Ally Bean from the The Spectacled Bean blogged about rereading books the other day. She has an impressive list of books she rereads. You can find HERE.
I was looking through my bookshelves for something I may want to reread. I picked up Ray Bradbury’s Zen and the Art of Writing: Release the Creative Genius Within You. It’s a small paperback book. I opened the cover and on page one the autograph of the author and the date May 1996 stared me in the face.
That’s the first time I heard Ray Bradbury speak — and the first time I asked him to sign a book. My daughter was three months old, and my son was three years old. That’s a lot of years to have this book sitting on my bookshelf. It’s time for a reread.
His book of essays reminded me of how inspiring his talks were. I heard him speak at two writers’ conferences and at a small movie theater downtown Palm Springs. The first time I heard him speak, I saw him that same day in May 1996 at Las Casuelas the Original, a small Mexican restaurant. I introduced myself to him, as he ate alone, and said I couldn’t wait to hear his talk. He was happy I stopped by to say hello.
It was one of the first writer’s conferences I had attended, and I was kind of in a fog, having a newborn child and little sleep.
Ray Bradbury was amazing. He reminded me of a young child, finding wonder in the world. He had the ability to stay young at heart and observe the world as though seeing little things for the first time. I loved his story of how he wroteFahrenheit 451 in the basement of the UCLA library at a rental typewriter paying 10 cents a half hour. He said he was literally a “dime novelist.” It gave me courage and the belief that we can do anything — if you want it badly enough.
“Garbage in, garbage out,” he said. He advised us to turn off the TV. Don’t watch the news. He said they were selling soap and there was little or no good news and it would rot our minds. Instead, “Read the Bible, a poem and an essay every day.”
How I’d wish I’d listened more carefully and followed that advice . How different would my life be today? The good news is, it’s not too late to start.
My all-time favorite Ray Bradbury book is Fahrenheit 451. My son loves this book, too. I took my son to meet Ray Bradbury during another local speaking engagement years later. My son now has a signed copy of Farenheit 451 that he treasures. Ray Bradbury was a very accessible and kind man, willing to share with all of us enjoying his gift and genius — and striving to be 1/100th the writer that he was.
“What do you love most in the world? The big and little things, I mean. A trolley car, a pair of tennis shoes? These, at one time when we were children, were invested with magic for us.” — from Zen and the Art of Writing
Who are your all-time favorite authors? What are your favorite books?
Talking with friends on the phone or chatting with neighbors, one thing comes up in conversation — inflation. I decided to start cooking more meals without protein and I’ve concocted a few delicious dishes with beans and rice. I figured it would be healthier and less expensive.
I ran out of rice and was shocked to pay $11 for a small bag of rice! Occasionally, I like to have cream cheese on toast for breakfast. I didn’t look at the price when I threw it in the cart. I almost passed out when the cashier rang up my 12-ounce tub of cream cheese for $8.50! Don’t get me started on gas, but when we moved to Arizona at the end of 2020, gas was $2.10 a gallon. Now it’s over $5.
We are headed south to Mexico for a few days. I’m excited because we are taking my son’s girlfriend with us. My son procrastinated on getting a passport, so he’s not joining us. However, once he found out his girlfriend was going, he did get the renewal going. Guess how much it cost to get a new passport expedited? $250.
I’m looking forward to beach walks, a dip in the gulf of California, hot jacuzzis followed by a cold plunge pool. Sitting on the patio reading, while listening to birds singing.
Plus eating out where a prime rib dinner complete with chowder or salad, baked potato and veggies cost $15!
What items have you seen with prices that surprise you?
How has inflation changed your normal routine?
Do you think we’ll go back to paying lower prices for food or gas?
Prime rib dinner in Mexico for $15. I also will be having lots of seafood.
A photo I grabbed online of Dove Valley Ranch golf course.
I golfed yesterday with a friend from my neighborhood. It’s the first time I’ve golfed in years. I think I went once or twice after my ski accident and ACL replacement surgery in 2018. But never since COVID. So it’s safe to say four years without golfing? Actually, my neighbor and I went to practice at a driving range twice since April, but that’s not the same thing as going out on the course.
My friend had knee surgery a year ago and this is her first time she’s golfed in two years.
I was unbelievably nervous, wondering if I could still play. In fact, I woke up several times during the night worrying. I tried to visualize what my swing would feel like during my drive hitting a perfect shot. It helped me fall back to sleep. When I finally got out of bed, I thought, “It’s just a stupid game. What was I worrying about?”
At the first tee, I was shaking nervous. We were paired with two men. I knew that would happen and dreaded it. There are way more men playing than women, so it would be rare to find ourselves playing with other women. I apologized to the men in advance, explaining that I hadn’t played in years.
They teed off first on the men’s tees. Their drives didn’t make it to the women’s tees a mere yards in front of them. They took mulligans which sprayed out of bounds.
My friend whispered “This is going to be a long day!”
I teed off and hit a perfect drive. So did my friend. Then our fairway woods were amazing, too. We chipped onto the green and were set to putt for par. Meanwhile, our guys playing with us were all over the place, cursing.
My neighbor said, “I think we’re making you nervous!”
One guy muttered, “I’ve never played with women before.”
I settled down nerve-wise, realizing the men were probably as scared as I was, or more so!
Eventually they relaxed and outplayed us. I started to fall apart the hotter it got and the more tired I became. When I used to play golf with two girlfriends in Palm Springs, I always hit the longest drives. But now, my neighbor was outdriving me by 20 to 40 yards. I felt a competitive twitch and realized I didn’t like to be outdriven. Especially not consistently!
We stopped after 10 holes, tired and hot and not wanting to push it further. Our scores were close — my neighbor beat me by one stroke.
My bad knee was tired and hurting. I iced and elevated off and on for the next few hours. I’m happy I got back on the golf course and with zero expectations, I did pretty well after all.
What sports do you like to do or outside activities? Do you surprise yourself with a competitive spirit — or are you already aware of that personality trait?
“With her widower’s help, a splendid new documentary explores Mary Tyler Moore’s private side,” is an article from the Los Angeles Times by television critic Robert Lloyd. Here’s an excerpt:
“Who can turn the world on with her smile?” It’s Mary Tyler Moore, of course, and you should know it.
To be precise, it’s Mary Richards, a person Moore played. But the smile was her own, and it worked magic across two situation comedies that described their time in a way that some might have regarded as ahead of their time. Although Moore proved herself as an actress of depth and range and peerless comic timing again and again, on the small and big screen and onstage, “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” made her a star, and incidentally a cultural figurehead, and are the reason we have a splendid new documentary, “Being Mary Tyler Moore,” premiering Friday on HBO. Were it titled simply “Being Mary,” there’d be little doubt who was meant.
My daughter called to tell me about a documentary I had to watch called “Being Mary Tyler Moore.” If you’re wondering why someone born at the tail end of the millennial generation would watch a documentary about Mary Tyler Moore, you have me to thank.
I loved the Mary Tyler Moore show with great characters like Lou Grant, Rhoda Morgenstern and Phyllis Lindstrom. My family watched the show religiously in the 1970s. Not only was it a ground-breaking show, it was one of the first sitcoms to employ women writers. The original writers (who were men) realized they had no clue what was in a woman’s purse, so they hired women writers to make the show authentic. Not only was the writing fabulous, the actors were, too.
I have faint memories when I was very young of Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie in the Dick Van Dick show and Van Dyke tripping over their ottoman. That show propelled Mary Tyler Moore to become a full-fledged Emmy-award winning star.
When my kids were growing up, I believed they were missing great shows that were no longer on the air. I bought the entire Mary Tyler Moore, I Love Lucy and Seinfeld TV series on DVD. My daughter loved them. One of the things she like best about Mary Tyler Moore was the fashions.
I took my daughter’s advice and watched the documentary over the weekend. I found out many details about Mary’s life and how she changed how women were presented on TV forever.
Do you remember Mary Tyler Moore in the 1960s and 70s? What shows were your favorites when you were growing up?
Here’s a quail selfie from my Bird Buddy AI bird feeder.
Twice this week I spotted baby quail. Once was on our morning walk and a mom and dad were followed by the teeniest quail babies I’ve ever seen. They must have hatched that day.
Yesterday afternoon, a family of quail marched into our backyard from the wash. They were a little older and didn’t stay long enough for me to get a video or picture.
I immediately ran to the front of our house to see if our quail eggs had hatched.
Our nest of eggs in a planter of Elephant Feed.
No, the eggs are still there and it’s been a month since I’ve seen a momma or papa quail in the nest.
Unfortunately, the quail chose a planter next to our garage. At first, I’d see quail fly away when I’d pull into the garage or back the car out. Raising the garage door was enough noise to make the parents take flight.
I’m afraid the quail were scared away and they abandoned their nest. Or something could have happened to them. It’s a wild world out there. I’ve read what to do with eggs to get them to hatch. The most sensible advice is to wait and see. I also realize that I’m not opening the garage door very often. Maybe the quail parents are there, but not when I’m there.
Does anyone have advice while I wait for our eggs to hatch? Do you think the nest has been abandoned?
Less than two years ago we bought a rental home that came with a tenant. He had lived there for years and was a solid guy. He worked in construction. But then he had a heart attack and his wife left him the same month.
He told us he could no longer afford rent on disability and without his wife’s income, too. He inherited a house in Puerto Penasco, Mexico and decided to move there.
After he left, we put a lot of work into the home. It needed carpets ripped out, new flooring, paint, yard work, you name it.
Our realtor found us a new tenant who checked out great on paper. A woman with a credit score in the high 700s. My husband called and texted her, wanting us to meet our new tenant in person. She never replied. We drove down three separate times to meet her. It’s a 45-minute drive each way. She was never home or at least wouldn’t answer the door.
That was the first sign something was off.
We decided to let our realtor collect the rent and Venmo it to us. She was communicating with him. She lived there for five months and then May came. She didn’t pay rent. When she didn’t return our realtor’s calls and texts, he went to the city and filed for eviction.
Thankfully in Arizona, it takes five days to get someone out. I can’t imagine how long it takes in California. My husband and realtor met the Constable, who handles evictions, at the house. The Constable was 6’5″ tall and armed.
The tenant left before eviction day.
Not only did she leave — if she ever lived there — but the place was a mess. And strangely there were mattresses all over the floors in every room. There was also a peephole drilled into the garage door fitted with a fisheye scope. Because the front door is recessed (photo above) they couldn’t see who was outside — so they rigged the garage to keep an eye on the exterior and street.
