Palm Trees

My roommate Sarah said there were no palm trees in Eureka, but I have seen plenty.

Here is proof; palm trees at the stop light:



OK, so there is a seemingly dilapidated building behind them and the shot is blurry, but I promise I've seen prettier palm trees on sunnier days when I didn't have my camera with me! Sometimes you just have to take it all in with your eyes and not have a camera glued to your face! Just live, Mike says.

Note the old building is pink though. That's allowed here.

Blue M&M 's

This is the conversation that just occurred at my house, less than five minutes ago:

Naomi: HEY! Don't eat all the m&m's!

Mike: Don't worry, I saved you all the blue ones.

Naomi: My mom used to save me all the blue ones too... not because I like blue, but because they were the fakest.

Mike: Yeah...

Awwwwwwwwww. My mom and Mike are both trying to poison me by simultaneously protecting themselves. I feel so warm and mushy inside. Perhaps because of all the Blue 40 I have eaten in my lifetime...

Hey, I just read the ingredient list, and unless Yellow 6, Red 40 Lake, Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6 Lake, and Yellow 5 Lake are by some strange science more natural than Blue 1 Lake, Blue 1, and Blue 2 Lake I'd say Mom and Mike are JUST as fake as me. So hah!

NO WORRIES, THE STORM HAS PASSED...

...for the moment...

Just like The Wise One (i.e. Mike) says: "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes."

The weather cleared up, the sun came out, we walked 10 minutes down the big hill to the grocery store and the sun felt so warm and nice. I had a teeshirt and a hoodie and no hat on and felt warm, had to shove my sleeves up and unzip the hoodie.

I would say it felt like 50. So, yeah.

'Cause I'm sure y'all were worried. (P.S. Humboldt County is still the most beautiful place I've ever seen. There are huge redwoods in my backyard.)

Here are a Few Recent Pictures

Mike and the Kids at Redwood Acres:



Kaya at the Beach:



California Cows:



Mike's and My Sandy Feet:



Baby, Being Sad and Blurry (but cute):

The Weather Outside is Frightful

No, it's not snow, but it sounds like the ocean is in my backyard. It's the wind and the rain and it's brrrrrr cold!!! (45 degrees but feels like 36, according to the weather report)

New Favorite Snack

I have discovered that this is the best snack ever:*

lowfat organic cottage cheese
topped with Breyer's natural cherry vanilla ice cream

Don't believe me!? Well, y'all are missing out. Try it. You won't regret it.**


*subject to change when new best snack ever is subsequently discovered

**unless you don't like a) cottage cheese b) cherry vanilla ice cream c) trying new things

Happy Donuts

There is a donut place in Eureka called Happy Donuts.

When my nephew was about two years old he sleepily said "Happy Donuts" one morning when he realized there were donuts for breakfast. My sister said it seemed as though he were wishing her a Happy Donut, as one may say "Good morning."

Driving by and discovering an actual donut place called Happy Donuts made me smile.

I hope it actually has good donuts. That would be happy.

Sunday, March 25

Yesterday (Saturday) we went to the beach in Loleta. The sun was sunny and the waves were huge. Baby and I did NOT like the temp of the tide on our bare feet. Mike thought this was quite amusing.

Today it's sunny and I hope we get to go to the beach again. It was dreary for part of yesterday and rainy this morning. Guess that's why Mike says "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes."

I'm one step closer to my dream of daily walks on the beach.

Once upon a time I used to eat out everyday, back when money flowed like a river (is this a good analogy? is this even an analogy?). Now that I have been taking a much needed break, before Mike's studio has been set up and I have yet to run the buesiness side of things, we eat at home. Except for a few special occasions such as sushi with the kids or slices of pizza in Old Towne yesterday because we both have been craving pizza for sooooo long, we buy groceries and prepare our meals at home. Mike makes sure we eat enough greens because apparently I'm a child that thinks green veggies are disgusting (until I eat them and decide they are delicious). This cooking in your own kitchen thing is quite novel. I like it. And I feel healthier too.

Today (Sunday), with the kids, we walked over to Redwood Acres where they were having a flea market. We didn't buy anything. At one booth I picked up the oldest smallest new testament of the Bible I've ever held to my knowledge and looked at a few verses I know to see how it read. The lady manning (personing? womaning?) the booth said "You can have that new testament if you want it." I thanked her for her kindness. She said, "I already have one; that's an extra."

I must have looked like a lost soul.

The date on the inside is 1816, but there is another date referencing 1611. It simply says NEW TESTAMENT on the front but in the back are selected Psalms and reasons why you would benefit from reading them ("when you are feeling lonely," "when you are discouraged," even "when you are planning your budget"). Also there are the words to the National Anthem, America the Beautiful and at least one other American song of which the name escapes me at the moment. It also contains a "prayer for going into battle." It appears to have been well used (maybe well loved?). It states it's a King James Version. Could it have been a soldier's Bible?

This other man, at the flea market, noticed my amber ring and said I could go into business for him selling his amber. He had a chunk of amber with what appeared to be tiny bees inside so Kaya, Josh and I took turns looking through the magnifying glass and speculating on what we thought they were.

Josh bought those noise makers that you throw at the ground. We played Uno and watched A Knight's Tale. We ate grilled cheeses (me, Baby, Mike) and ramen noodles (the kids). We sat outside and played with the dogs.

I asked a bunch of times for the beach but Mike did not have the energy to go. I thought about going by myself but felt that I was needed at the house.

Saturday, March 24

We get the kids tomorrow (Sunday).

A guy might/wants to rent my place in Madison!

I'm trying desperately to "discipline" myself by not starting ANOTHER book until I finish at least one of the six or so I'm already in the middle of. I'm *nearly* done with one I've been tackling (it's hard to read) for nearly a year, then I can *finally* start "In Her Shoes" which is just a straight-up guilty pleasure read, not anything that will teach me how to be a better person. Though it *might* help me understand my sister better. (It's a book about two sisters who couldn't be more different from one another and how something drastic happens that forces them to realize they have more in common than they thought and that they love each other so much. I think. Based on watching the movie version, and yes, I'm embarrassed to admit that.)

It was sunny yesterday (Friday) all day. It's dreary today.

Mike sorts through my things in the garage. He puts them away. I'm apparently incapable of doing it. It becomes overwhelming to me as soon as I go out to the garage and see all the stuff everywhere. MY STUFF everywhere. I see things I don't want to get rid of but I don't know what to do with - it's incredibly draining.

At least I have been able to sort through and put away whatever one of us brings into the bedroom. That's something useful. And not even *useful* either.

Quote I Read Yesterday

I finally finished the book I've been reading for, um, nearly a year. Here's a quote from the book that I really like:

"The mind which renounces, once and forever, a futile hope, has its compensation in ever growing calm."

Bicycle

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like

You say black I say white
You say bark I say bite
You say shark I say hey man
Jaws was never my scene
And I don't like Star Wars
You say Rolls I say Royce
You say God give me a choice
You say Lord I say Christ
I don't believe in Peter Pan
Frankenstein or Superman
All I wanna do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my
Bicycle races are coming your way
So forget all your duties oh yeah
Fat bottomed girls they'll be riding today
So look out for those beauties oh yeah
On your marks get set go
Bicycle race bicycle race bicycle race
All I want to do is
Bicycle bicycle bicycle I want to ride my bicycle
Bicycle bicycle bicycle bicycle
Bicycle race

You say coke I say caine
You say John I say Wayne
Hot dog I say cool it man
I don't wanna be the President of America
You say smile I say cheese
Cartier I say please
Income tax I say Jesus
I don't wanna be a candidate forVietnam or Watergate
Cause all I wanna do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like



This song gets me.

Friday, March 23

Saw in the paper yesterday a creative writing course through HSU's adult learning program - I think I'm going to take it. It's only $35 for 8 courses Tuesday nights, starting next Tuesday. If we can get this garage cleaned out and Mike working again, which gives me work to do too.

I have too much stuff. I couldn't write more about our trip down to Santa Rosa because we had more important things to do, AKA unpack and return the U-Haul, return the mattress we borrowed from Sarah and Ari's spare room, clean out the bedroom, measure and move my dresser and bed in there, unpack a million boxes and start putting things away, creating evermore piles of things to give away/sell/throw away.

It seems that people need a certain amount of things. It's just extremely cumbersome and inconvenient to live with and maintain x amount of things. I have already gotten rid of A LOT before moving out here. All of my worldly belongings fit into one 8'x7'x6' freight cube. I sold my couches, my TV, my dining table and chairs and gave away my coffee table. I gave away a lot of clothes and donated at least three huge loads to Goodwill. All while still in Madison.

Now that my stuff has been here for at least 24 hours, I already have a huge box FULL of clothes, linens, STUFF for Goodwill.

ugh.

Thursday, March 22

Yesterday we drove all day but my stuff is finally here!

We drove through wine country which was absolutely gorgeous. It took a while driving up and down the right road to actually find the freight company but other than that things went smoothly. It was warmer in Santa Rosa, and really sunny. It felt nice. Everyone we talked with acted like my being from Wisconsin was the most novel thing since sliced bread.

We left Eureka around 4:30AM and got to U-Haul in Santa Rosa at 8:30AM. By the time we found the freight place it was 9:45 but they were luckily still there. I had called around 8:30 and left a message to let them know we were coming because it's a tiny terminal and apparently holds really inconveient hours of 7AM to 10AM weekdays. No one acted put out when we got there; they were all really nice and also said there used to be a sign on the road directing people to them but someone plowed it over and the city had new laws not allowing them to put it up there again. What also didn't help is that the whole length of Dutton Avenue the numbers appear to be pretty random, going up and down and up again, odd and even numbers on both sides of the street. It's as if someone was drunk as they figured that street's numbering system. Or else the street used to be much shorter and they added to both sides of it. I really have no idea how street numbering really works; I just know it usually makes a lot more sense than that.

It took about an hour and a half to empty out the freight cube and load up the U-Haul. We wanted to get some road time under our belts so we drove for about an hour to Hopland and stopped at this awesome solar powered place called Real Goods, which also had this huge store full of eco-friendly items. I wanted to buy so many things but we don't have any money except for the bare necessities at the moment, so I had to refrain. There was a button - my favorite one - that read: Feminism - the radical notion that women are people. There was another one that I always like but am not sure how people would view me if I wore it: Things just haven't been the same since that house fell on my sister. It just makes me laugh.

From there we drove down the street about two minutes to Hopland's blink-and-you'll-miss-it main drag to find some grub. The pub Mike thought served good food now only serves ale so we wandered across the street to this place called Bluebird Cafe. They had an old-fashioned counter so we sat at it and shared a strawberry malt and a french dip sandwich. The food was pretty overrated and way too expensive all in all, but the atmosphere was quite charming and the malt was maltalicious. Then Mike got in the U-Haul and I got in line behind him in my car. We drove home with my stuff. It was gloriously beautiful and I had the windows down and the moon roof open for most of the drive plus Girlyman in my CD player. There were so many beautiful things to look at while driving and it was a nice day for a drive.

When we got home Mike insisted, after a short time resting as we were both beat, on emptying out the U-Haul. Thursday morning we were both very glad that this work was done.

Wednesday, March 21

We are on the road again. Driving to Santa Rosa to get my stuff. I noticed it was much easier to take care of my things when it was just what could fit in my car. I'm sorta depressed at the thought of having to take care of more things again, but the paradox is that when I see my stuff, I really like so much of it. I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too. Choices, choices.

At any rate, we rented a U-Haul in Santa Rosa and after transferring the contents of the freight cube to the U-Haul, I will follow Mike back up the 101 in my car. This was the most efficient use of our money/resources. It wasn't worth it, to me, to get a one-way rental car and spend an extra $100 to be together for four hours. We are together constantly. I love Mike but this will be a nice break for both of us.

I need my own job. I need to get out of the house and meet people.

I decided after spending about five hours in the sun that I love my hair color. It has nice highlights where the bleach streaks were. For whatever that is worth.

So I ended up driving and that means I could not write. By the time we got home I was too beat to write about my day so instead I made a list. Maybe I'll write more/expand on that list later.

Here's my list regarding the day:
Hopland - Real Goods
Bluebird Cafe
Feminism - the radical notion that women are people
grease on my jeans
indoor garden shops
pink flowered trees everywhere
purple flowered trees everywhere
white flowered trees everywhere
Tsunami Turf
Wine Country
Markets

I just reread this list aloud and realized I love where I live. Yes, I do.

Tuesday, March 20

I got up, washed my face, put on some makeup and fluffed my hair. This was around 9AM. I had been awake longer than that but my sweetie brought me a cup of coffee and I enjoyed that while I laid in bed. So, I got out my list of phone calls and I made a bunch of them. Roommates.com people mostly. Princeton Club to see if I could transfer my membership. No. But I can freeze it and use it when I'm in town. It'll last me forever. That's funny because I didn't use it when I lived in town! I signed up on Monster.com and dug out my resume.

Mike got home an hour later and we left the house about 11AM. We walked clear across Eureka, well not quite. But we walked a long way. The weather was beautiful. Is beautiful, since it's about 3:40 right now. We just got home less than 15 minutes ago. This town is make for walking and biking. I love it. The downtown area is called Old Towne and is charming. We walked down to the Eureka boardwalk first of all. From our house that took about 50 minutes. Then we walked nine blocks east (I think) to Porter Street BBQ and split a delicious BBQ chicken sandwich with provolone cheese. Sooooo yummy. Then we walked nine blocks back downtown and split a peanut butter tart from this bakery called Ramones. The PB tart is one of Mike's faves and I can see why. Then we walked over a block or two to Mike's favorite coffee house and shared an apple fritter (another of his favorites) and a small Hazlenut coffee with cinnammon and half-n-half. Apparently there's some gross way that they flavor the beans but Mike can't remember what it is. Do I really want to know? Probably it's better this way.

As we sat out front of the coffee house and enjoyed the sun, strangers stopped to ask if Baby was nice and could they pet her? She's such a social, loving dog and just eats up whatever attention and affection she can get. This little boy walked right up to her and stared her in the face before either Mike or the boy's mom could stop him. I'd guess he was about 3. Baby and the boy adored each other. Baby'd never hurt a living soul, and Mike wasn't worried, but I'm sure the boy's mom panicked for a second. A large man with seemingly all his worldly possessions sauntered (I borrowed that word from him actually) up to a table where a scruffy man sat and opened his mail and plopped down next to him. The big man was a story teller and loudly started rambling about his adventures to anyone who would listen. He was talking for my benefit for a bit, it seemed, until Mike returned from inside the coffee house where he was using the restroom. Then the man promptly turned his back on me and continued his tale to the man next to him. The way the other one interjected it was apparent they knew one another well. They sort of reminded me of the old guys who sit in the balcony on the Muppet Show, but perhaps slightly less sarcastic. It was just as well with me that he stopped directing his story at me, as I was ready to go.

I noticed as we walked home that in the few places where sidewalks didn't exist that paths had been worn in by many walkers' feet. This is nice.

By the time we got home my legs and feet are so sore. I don't know for a fact but I'd say we walked four-five miles. Now I'm pooped.

Tomorrow we are driving to Santa Rosa. We are leaving at 4AM. I don't know if we'll have time for a walk. Maybe that's why Mike walked us so far today. I feel so much happier though. Why do silly humans forget things like this? How simple it really is? Fresh air, exercise, good conversation, good company (Baby the pitbull was with us), good food. It's really that simple.

Red Head

So I attempted to have purple streaks put in my hair before leaving Madison. However, my hair does not like to hold color, apparently, and by the time I got to San Francisco it looked gray/silver with blue/sickly purple hues... not a good look.

So I bought the cheapest reasonable hair dye at Target and here are the results (I chose "intense dark red"):

BEFORE:



AFTER:








I like it. Now I'm just afraid to wash it.

Monday, March 19

Things I want to do everyday:

Go for long walks
Listen to the rain
Drink lots of water
Be quiet together
Have long deep conversations
Have not-so-deep conversations
Work hard
Be self-motivated
Learn yoga poses
Take deep breaths
Mellow out
Make a daily plan
Stick to my daily plan
Be best friends

My hamster just came out of his little hiding place. He really is cute. I forget about him a lot. He's trying to burrow in his bedding but I need to go to the store and buy him some more bedding. I said, "Look! He came out!" Mike said, "Yeah he's a hamster."

Yeah, hamsters are boring.

Mike and I have been fighting, if you can really call it that. I hate fighting with him. I just want us both to be happy and together. It's just hard right now because he's trying to get his studio set up, and I can't help him with that stuff, so I have nothing to do while he does that. But he still wants me to not be on the computer all day and be self-motivated and productive. The issue is I have no idea what to do. He's very particular about how he wants things done. It's really tested us. Plus the stress of being in a place where I know nobody. I think - really think - that I need to get a part-time job to 1) get out of the house a few hours a week and 2) meet some of my own friends.

I know Mike and I really love each other and want this to work. Our fights are few and pretty tame. Neither one of us wants to fight. Mike is feeling all kinds of pressure to get his studio taken down at Liz's and set up here and start working again and making money. He claims he wants me around all the time but when I am around he feels the need to entertain me and that stresses him because his focus is divided from the work he needs to get done. This I know because we talked about it. Another reason why I gotta get out of the house and do something on my own/my own thing: I feel so dependent on Mike and I don't really like that feeling. It makes me feel helpless. I like to take care of myself, even if it is nice to be taken care of too.

I do know more so everyday that I know him that Mike is a good man.

We went for a walk at dusk and ended up walking for an hour. We started walking around the block in the neighborhood with Baby (Mike's pitbull) and ended up walking to the zoo after all. I had been wanting to see how long it would take to walk to the zoo. It took about 20 minutes one way. Not bad. They have wi-fi in the zoo cafe. Baby walks without a leash and listens really well to Mike. It was sprinkling by the time we trekked back up Harris Ave to get to Viale (our street), which felt nice to cool off at the end of the walk.

Sunday, March 18

So yesterday we had the kids. There was this lumberjack logging conference going on at Redwood Acres, the fairground behind our house. The four of us walked over to check it out. The best part was the free chocolate. The kids rode/walked around on their "heelies." I wish they made heelies in my size.

Then we walked over to the hardware store and had a key made for me. I have a key to the house now! That seems important and pertinent somehow.

A bit later we went to the beach and then we had sushi at this place on 101 N in Eureka called Hana. It was pretty good. I liked the House #2 which was smoked salmon, the spider rolls (fried crab), and california rolls (shrimp). I'm pretty sure all of them included avacado which is delicious. The tea was not good. They forgot Kaya's order so I shared my Cali rolls with her. She had two to my one. I swapped a Cali with Mike for a spider. Then when Kaya's order came out she shared a roll with me (she had the House #2). Her dad had one too. They brought out complimentary sake for Mike and me and little sake cups filled with tiny strawberry-goo-filled cookies for Josh and Kaya. Josh poured water into his empty sake cup to psyche out his dad that he was drinking Mike's sake that Mike didn't want (doesn't care for the taste of sake) and gave to me. For sake it was OK. It tasted more like rubbing alchol might than other sakes I've had. But it was hot and "free" (the price of the food was expensive, in my opinion) and pretty soon I was feeling warm and fuzzy (just a little bit, not too much).

After we got home I suggested we walk to the store and get some candy. So that's what we did. I felt like the kids and I were finally starting to bond. Kaya stuck by my side like glue. I blew bubbles and Kaya (and sometimes Josh) caught/popped them. I thought we had fun. We got a few other things besides chocolate at the store, coffee, cream, milk. It misted as we walked home. Kaya's hands were cold. Josh insisted on hauling the milk and cream, and I worried he might drop them. That stuff is not cheap.

When we got home we sat around the bedroom for about 30 minutes while Kaya played with my hamster in the ball and Josh played computer games. Finally Mike took them home around 8PM. All in all it was a good day, I'd say.

Today - Sunday - we woke up late around 9:30. It's really beautiful and sunny outside. Today I feel OK. Calm, full, not too stressed. The world looks a bit brighter.

Saturday, March 17

Friday was pretty uneventful though it was warm and sunny and perfect weather for walking on the beach - Mike had to do stuff around the house to clean/get ready for my stuff to move here plus trying to get his glass studio set up here so he can blow glass again ASAP. I was on hand to help but he didn't want/need it. I sat in the sunny backyard with Sarah and talked for a while, and I did a few chores around the house. I called ABF/the freight company that has my stuff. It'll arrive on Monday. We didn't make it to the beach but there are no longer bike parts in the bedroom and things are starting to get put away. So that's alright.

So today, Saturday. I feel pretty good with bouts of homesickness. This morning the kids got dropped off at 9AM. They love my funny little hamster. He doesn't appear to try to bite Kaya. I think she's a hamster whisperer.

The Move to Cali, in Pictures

My lovely aunt and grandmother gave me a little going-away party so the family could meet the man who was stealing me away from them (AKA Mike) and also see me before I left.

Here is my dear grandmother and my dear brother at the party:

This tee-shirt was a going-away gift from my cousins Stewart and Michelle (on my right and my left in this picture):

Here Mike and I are, still in Madison, taking a small break from packing. Look we are still smiling:

He still loves me, even if I do own too much stuff (which I do):

Here I am taking a picture of Mike packing INSTEAD of actually packing (yet he still smiles!):

I'm tired of all this packing, sorting and trying to get rid of stuff. Mike comforts me, even if secretly he might want to smack me (a little):

We finally did hit the road. And for a little while, I didn't take pictures. I forgot to take pictures all through Iowa and Nebraska (plus it was night time during most of/both of those states)! Don't worry, you didn't miss much...

We drove through some snow on the way, I believe this is Wyoming:

some more snow:

Here's Mike driving in the snow:

Here is some beautiful Wyoming countryside:

Here is a salt flat that was somewhere west of Salt Lake City, right off I-80 West (OK, pretty much everything is off I-80 West because we didn't really do sight seeing, just wanted to get there):

salt flat

salt flat

salt flat

Here's the Nevada sky right at dusk, Sunday night:

This is at the California border (see, they brag about how snow-free they are, but...):

And because Laurie said the sky is bluer in California (well, I think she actually said San Francisco) here is my first glimpse at the California sky (it's pretty blue):

Here is me in my new state for the first time (since I visited):

Here's Mike (I think we both look relatively happy considering this is the beginning of our third long day of driving):

For comparison (to the blue sky pic above) purposes, here is the San Francisco sky:

San Francisco:

San Francisco

San Francisco traffic

A beach in San Fran that we stumbled upon:

Driving up to the Golden Gate Bridge:

This is us on the Golden Gate Bridge (it's US - you can see Mike's forehead in the rearview mirror!):

Golden Gate Bridge

This is the rainbow tunnel you go through after you cross the Golden Gate Bridge northbound on the 101:

rainbow tunnel

This is my new backyard:

Here is our first trip to the beach since I moved to Cali:

beach

beach

Here's Mike driving to the beach (notice its similarities to driving in snowy Wyoming, minus the snow, and also the window's down, and Mike looks happier, I think):

More to follow! This is my first attempt at making the pictures small enough to fit in blogger.com... Stay tuned for more pictures!