Uncategorized – Page 172

Finally, Birthday!

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

Thanks so much for calling me last night to tell me Happy Birthday! It was the happy cap on a fun evening.

I opened my package from Portland first thing in the morning. Auntie Bridgett and Grandpa Nelson sent me a copy of Auntie Bridgett’s new zine, about fonts and typefaces. It is so pretty and interesting! They also sent a cute card she had made, of two cats that look very much like my darling people.

Of course, the whole day can’t be celebration. It was a Monday, and a school day. My students had all had fun weekends, too, and didn’t seem to want to be in school. Following directions was hard, and treating each other nicely was even harder, so by the time I was done with my conferences, I was done in.

I got home and Auntie Olga, who has this week off as her Spring Break, had done the shopping. She ordered pizza from Riley and Papa’s Pizza, which used to be Mountain Mike’s. I had some tea and fruit and fell asleep until the pizza got delivered and Liza got home from school.

birthday gifts..jpg

We opened some wine and Uncle David got home. He was even more tired than I had been. But he is still good company. Before we ate, I opened my presents! It was an accidental robot themed party! Auntie Bridgett and Grandpa Nelson sent me a little robot painted on a heavy domino, from the artist at Botjoy. It’s a tiny robot who is “programmed to love you…to notice all the nice things about you, and, when held to your ear, to tell you why people love you…”. Just the thing for an emotionally exhausted teacher. Perfect.

My presents from Auntie Olga, Uncle David and Liza were wonderful, too. One was a tiny tea robot, who holds your tea bag and looks fabulous. I have enjoyed his services already! There was also a pack of “Woman cards”…a real deck of playing cards with Rosa Parks, Hillary Clinton, Mary Cassatt, and 10 other female movers and shakers. There were even Lucille Ball and Phyllis Diller as the jokers! And there was a “never-ending card” that Liza and her mommy had made that kept opening and opening… it was amazing.

Auntie Bridgett mentioned that there might be a second card in the mailbox, in addition to the one that came with my presents. There was!!

After dinner Auntie Bridgett and Grandpa Nelson called and chatted until my throat was sore, then I played and read with Liza. Then you called and my day was complete.

I slept the sleep of a 62 year old birthday girl filled with joy, love, and the knowledge that Spring Break is only 3 days away.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Adventures in Transit

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

olga heads out.jpg — **Auntie Olga, ready to roll!**

Today was another adventure. Auntie Olga, Cousin Liza and I went to the John Steinbeck library, but this time, we took the bus! We figured with the bus ride replacing the mile walk, we could enjoy more time at our destination. Since both the number 20 and the number 25 bus run between our house and downtown Salinas, even on a Sunday we don’t wait more than a half hour for a bus, and much less if you plan right.

We left the house earlier than usual, and Auntie Olga still had her coffee cup. Liza found some lemon grass and noticed that the leaves look like hearts! Somewhere along the way, Liza found part of a pencil sharpener and started creating tiny bouquets in it…blades of grass, a tiny belladonna daisy, and some small magnolia seed pods.

Lizas flower arranging.jpg — **Liza explaining her bouquet**

She was explaining all the bits of loveliness in her creation when we noticed that Rick’s brother Kevin was riding up on his bike! We had hugs all around before the bus came and took us to the Steinbeck library. We turned in books, got new ones, and Liza made us a fabulous pretend lunch from the library’s toy kitchen. We realized that we weren’t just pretend hungry, we were really hungry!

lizas food truck.jpg — **Liza’s food truck**

Auntie Liza suggested lunch downtown, so we walked to Portobello’s new location on Main. They were closing in 15 minutes, so we took our seats at a table outside to enjoy our burgers and quiches. The food was very good, and I introduced Auntie Olga to Messiah Beer. The weather was cool, but we had coats and were very comfortable.

liza chauffer.jpg — **Driving Auntie Olga**

In the Steinbeck Center, Liza had fun showing her mommy all her favorite things…the red pony, the model A car, the children in the migrant field camp, and Doc Ricketts’ boat. And as she looked at the exhibits, Auntie Olga’s mind was racing…how could she use this museum as a teaching resource for her class at Central Coast High School? John Steinbeck’s work encompasses history, literature, and science. The museum itself is a graphic artist’s dream. I got the business card of the director so Auntie Olga could contact her about curriculum.

nearly always breathe.jpg — **“I nearly always write…just as I nearly always breathe.”**

When we were done at the museum, we walked just across Salinas Street to the transit center and caught a bus within a few minutes. We walked the few blocks home and nodded off into napland.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Birthday Walk

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

david asilomar.jpg — **David and storm clouds over Santa Cruz**

Even though my birthday isn’t until Monday, we did the celebration on Saturday. Uncle David and I went to Asilomar and had a long walk in the wind and sun, which was just what I needed! It was bright and cold and absolutely perfect. The clouds over the bay gave us a pretty good picture of what was happening elsewhere… rain over there, clear over there.

fence and clouds asilomar.jpg — **Arriving at Asilomar**

The clouds kept changing! It was wonderful. We saw some rock stacks, and I managed to add two rocks to one, getting a picture before it fell down.

One thing I love about the ocean is that it puts things in perspective. “How long have you been working on that?” It asks. Then it chuckles. “Don’t worry…I’ve been eroding this cliff for a thousand years, and it’s still not done.” It lets me breathe to know there is so much tangible power that isn’t my responsibility.

The birds kept us company. A flock of sandpipers scurried over the rocks and sand, seeming to disappear when I pulled out my camera. Seagulls soared and crows bickered.

flying crows asilomar.jpg — **Find the Crows**

David and I climbed over some rocks and up a small cliff face, and found the boardwalk that lead back to the road, then walked up the hill to The Fishwife. It is a bright, friendly restaurant that is fancy enough to have good food and wine and be pretty, but comfortable enough to chat with the waiters and come in with a little sand on your shoes.

David and I only waited a few minutes until Auntie Olga and Liza joined us, and we ordered lunch! Calamari appetizers, Pasta Primavera, barramundi, and grilled salmon were our choices, with Liza having the chicken tenders. We drank a light Angeline Pinot Noir which went well with all the delicious food.

We ate and drank, then Olga and Liza went to Dennis the Menace Park and I, being lazy, had Uncle David take me home. The wind and sun and good company had worn me out.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Friday Night with George and Mimi

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

This evening I did something very different: I went out for the evening! My dear friends George and Mimi Niesen invited me for dinner and a show.

The dinner was one of the Friday night fish feasts at Madonna del Sasso. This is the Catholic Church with the largest social hall and kitchen, so the whole Salinas Catholic community gets together and puts on seafood feasts every Friday during Lent. I’d only ever been inside the church, which is spacious and lovely. The social hall is huge! There were probably 20 tables with 8 people each, and they were mostly full. People were coming and going, talking, eating, drinking really generous pours fairly good red wine from plastic cups, talking to old friends.

This Salinas tradition is very popular and raises money for all the Catholic churches and services in town. It is attended by folks from other churches, too. I saw friends from Temple Beth El and a lovely lady from St. Ansgar’s Lutheran.

social Hall madonna — **Room full of happy people!**

But before the wonderful grilled shrimp, there was half a steamed artichoke, salad, garlic bread, and pasta with sauce. There were desserts, too, but after all that dinner was gone, I was stuffed. We said thank you to the servers, who were all volunteers, and headed off to the next part of our evening.

George drove us over to Hartnell College for their Music Extravaganza! It was an evening of music performed by the Orchestra, the Choir, Piano students and the Jazz Band. George said “It’s good to see that music is in good hands!”

The teachers who lead the groups we saw were Sandy Rudo, who heads the choir, and Steve Ettinger, who leads the Jazz Band. Their skill, as well as their affection for their students, was delightfully evident. We heard southern gospel music, selections from “Hamilton” and “Moana”, Chopin, La Llarona (which, fittingly, always makes me cry), George Gershwin, and Count Basie.

Two stand-outs for the evening were young Monica Mendoza and Alexis Munoz. Miss Mendoza sang in the Choir, picked up a flute and played a solo, then, with pianist Alexis Munoz, accompanied the Chamber Singers. Then she grabbed her saxophone case and ran down the hall to play with the Jazz Band!

Alexis Munoz played piano as accompanist to the Choirs, then played for the Jazz band…later we learned that he has only been playing piano for a year. Wonderful talent, great skill, great fun. We wandered out of the Music building, and past the pool to the car. We were still glowing with the joy of hearing such lovely music in this small town of Salinas.

Thank you, George and Mimi, for a wonderful evening out in Salinas!

Love,

Grandma Judy

New House!

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

Even though I am here in Salinas, Grandpa Nelson, Auntie Bridgett and I have just bought a new house in Portland!!

About a month ago, after looking at many houses that were too expensive or in the wrong neighborhood, my two wonderful people found this nice condominium just a few blocks from many of our favorite places. Laurelhurst Park….3 blocks away. Lone Fir Cemetery, the Belmont Inn, the Nerd Out…all in the neighborhood. The number 15 bus to the Portland Art Museum and the Oregon Historical Society…. two blocks away.

nerd out 2.jpg.jpg — **Desserts, Drinks, and Action Figures!**

It was within our budget, new enough to not need major repairs, and bright and sunny. It has room for Auntie Bridgett to paint, for me to write, and for Grandpa Nelson to work on his computer. It has a patio where I can grow a rose or two and a balcony for all of Great Grandma Billie’s geraniums.

Auntie Katie’s friend Alyssa Isenstein-Krueger is a Real Estate Agent with Living Room Realty and helped my two people get in to see the place before the first Open House, so they got first dibs. And boy, did they dib!

We made an offer that afternoon. There was a lot of traffic over the internet with signing papers and passing banking information, but the final papers couldn’t be signed over the net…they needed to be signed in person. A notary named Jasmin printed out the papers and we met in the delicatessen department of the Nob Hill on South Main. So I signed the papers for my house in Portland in the grocery store I shopped at here in Salinas. Nob Hill is the bridge, sort of, between my life here and my life there.

I signed the papers on that rainy evening of the Union march at the Board meeting, going directly from signing papers to marching in the rain. What a day that was!!

**The “Three” of us in front of the new house**

Tonight, Grandpa Nelson and Auntie Bridgett had a bottle of wine at the new place, sitting on folding chairs, and we had a Facetime visit with all of us having wine here, to toast our new home. My two sillies brought along a large ceramic duck to stand in for ME.

We are all emotionally exhausted and ready to have a new nest to feather and be comfortable in. I get to see the house next week when I go to Portland for Spring vacation, and I am looking forward to deciding where everything will fit.

I can’t wait to start my new life in my new home!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Union Politics in Salinas

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

I have been a teacher in Salinas for almost 30 years now, so I have been a member of the local Salinas Elementary Teacher’s Council for that long. A Union is a way for people to join together to make sure their jobs are safe, fair, and that they can make a decent wage doing it. Unions have been helping workers for hundreds of years. Through protest, strikes and other peaceful means, Unions have gotten rid of Child Labor, given us the weekend and the minimum wage, and made sure factories are safe to work in.

The Teacher’s Union here in Salinas has been having a disagreement with our administration. The disagreement is mainly based on how District money is being spent. Teachers and classified employees seem to be the last thing anyone wants to invest in! We want to be able to make our house payments and have reasonable health insurance for a good price.

The administration tells us this is too expensive. They want to keep our pay low while asking us to do more work….deal with disruptive behaviors, be mental health counselors, and give tests we don’t have any control over. They say that if we work more days, they will pay us more, and that THAT is our raise. But getting paid more for working more isn’t a raise…it’s just working more for the same rate of pay.

on the street.jpg — **Teachers Taking it Outside**

About 18 years ago, the teachers here in Salinas joined together in a big way to fight a different set of administrators over pay and benefits. And now we are at it again. Monday night about 75 teachers marched outside the District Office on Main Street in the rain, wearing our lovely teal SETC shirts. Kids came along and held signs. We waved at cars and they honked back at us in support. When the Board meeting was about to begin, many of us walked inside and stood at the back of the room or took seats in the audience. Some held up their signs.

When the Board walked in, the President asked that we put down our signs. We declined. He said this was a place for civil discourse. We stood quietly, with our signs. He referred to one of our teachers as “Honey” in explaining why we needed to stay quiet. This was not received well.

He asked our President, Oscar Ramos, to tell us to stop cheering for speakers. Oscar said that, out of respect, we would not interrupt anyone who wanted to speak, but we would cheer appropriately when moved to do so. The President wasn’t happy, but graciously allowed us to speak and keep our signs up. I was curious what would happen if he hadn’t.

in the boardroom.jpg — **A Sea of Teal**

I had to leave before the meeting was over, but I was proud to have been able to take part in this protest with my Union. I was happy to see young and old teachers working to support their fellow teachers. I was proud to exercise my freedom of assembly and speech. And for the first time in way too long, I was proud to be an American. It felt good.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Saturday Adventure Continued

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

After Liza and I left the Garden of Memories, we walked down Romie Lane. Romie is a busy street with lots of doctor’s offices, because it is right near Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital. Liza and I have both been to the hospital a few times. I went with Great-Grandma Billie years ago when she got hurt, and their Emergency Room gave Liza stitches in her forehead and me stitches in my lip. Auntie Olga even gave birth to Liza in that hospital! They have taken good care of our family.

We discovered some interesting things along the road. Liza found moss, like the kind I miss in Portland, under some bushes. Because of the recent rains, the moss was soft and green. It was lovely.

We kept walking and got to Claremont Manor Park, which is right next door to Monterey Park School. This is a park with trees that are good for climbing, small and large play structures, and even a baseball field right next door. Liza found some kids to play with and I sat in the sun and relaxed.

I ran into a friend who used to work at my school, Krysta Bradley, and her family, including their youngest son and new puppy. He is a very soft golden retriever and very friendly. Their oldest boy, Mikey, was playing baseball at the park.

Liza found a tree to climb that was just the right size. As she was busy climbing with some new friends, Krysta told me that when SHE was a little girl, SHE climbed that same tree! That has been a happy tree for many years! Liza and her new friends made up a game that they were monkeys and were growing banana trees. “The more trees we grow, the more bananas we can eat!” they chanted. “We are monkeys!”

Leaving the park, we continued down Romie Lane. We found a little boy and his tiny puppy, going for a short visit on the sidewalk. Then we got to Main Street, and the MYO Frozen Yogurt Shop! What good fortune, a cool snack and place to sit, right next to a bus stop. We snacked and met a student of mine, Brandon, who had just finished bowling at Valley Center Bowl next door. Then we stepped out the door and, after a while, caught the number 23 bus downtown where we transferred to the number 20 which took us just a block from home.

Bus stop sign.jpg — **Bus stop on Main Street**

Boy, was I ready for a nap! I think I fell asleep before Liza did. What a fun day!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Garden of Memories

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

Over the weekend, Liza and I had another adventure. We visited thousands of people… but we were all alone. It was windy and chilly when Uncle David dropped us of at the corner of Abbott and Romie Lane, where the Garden of Memories Cemetery has been since the city began, more than 150 years ago. Liza had wanted to see where her historical friends, John Steinbeck and the Harvey family, were buried.

I like cemeteries. I like the Lone Fir, which is near our house in Portland, and I like the Garden of Memories. The two are about the same age, with burials from the 1840s, which means they both have some tombstones you can’t read because of the letters wearing off.

Sign to Steinbeckgarave.jpg

First we walked until we found a big, new sign showing us the way to John Steinbeck’s grave. He is so famous, people come from all over the world to visit him here. John is buried in the Hamilton family plot, along with his father and mother, his sister Mary, and his wife Elaine. We had forgotten to bring flowers, but Liza found some that had blown onto the road, and she placed them on the Hamilton headstone. We talked about Mr. Steinbeck and the books he wrote, his library and “newseum”, as she calls it.

Liza at Steinbeck grave1.jpg — **Paying her respects to Mr. Steinbeck**

Then we walked toward the old apple tree which, for me, marks the Harvey family area. Isaac J. Harvey and his wife Sarah, two of their children and many grandchildren, are here. We talked about the family, with young Mabel being Liza’s favorite. We found Mabel’s big sister, Saphronia, who was the first school teacher in Salinas, and the grave of Saphronia’s little baby Rupert, who died when he was only five months old. The idea that babies could die was new to Liza, and she did some thinking about it while stomping on piles of dirt that some gophers had pushed up.

Saphronia grave.jpg — **Grave of Saphronia Harvey Clark**

The wind was very chilly and we needed to find a sheltered place to have our snack. The Columbarium, a building where the ashes of people who were cremated are put in small niches, was a perfect place. Not dark or scary at all, it has big painted windows and is bright and beautiful, with comfortable chairs. We enjoyed our yogurt, crackers and apples while reading memorials to the people.

pretty reflection — **Inside the columbarium**

The sun came out while we were resting, and we ventured out to a small courtyard with more niches and a small fountain. Behind that we found the memorial to Company C, 194th Tank Battalion, a group of soldiers mostly from Salinas who were in the Army during World War II. They served in the Philippines, and 105 of them died there, on what is called The Bataan Death March. The tank and plaque with all their names on it is their marker.

We visited the Jewish section of the cemetery to see some old friends of mine, like Max Gadsky and Sue Dove, as well as people I know only by reputation, like Rabbi Abraham Haselkorn, who was the leader of the Jewish community here in Salinas for many years.

We had more places to see, so we said goodbye to all the nice dead people and headed west on Romie Lane. I’ll tell you where we went next tomorrow!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Drizzly Saturday Walk

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

Saturday was rainy but warm here in Salinas. I woke up knowing the report cards were waiting for me, but also knowing they could wait a little longer. I called my friend Pat van Noy and we made a date for Brunch at Ellie’s Great American Restaurant. Uncle David was taking Liza to a friend’s house, so he gave me a ride.

Pat and I ate and talked for about 2 hours! It’s amazing how fast time goes by when you are laughing and telling stories with a dear friend. I caught her up on our life and plans for Portland…the new house we are buying, the neighborhood, Auntie Bridgett’s art shows, and my story-writing. She told me about her singing in The Senior Singers and playing bridge with friends.

I had a Mojo Cuban Sandwich which was spicy and sweet. Pat had a patty melt, which she liked very much. The service was friendly, as usual, but a bit slow because it was busy for Saturday brunch.

After we had talked ourselves dry, Pat offered me a ride home, but I wanted to have a long walk after my week being mostly inside. I buttoned up my jacket, wrapped my scarf, and slapped on my hat. I was ready.

There were lovely grey clouds and such tiny drizzle drops I could hardly feel them, which made for lovely soft light. Neighborhood sights are small and quiet, and if you are in a hurry to get somewhere, you miss them. Birds on the wire looking like Schroeder’s notes in Charlie Brown…. a lost teething ring carefully hung on a branch, waiting to be retrieved…. an adorable Beware of Dogs sign.

I stopped by to see one of my oldest friends in Salinas, Rick, and we talked for a long time. He is headed to Disneyland, which he calls The Holy City, this Spring on his annual Pilgrimage. I envy him the fun but not the drive or the crowds!

lost teething ring — **Lost teething ring**

When I finally got home, Uncle David and Liza were back and Liza was napping. I used her naptime to get all the report cards entered into the computer. Now all I have to do is print them out (keep your fingers crossed!) before conferences start on Wednesday.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Keeping Busy

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

This week has been busy, even though I hardly left the house except for the walk to school and back.

**Princess Party Place in the lower right**

Liza and I have been playing LEGOs a lot. I like that you can make whatever you want, and don’t have to follow the directions. This week we have been creating a party venue for Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and an assortment of creatures of our own making. Liza has a big circle bag to keep the LEGOs in one place. It makes cleaning up much easier, and we never step on blocks!

Uncle David taught Liza how to shoot rubber bands (don’t ask me why, but he did. I guess it’s a life skill.) Her hands aren’t quite strong enough yet, but it’s good eye hand practice and we made an evening of it, shooting them into a big bowl we borrowed from Auntie Olga.

I got mail this week! Our dear friend MiMi sent a thank you card for some candied nuts we had taken to her house. It was a watercolor picture of the bag of nuts! How special is that? So wonderful to have sweet, talented friends. I also got a card from you, Kestrel! I know it had been in the mailbox for awhile, but it was fine. Thanks so much for thinking of me.

Last night we played with light. Liza had a big bag from our take out dinner from the Moss Landing Cafe, and I turned it into a hat. It went from bag, to hat, to light show! Liza has an RGB LED light in her room, which is a fancy way of saying a light that can change color and stay cool. We put some holes in the bag, put the light in the bag, and made a planetarium. It was beautiful and fun. It felt magical, but Uncle David explained why the colors separated like they did, so it was also a science lesson.

This morning was a puppet show in my room, with a tooth fairy, a girl, a flying tooth, and a stray Leprechaun. The stuffties were the audience.

And the rest of the day will be spent on Report Cards. There is a lot of paperwork to get ready for the final information going into the computer…special forms for kids learning English, special graphs for reading programs…but it all is important. It takes a couple of days to get it all together.

I wonder if this is what John Steinbeck meant when he said “There’s always something to do in Salinas.”

Love,

Grandma Judy