Bubble Gum Alley

Its a college town, with college kids so you would expect some kind of creative outlet. Although you walk down it with fear of touching either side and catching who knows what tragic disease, it is slightly cool if not down right-

Yep, they took the words right out of my mouth!

Mango

I blame it all my daughter really. I mean if she hadn’t wanted to volunteer I would have never had been in the animal shelter in the first place. So, really its all her fault...

....and anyway they kind of rope in from the beginning. Which means I was doomed from the start. As soon as you walk in the door, pictures of the sweet little faces stare at you, begging, pleading, for a chance to go home with you.

I didn’t even want to venture in the back where the kennels were. I was strong, I could do this. Pick up an application go home.

When did they start putting cages next to the volunteer flyers? Doomed.

When I get to the question - “why do you want to adopt this animal?” I have no answer. I am thinking “because its here and it wont stop staring at me” but somehow I don’t think that will work in my favor.

Flustered, I look at my daughter. She rolls her eyes and while counting on her hands what number this would bring to our animal menagerie she says “ Because your starting a zoo and need more for the exhibits?”

Yep it is definitely all her fault.

The Damn Dog

Living in southern California is great. Being stuck at a desk all day there is nothing I love more then going outside at the end of the day and feeling the sun warm my soul. Living in this wonderful state allows me to that nearly 365 days of the year.

Finding the balance between what I have to do every day (work) and what I want to do (not work) is probably one the biggest reasons why we have our dining table outside our house- big enough for us all to sit come mealtime. I love when all the kids are home and we have our family dinners out under our big Magnolia tree and talk as the sun goes down and evening falls around us. Except for the damn dog.

Our neighbors have this insane, barking all the time, amazingly uncontrolled dog. I love animals. I hate this dog. There are two key times I truly hate this canine, the first is at 7:30 on a Sunday morning. MY Sunday morning. The one morning of the week were I know I can sleep in. At least I used to. Now I am awoken by this terrible animal and find myself threatening to throw anything I can find in its direction as I yell obscenities and curse our neighbors and their lack of discipline to their pet. It seems nothing quiets this pest.

The other key time that this dog rubs me raw is the blessed evenings when I can finally step away from my computer and listen to the children as they tell me anything and everything. Imagine a warm sunny day as the sun begins to descend over the horizon, a light breeze rustles past toying with your legs and ruffling your hair. No TV, no computer, video games, or phones. Just you and the the voice of the future. Don’t forget to imagine the laughter, oh how we love to laugh!

Just the other night as we all sat and fell into our evening routine this crazed beast started in on its homage of life. Now imagine within that perfect evening, a loud piercing howl (like a hound) but deep and then shrill (like a parrot) so as to hit all auditory nerves and species. Over and over and over again. We have all tried to quiet this beast. Yelled “NO” until we were blue in the face, prayed for a freak event to tear out its voice box and allow us some peace. But saying no to it just seems to alert him into high gear stepping up its quest into overdrive and double time.

I was so frustrated that evening that I just stared in its general direction (this of course a bad attempt to use the force and persuade the dog to shut the hell up) That is about the moment when my step son yelled at the top of his eleven year old voice “shut up!!”

I immediately began to talk to him for using that form of language. True, its not the harshest word, but for eleven it might as well have been. That is when I noticed my step son smile and stare right at me. I also noticed something else. Silence. The dog had actually stopped barking endlessly. Stopped. Done. Finished.

All this time we had gone hoarse from screaming “no” when we really should have been just a bit more graphic with our words. We all looked at him in awe and then one by one we began to laugh.

Tomorrow I plan on sitting with my step son and asking what else he knows that I am oblivious of. My daughter promises I will be amazed.

The Little Things

I am sitting here. Waking up to the day and waiting for the coffee to kick in as I stare at my computer screen when I see it.

I kind of see it without really seeing it if you know what I mean. Then, I do see it right there in front of me.

Immediately I grab my camera and take this picture. Smiling so much my eyes squint shut. This is my favorite moment of the day.

...and it never occurs to me that maybe my housecleaning/dusting could use an evaluation.

Super Derby

The 2009 convertible RV.

Okay so its not really a convertible RV, It’s a picture taken at this years Orange County fair.

At the OC fair not only do we have a demolition derby, in an effort to constantly out do itself this year we had a SUPER derby. Apparently the first of its kind in California. Instead of old cars rescued from the junk yard that most people have long forgotten this derby consisted of class c mobile homes resurrected and ready to rumble.

Now I consider myself a pretty level headed person. I enjoy many things within a broad spectrum of things. I love tent camping with the family as much as I love staying at the Four Seasons with my husband. I enjoy a great NASCAR race almost as much as I love going to a great concert. I will try almost anything once, just ask my kids and they will relate the infamous Turkey Balls incident. So years ago when a friend suggested we head over to the demolition derby and check it out, I was all for the adventure. Over five years later it has become my sole reason for going to the fair.

I think its the pure recklessness of it though played out in a safe and secure setting. How many times have you watched a high speed chase only to be disappointed at the the lack luster ending or those “Worlds Wildest” television shows you find yourself watching almost mesmerized at all hours in the evening when sleep has abandoned you? Come on I can’t be the only one. I love watching, waiting, hoping to see a marvelous crash befall the crazy drivers. Well that is the demolition derby. Ten to Fourteen cars arrange themselves around a dirt arena where the sole purpose is to crash into each other till the last car running is declared the winner.

Except this year they pushed it up a notch and unveiled the Super derby... and I was thrilled, until we got there. What did I do? I shopped. and cried. a lot.

Here’s the thing- old cars that no one wants smashing and crumbling into twisted metal? cool! But take a running RV and destroy it when I would be perfectly happy to take it and use it for years to come traveling and creating endless wonderful memories with my family? Heartbreaking.

My husband knew he was in for trouble before it even started when I began comparing each RV on display in relation to how it would fit our family or after it started when I whined as the Grandmas Attic literally fell onto the ground and got run over by a competitor. I mean that was where I knew our kids would have loved to sit and watch the road before them as we sang “You are my sunshine” in the rounds as a family (okay maybe not quite), but it was a lot like taking a cool shiny toy holding out in front of an eager toddler and smashing it to bits while they watched and wailed. At one point it actually hurt to watch.

In the end nothing was left but a handful of truck flatbeds and a whole mess of shit to clean up...(sigh) I guess its the Four Seasons yet again this year.

Pork Butts

Its been a silly tradition for years now.

Although I only have the last three years on digital, I'd like to someday get the whole collection together. I still laugh every time I take the picture.

2007

...and they are getting to an age where soon they may no longer want to embarrass themselves this way.

2008

2009

I sure hope not. 
What I would possibly do for fun then?

The Water Fight

I have the best kids in the world. Really. Hands down the best.

The other night we were all at the fair having a great time. It was a big group, my cousins had come for a visit and we had allowed each of the kids to bring a friend which of course meant they also brought a friend. We were a small cyclone meandering through the fair and rides.

It wasn’t intended to be that big, but somehow in addition to our already large group we became the dump all of all other parents at the fair that evening. We would simply run into adults we knew and then suddenly the kids where with us and the parents were nowhere to be seen. It was eery really if you thought about it. Though we didn’t mind horribly. It was the fair, and we were having fun watching the kids absorb it all in. besides it was Orange County and everyone had there own phones should they have needed to contact anyone.

One particular child was one of the youngest and most shy. A sibling to an older child and friend of our daughter. In the excitement this child had an accident. The worst kind, since all the other kids could obviously see the dark stain upon his previously dry jeans. My husband did his best to comfort and walk in front of the child, but it was inevitable that someone would notice.

That is about the time my cousin and kids began the water fight. I yelled at first unaware of their plan, I had just paid ten dollars for ONE bottle, throwing it on anyone was out of the question. I was rationing as it was, this bottle was going to be with me till Christmas!

I was explaining this when it dawned on me what they were doing. My cousins and children had positioned themselves in front of and behind this child who had had the accident. Then they were each tossing the water back and forth towards each other in a mock water fight.

Within minutes not only did ALL the children have splashes of water on their clothes, but the child with the stained pants could no longer be deciphered from the rest of the group who had been in on it unless you looked really close.

It was a simple act that left me prouder then any other parent could be.

Kids- you rock!!! (and I won’t really take the ten dollars out of your allowances.)