Descendants of the Ash and Elm

Tonight, is the Full Buck Moon as July is when the new antlers form on a deer. I would love to feel the velvety fuzz of a new pair of antlers. Did you know antlers are the fastest gowing tissue in the animal kingdom? On average, they grow one to two inches a week! And you can still see deer romping up and down on our nearby mountains along the Conejo Grade or grazing over by CSUCI. I’ve seen them along the river bottom out at Happy Camp and tracked one recenty in Santa Monica National park.

There nocturnal, so they are most frequently spotted in the early morning.

The July full moon is also known as the Full Thunder Moon as thunder storms are so prevalent this month.

I love the history of the full moon and how each name tells us a story. It takes me back when people were closer to the earth and its cycles. When a full moon lit the night’s sky as you harvested your crops. Or a chill ran down your spine as you listened to the howling wolves and you knew that winter was near and you hoped what meager supplies you had would last you and your family through the cold, harsh winter. If you paid attention, the moon would talk to you. Telling you when to set your beaver traps and when the sturgeon would return, but you had to listen and I still do.

“There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on accord to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.” Charles Darwin

Good night moon.

I got so cranked up on Monday I forgot to post the pictures we took Sunday with Jacob. Daddy had his first weekend babysitting as mommy went back to work. So, he spent time in Grandma’s garden and hung out with his uncle and was basically spoiled all day. He even go to meet Aunt Sandy!

I can just sit and stare at this little guy all day. He’s mesmerizing.

Eli isn’t quite sure what to make of Jacob. He is just the cutest baby in the world.

So, I’m in the Sales Manger’s office having a discussion on contracts when the Controller approaches me and says, “see me about Injury Pay when you have a chance.” So, I mosey on over to the the Accounting Department where he starts grilling me on Injury Pay. I tell him to read the contract. What’s the deal, anyway? A man’s been inured we paid the first three days. Should we have paid the first three days? He then ask.

Well, that’s what the contract says to do what do you want from me? I shrug and walk away. End of story or so I thought. He then comes in to my office (contract in hand) to tell me I’m not right, that the contract says unless otherwise paid by W/C. WTF? Didn’t you just pay the man? Why are you bugging me? He walks out.

Then I read my contract and it says the Comany shall pay the first three days (unless hospitized) I go to talk to him NOW he’s reading the contract to the PRESIDENT! I explain to the president that W/C does not pay the first three days unless a person is off for at least 14 days or is hospitalized. Why John wants to change what has been past practice and is in the Contract is beyond my realm of rationality. I then turn to the Controller and ask”Is there something you are SUPPOSE to be doing and this is just another diversion?” “Have you given the President the numbers for June yet? He then says I brought it up! THIS is when I came unglued. I said” You fucking started this when you came down to the Sales Department (which is next to the President office and he was in at the time) and wanted to talk about Injury Pay and I did not bring it up and don’t you try to pin this fucking bullshit on me.” He then says, “You did bring it up, about three years ago.” And turned around a walked away. WTF??????????

Thankfully, I have coworkers like David that make up for idiots like our Controller.

You can read the article here The article starts on Page 38. He’s extremely talented.

ETA.  check out the Day Of The Dead Sculptures.

I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately so this morning when the alarm went off I called into my boss, Marc, to tell him I would be in late or not at all. I really can’t remember as I was half asleep. Then an hour or so later I bolted out of bed because I remembered today was pay day and I really should be here to distribute checks.

So, I come in to work and check my e-mails and one is from my bosses about a blog update and he tattled on me in his blog!

I did make it in to work just in time for lunch and he’s off to South Gate to show a testing house how to test our parts properly. He lives in Long Beach, so he is really making the rounds today and now I feel guilty for sleeping in and being late.

If you are stumped on what to knit next, check out the free patterns at The Nipple Project.

And I think he would make a great sock inspector. Here he is performing a sniff test on John’s new socks.

So, John’s new Socks rock. He likes them very much but as you can see Hank can’t stand it when someone else is getting attention, even when it’s someone else’s feet. And just look at the face he made while was taking a picture of Jerry.

To quote Sandy, “Hank’s naughty.”

PS The AFA is boycotting McDonald’s, so naturally, that’s where I had dinner tonight.  Freaks!

I stopped at the Bean this morning because Sandy got me addicted to Ultimate Mocha’s. So, I”m waiting on my order and I notice this young man fidgeting with his right hand and it looked familiar and then it dawned on me Jacob does that all the time so I asked they guy (”I will talk to a serial killer if they stand next me in line”, to quote my brother) Are you a bass player? He got embarrassed and said sorry and I said no worries my son does that all the time to limber his fingers. Use to DRIVE ME CRAZY. so then I start to describe the movie August Rush (which doesn’t even have a bass player in it. This is my brain without coffee) only at 7 AM I don’t remember the August part so he thinks I’m talking about the band Rush. No, no that kid that slaps the guitar. Oh yeah, August Rush he says. So I says you gotta check out Andy McGee on youtube ( I often give homework assignments at random) who is also NOT a bass player, but he has this intersting style of “slapping” that bass players use and he also plays this awesome instrument that’s like a harp and a guitar. Awesome, says the bass player, then this Chinese guy calls “Carlton table for four” oh wait that was Seinfeld.

Okay, so this lame redhead aka the Manager calls “Becky” so off I go and tell the bass player one more time to youtube Andy Mcgee clutching my drink like an alcoholic. I get in the truck have a sip and it’s NOT MY DRINK. So, do I take it back since I’ve alread drank from the straw and decided “fuck it I’m already late” so I go get me a new one and the manager thanks me for coming back. Well, fuck yeah I’m coming back I want my dad gum drink. What a meat head!

There was a customer in the lobby when I arrived who was suppose to be here last Thursday so I don’t even think my boss noticed! But, somehow I think he’ll figure it out once he reads my blog.

I’m such a tattle tale.

We managed to get lots accomplished this weekend. John and I finally planted the garden. Joseph paid me rent money so I had it burning a hole in my pocket. We bought peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, cucumbers, onions and cilantro. More room to plant in, but John needs to add nutrients to the soil first. And we bought a huge indoor plant (more like a tree) for the TV room. And the best part was I didn’t even ASK for rent money.

I finished John’s socks (will post photo as soon as he will model them) had dinner at Sandy & Marty’ on the fourth. Sandy and I spent the night knitting while Paris entertained us with stories and John and Marty looked at landscaping books like it was porn. Played hide n go seek with Paris and when it was my turn scared the crap out of her and Sandy. I slid out the back door and came up behind them in a dark hall. Paris didn’t know whether to shit or wind her watch, but once she saw Aunt Sandy laugh all was well again. Jack was on doggie downers on account of the fire works and John and Marty took Paris up on the roof. She’ s John’s little buddy now.

If you have animals, you know what a chore it is to clean AROUND them. Here’s Jerry helping in the bathroom this morning.

And here’s Hank doing a Burt Reynoldseque pose while I try to make the bed.

Finally coaxed Hank off of the bed to make it, went to do a load of laundry and came back and found Jerry sleeping, I swear, with a smile on his face.

Put on a pot of ham hocks and beans today and puttered around the house and Marty and Sandy came over for dinner and John and Marty looked at more building books like they were porn. Did you know cow hair works great in plaster?

I hope everyone had a great weekend with friends, family and pets. Well, actually my pets are family and I like them better than most. Like for example, today Roger calls me from LAS VEGAS to ask ME what HIS zip code is. Apparently his skateboarding cousin Sammy gets these bad ass shoes from his sponsors so he’s going to send some to Roger. It took all I had not to yell LOOK AT YOUR FUCKING DRIVERS LICENSE!

See why I have pets?

Yesterday, we were sitting around in the library chatting and JJ kept starring up at the ceiling for the longest time.

His uncles, being inquisitive and slightly intoxicated began to wonder what the Little Man was looking at so hard. Finally Joseph hypothesized that Little Man was staring at the ceiling lights thinking they were

boobies.

Which in turn lead to a chain reaction of uncle Roger cracking a rare smile. And daddy having a proud inebriated, parental moment.

The proud parents

Yesenia is quite a trooper. She endured Roger trying to get JJ to memorize his phone number and practice pick-up lines as he’s a better babe magnet than Roger’s Labrador retriever AND she met my mother in the same day. Mother did quiz her on something to do with electoral college votes and delegates. In an attempt to see if she REALLY was a citizen. OMFG, Roger, Joseph or Jacob couldn’t answer those questions combined AND sober! And mother made an announcement to the boys that Roger and Jacob are not getting $20 this year for their birthdays because they did not thank her for the $25 they got for Christmas, but Joseph remembered to thank her and he was IN JAIL. “So, you can just kiss that $20 good bye.” Said mother.
Meanwhile Joseph would really like us to quit mentioning he was in jail.

So, that will be my last time.

Maybe, but I mean, after all, I am my mothers daughter so I can’t make any promises.

Since John is behaving himself and eating properly this week, I’ve started to knit him a pair of socks with some Socks that Rock yarn from the yarn room stash. He tried on the first one and is really excited about them, which surprised me.

Today is Joseph’s birthday (he’s 28) so the kids will be over tomorrow for a BBQ and I blew out my back vacuuming the couch in an attempt to rid it of dog hair. Why I even bother vacuuming while they are shedding is beyond me. So now John is going to have to do the cooking tomorrow and tonight he is making deviled egg stuffed jalapenos and he keeps staying things like “Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about” from the kitchen apparently talking with his studio audience Ala Kramer. Meanwhile I took a pain pill and suddenly feel creative (ya gotta just love that vicodin) and have decided to attempt Julie’s shawl. I gathered colors from my yarn room and formed a knitters pallet of colors and placed them in a basket so I don’t forget once the Vitamin V wears off.

So, what do you ladies think? Does it look alright or do you think it needs a solid color in there? I started out with Schaeffer in wool, chanile and boucle. I then tossed in a Noro boucle and a skein of verigated mohair and topped it off with a Kaalund verigated 100% silk. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

And other valuble lessons I’ve learned from George Carlin.

There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.

If crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight?  They never mention that part to us, do they?

I’m completely in favor of seperation of church and state.  My idea is these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death. 

Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.

Relax and take it easy.  Don’t get caught up in hallow conceits such as “doing something with your life”.  Such twaddle is outmoded and a sure formula for disappointment.

Those who dance are considered insane by those who can’t hear the music.

Stys are caused by watching your dog shit.

I would never want to be a member of a group whose symbol was a guy nailed to two pieces of wood.

Electricity is really just organized lightning.

Think off-center.

If churches want to play the game of politics, let them pay admission like everyone else.

Tonights weather forcast, dark.