tears and much laughter.” -Kathryn Erskine

I’ve purchased several copies, including a few for our neighborhood Little Free Libraries. If you would like one, please let me know in the comment below. Once I have a tally, I’ll start mailing copies next week.*

*Fine print/lawyer talk: This offer remains open through midnight, August 14, 2015 PST. One copy per household please.

July 20, 2015 by Born To Organize

Pilates and Cards of Destiny

Elizabeth’s initials between glass beads

Moving your body is key to good health. In addition to getting plenty of shut-eye, exercise gives you energy, strength and endurance. It’s also terrific for your heart, your lungs and your soul. For as long as I can remember I’ve been a mover. I joined the gymnastics team in high school, then moved on to dance in college. Tap was my favorite. After college I took Jazzercise, then picked up running as well. I hiked and even took a few belly dancing classes.

Years of injuries started to take a toll. I spent more time with physical therapists than I did on the trail.

Then I discovered Pilates. The exercises keep my back supple and give me the strength I need to work. The classes are challenging but that’s also what keeps them interesting. Keeping strong means I can continue to organize clients.My work involves a lot of bending, lifting and twisting. I attend two, one-hour classes a week and have stuck with it for a decade.

Tru-Balance Pilates Fitness

Elizabeth Cassidy owns and operates a Pilates studio in the Willow Glen community of San Jose. I have her to thank for the improvements to my posture and strength. Many of her students come to her with injuries. She has an innate understanding of how the body works. She’ll take one look at you and say “your back is out” or “what happened to your foot?” Even in group classes, she finds ways to accommodate our individual needs.

When Elizabeth’s birthday rolls around, I like to do something special. She’s passionate about cards and has her destiny cards displayed in the studio. She studied the science of cards in a destiny workshop with Robert Lee Camp. She made a copy for home, but damaged it in a move. That’s what inspired this gift. Now she has a second set to display at home.

Elizabeth’s Destiny Cards

I bought a few tools and some beads with guidance from Laura at Sew Beadazzled. Getting the holes just right was the most challenging. Once all four corners of each card had holes, I joined the rows with easy-bend rings. Laura said to open the rings in a twisting motion, instead of prying them apart. I’m sure I saved myself hours with that little tip.

Elizabeth taped her set of destiny cards to the studio wall, but these cards needed to hang free. After some thought, I bought a thin dowel, had Mike cut it into two pieces, then covered each piece with playing card-inspired Washi tape. I tried a shoe string, some ribbon and even considered more rings to hang the entire thing from the top but none of those options were quite right. Then I pulled out a black and white eyeglass lanyard from my craft supplies and yelled “Eureka!”…or something like that. With that in place I called it done.

I bought a large polka-dotted gift bag and added cards and butterflies to the mix. The gift card is a series of playing cards hinged together with Happy Birthday spelled out in black vinyl letters. (I forgot take a picture). I made an envelope using an over-sized vintage envelope from my friend Donna’s vintage booth.

It was lots of fun creating something new and different with only a general idea of where it would lead.