9/28/08:
We had a couple of nice, hot weeks in September, followed by several days of raininess that turned back into warm days with sun, such as we have today. This nice weather has allowed our plum tomatoes to finally ripen so that I could chop them up to add to our pasta yesterday and slice for a tomato and potato (do all edible things that rhyme go together?) casserole. See Jay's picture of our tomatoes to the left and click it for a close up...
Yesterday jay and I strolled up and down the main drag of Mount Vernon for the Fall Festival, which Jay described later as The Festival of Not Much Happening. Today another festival or happening of sorts was going on in Anacortes, a yearly festival attracting tens of thousands every year called The Oyster Run. The Oyster Run is a motorcycle gathering that Jay and I do not participate in except vicariouly. Every year a Sunday comes with an unusual number of motorcycles passing nearby, heard more than seen, and we say, "Oh, it must be the Oyster Run!" I never heard of it until I moved here. Today we were treated to the sound of thousands of motorcycles passing by, mostly in large groups of people enjoying the ride. It was perfect weather today for the gathering, mid 60s and full sun. Also great weather for working on the side flower bed, planting some coneflowers and Black Eyed Susans that had wilted while waiting for me. I think they are happy now. Have a great week.
...every generation is forced to endure its own obsolescence. The world was more fun when we thought we owned it. "The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young," wrote Oscar Wilde. Yet nothing can prepare us for what it feels like to be ushered out. Each generation regards with incredulity the prospect of its own mortality. — James Atlas in my life in the middle ages
9/24/08
Do you like bees? Bee stings? My sister Linda has a story about me and a bee, but I'll let you hear it from her.
Today at work my co-worker opened a screenless window in our shared office for a bit and when we returned from lunch a bee was in the room. Finding the bee, she chased it, whacked it a bit, watched it react to her whacking, and decided I could have the office to myself for a bit and left. Another co-worker came back to help me, seeking out the bee bravely and then retreating after it buzzed about her head, as it had done to me earlier. The window remained open and I left for a while. When I came back I did not see the bee so I closed the window and returned to my work, placing a telephone call. Late in that phone conversation I once again saw the bee, informing the person on the other end of the line that I might have to end our conversation abruptly. I was able to finish the call and headed out after the bee once again buzzed me. The second co-worker came back once again to think about assisting me, and we discovered the bee hanging out at the closed window, trying to get out! Crap. I worked up my inner woman strength and headed for the window, reaching up next to the bee, sliding up the latch and pushing the sliding window open. Then I started to swish at the bee to see if I could get it out the now open window, and it took off, buzzing. I was sure, of course, that I was the target and screamed, swooshing at it again. The bee went out the window! Yes, I slammed it shut and high-fived my duly-observing co-worker. I went back out to the clinic area, finding some of the others had heard my little scream, none were concerned about it. I guess they figured I was just in a bee war. Anyhow, the excitement for today. Ciao.
However confused the scene of our life appears, however torn we may be who now do face that scene, it can be faced, and we can go on to be whole.— Muriel Rukeyser
9/21/08:
Jay works in printing and always notices fonts punctuation marks, how they are used an misused in printed materials. He has been very patient with me while I sometimes use words kind of elastically- like "deja vuey". Jay recently has been trying his best to coach me on the proper use of the em dash, you know, that line I like to use— Yeah, that's it.
Surprisingly, I at times find that something I had always taken for granted is actually different from or has changed from my supposings. (By the way, that last word was another example of how I apply the concept of elasticity to words.) Also rather surprisingly, I can be kind of what is commonly referred to as bull-headed and determinedly continue as before.
As you know, I like to use the ellipsis ( –) as well as the em dash. These punctuation marks are not without controversy in some circles, the latter perhaps the most controversial. If you click on the underlined em dash up above you can read about it in-depth on Wikipedia. Jay prefers to have no space before or after the em dash, as is the rule per The Chicago Manual of Style and The Oxford Guide to Style. Since I was never versed in either of these rule compendiums, I don't follow them. As you probably have noted all along, and perhaps have been irritated by it, I follow other rules, ones I did not even know existed! Yes, indeed, once again I am in a way psychic, following the here-to-fore unknown New York Times Manual of Style and Usage. The way I use the em dash can be considered acceptable because, as you may have already guessed, I tend to use it as a rhetorical device.
9/20/08:
I am doing pretty good with this new-fangled Mac... I can't decide if all that new
learning makes me sharper or makes me something else.
So, stop me if you've heard this. It is hard to remember what I have written on my pages or what I have just told as stories to people, so I have been keeping an index of my web stories by month and year for a long time. I had not updated my list or my story pages for over a year so I went through and updated them this week. I did not run across the little story about the lady with wet hair, so decided to put it in now, hoping it is not a repeat—let me know if it is.
At one time I interacted with a facility that served residents who could be described as existing at the margins of society: people who had been homeless, or were recovering from addictions, or were mentally ill or mentally disabled, or vets whose PTSD got in the way of the life they had planned, or otherwise just plain marginalized folks. Many residents there were young (for me meaning under 50) and a few were elderly. The facility provided housing, meals, some housekeeping, some monitoring, some assistance with medications, and limited nursing assistance—residents needed to be semi-independent to be successful there.
One time the facility director called me and asked if I would re-evaluate a resident, an elderly woman who I had not yet met. They said this woman had become more confused, her dementia was worse but she could still find her room. They felt she now needed a nursing home and they could no longer manage her care (which I took their word for since I wasn't always positive that they could manage the care of some of the folks they had). They were concerned because the woman was increasingly incontinent and would not wear those adult diapers generically referred to as Depends. She was not only wetting on herself and soiling the carpet in her room but, most problematically, was leaving a trail of urine and sometimes feces in hallways and common areas, creating a health hazard for other residents. I knew that a nursing home would monitor this sort of thing better, would put her on a toileting schedule and might be able to get her to use the Depends. The latter would be great because then she could go to a smaller setting like an adult family home. First things first though.
I went to the facility and spoke with staff and looked through their records about her care. The woman seemed to need a lot more assistance than they could or normally would provide. The staff I talked with said she was very hard of hearing and when they introduced me to her in the public atrium I realized she was practically deaf. She was sitting at a table dressed in several layers of clothes, had slippers on, and wore a scarf or bandana tied in a top knot covering all of her hair. The woman's face was very lined with creases, and her grin contained few teeth. She looked like the stereotypical "hillbilly" and I was actually rather dismayed to learn she was from Michigan. This interesting woman told me she did not want to go to her room to talk in private with me, not at all. So we stayed in the public atrium 
area chatting about things, with me leaning over to yell in her ear so as to be heard. After a while I tried again to see if this confused woman would visit with me in private, and again she declined. So, calling upon my extensive training and experience, I yelled in her ear "I understand that you are having trouble wetting on yourself". She looked shocked and asked "Who said that?" I again asked about going to her room, and again she said no, so I explained, yelling, that the staff said she was wetting on herself and dribbling on the floor. Then she chuckled, realizing how confused the staff and I were. "Oh no, honey" she said, explaining that she washes her hair frequently and while it is wet she is finds that it has dripped down and gotten herself and the floor wet, "that's why I tie it up in this here scarf". She flashed her mostly toothless grin at me.
Nursing homes aren't fond of people who dribble pee down the hall and it can be difficult getting residents who do this accepted at one. But I found this lady charming and thought she could be worked with to improve her toileting behavior. In her assessment I described her just as I saw her, writing about her wet hair, her smile, and her solution to her puddles (the scarf). I faxed my assessment to 4 nursing homes and within 15 minutes I had calls from 3 of them wanting her to come to their facilities— she sounded "so cute, like a resident we used to have".
This charming lady's brother picked one of the homes and off she went. I don't know what happened to her after that but I hoped it went well for her and that the nursing home could continue to see the gal described in the assessment, the endearing gal whose ear I yelled into that day.
I have a feeling I should paint what I am supposed to paint. So I sit. And there my hand moves and I made a picture.— Norval Morrijeau
9/18/08:
Today
was my weekday off, and I truly piddled. I did not make it outdoors to work on the yard, although
I did get the living room mostly back in order. As you know, Jay and I do not watch much TV. It
was in storage several months earlier this year as we did our construction, and it has been here
for a couple months now, on top of the nice Herman Miller cabinet I picked up on Craigslist,
waiting to be connected to our Bose bookshelf speakers. I got some Bose speaker stands and set
them up a while back, then needed different wires to connect everything so the TV would talk to
us over the big speakers. Well, the struggle is over, everything is set up and today I worked to
tie back wires so all that stuff is neat- maybe I will get a picture on here
eventually.
Since the Henry Miller cabinet and bookcase are walnut I wanted to get a
walnut coffee table and picked one up, also from Craigslist, a couple of weekends ago. It is a
nice mid-century modern, simple style but needed one leg fixed and a good oiling and finish coat.
Last weekend I took apart the leg assembly on the wobbly side and Jay help me figure out that we
needed to repair a gouged internal area with wood filler and replace a broken t-nut. Jay put the
t-nut in place for me last night and I put the leg assembly back together. Today I power polished
the finish and cleaned up after myself. Now I am on the hunt on Ebay and Craigslist for new
mid-century modern lamps... A woman's work is never done.
Women and cats will do as
they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein
9/14/08:
The weather here is now lovely,
with warm sunny days that have caused our tomatoes to ripen and our zucchini to take off like
gang-busters. Today I hand shredded three large zucchini, freezing enough to make 20 loaves this
winter and making a couple of cups into zucchini pancakes for supper. Yesterday I chopped up a
medium zucchini and sauteed it with a bunch of fresh mushrooms to add to spaghetti sauce. Our
freezer is full of raspberries and now zucchini, even though our apple trees are about ready to
deliver their presents- where will all the apples go? We might have to break down and live on
apple pies for a while.
My cousin Diane was able to catch a bargain
flight out to California to see her grandkids for a few days- near heaven for her and all
grandmas. That is her with her oldest grandchild Shelby in the picture to the right. If you click
it you can see a beautiful picture of Shelby with her baby sister Taylor. Meanwhile the program
my sister runs finished their summer bowling league and honored participants, making the local
newspaper. The participants love this program, and it is an expensive one as the bowling alley
rental itself is quite a bit. If you click on the picture of the sun hitting a zucchini blossom
you can see the news article, which tells everyone where to send donations if they wish. Every
month the picture of Linda and I at the bottom of my page links to a United Way write up that
also lists the address to send donations to- I can vouch for the smiles on participant faces I've
seen. Thanks for looking, have a great week.
How did we get to be old ladies-
my
grandmother's job-when we
were the long-legged girls?
- Hilma Wolitzer
9/10/08: Ah, sweet Wednesday evening... what? Well, I have Thursdays off after
three long ten hour days of new learning. Time to catch up around the house, or at least work on
things around the house if not catch up. Life is filled with the mundane no matter how much
import we attribute to day-to-day tasks at any time.
Kira popped up here yesterday and ate
lunch with me. She has signed up for two community college classes and needed tuition and book
money- a good cause. She is looking good, lovely and smart- my favorite way for her to
look.
A huge motor escort for the memorial service for the fallen local Sheriff's Officer
passed by Jay's place of business yesterday. A white hearse, a good color for such an affair
after all. What happens now to those important day-to-day tasks left behind, the mundane of life?
An interesting boundary between what was and is, between now and the rest of time, returning to
whence we came. Ah, if I could more clearly remember that there whence... oh the tales I could
tell.
For a working definition of hypocrisy click on the labyrinth. Ciao.
Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo- Ambrose Bierce
9/7/08:
It is Sunday evening and the weekend is
nearing its end. Jay and I once again made a couple of trips to the dump and yard waste recycling
place, I made a trek down to Marysville to purchase a walnut coffee table I found on
craigslist.com, we made it to the library, and I made a dinner with 2 zucchinis from the garden.
So far, so redundant for us. Last night we also went to our favorite local theatre, The Lincoln, and saw a fun show of Northwest acts that
included an Upfront Theatre improv performance, the
enchanting circus artists Dream Science Circus,
and once again enjoyed the two person performance comedy of the Cody Rivers Show. If you click on the
picture to the left of a Dream Science Circus artist you can see YouTube.com footage of theirs
and maybe see why we enjoyed it.
We head back into the work week with a memorial erected
downtown to victims of the killings here last week, and life goes on as usual. As I drove home
the day of the killings I knew nothing of what was going on, but did hear a radio traffic report
saying traffic was slow on I-5 near Mount Vernon due to some police activity. Indeed. Is it being
in the wrong place at the wrong time, or is it being where life has taken you? Back to the old
riddle of destiny vs free will, and the non-riddle fact that life takes us by surprise more often
than we are comfortable acknowledging all the time. I think the public likes to think that such
awful acts will be responded to by our surrogate parent figures, that "they" will take care of
it, make changes so that we are now safe. Wishful thinking does not reality necessarily make.
Anything can happen, it often does. The brief candle continues to burn for everyone reading this-
throw on a little gasoline today. Ciao.
Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort
of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as
brightly as possible before handing it onto future generations.- George Bernard Shaw
9/5/08:
A quick, somewhat amusing vignette to end the week in
order to justify the obscene picture to the left... So, a guy is talking to me for the very first
time, telling me woes and angst related to being alive, when he says "shit", which he very
quickly follows with "excuse my French!", since I appear presentable in a social way. What would
be your response? Lord, I don't ever know what mine will be, but this time I simply said, "Oh.
You must not have noticed my last name, Jardot- the French is fine with me." Whatever, hooray for
the weekend we are now in the midst of. Later, man. Oh yeah, click on the comedian being obscene
to see a place my family might have known of at one time.
Where's the orchestra?
Wasn't this supposed to be a musical?
Here I am...
In the balcony,
How the hell could
I have missed the overture?
I like the scenery
Even though, I have absolutely no...idea
at all,
What is being said, despite the dialogue,
There's the leading man
The movie
star who never faced an audience
Where's the orchestra?
After all, this is my big night
on the town
My introduction to the theatre crowd
I assumed that the show would have a
song
So I was wrong
At least I understand
All the innuendo and the irony
And I
appreciate,
The roles the actors played
The point the author made
And after the
closing lines,
And after the curtain calls,
The curtain falls...
On empty
chairs.
Where's the orchestra?
- Billy Joel - Where's The Orchestra?
9/4/08:
It's funny how a week shortened by a Monday
holiday off still feels just about as long as a regular week once you get into it... Last week
and this the other social worker at my clinic has been on vacation and it has been exceptionally
hectic covering both caseloads. At this time I work 10 hour days and have Thursdays off, a
schedule that makes for long, tiring days despite the reward of an extra day off. I find myself
catching up on things at home on my day off, rather than lounging about- at least that is my
excuse now.
After my hectic day at work yesterday I drove an hour south in Jay's pickup
in order to check out and buy a really nice vintage Danish teak dining room table and chair set.
I had been looking at a similar table online that cost 3 times more and did not include chairs-
cool beans! Hmmm, does this sound kind of deja vuey? Yes, I did write about buying an old dining
table 6/19/08 that needed refinishing, but I have since come to my senses (at least about this
one thing). I have too much to do as it is, with finish work on the old part of the house and
yard repair still pending. Besides, I decided I wanted a smaller table, and a nicer one. I am
still in the market for a vintage Danish teak credenza or hutch, if you know of a small
one.
Today I slept in a little bit then enjoyed rearranging and cleaning the dining room.
I also hauled the old table out of Jay's truck and put it in the garage as Kira has said she is
interested in taking it. There were plenty of chores to do around the house and errands to run,
followed by dinner out to The Thai House on the main drag of Mount Vernon and checking out 2
shops nearby. My parents' 58th Wedding Anniversary was Tuesday and even though I wished them a
happy day I did not remember long enough to send a card or gift. We ran across a tin sign saying
If you want the best seat in the house,
move the cat so we had to buy it to send them. It might at least be worth a chuckle.
The big
news story in the valley is a horrendous killing spree Tuesday afternoon by a 28 year old man
on supervised release from the County jail after being released less than a month ago. Reports
say he was supposed to get mental health treatment while on release but had no way to pay for it
and quote his mother as saying she attempted to get mental health treatment for her son but was
denied because he had to want the treatment himself and he was not deemed dangerous enough to be
involuntarily placed under treatment. Six people died, four were injured. If the reports are
accurate, the lack of response by the state's broken mental health system is no surprise to
people who work in the field. The public face of what the mental health system claims to do and
the day to day services actually provided are two different things. What a terrible tragedy for
so many families and friends. I hope some positive rather than empty changes come out of this, I
think we all do. Take care everyone.
The perfect bureaucrat everywhere is the man who
manages to make no decisions and escape all responsibility.- Brooks Atkinson
9/1/08:
Hi gang, Happy Labor Day this September
1st.
Yesterday we headed to LaConner to see an exhibit at the Skagit County History
Museum that we have been meaning to check out for some time but have been busy. The picture to
the left of harvesting on the "flats" (where we live) links to the county website about the
exhibit. As always it was interesting and amazing to see historical photos because so much has
changed in the last 100 or so years and because it is mind-boggling how physically hard people
worked to carve out a life here and everywhere. (Meanwhile I am tired and sore from a couple of
hours of digging up soil today.) Jay's dad's birthday was August 27th so we also went down to
Arlington to visit Reuben Eckert's grave and pay our respects.
As I mentioned before, today I celebrated
Labor Day by laboring in the yard. Well, actually I do that quite a bit but I did think about the
holiday today while I did it. Our nation hasn't been much for celebrating labor and its unions
for a while now. The cartoon to the right is old but still in step with this 2008 Labor Day. The
wealthy still accumulate more and more wealth from the labor of the working class and the poor,
while impeding any "social" movements aimed at giving the non-wealthy even the tiniest slice of
the pie. I am not sure when people working full time and more will have demonstrated their
worthiness enough that they no longer have to worry about themselves or their children getting
sick.
So the labor continues as we work to support ourselves and our families, and build
our country and our world. We all have some influence upon the rest of the world, and some have a
broader influence than others. Jay recently told me that he had read a movie executive
emphasizing that the movie industry has no obligation to make socially-redemptive movies. It's
true, they, as do the television and newspaper industries, have no obligation to make or write or
print anything other than what sells. And humanity has no obligation to treat the world other
than as a large toilet into which we can dump anything we desire, forgetting that we live there
too. Yet what we do does affect everyone and everything. Even though we have no obligation to
proceed in any way other than that of immediate gain or gratification, we and our children will
live with the longer term effects of actions of days past. Individuals, companies and countries
can act consciously or unconsciously to affect the future, the future will be affected by their
actions either way. Our legacy is being built now, made up of our conscious and unconscious
actions. It is one of the burdens of this world we inhabit, we get to experience the consequences
of our actions. Workers unite, not just to improve your world but all the world. (Click on the
cartoon to see Lewis Wickes Hine's "Work Portraits".)
Life is change ... Growth is
optional... Choose wisely...- Karen Kaiser Clark
Jardot's World: September Edition, 2008
All pictures on my page link to
somewhere... go ahead, click!
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