My dirty laundry in public

I am so happy to be washing my dirty laundry today! That may seem odd, but there is a good reason and a back-story. I have not had the energy to tackle the big build-up until today.

Way back in mid-May, I think I was attacked by some tomatoes (or something else). Robert and I and a friend went out to lunch at a local restaurant and the three of us got very sick in the next few days. Oh, my dear.

Robert and our friend recovered after almost two weeks. I felt better, and then the whole thing struck me again in early June. Ugh. Dear Robert soldiered on and shopped for groceries and kept fixing meals (very bland ones for me). He was so good.

However, the whole ordeal had a bright side. When I was sick it seemed unnecessary to take a medication that I’ve been taking every day for over five years (a diuretic) for high blood pressure.

I noticed that my left foot felt much better than it had in years. When I was finally well enough to go to the doctor I told him about this phenomenon. I had done some research online and learned about peculiar side effects of diuretics. He immediately put two and two together and said the medication was probably causing gout.
Wow. He told me to stop taking the pills. What a blessing!

That’s why I am happy to be doing laundry today. Robert is pleased too. I’ll get back to my walking program as soon as the gray skies (from the California wild fires) clear up.

Gray skies

Gray skies
Frowning at me
Nothing but gray skies
Do I see

"State and local officials are warning residents to limit outdoor activity as more than 800 fires, ranging from Monterey County to the Oregon border, spew a blanket of smoke over the region."
Stu Woo, Wall Street Journal, June 25, 2008

Stuff wears out

The moment you finish one big project in your house you find something else that has to be re-done immediately. The office/design studio/sewing room was finished last month and now the stair runner has to be replaced.
Only 25 years and it’s worn out already! We know we have to replace it fast before we start tripping. I searched the world on the internet looking for a replacement wool runner
I sent off for two samples. The one I liked best is called “Chatham – Turkey Red” (click to see the page and other designs) by Roger Oates in the UK. Of course it costs $1,000 more than the China wool runners I saw. Oh, well.
It is going to be shipped from England to Elte in Toronto, Canada, then to California.

Fleeting beauty

I spotted this tree on Sellers Avenue Monday afternoon.
It was magnificent. I decided to bring my camera on my next jaunt to the doctor’s on Friday, June 20th.

What a difference! The tree was not full of blossoms anymore. I believe it is a Jacaranda. It is planted in front of the old Cline Winery building.

I’ll have to remember to bring my camera with me next year for the whole month of June.

Del posted some lovely pictures of Jacaranda trees on her blog in May. That’s probably the season for them in Southern California. But, lucky Del has a year-round Jacaranda quilt by Ruth McDowell. See it HERE.

Report from Paradise

Our friend Jackie gave us a wrap-up report on the Paradise fire:


"The fire was fully contained on Monday morning, with most of the fire trucks heading home. They are still 'mopping up,' and people are assessing what's left of their homes.

"My neighbor, Betty, who is approaching her 90th year, as she puts it, drove in convoy, to a little town called Williams, where she stayed in a Motel 6 for four days. When she was coming home on Monday, she was in the long line of fire trucks leaving town. She said it was really exciting. All were waving and cheering and holding up banners thanking the firefighters.

"In the future, I will rethink the evacuation process before I jump into my car. After I came home, I called the manager of our complex and asked him if he left. He said no. I asked him, for future reference, who would tell us to evacuate. He said that he would be notified, and he would come knocking on my door.

"Next time I'll wait for the knock. It was very hard driving my little shifter up hills in bumper to bumper traffic. I never got out of first gear for three hours! It's a wonder that she didn't over-heat. I sure did; afraid the whole time I'm going to slide backward into the car behind me.

"It seems that no one told us we had to leave; someone just saw someone packing up their car, and like lemmings, we all followed along. Duh!"

Paradise fire update

Sunday, June 15, 2008 (SF Chronicle)

74 Paradise homes destroyed by Humboldt Fire

Matthai Kuruvila, Chronicle Staff Writer (06-15) 04:00 PDT Paradise, Butte County -- The townsfolk of this bucolic burg in the Sierra foothills were left with some charred ruins Saturday after being hit with the same kind of wildfire that has singed towns across Northern California. Read the article HERE.

Peril in Paradise

We are worried about our good friend Jackie. She lives in Paradise, California and fire is nipping at the town edges.
AP Photo/Chico Enterprise-Record, Jason Halley

Jackie evacuated yesterday afternoon and returned home at 3:00 a.m. this morning. She e-mailed to say that she may have to evacuate again.

News stories of danger and disaster seem impersonal until you have a friend in peril. I hope the winds diminish and the crews get the fire under control soon.

Time out, again

Back soon.

Yves Saint Laurent RIP

Dresses inspired by the art of Picasso, left, and Matisse from 2002
Photo credit -- Philippe Wojazer/Reuters

If I could own only one dress in the world I’d take the one on the right.