Vadalia Speaks Out

ECHOTONE: The Movie

2011-04-26T13:51:00.003-05:00

I had the opportunity last night to see the Austin-made ECHOTONE a weirdly-named, fascinating movie, directed by Nathan Christ.

I, and the rest of the sold-out audience, spent 1-1/2 hours in rapt enjoyment of a beautifully put-together film and its marvelous soundtrack.

Cinematography by Robert L. Garza, especially the shots from the top of a crane, on the top of a downtown Austin skyscraper, is breathtaking.

You will come away from this movie with a greater understanding and appreciation of musicians and artists who struggle to create and perform amid the challenges of the changing landscape of Austin. A list of the featured musicians is at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1532946/

I am a Beatles, Roy Orbison, classical and jazz kind of person, and had never heard of most of the musicians; but, as a result of seeing ECHOTONE, I have a new appreciation for modern music. Dana Falconberry, especially, with her sweet voice and lovely lyrics, has stolen my heart. Did I mention how marvelous the sound is on this movie? Usually, I have complaints about sound: can't hear the dialogue for the music; uneven music levels, etc. This movie's soundtrack is absolutely perfect, thanks to Dave Kelly's post-production wizardry.

ECHOTONE is playing tonight, tomorrow night and May 1st, on 6th Street at the Alamo Ritz Theater, where you can eat dinner (or have a big basket of really good French fries with chipotle mayo, and become so engrossed in the movie that you spill the chipolte mayo down the front of your shirt), have a drink, sit in a comfy seat, and enjoy.

Here is a trailer for: ECHOTONE

This Austin movie about Austin artists is, itself, a work of art. Hope you will go see it and let me know what YOU think.

Playing Detective

2011-04-12T15:59:00.004-05:00

When I worked for Half Price Books on South Lamar, we noticed a car parked behind the store for several days. It was a rather new and good looking sedan. After about 4 days, I reported the car to the police, who had no interest in dealing with this car. This was during a time in Austin when a couple of bodies had been found stuffed in car trunks, and the news was filled with the story of a young woman who had been reported missing, so we employees had been sure an officer would be eager to check out this car. No luck.

We began to be quite concerned; and being of a literary bent, we began devising all types of plots surrounding the car's circumstances, thinking that any day we would begin detecting an unpleasant aroma arising from the trunk area. We decided to do some Agatha Christie sleuthing.

I began making phone calls to area rental car agencies, asking about missing cars. I discovered that the sedan had been stolen from an Advantage Car Rental outlet which used to be located down the road from Half Price Books, on the west side of South Lamar. The car had been missing for some time before finding its way to Half Price Books' parking lot.

The Advantage manager did not seem as pleased, as we had though she would be, to recover this car, which did not have a body in the truck, by the way. From Advantage's attitude, and reluctance to pick up the car, I presumed that they had already collected money for its loss from the insurance company, and the finding of the car meant reams of unwanted paperwork.

So much for good deeds. (And a dreadfully anti-climactic ending to my tale!)

Looming $25 Billion Texas Budget Deficit

2011-01-07T03:49:00.004-06:00

In response to Paul Krugman's article in the January 7, 2011 New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/opinion/07krugman.html?hp

This following article from the Austin American-Statesman shows the real price of the Texas budget fiasco. http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/state-budget-cuts-keep-brain-injured-texan-out-1157689.html

This story breaks my heart, and shows just how close many of us are to being Texans without any safety net at all. The young man in this story, a University of Texas graduate on his way to a bright, successful life, is now vegetating in a nursing home with no hope for therapy or treatment to help him regain his life and future. He did not make the "lottery" to be eligible for treatment. Do you remember Sarah Palin and her fear of Democratic "Death Panels"? Well, here is the Rick Perry Texas version of that - only it is not only the old - it is people in the prime of life who are being told the equivalent of, "Your life is not worth a plugged nickel. And, here, let me pull that plug."

When George 2 was Texas governor (1995 - 2000), he bragged about cutting Texas real estate taxes. As a result, my real estate taxes went from $2576 in 1994, when Ann Richards was governor, to $3939 in 2000, when George 2 left Texas for the White House, and Rick Perry stepped into George 2's boots. Under Rick Perry's regime, my real estate taxes (same house, no improvements) rose steadily to $6444 for 2010. Rick Perry also brags about cutting property taxes! What kind of accounting is this: fifteen years of real estate tax cuts equal a 150% increase in my real estate taxes?

But, my woes of trying to hold onto my house while on a fixed income with rising property taxes, is small potatoes when compared to those who are sick, maimed, injured, unemployed, homeless, hungry, cold, and mentally ill. These Texans are left out in the cold -- literally -- with no safety net except the kindness of friends and strangers. Friends and strangers, whether charitable organizations or individuals, who themselves are stretched to the breaking point.

A Christmas Eve Surprise

2011-01-06T00:44:00.004-06:00

This true Christmas Eve story starts at home. Here I am, slogging through gift-wrapping detritus, fingers sore from pulling and pushing tape onto hundreds of spots on almost as many packages, I certainly am not up to cooking. Or even putting together a sandwich. I know! Thai food to takeaway. I wonder if Thai Fresh is open on Christmas Eve?

Gathering my covered plastic recyclable containers, I head across the railroad tracks to Thai Fresh on West Mary, Austin, TX 78704.

I am a little bit disappointed that there are only 7 selections. Disappointment turns to happiness when I see that 6 of them are gluten-free. "Let's see. Fill this container with Silver Noodles; that container with Massaman curry; this one with Thai special dish; that one with rice noodles with chicken and egg; this one with rice stick with fried tofu."

"I know you can't eat this yellow curry -- it has a bit of wheat;" Jam, the owner says, " but would you like some of this bone-in chicken dish?"

Thinking of my budget and the fact that already I have five dishes, "No, I have chicken at home. But I will take some of your coconut milk ice cream."

As we walk toward the ice cream counter, a tall, slender man, spiky hair, modish dress, scarf around neck, swings through the door and announces, "I have never eaten here before. I will take one of everything!" "Well, that was theatrical," I think to myself. "He must be starved."

At the ice cream counter, "How about a taste of Anise Seed Orange?" I ask. "Yumm, I'll take that, and the Eggnog, and how about a taste of your Coconut Corn? Yes, that is delicious, I will take that, too."

At the check out register, Jam said, "That will be $7.58."

I look at her, dumbfounded. "For all this food?"

"Oh, the food is free. We are giving it away today! I am charging you only for the ice cream."

Can you imagine the surprised and happy feeling spreading from my brain to my heart?

"But, why?" I stutter as I pay for the ice cream and drop a big tip in the tip jar.

"Well, it is Christmas Eve, lunch is over. We want to go home, and it seems a shame to throw out this good food. So, I posted on facebook that we are giving it away." Laughing, she asks, "So, you didn't know?"

"No, I just wanted some of your delicious food. What a great Christmas present you have given me. Thank you so much."

http://www.thai-fresh.com

Arizona's Show Me Your Papers Law

2010-05-02T03:44:00.005-05:00

Every time I hear or read about the Arizona's Show Me Your Papers Law (aka Arizona Senate Bill 1070), I think of the Nazis requiring the Jews to wear a Star of David and carry their "papers." Then I remember the Republicans' vociferous opposition to a national identity card - I guess that is for people who "look like they don't need papers, i.e. white." Then, I think about Arizona being the land of Mexicans and Native Americans long before any white folks showed up to annex it to the United States, creating an artificial dividing line between families and communities that had existed on land that straddled the border for hundreds of years. Then, I think about all the Midwesterners who have moved, lock, stock, grass, trees, flowers and shrubs to Arizona's desert, creating all-white enclaves with water-guzzling golf courses, and home lawns and gardens with pollen producers where none previously existed. We white folks just have a way about us, don't we - bullying our way in, then demanding that everything fit our neat little idea of how things should be.

Why don't we ask what is the root cause of the crime problem in Arizona, and the other border States, that is blamed on immigrants who, for the most part, are just trying to create a decent life and feed their families? There are 2 root causes: one is the U.S.'s hypocrisy called the "War on Drugs," a 'war" that has created - or not done anything to stop - a gigantic Mexican money-making, people-killing business based on growing, transporting and selling illegal drugs; and on incarcerating Americans who buy, sell and use these illegal drugs. Our "War on Drugs" has not done a thing to stem the flow of drugs, but it has created a multi-billion dollar prison system in the USA, helped ruin Mexico's tourist business, and blocked the ability of average northern Mexicans to make a decent living, or to keep their families safe.

Number two is the U.S.'s hypocrisy in allowing businesses to hire and underpay illegal immigrants on a seasonal or business-cycle basis, then to discard them when the work slows or runs out, or the building booms burst. Both are issues of supply and demand: better known as the Free Market, of which certain politicians think so highly. The Free Market always considers humans a disposable resource. Just look what happens to a company's stock price when it announces a lay-off: the price invariably rises. So, we come down to the question of who benefits from the status-quo, and from blaming immigrants for our woes, and from creating divisions among Americans by inspiring and promoting the immigrant-enemy myth. Immigrants actually contribute to the wealth of our country - unlike the raping and pillaging being done by Goldman-Sachs and the Wall Street mortgage-banker crowd, who have stolen our retirements and our homes and given themselves billion-dollar bonuses for doing so.

In order to fix a problem, we have to know what the problem is, not just what the symptoms of the problem are. We can put bandages on as many symptoms as we want, but never cure the problem. On the other hand, we can put on our thinking caps (which haven't seen much use lately), face the root causes of our problems, then make the tough decisions that will confront, and solve, our problems without eroding our civil liberties.

Sprinting to Floor 3: "The Fisherman's Mother" by Helen Mabel Trevor

2010-03-18T04:15:00.001-05:00

Sprinting to Floor 3: "The Fisherman's Mother" by Helen Mabel Trevor

Heat Pumps in this Texas Heat? YES!

2009-08-15T16:10:00.003-05:00

In June, I asked my neighborhood group for advice about a heat pump for an all-electric condo. Advice ranged from "don't do it," "only works in deserts," "to do it," "you'll save up to 75%."

Well, I went ahead and did it: had Strand Brothers install a Lennox heat pump (heat pumps are the only AC system that the City of Austin will give a rebate on for all-electric condos.) Also got 10 more inches of insulation in the attic, new duct-work, larger duct outlets in the upstairs bedrooms, an additional air intake opening to the indoor AC unit, and solar screens. The new AC system takes a 2" filter that needs changing only every 3 months.

Results: we went from using 2728 KWHs in June, to 1404 KWHs in July. Electricity cost went from $300. 61 to $147.18. The new heat pump was installed 7/6; but the insulation, new ducts, duct-work and solar screens were installed 7/21. Because the weather was equally hot in June and July, and no other variables changed, we are expecting even more savings in next month's bill because of the increased attic insulation and solar screens.

Plus, all the crew members from Strand Brothers were very professional and took tremendous pride in the work they were doing.

The rebates are still coming in, but we expect that they will cover about 30% of the cost of the installation.

Cat Ballou

2009-07-20T14:06:00.005-05:00

Cat Ballou is a special cat – the first cat that Jesse has ever liked. Bill and Natalie found him, as a kitten, at a dumpster next to the Burger King in Columbus, Texas. Finding no one who knew anything about him, they brought him home to us in January, 1999. We grew fond of him as we watched his personality develop from a kitten to an adult cat. One day, I walked down the street to visit with a neighbor in her yard. She saw Cat Ballou, who had followed at my heels, and said, “I’ve never seen a cat walking with someone like a dog does!” Usually, when we arrive at home by car, Cat Ballou is wandering “his” territory. When he sees us, he runs across several yards to our house. But as soon as he crosses into our yard, he switches into “cool’ mode, and saunters up to us, his tail held straight up, as if he owns the place. He allows us to pet him for a second, but no more. If we want to pet him some more, he reminds us, with a nip, that he has had petting enough for now. Several of our neighbors are entertained by his pouncing and hunting habits while they work in their yards. Cat Ballou is a handsome cat, a tuxedo cat – black with a white chin, white chest and white feet.

On Sunday morning, April 25, 2004, as I entered the kitchen, I saw Cat Ballou lying in the plants in the back yard. He NEVER lays in the back yard, so immediately I knew something was wrong. He was struggling to breathe. I called Jesse outside. He said “Let’s get Cat Ballou to the Emergency Clinic”. We rushed him to the clinic – his lung capacity was less than the size of a half-dollar. His diaphragm had been ruptured. His spleen was bruised. His intestines were pushed into his pleural cavity. He was in shock – his temperature was 95, should have been 101, so Melanie Fox, DVM, could not operate until 6 pm when they got him stabilized and his temperature was back up.

I went to the Emergency Clinic to see check on Cat Ballou at 10 pm after his surgery. During surgery, Cat Ballou went into respiratory failure. After they revived him, he went into cardiac failure. Again they revived him. They didn’t give us much hope for his recovery.

Distraught, I walked out of the clinic, missed a step-down from a ramp with no lighting, and fell. It was dark and no one was around. I couldn’t get up. My leg was twisted. The pain was intense. So intense that I could not call out. I had to wait until a receptionist came out on her break. I called to her. She was pregnant, so could not help me; but stood by while I slowly pulled myself to a standing position. But, this is Cat Ballou’s story, not mine.

We were told to pick up Cat Ballou at 6:30 am on Monday, April 26th – the Emergency Clinic is open only nights and weekends. We transported Cat Ballou across town to our regular vet, but our vet was out of the office until 10:30 am. Because Cat Ballou had to be hooked back up to his oxygen and IV fluids right away, we transported him back across town to Westlake Feline Hospital. This turned out to be a good move because there are several veterinarians there, and we needed the expertise of them all before the week was over.

Thomas Bradfield, DVM, at the Feline Hospital kept Cat Ballou stabilized during that Monday, April 26th; however, he asked us to take him back to the Emergency Clinic for the night because Cat Ballou needed constant monitoring. So back we went to the Emergency Clinic. His red-blood-cell count was 17 and needed to be at least 30. We agreed to a whole blood transfusion. At 11pm, the clinic found a donor cat – where, I don’t know - and did the transfusion.

We picked Cat Ballou up at 6:30 am on Tuesday, April 27th, to transport him back to the Feline Hospital. He was becoming more alert, but would not eat. They force-fed him, and gave him IV fluids and pain killers though out the day. We picked him up at 6 pm and brought him home, spending a sleepless night watching over him, giving him IV fluids, drawing the fluid off his pleural cavity, and trying to force-feed him. Cat Ballou was having trouble standing on his back legs. He would walk to the litter box, then collapse when he tried to use the bathroom. We thought he was weak from surgery and woozy from pain-killers.

At 8 am on Wednesday, April 28th, we took him back to the Feline Hospital where he was stable during the day. Brent Rains, DVM, took over his care. He removed Cat Ballou’s bandages and his pleural cavity catheter, and attached a morphine patch to his side. We brought Cat Ballou home for the night. We had made him a window seat, and he sat or laid there most of the night, snuggled up against the catnip cat pillow that was one of the many gifts in the get-well basket from our friend, Jim. Cat Ballou was still having trouble walking and would not eat.

We kept him at home on April 29th, force-feeding him and giving him Lactated Ringers IV fluid.

On Friday, April 30th, we returned to the Feline Hospital. An x-ray showed a dislocation of his pelvic bones from his sacrum. The original x-rays had not covered this part of his body because the most immediate trauma was to his chest. Unlike in humans, cats have only cartilage holding these bones together, so even if they pop the bones back into place, there is nothing to hold them in place. Dr. Rains, after consulting with the other vets in the office, and two specialists, said we could get an orthopedic surgeon to operate and pin the bones together or we could do nothing and eventually the bones would fuse – perhaps a little crooked. Understanding the consequences, but wishing not to subject Cat Ballou to further surgery, we chose the latter course. Cat Ballou got an enema to make sure his bowels were not blocked. His IV fluids were continued, and he spent the night at the hospital.

On Saturday, May 1st, when we arrived to collect Cat Ballou and his IV bag, we found the results of his lab tests were not good: his bone marrow was not producing red blood cells and that his kidneys were failing. The vets had started Cat Ballou on injections to jump start his red blood cell production. As we were leaving, the staff at the hospital were sad because they thought they were sending Cat Ballou home to die. However, we were not so sure. I bought fresh chicken livers, mashed them up with the blood and fed them to Cat Ballou. I bought a marrow bone and fed the marrow to him. Jesse and I gave him his IV fluids every day. We talked to him and petted him; Bill and Natalie sent him healing energy; and Jim gave him Reiki and prayed to St. Francis.

Five days later, on Thursday, May 6th, we returned to the Feline Hospital. Cat Ballou’s blood work was approaching normal. His red blood cell count was still low, but higher than before. His kidney creatin was still a little high, but lower than before. His kidney BUN was normal. The staff were all amazed. They removed Cat Ballou’s stitches. They gave him a B12 injection. They armed us with Cat Tinic, Lactated Ringers IV; needles, a prescription for a red-blood-cell booster serum, and a supply of Kidney D cat food, and told us to keep doing what we had been doing.

Eight days later, on Friday, May 14th, at the Feline Hospital, I reported a knot in Cat Ballou’s abdomen. Dr. Rains felt it, too. An x-ray that was inconclusive. A barium x-ray showed the barium moving through Cat Ballou’s digestive system with no blockages. However, after the x-ray, the knot was gone!

By now, we were weary of trying to force-feed Cat Ballou. If you have ever tried to force a cat to do anything, you know what I mean. Besides, his claws, which had been shredded during the accident, had grown back, and he had remembered how to use them. I had an inspiration for feeding Cat Ballou! He has always liked the juice off canned cat food, but doesn’t eat the food. I thought why not liquefy the cat food! I blended a mixture of the Kidney D food, salmon juice and warm water. He lapped it up – not a lot, but with gusto. He eats a little more each day. Now, I sometimes add cod liver oil and his Cat Tinic.

Ten days later, on May 25th, exactly one month after being run over by a car, we returned Cat Ballou to the Feline Hospital for a check up. He was well-hydrated, his gums were pink, his temperature was normal. Most importantly, his red blood cell count was 34% - well within normal range, and his BUN is normal; however, his creatin has risen from 3.7 to 5. We will continue giving him the Lactated Ringers IV fluid, and feeding him low-sodium, low-protein food.

Nine days later, on June3, Cat Ballou is sleeping peacefully on his Novafoam pillow on the sofa. When he was really sick, he chose to sleep between Jesse and me on our bed. We see his moving out of our bedroom as a sign of his continuing recovery. For the past few weeks, he has taken over the living room as his own. Gradually, he is taking over the entire house. He is leaping onto the counters and tables and window sills. He comes to greet us when we come home. He drinks from his new water fountain, and eats both dry and canned food with dainty gusto. He still likes the gravy best. Cat Ballou is learning patience, is making friends with Checkers and Madeleine, our other two inside cats. Cat Ballou looks out the window when awake – he is an outside cat, after all. Every once in a while he goes to the door and piteously whines to be let outside – to no avail on our part.

We figure he has used up at least six of his nine lives: 1. Falling off our metal roof, leaving scratch marks down the front fender of our car; 2. Being locked in our neighbors’ garage for a week while they were on a skiing trip; 3. Having a wooden garage door closed on his back; 4. Being run over by car; 5. Experiencing respiratory failure during surgery; and 6. Having cardiac failure during surgery. Because Cat Ballou is so important to us, Jesse and I, and Bill and Natalie, and our friend, Jim, don’t think we are ready to gamble on his remaining 3 lives.

I Won't Fly United Airlines Anymore: Now I Won't Fly Delta Either - EVER

2009-04-16T02:48:00.004-05:00

Click on title above to read When Nature Calls, the story to which I am referring.

I laughed when Continental put out that little blue carpet for their big spenders to walk on. It was amusing to watch a few passengers purposefully, sometimes arrogantly, stride across that 2' x 5' strip of blue. I thought, "Do they know how dumb they look." After the final blue carpet treader had left his, usually, footprints on the rug, the gate agents would chain off the little piece of blue carpet, and the rest of us "regular" passengers would walk parallel to the blue carpet - just inches away from it - then through the same door that the blue-carpet people walked through, merging into one line to board the plane.

That little charade is fairly harmless and slightly amusing to all but the most obtuse; but, when a passenger, locked inside a metal tube flying through space and time, has to GO, all bets are off. Anyone who ever has had the diarrhea knows that diarrhea waits for no person, and certainly not for a beverage cart. Good grief, Delta Morons, get a modicum of common sense.

A FELONY! I wonder how many passenger fares this idiotic response to a bodily function has cost Delta? I am hoping LOTS. If this is an American business' idea of how to treat its customers, that business deserves to disappear. If this is a flight attendant's idea of how to treat a passenger, then that flight attendant needs to see a psychiatrist PRONTO. She is NUTS, and does not belong on any plane or in any position dealing with humans or animals. Rocks, maybe, but that's it.

Maybe its just me. I grew up in the white society of the 50' and 60's when we we taught that America was better than other countries because everyone was treated equally. No kings, queens or royalty for us. Even though I discovered that the "equally" part was NOT SO TRUE, especially if your skin color was a different shade from mine, I held onto, and worked for, the ideal of equal treatment for everyone, regardless of skin color. As those "Colored Only" signs came down from restrooms, water fountains, doctor's waiting rooms, movie theaters, bus sections, train cars and restaurants, it seemed a huge victory for equality, as well as for common sense. Never did I EVER imagine that in the 21st Century, someone in America could be charged with a FELONY for using a segregated restroom - segregated, not by skin color, but by class. Not by royalty and peasant class, but by airplane seat section class.

It is bad enough that someone, somewhere in the American Business World, came up with this rule that only certain people could use the tiny little pottie in the forward part of a plane NO MATTER HOW BAD THEY HAD TO GO OR HOW BLOCKED OFF THE OTHER TOILET MIGHT BE; but what about those other people who joined in and said "Oh, that's a grand idea. Let's implement that!" What is worse, is that a flight attendant, a person who is trained in safety, people skills, and care-giving; that that person physically would try to block another human being, with diarrhea, from using a toilet. It makes one want to shout, "Have these people lost their f***ing minds!"

Truly, Delta, you have lost my business forever. You join that other no-fly airline, United, whose flight attendants in 2003, treated, not just me, but all passengers in my part of coach seating, on a flight from Paris to JFK, with such rudeness, disdain, and inattention, refusing even to make eye contact with passengers, that I swore I would never fly United again.

Here is a memo to all those rule makers at the airlines: You offer low fares; we buy them. When we buy them, we do not pay for them with our dignity. Never assume that. NEVER.

Childhood Christmas Memories

2008-11-26T01:33:00.009-06:00

When I was a child, my Daddy always brought our Christmas tree home on December 15th, my birthday. He cut the tree while he was out hunting for quail in the woods of Alabama. Usually he brought back a good mess of quail (a mess is what you would call a bunch of - like a mess of turnip greens.) Anyway, back to those quail my Daddy brought home: my Mother would coat the quail breasts in flour and fry them until they were golden brown. She served them with hot home-made biscuits and gravy - and maybe a sliced tomato or two.

I'll bet you have never eaten a quail, have you? Most people now-a-days haven't. Today, quail are considered gourmet, and cost big bucks. Back then, we had them often in the fall and winter, during hunting season. My Daddy loved to hunt. He raised hunting dogs, too. German Short-haired Pointers. They are called "pointers" because when they smell or sense a quail, they will stand perfectly still on 3 legs, raise one front leg, and point their nose and tail.

My Daddy's goal was to have a hunting dog that had the DNA, or genes - we had never heard of DNA back then - of every American Field Trial Champion dog from 1954 onward, in it. After 40 years of working on it, shipping and receiving dogs from all over the country, he almost did it. He raised a dog, which at the time had the genes of every American Field Trial winner except one. He never treated his dogs like pets. They were serious working dogs. Because of my Daddy's work, hunters all over the USA have excellent hunting dogs today.

But, I digress: The evening of my December 15th birthday was spent decorating the cedar tree Daddy had brought home. Unless my birthday fell on a weekend, my Sister and I were the tree decorators. My Mother worked from 2 PM to 10 PM Monday through Friday. How would you feel if you did not get to see your Mom except on weekends? You can imagine how my Sister and I felt. My Mother went to work before we got home from school; and we went to bed before she got home from work. When we were young and in elementary school, she would get up in the morning to make our breakfasts, but when we got older, she would continue to sleep. My Daddy, who worked from 6 AM to 2 PM Monday through Friday, was our major caretaker. When he went hunting, we stayed with our grandparents. They didn't even have a TV! And they listened to the radio only 1 hour a day. The rest of the day they spent reading the Bible (Grandpa) and crocheting (Granny). So, my Sister and I did a lot of reading while we were at their house. There was nothing else to do.

Decorating the tree was a small compensation to me for my birthday being so close to the gift-giving holiday. "Back in the day" parents either did not have the money to, or did not feel obligated to, satisfy all gift yearnings of their children. If your birthday was close to Christmas, you just had to suck it up and make do with a cake and a token gift until the big man came down the chimney. At least that is how it worked in my family. In fact, it was rare to receive any type of toy other than on your birthday and at Christmas. So Christmas was a really big deal.

The other thing that irked me about my birthday gift was that my little Sister got a gift on my birthday, too. Since I never got a gift on her birthday in May, I thought this was quite unfair. "She might cry," my Mother said, "if you get a gift and she doesn't." I thought to myself: "I might cry in May, but no one seems to think about that aspect of the gift-giving spectrum."

Though it was put up on December 15th, our Christmas tree always was taken down before January 1st. This was a must, or bad luck would nip at our heels all through the coming New Year, Mother said. I think she did not like having HER living room looking less than her ideal, which definitely did not include a big (though never big enough for my taste) cedar tree. Having our Christmas tree up for such a short time made it seem even more special. All lit and glittery with thousands of silver icicles, it encouraged worship, if not for its beauty alone, but for the promise of presents to come. While the rest of the family watched TV in another room, I would make my own pretend TV production. All lights off in the living room, only the tree lit, I would sing carols, play the piano, and dance and twirl in front of the tree, pretending I was part of the Perry Como or Andy Williams Christmas Special.

Today, I hate the commercial aspects of Christmas. That, and the fact that cedar fever makes central Texas a rotten place to be during December, has helped me create a tradition of being out of town during the joyous time of year. In 2003, we spent Christmas Eve as the only passengers in the first class car of a Swiss train riding all over the snowy wonderland of Switzerland, with a stop in Interlaken. Christmas Day, we holed up in the La Scala Hotel in Frankfurt, eating from the hotel breakfast buffet and from the nuts and crackers we had squirreled away for emergencies; in 2004, we were in Alabama for my Dad's funeral (NOT part of the tradition); in 2005, 2006, and 2007 we were in Hawaii. This year we will be in Austin: the grand kids are in San Antonio now, not Hawaii; and even if we wanted to travel, darling husband can't right now.

I don't decorate for Christmas anymore, except for putting out a little lighted ceramic tree that one of my co-workers at Abbott Labs made, and that I won in some kind of raffle for charity. I try not to cook. Been there, done that, washed those dishes. Thank goodness for daughters and a daughter-in-law who like to cook; and for restaurants that stay open on Christmas Day (unlike in Frankfurt.)

Christmas Questions and a Recipe

2008-11-22T19:10:00.017-06:00

My girlfriend sent me some "Christmas Questions" today. Without getting into the political-correctness of talking about "Christmas," instead of "Holiday," I sent her this reply:

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? She puts them in envelopes.***

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? No.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No.

5. When do you put your decorations up? The last time was 2002.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Sweet potato casserole, made by my daughter-in-law.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Waking up to find a Posey Doll under the tree. I still have her, in her original box.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I was about 11, I think. My sister and I heard the delivery men putting the toys on the front porch. She peeked, I didn't. Back in "the day," the store would hold the toys for you until Christmas, then deliver them after dark on Christmas Eve. In Alabama, it got dark at 4 pm in December.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes. After the children were teens, we used to open all presents on Christmas Eve, and then sleep late on Christmas Day. But the Granddaughters have created a new tradition: open one gift at night, then the remaining gifts in the morning.

10. What kind of cookies does Santa get set out for him? Are you kidding? She's too fat as it is!

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Love it! 'Course I live in Texas, where a light dusting of snow means a day off work and lots of work for auto repair shops!

12. Can you ice skate? NO! But, I can watch other people ice skate.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Anytime I get a gift, it is my favorite. However, in 1972, my then-husband gave me a bicycle and a monogrammed piece of luggage. I asked him if he was giving me a hint.

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Not getting too depressed, and getting someone else to do the cooking.

15. Candy canes! Yum or yuck? "Back in the day," before high-fructose corn syrup, there was a melt in your mouth brand I used to like. Now that I am older and wiser, I realize I could be one candy cane away from diabetes. So, I will pass on the candy canes.

16. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? When I was a child, my brother, sister and I received a metal see-saw from Santa. Imagine a semi-circle with the circular-side facing down, and the halved-side facing up with a seat on each side. My fat cousin and my brother tried it out first, and bent the metal so that it did not rock any more. I never even got to try it.

17. What tops your tree? We'd like to think it is a hawk's nest; but we really think it is a squirrel's nest up there. We can't be sure, because the tree is too tall and we haven't seen anything going and coming.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? I like to give, but I don't like to shop. ***If you are on my gift list, expect a gift certificate or money. I hope you like to shop.

19. What is your favorite Christmas carol? Silver Bells

20. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Tutti-Fruiti cake. I can no longer eat it, but I can think about it.

Tutti-Fruiti Cake - A Christmas cake

1/2 cup butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
1 TBSP wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups sifted self-rising flour
4 TBSP powdered cocoa
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped dates

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare 2 round cake- baking pans: grease and flour.

Dust pecans and dates with small amount of the sifted flour. Doing this will keep the nuts and dates from settling to the bottom of the cake layers. Set aside

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until light, add sugar and egg and cream until well blended and fluffy.
Stir soda into 1 cup of buttermilk. Set aside.
Mix cocoa and sifted flour.
Add buttermilk mixture, alternating with flour mixture, to the creamed butter/sugar mixture. Do not over beat.
Fold in nuts, dates and vinegar.

Pour into prepared pans. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean (about 20-25 minutes.)
Remove from oven, cool about 10 minutes, and turn out onto cooling rack. Cool thoroughly before frosting.

Pineapple Icing

2 1/2 cups sugar
1 TBSP butter
1 large can crushed pineapple in heavy syrup

Cook together until thick, then cool and set aside while you make the...

Chocolate Frosting

2 TBSP butter
4 TBSP cream
4 TBSP powdered cocoa
Sifted powdered sugar (about a pound)

Combine butter, cream and cocoa in large saucepan. Heat, stirring, until melted and well blended. Remove from heat.
Add sifted powdered sugar, incorporating a small amount at a time until frosting is thick and of a spreadable consistency. If too thick, add a drop of cream to soften.

To assemble cake:

Place one layer on cake plate. Place 1/2 of the pineapple filling of the top (only) of the cake layer. Frost the layer, top and sides, with chocolate frosting.
Place the second layer on top of the first layer. Place remaining pineapple filling on the top (only) of the second cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining chocolate frosting.

Garnish with lightly toasted pecan halves.

Note: the longer this cake sits, the better it gets. Problem is, it never lasts very long, so we don't know just how good it can be!

Merry Christmas. Oh, wait, we haven't celebrated Thanksgiving yet!

My Favorite Austin Restaurants

2008-11-20T15:31:00.003-06:00

I am a vegetable lover who is allergic to wheat, gluten, soy, corn and dairy. We try to find restaurants that offer a good selection of veggies, rice and fish. My darling husband is the meat-eater in the family, so we try to find restaurants that we both like, that accommodate my allergies and that are reasonably priced. We also like to support local, rather than chain restaurants. Here are some of our favorite Austin restaurants:

Our favorite restaurant, for food, service, and Austin weirdness is Magnolia Cafe at 1920 South Congress, which we frequent 3 or more times a month. Sometimes 3 or more times a week! We can have breakfast or lunch there for under $10. I have never had a bad meal at Magnolia. http://www.cafemagnolia.com/

Cherry Creek Catfish at 5712 Manchaca Road http://www.cherrycreekcatfish.com/ is another moderately priced favorite of ours.

My darling hubby loves Taco Cabana at 211 S. Lamar. He says this is the closest food he has found to his Mama's cooking. Taco Cabana is his comfort food.

Logan's Roadhouse http://www.logansroadhouse.com/Default.aspx behind Krispy Kreme Donuts at 701 E. Stassney at I35. I dream about their steamed broccoli and baked sweet potatoes. Because Logan's IS a chain restaurant, and because we like to support local restaurants, we never would have tried Logan's on our own. However, our grown daughter had her birthday dinner for about 30 people there several years ago. We were so impressed with the food and service, that we have gone back several times. I usually order the grilled salmon to accompany my steamed broccoli and baked sweet potato, but, actually, that is too much food, so a take-away box is always needed.

The last time we were there, Logan's was unusually busy - just after the election - and it took about 30 minutes for our food to arrive. Darling husband and I didn't really care because we were talking, enjoying our Zinfandel and not paying attention to the time. The manager came over and said because they had not lived up to their standard of having the food served to the customer within 20 minutes of ordering, that he was not charging us for our dinner. What a treat. However, we were so pleased with the service from our hard-working, friendly waiter, that we left him a tip equal to the price of our meals. Seeing the grin on his face as we walked past the windows on our way to our car, was worth every penny.

A moderately-priced "mini-chain" restaurant that we recently tried, and put on our favorites list, is Fish City Grill in the Brodie Oaks Shopping Center at 4200 S. Lamar. The food was excellent and the service very friendly and casual. The ambiance at Fish City really is like a little neighborhood bistro. http://www.fishcitygrill.com/locations.html

An excellent Chinese restaurant is Tien Jin at 4601 S Lamar Blvd # 105 (from Lamar, turn onto Westgate, then turn right between Madam Mam's and the China Buffet) http://tienjin.blogspot.com/lists the address as 4534 Westgate Blvd, #105. Ask for the Chinese menu when you go. One dish will serve 2 people. I consider myself somewhat of an expert on Chinese food, having eaten my way from HongKong through central China and up to Harbin, and from Beijing down the east coast, then over to Wuhan during 3, month-long trips to China during the 70's; and having been taught Shandong style cooking by chef Ray Jiing, who, after his UT and UCLA days, became Dean and Professor of the Graduate Institute of the Studies of Image and Sound of Documentary at Tainan National College of Arts, Taiwan. I then taught Chinese cooking for Austin Community Schools back in the 80's. Tien Jin is as authentic as I have found in Austin. http://www.travelchinatour.com/china-travel/chinese-food-cuisine-1.htm If you are a meat-eater, the pork with eggplant is excellent. Ask your waiter for suggestions. The decor is a dated, but the food is great.

We tried Olivia, the new restaurant at 2043 S. Lamar near Oltorf. The food was divine and the service was good. Pity that Olivia is just too darn expensive for our budget. It is the kind of restaurant at which we would like to eat often. I could not find a website for Olivia; however, here is a review site: http://www.yelp.com/biz/olivia-austin

Another fairly expensive, but romantic, restaurant that we like for special times is The Treehouse at 2201 College Ave (South Congress at Live Oak.) http://www.treehousegrill.com/

The last recommended restaurant I will mention today is the wheat-free, gluten-free bakery and cafe: Wild Wood Bakery and Cafe http://www.wildwoodartcafe.com/cafe.php at 3663 Bee Caves Rd, West Lake Hills, behind Breed & Company. If you have any friends/family who can't eat wheat/gluten, this cafe is for them. Cakes, pies, loaf bread, buns, focaccia, lasagna, brownies, blondies, cookies, muffins, Italian Cream Cake, Carrot Cake, Twinkies, onion-cheese biscuits, enchiladas, sandwiches, salads, etc., etc. Their service is a little spacey, but the food is excellent, especially for those of us who can't eat wheat.

Now for a thumbs down. We had been wanting to try Hill's Cafe at 4700 South Congress http://www.hillscafe.com/ With 6 San Antonio family members, who also had been wanting to try Hill's, we recently ate there on a Sunday. The two family members who ordered burgers were the only ones who thought the food was good. I had the turkey plate, which was barely edible. The service was dismal. We waited over an hour after ordering for our food to arrive. We never saw our waiter between ordering and food delivery. That they seated us next to the smelly bathroom did not help. Hill's seems to excel in memorabilia and music, not in food.

Thank goodness there are plenty of other good places to enjoy food in Austin. I would like to hear about yours.

A Reason NOT TO FLY

2008-09-16T21:51:00.003-05:00

Flying used to be something my travel-loving family looked forward to, to savor and enjoy. Now, flying is something we ENDURE.

I, and I am sure millions of others, are tired of paying to be mistreated, from the time we arrive at the luggage kiosk; to the "TSA strip search," to being crumpled into too small seats, to not being allowed out of those seats "while the seat belt light is on (always!), to losing our luggage, to being herded like cattle to slaughter on returning home to the USA - to more lost luggage.

In Sept, 2003, my family flew United Airlines to Europe. Because of the lack of care and downright rudeness by United staff, on the ground and by flight attendants in the air, we swore never to fly United Airlines again, and we haven't.

However, since 2003, my family of 4 has flown to Hawaii 8 times, and to Europe 7 times, plus about 40 flights within the USA. That's at least 100 round trips. None of those were on United Airlines.

As for the current trend to charge for everything, I am not planning to pay extra to any airline for luggage handling, for food, for pillows and blankets or for any other formerly free items/services. Airlines are making what is already abominable treatment of travelers, into intolerable treatment.

Short-term thinking may create short-term cuts in airline costs, but will negatively affect airline revenues long into the future.

Airlines need to be giving us travelers a reason TO FLY; not a reason NOT TO FLY.

Allergies: What to Do

2008-09-08T17:12:00.003-05:00

I have had terrible allergies all my life, done the shots thing, and all the Rx and OTC meds. I spent a week in the hospital once with Asthma. After that, I knew something had to be done, so I tried homeopathic drops, which work for me.

Homeopathics (homeo means "the same") are tiny, tiny, tiny amounts of whatever you are allergic to, distilled down 6, 8 or 12 times. It is kind of like allergy shots, meaning they get your body set up to fight off the allergens you respond to. The homeopathic drops work best if you start taking them about a month ahead of the allergy season.

You usually won't find these drops in the pharmacy, so go to your local health food store, such as Whole Foods, Central Market, Oat Willie's, etc.

I use the homeopathic allergy drops made by BioAllers.

BioAllers makes drops ( which I prefer) for:
Pollen and Hayfever
Mold, Yeast and Dust (I used this year round here in Texas)
Tree Pollen (I use in the winter for Cedar Pollen)
Grass Pollen ( use this in the spring and fall)
Animal Hair and Dander
Dairy Allergies
Grain and Wheat Allergies
Children's Allergies (does not contain alcohol)

BioAllers makes tablets (dissolve under tongue) for:
Indoor Allergies
Outdoor Allergies
Pet Allergies

BioAllers makes Nasal Sprays for:
Sinus and Allergy (great for sinus infections - opens the sinuses to drain all that crap out)
Indoor Allergy
Outdoor Allergy

I keep a bottle of the Mold, Yeast and Dust plus a bottle of whatever else is in the air at the time, by my bed. I take a 1/2 dropper full of each under my tongue morning and evening. When allergens are really bad, I take a 1/2 dropper full several times a day.

I used to be able to buy homeopathic drops from a Nevada company called DOLISOS, which worked excellently for me, but I cannot find their products here since they were bought out by a French company, Groupe Limagrain. Homeopathics are big in Europe and are often prescribed by M.D.s there.

There is a good discussion of what homeopathics are, and what they do at
http://www.lyghtforce.com/Dolisos/QuesAnsw.htm

Homeopathics take a while to build up your immunity, so do not give up on them until you have tried them for at least 2 weeks. Most of the many people to whom I have recommended the homeopathic drops now swear by them. A bottle costs between $8 - $12 and usually last me a month or more.

Where the Sun Shines Bright and the Wind Blows Free

2007-11-07T20:34:00.004-06:00

This summer we traveled by train from Amsterdam to Berlin, to Prague and Vienna, then back to Frankfurt, Germany.

Everywhere we went, there were solar panels on houses, barns, apartments, and businesses. There were wind mills everywhere. I mean they were just ubiquitous.

Why can't we in the USA use this CLEAN,ABUNDANT source of natural fuel? Especially here in TEXAS, where the sun shines bright and the wind blows free. It makes sense!

Where Are the Bees?

2007-05-04T14:00:00.000-05:00

May 4, 2007

Today, as I sit sipping my cup of tea, looking out the window at the green lushness - after all this rain - that is our organic, pesticide-free, herbicide-free, backyard , I see our cliff covered with blooming white star jasmine (trachelospermum jasminoides) framed by the red-orange blossoms of our pomegranate (punica granatum) bushes So lovely.

Then, I get one of those prickly feelings on the back of my neck. Such a lovely scene, but something is wrong. I open the door and walk close to the abundance of jasmine blooms. The musky scent is lovely - not as intense as prior years. Did the rain have something to do with that?

Then I notice: nothing is moving. I stare at the jasmine blossoms. I concentrate, looking for a sign of movement. Finally, about 2 feet above my head, I see a blossom move. A small yellow jacket comes into view. A little higher up, I notice a short, fat, dark insect land on a blossom. A bee? No, a huge horse fly. I walk around a bushy crepe myrtle (lagerstroemia indica), not yet blooming, hoping to see bees feasting on all this abundant jasmine and pomegranate pollen. A small moth dangles from a jasmine blossom. That's it. Three flying insects in a large yard filled with beautiful, scented, pollen-laden blossoms.

I look at the eaves overhanging our back door - for decades the Springtime homes of dirt-dobbler wasps and paper wasps. No homes, no wasp activity.

I have been reading about the honey bee die-off. Colony collapse disorder (CCD), it's called. I have read that CCD is affecting not only honey-bees, but wasps and Bumble bees; not only all across the USA, but in Canada, Europe, and South America, as well. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about one-third of the human diet comes from insect-pollinated plants, and the honeybee is responsible for 80 percent of that pollination.

I am alarmed. If you are seeing bees in your yard, I would like to know about it. Kind of a neighborhood bee watch.

Here are some websites if you would like more information about the honey bee die-off.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/05/03/bees_ani.html?category=animals&guid=20070503103030&dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ned=us&q=honey+bee+die+off

Vadalia's Response to Alberta Phillips' Feb. 26, 2007, Austin American Statesman Editorial Supporting Gov. Perry's Plan to Vaccinate Girls Against HPV

2007-02-26T13:11:00.003-06:00

February 26, 2007

Dear Ms. Phillips:

You make some excellent points in favor of helping to improve women's health. However, there are several reasons why not only social conservatives, but we bleeding heart liberals, are opposed to Perry's order to vaccinate all 11-12 year-old Texas girls using Merck's new HPV vaccine.

The long-term may prove that Perry is absolutely correct, and that the benefits of the state providing this vaccine to all our "girls" outweigh anything negative. However, Perry absolutely gets a failing grade for the way he went about making his decision and presenting his "order." On Perry's report card, we can write, without compunction, "Perry did not work well with others."

Based on the 2006 elections when Perry was elected with support of only 39% of Texas voters, we can surmise that the majority of Texas voters do not believe that Perry has a mandate to be a "decider." If anything, the 2006 elections prove that the voting public want less "deciding" and more "participating." We are no longer willing to put our lives and the lives of our children and our grandchildren in the hands of "deciders."

Perry should have respected Texas' legislative leaders enough to discuss this issue with them. He should have been consulting with the medical community. He should have been talking with educators, and, especially, with women leaders. He should have been talking up the HPV problem with the media, encouraging them to help him get information about this virus, and its prevention, out to the public. Perry could have built a broad web of support and enthusiasm for this project. We all know why we need flu vaccine, tetanus vaccine, and polio vaccine. Who of us, prior to Perry's order, had heard of, or knew why we needed, this vaccine? Because we did not know why we needed this vaccine, legislators, political committee heads, the medical community, and those of us who are news-hounds, and yes, even Perry supporters, were broadsided by Perry's directive.

2006 elections show that voters don't trust politicians. We don't trust our government, either state or federal, the way our parents did - or even as we did prior to 9/11. A lot of us Texas voters do not trust Perry, or his motives. The entire HPV vaccine issue has the appearance of Perry's "jumping in bed" with Merck. The question going around is, "How does Perry benefit from this deal?" In fact, the tip of the iceberg jumped out of the water when the Associated Press writer, Liz Austin Peterson, reported on February 21, 2007, "A calendar for (Perry's) chief of staff Dierdre Delisi obtained under Texas' open records laws shows she met with the governor's budget director and three members of his office for an "HPV Vaccine for Children Briefing" on Oct. 16. That same day, Merck & Co.'s political action committee donated $5,000 to Perry and a total of $5,000 to eight state lawmakers."

After "thinking long and hard," Perry is hyper-concerned about women's health. In the meantime, according to the chair of the Texas Healthcare Trustees, Harold D. Samuels, in an Austin American-Statesman article December 20, 2006, "While there is much Texans can be proud of, we also lead the nation in the percentage of our residents who lack basic health care coverage. There are 5.6 million uninsured Texans, a statistic that is staggering, sobering and definitely not something to brag about." Might Texans ask, "Why the concern about the one, and not the other?"

Then there is the vaccine itself. We don't yet trust it. Why should we? The HPV vaccine, which was approved by the FDA in June, 2006, has no long-term history. Too many of us remember Thalidomide, prescribed in the 1950's for pregnant women's morning sickness, resulting in the birth of thousands of deformed babies. We remember Diethylstilbestrol (DES), a hormonal drug prescribed to women between 1940 and 1971 to prevent miscarriages, causing some of their daughters to develop cervical cancer.

Some Americans don't trust the FDA because, increasingly, this agency is seen as too political and too quick to approve medications based on cherry-picked research results. Recent examples are the antibiotic Ketek, approved by the FDA in 2004 to treat sinus and upper respiratory infections. Ketek, 2 years later, after 4 confirmed deaths and links to liver failure in a dozen patients, has been relabeled with a side-effect warning of sudden liver failure and EVEN death, for use as a back-up drug, only, for "community-acquired pneumonia."

Another recent investigation of the ADHD drugs, universally prescribed for our children to prevent "hyperactivity disorder," including Adderall, Concerta, Dexedrine, Ritalin, and Strattera, produced a warning that they can cause serious heart problems, psychotic behavior, and SUDDEN death. How many of our children have been stuffed with these pills for years?

Then there is the $13.5 million verdict against Merck, maker of the pain medication Vioxx, which was approved by the FDA in May 1999, and which was widely prescribed until September 2004, when the trail of heart attacks and strokes could no longer be ignored.

A quick Google search shows other drugs, with serious side effects, which are currently being investigated are Accutane, Bextra, Celebrex, Celexa, Cytotec, Femara, Fosamax, Ortho Evra, Paxil, Prozac, Seroquel and Trasylol. Do we dare trust a new, unproven HPV vaccine to be injected into our young children, for a virus to which they may never be exposed?

Then, there is this question: why vaccinate girls only? I think it is safe to say that it's mostly boys who are infecting girls with HPV. In some instances, boys are also infecting boys, so why not vaccinate boys instead, or boys also? Why just girls?

Finally, many of us would not dream of buying a car (or a computer, a TV, a camera, a stove, etc.) without doing thorough research to make sure it's the right product for us. Personally, I will not "pop a pill" without researching all the possible side-effects and interactions to determine whether I'd rather live with the symptoms I have, rather than the side-effects I might have. Why would I allow my child to be injected on the say-so of a man with no medical training, and no sign that he ever talked to the medical community about this? Why the rush to "git-HER-done!" (pun intended)

If the Governor had brought the legislators on board, respected the citizens, consulted the medical community, worked with the media - in other words, "worked well with others," more Texans might be delighted that the HPV vaccine was going to be provided, and there might be a ground-swell of enthusiasm with (to paraphrase your first paragraph): "Parents and state leaders standing and cheering Gov. Rick Perry for making a bold decision regarding girls' health. Instead the Republican governor is catching all kinds of hell..."

Follow up 29 August 2008: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/blaming-the-media-for-gardasil-hype/

Rockin' and Rollin' in Hawaii on October 15, 2006

2006-10-16T16:27:00.000-05:00

Honolulu, Hawaii Oct 16, 2006

We were rockin' and rollin' yesterday morning while visiting our children and grandgirls at their new home in Ewa Beach. A 6.7-magnitude earthquake* off the Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawai'i at 7:07 a.m. Oct. 15, 2006, was the most powerful seismic event in the United States last year, and one of largest in the world, according to U.S. Geological Survey data.

This earthquake was noisy – a noise that sounded like a huge dog scratching vigorously on our door. We were awakened by that noise, and by our bed jumping and shaking – a more hearty version of those "magic fingers" massages found in motels in the 50's and 60's. Seven minutes later another jolt, of 6.0 magnitude, shook me out of bed. Hubby, who was already outside, said he knew I had a hard time waking up, but this took the cake. I replied that I was awake, but figured if we had a tsunami, I’d rather be on the 2^nd floor.

Only one radio station was working, and the DJ was just as confused as we were. I called my son in Austin, TX, and asked him to turn on the news and tell us what the heck was going on. Lots of other folks were making similar calls, then calling the DJ who put out the callers’ messages over the airwaves.

We knew our electricity (in an all-electric house) was off. Son in Austin said CNN said electricity was off on the entire island of Oahu.

All six of us decided we were hungry, so we piled into a car and found a KOA Pancake House http://hawaii.kulshan.com/Hawaii/Honolulu_County/Ohau_Island/Waipahu/Restaurants/Koa_Pancake_House.htm with a gas grill. No coffee or soft drinks (needed electricity) but we enjoyed great pancakes and eggs in the darkened dining room. We beat the crowd. When we left, the line of customers was winding down the street.

As we drove home, stopping to try to buy ice at every convenience store or market that was open (99% of businesses were closed), we decided those late eaters must have been out buying all the ice on our side of the island – ‘cause we didn’t find any.

Later we learned that Oahu’s electric grid, having no other grid, or contiguous state grid to draw electricity from in an emergency, had been programmed to shut down all stations whenever one station shut down in an emergency. Because an emergency had never shut down a station before, they weren’t quite sure of the sequence needed to bring them back on line without blowing a transformer or something. It took all day, until 8 pm to bring the stations back on line.

About 8:30, after a lazy day of non-electricity-using swimming and reading and playing with the dog, we ventured out to an Aiea area restaurant, The Dixie Grill, http://www.dixiegrill.com/ to wait in a long line of other hungry earthquake experiencers, who were all pretty much in a party-mood, which the Dixie Grill promoted by bringing us complimentary drinks.

Thinking back, all during the past week, we have had "vog," (volcanic smog) blanketing the islands. The trade winds have not been blowing as they usually do. Also, we have had an extraordinary amount of rain falling on this, the leeward, side of the island, which is normally arid. The weather people say there is no connection, but, who knows???

This was my second earthquake. The first was in an office building in downtown San Francisco in the late 1970s, sitting in a meeting. Suddenly I felt really dizzy. I looked up. The chandeliers were swaying. It was over in a second.

Even though the October 15^th earthquake was pretty strong, causing major structural damage on the Big Island, including the historic Kalahikiola Congregational Church,

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Apr/04/ln/FP704040407.html

I haven’t learned of any deaths directly related to the earthquake. Having the “earth move under your feet” may be fine when you are in love, but I would rather not have this type of movement again.

*There were only four other earthquakes in the United States that measured between 6.0 and 6.9 magnitude in 2006, all of them in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/

Tribute to My High School English Teacher, Annie Pearl Long Crockett

2006-04-20T13:39:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Annie Pearl Long Crockett, 95 years of age, a native of Marshall, TX and a long time resident of the Eastern Shore, died Wednesday, April 19, 2006 at a local health care facility.

Mrs. Crockett was a graduate of Livingston State Teacher College and taught 32 years in public education in Alabama including Sumter County, Choctaw County, Alexander City and State School for the Deaf and Blind.

Mrs. Annie Pearl Long Crockett was my English teacher during my sophomore, junior and senior years at Benjamin Russell High School in Alexander City, Alabama. Mrs. Crockett was, without a doubt, the most difficult, most demanding teacher I have ever had. Every day in her class was a challenge. Every night meant preparing for the next day’s English class. No student wanted to go into Mrs. Crockett’s class unprepared. One steely glance from her eyes could send shivers down the spine of any student. We used silent prayer not to be called on when we were unprepared. God usually ignored us.

During the years since graduating in 1964, I have thought of Mrs. Crockett often. I have spent my life in careers requiring professional communication skills. Knowledge of English grammar, literature, research and writing taught to me by Mrs. Crockett, has been the foundation of my working life.

Back in the 1960’s, however, when I struggled to learn Chaucer in “Olde English,” or to type my research papers on a Remington portable typewriter, I must confess that I was not too happy with Mrs. Crockett’s requirements for excellence. As a teenager I could not imagine what possible use I would ever have for memorizing Chaucer in Olde English. However, I still can recite it; and more than once, I have amazed young English majors who seem never to have had to memorize anything. As for typing those research papers: no typing errors on any page! No erasures! There was no “wite-out” back then, either. Even if there were, Mrs. Crockett would not have allowed its use.

Mrs. Crockett was a stickler for proper research. We used Warriner’s English Grammar and Composition: Complete Course, the resource I continue to use today.

After choosing a research-paper topic from Mrs. Crockett’s list, we sought her approval for our outline. All our research had to be recorded on 3 X 5 cards, and properly documented, under the appropriate outline topic. Then all those cards had to be bundled and turned in for approval before we could proceed with the actual writing. Mrs. Crockett read every one of those cards! More often than not, my outline and my cards, were marked with red ink – suggestions, commands, really - for additional, or more in-depth, research. Then came the laborious writing and typing of the paper. Every quote had to be documented. Every non-original idea had to be attributed. Every source had to be listed in the bibliography.

I remember once laboring over the typing of a paper for Mrs. Crockett. In my tiredness, my trashcan was filling up with wadded-up typing paper, each containing one typing error. Long after my bedtime had passed, tired and stressed, I was still typing away. Finally, I was on the last page, the last paragraph, the last footnote. I hit the wrong typewriter key! Maybe I can erase and she won’t notice. Ha! Better type the final page again. Another try, another page – finally that page and my paper were ready for Mrs. Crockett’s scrutiny. I have that paper still: “CHRISTIANITY, BUDDHISM AND CONFUCISM: A Comparison and Contrast.” When Mrs. Crockett marked an “A” on that paper, I knew I had earned it. And, I knew that I knew how to write a research paper.

I still have many of the papers I wrote for Mrs. Crockett. One paper that I wrote, about the death of my grandfather, entitled “Pa,” Mrs. Crockett asked if she could keep. Heady with Mrs. Crockett’s hard-earned praise for my paper, I agreed. It seems strange in today’s age of instant communication, with copies from printers, copiers, emails and faxes flying back and forth, to think there was only one copy of that paper. I often have wished I could reread that paper; however, it has been a point of personal pride to me that Mrs. Crockett wanted to keep it.

As for English grammar, we parsed, we diagrammed, we memorized, we practiced over and over the rules of usage. We practiced so much, that, to this day, hearing incorrect grammar is like hearing the screech of nails on a blackboard.

Mrs. Crockett has been a life-long source of inspiration to so many of her students. To others, she remains a source of deep-seated dislike and disdain. She asked too much. She interfered in our personal lives. Once she came into the hall where students congregated between classes. She walked up to me and my "steady" and announced, "You are standing too close. Move apart." We did.

Mrs. Crockett let her students know that she expected us to succeed – not just in her classroom, but in life. She forced us to work hard; and when we succeeded in her classroom, we knew we had earned it. She instilled in us the desire for excellence.

Mrs. Annie Pearl Long Crockett was the best teacher that I have ever had. For that, I thank her and I praise her.

Europe 2003: I think this Sagittarius horoscope I have taped to my computer says it all: "There is no known antidote to the travel bug..." *

2004-01-05T17:47:00.000-06:00

Hubby and I, and Son and Daughter-in-law, went to England and Europe, Dec 15, 2003 to Jan 1, 2004

We had a fab time in London - except Hubby got the flu, and spent a couple of days in the hotel watching TV. I doctored him with Chinese herbs and England’s version of TheraFlu. We stayed in this funky hotel (old converted house at 153 Sussex Gardens, near Paddington Station) called Hotel Adare, in which our bedroom floor creaked every time we walked. No quick, silent trips to the loo in the middle of the night for us. Sussex Gardens reminds me of EastEnders (my favorite TV soap that has been taken off the air by BBCA, even though it is the number-one rated show in Great Britain) with a couple of pubs, a couple of fruit and veg, a laundry, a fish and chip shop, a cafe and a central square. There are hundreds of old converted townhouse hotels in the area, and most of the hotel workers are Eastern Europeans who know nothing about London, or even the areas around the hotels. They are nice and friendly, however.

I bought some Ahmad English Breakfast Tea No. 1 - my FAVORITE, in London, but have already used it up. Once we got out of England, we did not encounter any real tea and I had to use my stash to get my tea fix, morning, noon and night.

We saw the Lion King and Tonight's the Night (Rod Stewart musical) on stage in London. We spent one day at the Tower of London, and all day and night (on winter solstice) in Windsor, Bath, and at Stonehenge. I think that was my favorite day. We ate at the George Inn at Norton St. Philip http://www.thegeorgeinn-nsp.co.uk/ which is 700 years old. Saw lots of countryside and blue skies and fluffy clouds (and sheep.) Finally got to the British Museum and the Tate Modern. The Queen was out of town, so we didn’t get to visit.

There were hundreds of thousands of people in the streets of London. It looked like Shanghai, with the crush of people shopping for Christmas. Trafalgar Square had a huge Christmas tree and choirs singing. One day Hubby and I were riding on the top of a double-decker bus. We were stopped on Oxford Street in the mass of traffic. Out of the corner of my right eye, I noticed a motion on the bus stopped beside us. It was Son and Daughter-in-law waving to us! I got a photo. What are the odds of that happening?

We took Eurostar to Brussels. Anything we asked the Brussels INFORMATION BOOTH attendant, she didn't know - like "Where is there an ATM, please?" or "How can we get change to put in the lockers, please?" or “Where can we find a taxi stand, please?” Her answer to everything was, "I don't know that."

After two hours trying to see a bit of Brussels besides the inside of the train station, and failing, we gave up and boarded a train to Trier, Germany - which has a Roman gate - the Black Gate, made of sandstone. Son had used this gate as a location in his last game, Deus Ex II: The Invisible War. The gate is still standing because those crazy Romans bored holes (okay, their slaves bored holes) though the stones and poured in molten metal. The birth of rebar! We loved the town and the friendly people, and the pub, and the beer and the apple wine. Also saw the results of a recent car accident. A guy in a BMW sped around a curve, hit a low wall, flipped and landed upside down in a fountain. Luckily for him, there was no water, or rather ice, in the fountain, and he had airbags all around.

Then, on to Frankfurt am Main. We had a new, non-squeaky hotel in Frankfurt http://www.scala.bestwestern.de/ (staffed by Germans) with feather comforters and the most wonderful breakfast buffet ever. And, we were having a wonderful time, sightseeing, shopping and eating, until everything CLOSED at 4 pm on Christmas Eve.

In Germany, everything is specialized. There were no all-purpose places to buy things - like 7-11's, or the fruit and veg in London. If you want a cough drop, you have to go to a pharmacist (all closed.) I started getting a terrible sore throat in Germany, but the hotel folks kept telling me I couldn't get sick there because medical care was too expensive and I didn't have German health insurance. Before everything CLOSED, I went to a Health Food Store to get herbs, but they can sell only food herbs, not medicinal herbs. Have to go to the pharmacist for that (all closed.) I did find some Lima Brand Rice Cakes that are so crispy and good that I want to start importing them. So, in Frankfurt, even the few businesses that were open - Muslim meat shops, for instance - were of no use to us.

We had spent Christmas Eve in Switzerland, and didn’t find out everything in Germany would be closed until we got back at midnight. We rode the train beside the Rhine River Valley to Lucerne, Interlaken, then took another train to Grindelwald. Once we got back from Grindelwald, we found the last train for Frankfurt had gone. But, the nice man at the train station routed us a different way and got us back to our hotel in time to find everything CLOSED until December 27 (Dec 26 is St. Stephen’s Day – a national holiday.)

After sleeping and watching TV most of Christmas Day, eating the buffet breakfast at the hotel, and having fruit and crackers we had stashed away, for Christmas Dinner, we boarded a train to Lyon. Found out the train had to go through Paris, so we got off there. Spent the night at the Gare d’Est train station hotel, listening to the trains come in all night. Sounded like jet engines beneath us. But the hotel had those huge tall French windows that opened with billowing curtains blowing in the breeze, and a marvelous view of Parisian life ouside. Eurail trains are GREAT to ride – most days, the four of us were the only people in the first-class train cars.

I was continuing to have the worst sore throat I have ever experienced. I had used all my herbs and meds. In Paris, the only Chinese medical shop we could find was closed until Jan, so I decided I had to have a WESTERN doctor. Medicine in France is so NOT EXPENSVE. The doctor charged 70 Euros to come to our hotel and examine me. The four prescriptions he gave me cost 13.70 Euros total. Two of the meds were made by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Anyway, remind me never to vacation in COLD countries in the winter-time again. Next winter it's either Club Med in the Turks and Caicos, Mexico, or Hawaii for our December-January cedar-pollen escape.

The trip home started with snow in Paris, leading to flight delays. Then, @#$%&*^ passengers in the seats in front of us who insisted on reclining their seats the entire trip. They would not even raise them when they got up to use the loo! Their seats were 5 inches from our faces. Hubby, still recovering from the flu, coughed on them a few times after we had politely asked them to raise their seat backs when they left them, but they wouldn’t. 25 hours later, we arrived in Austin. The cats were overjoyed to see us, insisting on snuggling all night long.

Even though the dollar is extremely weak against the Euro and the Pound right now, Hubby and I have a serious love affair with Paris and London, so we are going back for two weeks in April. “April in Paris. Chestnuts in blossom. Holiday tables under the trees.” In London, we plan to buy more Ahmad tea, go to the National Gallery, visit some book stores and see Dame Judi Dench - a favorite of ours - in All's Well That Ends Well - fifth row center. I hope to go back to the Tate Modern with Hubby because he missed it due to the flu, and I would love to have another look-see, too. I am excited about that and am thinking of hanging out at the stage door to try to get Dame Dench's autograph.

*I think this Sagittarius horoscope I have taped to my computer says it all: "There is no known antidote to the travel bug, so your're dealing with a lifetime affliction. If you're not away from home now, then in the back of your mind, you're planning your next getaway." Is that ME or what!

Aventura Palace on the Riveria Maya, Mexico

2000-05-15T14:49:00.000-05:00

We stayed at the all-inclusive resort, Aventura Palace (one of the Moon Palace resorts) on the Mayan Riviera (60 miles south of Cancun), the first week of May, 2000. http://cancun-all-inclusive.com/aventura_palace.html This is billed as adults-only. However, one time-share owner brought his 2 teens and one 40ish couple brought a new baby. Our travel arrangements were through Adventure Tours 1-800-305-5072, www.atusa.com

This was my first time at an all-inclusive. The positive points are: The resort itself is delightful. The setting is beautiful. The buildings and grounds are well-maintained. Our room was clean, clean, clean. The air conditioning, and everything else in the room worked. Our room had a two-person Jacuzzi, satellite TV, hairdryer, data port, in-room safe, AM-FM clock radio, a balcony with a hammock, a refrigerator stocked with all types of alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, and bottled water at no extra charge.

There are three restaurants and a pool snack bar to choose from. There is an on-site water purification plant for all drinking water and ice. The food was very good, including Mexican cuisine (the best guacamole I have ever eaten), Continental cuisine, French pastries, and English afternoon tea. The Bahama Mama and the Midori Freeze drinks were excellent.

There is a free shuttle to the other Palace resorts in the area. (Pay for one, party at all six.) There is a daily listing of resort activities and personnel to help plan side trips. There is varied entertainment nightly. The swimming pools cover a couple of blocks. There is an artificial lagoon, all types of water sports, scuba lessons, volleyball, billiards, foosball, tennis courts, and a gym. Golf courses are nearby.

The spa (fees not included in the inclusive package) provides massages, hair care, nail care and henna tattoos. I highly recommend the masseuse Roberto who "cured" my painful jammed knee and hip joint that, for 6 months, modern medicine had not been able to help. Spa fees are similar to USA rates.

The well-stock resort gift shop had better prices for T-shirts than we paid (after hard bargaining) in Playa del Carmen. There are plenty of sofas and chairs in cool, breezy porticos to take a snooze, chat with friends, enjoy a smoothie, or read a book from the take and share library.

The resort staff went out of its way to make everything pleasant and relaxing for the guests; in fact, the staff was the friendliest I have ever encountered. The resort provides employment for locals, and others from Mexico who otherwise might not have jobs.

The negatives are: It's kind of like being at Disney World or Las Vegas. You know its not real and there is not much of Mexican culture. One could be anywhere really. Phone calls to the USA - $84.15 for 14 minutes - are tremendously expense. (This was a collect call using the international operator.) The only other complaint I had (and this is such a nit that you can see I really had nothing to complain about) is that the blankets on the beds are too thick and heavy. I just took mine off and used the bedspread instead.

On a broader, and long-term, scale, I am concerned about the fresh water issue in the Yucatan. There is little surface water. Rainwater is stored in underground aquifers. There are thousands of hotel rooms in the area, and more being developed all the time - many with those two-person Jacuzzis that use a tremendous amount of water. I hope someone is planning the conservation of the water supply.

Would I go back? Yes!