grandma's house...

Dad went and listed my grandmother's house in Whittier with a realtor today. This is wrenching to me; the old house where I spent several weeks of each childhood summer is going to be sold. I wish I could afford it, but it's really too small as it is. Plus summers up there are hot. But what a view. It's partially obscured by taller buildings now, but I remember so many summer evenings looking out over the city lights south to Long Beach and Buena Park. You could see the parachute tower at Knott's if you looked closely; with a pair of biniculars you could pick out various other landmarks. Palos Verdes loomed, sparkling in the evening air, to the southwest. My grandmother had a tiny fenced backyard where she trained dahlias and roses on the fence. She could make almost anything grow. A tree shadowed half of the grass; sometimes we'd lie on our backs looking up at the planes heading for LAX. The planters were lined with odd rocks and abalone shells my father had caught as a young man. There were fruit trees lining the brick parking area in front of the garage, and beside the garage she grew tomatoes every year.

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grandma's house...

Dad went and listed my grandmother's house in Whittier with a realtor today. This is wrenching to me; the old house where I spent several weeks of each childhood summer is going to be sold. I wish I could afford it, but it's really too small as it is. Plus summers up there are hot. But what a view. It's partially obscured by taller buildings now, but I remember so many summer evenings looking out over the city lights south to Long Beach and Buena Park. You could see the parachute tower at Knott's if you looked closely; with a pair of biniculars you could pick out various other landmarks. Palos Verdes loomed, sparkling in the evening air, to the southwest. My grandmother had a tiny fenced backyard where she trained dahlias and roses on the fence. She could make almost anything grow. A tree shadowed half of the grass; sometimes we'd lie on our backs looking up at the planes heading for LAX. The planters were lined with odd rocks and abalone shells my father had caught as a young man. There were fruit trees lining the brick parking area in front of the garage, and beside the garage she grew tomatoes every year.

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Really Good Music has a Strange Effect on Me

Got John Mayer's Room for Squaresthis weekend. At work, I unwrapped it and glanced at the liner notes, which showed a somewhat nerdy looking guy with a guitar. The CD itself had a Periodic Table of the Elements on it, which I found obscurely amusing. Then I put it in to listen to while I was doing something mindless.....

Whoa. I have not had something me affect so strongly for a long time, maybe not since I read Katchan's "It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas." (BTW way did you ever find that, BYO?) I sat at the computer fantasizing all afternoon and went home in a fog, listening to it in the car

Then I got home with the kids and Dad saying "I got groceries, you put 'em away." and "When are you going to start dinner." and boys climbing on things, and dinner and baths, and my lovely foggy mood was completely lost. Except that John has been giving me weird grins all evening and running out to the garage saying "I have to sand some more,"something he does when he's trying to distract himself.

Guys, if you're wondering what to put on the stereo next time you have that really special person over, this one is it. Maybe a fire, some cabernet, some brie, a little slow dancing, especially the song below, and, well. use your imagination.

Then again, maybe it's just hormones. Both of my two latter children were conceived shortly after the previous one's birthday. Something to do with no longer breastfeeding. Luckily, I don't have to worry about that happening again.

I think I'll listen to this a bit more................

Really Good Music has a Strange Effect on Me

Got John Mayer's Room for Squaresthis weekend. At work, I unwrapped it and glanced at the liner notes, which showed a somewhat nerdy looking guy with a guitar. The CD itself had a Periodic Table of the Elements on it, which I found obscurely amusing. Then I put it in to listen to while I was doing something mindless.....

Whoa. I have not had something me affect so strongly for a long time, maybe not since I read Katchan's "It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas." (BTW way did you ever find that, BYO?) I sat at the computer fantasizing all afternoon and went home in a fog, listening to it in the car

Then I got home with the kids and Dad saying "I got groceries, you put 'em away." and "When are you going to start dinner." and boys climbing on things, and dinner and baths, and my lovely foggy mood was completely lost. Except that John has been giving me weird grins all evening and running out to the garage saying "I have to sand some more,"something he does when he's trying to distract himself.

Guys, if you're wondering what to put on the stereo next time you have that really special person over, this one is it. Maybe a fire, some cabernet, some brie, a little slow dancing, especially the song below, and, well. use your imagination.

Then again, maybe it's just hormones. Both of my two latter children were conceived shortly after the previous one's birthday. Something to do with no longer breastfeeding. Luckily, I don't have to worry about that happening again.

I think I'll listen to this a bit more................